1963 Stratocaster with a Brazilian Rosewood Round Top!! Player's condition with scratches and paint wear that give it real character!! Enjoy the thicker, more comfortable grip than early models and a rich, vintage-sounding fat tone from its well-played, well-worn body.
This year saw changes that are visually distinguishable: 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.
FENDER 1963 STRATOCASTER
There are no major changes to the cavity machining; it retains the basic shape from the 1960s. The handwritten alphabet-like markings are likely color specifications and the initials of the person responsible for the machining.
The wiring channel is straight and relatively long. Due to manual fabrication, this is an area with significant variation between individual units.
Features a jack manufactured by SwitchCraft. The jack cavity's edges show minimal machining, and no pin holes are visible.
Starting in '63, handles were attached to the neck pocket and painted, so the paint would be divided into two sections.
The body contour is shallow and compact on both the top and back.
The body date stamped in the boss spring cavity can be identified as September 1963. This appears to be the final year for body dating.
Original pickups featuring black fiber paper on both the top and bottom of the bobbins. Starting in late '64, the color of the fiber paper on the bottom of the bobbins changed to gray, and the pickups began to feature dating.The pickup magnet is a cylindrical Alnico Type V, and the coil uses "AWG (American Wire Gauge) #42" wire. The pole pieces are staggered, with different heights for each string to achieve volume balance, 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" simply comes from stringing together the element symbols.
For your reference
＜Pickup DC Resistance Value＞
(F) 6.11 kΩ (M) 5.84 kΩ (R) 6.23 kΩ
Serial numbers are fundamentally one of the key elements for identifying the year of manufacture. However, discrepancies can occur due to variations in the production system, including the manufacturing process itself. Furthermore, there are instances where the serial number and the actual manufacturing date are significantly different for various reasons. Therefore, they do not always correspond exactly. Since parts can also be easily replaced, determining the actual year of manufacture requires a comprehensive assessment, including all components.
The rubber tubing used as spacers in the pickup assembly was used up until this year. This part often hardens due to aging, but starting in '64, springs replaced the rubber tubing.
Two round-groove type "Stackpole" pots were adopted around '57. The volume pot (CTS) and switch were replaced with a CRL 5-point switch. Orange ceramic capacitors were used starting in '61.
The pickguard commonly known as the "Green Guard." It is called this because the celluloid top layer has yellowed with age and mixed with the dark navy blue center (which looks black but is actually navy blue), giving it a greenish appearance. The aluminum shield plate on the back, which originally only covered the control section, was changed to cover the entire pickguard starting in mid-1959.
The pickguard screw that was positioned between the front and middle pickups will be moved closer to the middle pickup starting this year. This is another distinguishing feature visible from the exterior.
The curved-surface round fingerboard adopted from mid-1962. "2" is the Stratocaster code number, while "SEP (SEPTEMBER)" and "63" indicate the month and year of manufacture, meaning this one was made in September 1963. "B" denotes the neck size (thickness).
The oval-type neck shape features increased thickness and width. While the difference is only about 1mm compared to the flat-type from the early '60s, the actual grip feel is completely different. Personally, I like this thickness, but it would be even better if it were a slab specification...
For your reference
＜Neck Size＞
Nut width: 42mm, 12th fret: 52mm
Neck thickness: Approx. 22mm (at the 1st fret), approx. 26mm (at the 12th fret)
The pegs are Kluson covered-type. They are single-line Kluson with the "KLUSON DELUXE" engraving, which was changed to double-line Kluson with two lines of engraving starting mid-year.
The gold-colored logo with black outline, commonly known as the "Spaghetti Logo." Starting in '61, the patent number was added below. "2,573,254" pertained to the Telecaster bridge, "2,741,146" to the synchronized tremolo, and from '62 onward, "2,960,900" regarding body contouring was added.The string guides became tapered around 1963, and around the following year, the spacers changed from metal to nylon-based materials.
The shape from the fingerboard to the headstock features a large, gentle radius. Regarding headstock thickness, while other instruments from the same year measured around 13mm to 13.5mm, this particular instrument was notably thicker, showing a significant difference.
For your reference
＜Head Thickness＞
1st string side: approx. 15mm, 6th string side: approx. 15–15.5mm
The dot markers from '59 to '64. The dot marker positioned above the 12th fret, roughly midway between the 5th and 2nd strings, had its spacing narrowed inward starting in '63.
※Comparing it to the '59 model really highlights the differences. This, like the pickguard, can be considered a key distinguishing point.
A separate-type tremolo block that integrates the "bridge" with the "inertia block" functioning as the tailpiece.This innovative design earned the name "Synchronized Tremolo," reflecting how the integrated bridge plate and inertia block move in sync during arm operation. From around 1957, a type with deeper grooves for the "FENDER PAT.PEND." stamp on the saddles was also adopted, though many instruments appear to have both types mixed.
By 1958, the pickguard and jack plate screws had already been changed. Starting around 1962, the neck joint and spring hanger screws were also changed from wood screws to self-tapping screws. The serial numbers were designated as the "L Series," with an "L" prefix added to the number. This specification lasted from 1963 to 1965. After the sale to CBS, a large "F" was stamped into the neck plate.