FENDER 1963 STRATOCASTER

　A '63 Stratocaster with a rosewood fingerboard!! In player's condition, with scratches and paint wear that give it a distinctive character!! Enjoy a comfortable grip—thicker than early models—and a rich, vintage-sounding fat tone that comes from just the right amount of wear.
　This year saw noticeable cosmetic changes: one of the pickguard mounting screws was moved closer to the middle pickup, and the spacing between the dot markers above the 12th fret became narrower.

　There are no major changes to the cavity design; it retains the basic shape of the 1960s. The handwritten letters are likely the color specifications and the initials of the person who did the work.

　The wiring channel is straight and relatively long. Since this is done by hand, there is significant variation between individual instruments.

　A "SwitchCraft" jack is used (Recruit). The edge of the jack cavity has not been heavily sanded, and no pin holes are visible.

　Starting in '63, a handle was attached to the neck pocket before painting, causing the paint to split down the middle.

　The body contour is shallow and small on both the top and back.

　The body date marked in the boss spring cavity can be identified as September 1963. It appears this was the last year the body was dated.

　Original black bobbin pickups featuring black fiber paper on both the top and bottom of the bobbin. Starting in the second half of 1964, the color of the lower part of the bobbin was changed to gray fiber paper, and the pickups began to include a date stamp.The pickup magnet is a cylindrical Alnico Type V, and the coil uses "AWG (American Wire Gauge) #42." The pole pieces are of the "staggered" type, with different heights for each string to balance the volume, and this design was used until the mid-1970s.
*Alnico Type V: An alloy consisting of approximately 50% iron with added aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), and cobalt (Co). Incidentally, the name "Alnico" is simply a combination of the chemical symbols.
◎For reference

(F) 6.11kΩ (M) 5.84kΩ (R) 6.23kΩ

　While the serial number is generally one of the key factors for determining the year of manufacture, it does not always match the actual production date due to variations in the manufacturing process and system changes. Additionally, there are units where the serial number and production date differ significantly for various reasons. Since parts can be easily replaced, determining the exact year requires a comprehensive assessment that takes all components into account.

　The rubber tubing used for the pickup spacers was used up until this year. While many of these have hardened due to aging, starting in '64, springs were used instead of rubber tubing.

　There are two "Stackpole" round-groove potentiometers, which were introduced around 1957. The volume pot (manufactured by CTS) and the switch have been replaced with a 5-way switch made by CRL. Orange ceramic capacitors have been used since 1961.

　The pickguard is commonly known as the "Green Guard." It earned this name because the celluloid top layer has yellowed over time, blending with the dark navy blue (which looks black but is actually navy) in the center to create a greenish hue. The aluminum shield plate on the back, which originally covered only the control section, was redesigned in mid-1959 to cover the entire body.

　The pickguard screw, which was previously located between the front and middle pickups, was moved closer to the middle pickup starting this year. This is another distinguishing feature visible from the outside.

　The curved, laminated round fingerboard introduced in mid-'62. "2" is the Stratocaster model code; "SEP (SEPTEMBER)" and "63" indicate the month and year of manufacture, so in this case, it refers to September 1963. "B" denotes the neck size (thickness).

　An oval-type neck shape with increased thickness and width. While the difference in measurements is only about 1mm compared to the flat-type necks of the early '60s, the grip feels completely different in practice. Personally, I like this thickness, but it would be even better if it were a slab-style neck...
◎For reference:

Nut width: 42mm, 12th fret: 52mm
Neck thickness: approx. 22mm (at the 1st fret), approx. 26mm (at the 12th fret)

　The tuners are covered "Kluson" types. They are "single-line Kluson" tuners engraved with "KLUSON DELUXE"; starting partway through this year, they were changed to "double-line Kluson" tuners with the engraving in two lines.

　The gold-and-black-outlined logo, commonly known as the "Spaghetti Logo." Starting in 1961, patent numbers were added at the bottom. "2,573,254" relates to the Telecaster bridge, "2,741,146" relates to the synchronized tremolo, and starting in 1962, "2,960,900" was added, relating to the body contouring.Around 1963, the string guides were updated to a tapered design, and around the following year, the spacers were changed from metal to nylon.

　The shape from the fingerboard to the headstock features a large, gentle curve. Regarding headstock thickness, while other instruments from the same year measured approximately 13mm to 13.5mm, this particular instrument is notably thicker, showing a significant difference.
◎For reference

1st string side: approx. 15mm, 6th string side: approx. 15–15.5mm

　Clay dots from '59 to '64. The dot marker above the 12th fret, which was positioned roughly midway between the 5th and 2nd strings, has a narrower spacing from '63 onward.
*The difference is clearly visible when compared to the '59 model. Like the pickguard, this is another distinguishing feature.

　A separate-type tremolo block that integrates the "bridge" with the "inertia block," which functions as the tailpiece. The name "Synchronized Tremolo," which brought this innovative idea to life, was chosen because the integrated bridge plate and inertia block move in sync (synchronously) when the tremolo arm is moved.Starting around 1957, models with a deeper groove for the "FENDER PAT.PEND." stamp on the saddle began to appear, but it seems there are quite a few individual instruments where both types are mixed together.

　While the screws for the pickguard and jack plate were already changed by 1958, starting around 1962, the screws for the neck joint and spring hanger were also changed from wood screws to self-tapping screws. The serial numbers belong to the "L Series," which features an "L" prefix; this was the specification from 1963 to 1965. After the sale to CBS, a large "F" was stamped on the neck plate.