1961 Fender 3-Tone Sunburst Stratocaster - Assay

Discussion:

A customer brought me his 1961 Fender Stratocaster which his dad bought for him in 1968. I was asked to assay the guitar to determine vintage and authenticity. I was also asked to replace the current nut with an aged bone nut, as original, replace (too high) string saddle screws, and replace switch tip with an aged replica. ASSAY and WORK:

The overall appearance of the guitar is “Road-Worn”, with numerous parallel checking, dings, dents, scratches and gouges apparent on the body, and, to a lesser extent, the neck

The first three frets of the neck have significant wear, and the fretboard is worn (dimples) between the higher strings for the first three frets. This does not adversely affect playability. The other frets are in good condition.

1961 Stratocaster fret and fingerboard wear.

1961 Fender Stratocaster in original case.

Overall appearance is of a 60-year-old well-used Stratocaster. The only obvious anachronisms are the 3-way switch tip, which is white and looks new compared to the other aged plastic parts, and some of the string saddle Allen screws, which look to be modern replacements, and the black plastic nut.

The back of the guitar has obvious belt buckle wear, and wear through the finish on the back of the neck. The string cavity cover appears to be original.

1961 Stratocaster Back

The guitar case is original, and is heavily soiled. The latches are corroded, and the two outermost latches work, but their spring mechanism is broken. The handle of the case has been repaired with black tape. Included in the case is the original tremolo arm, the original “Ash Tray” bridge cover, original Wabash strap, a repair bill from 1990, and the original ¼” input jack and screws. Also in the case pocket is a replacement 3-way switch tip.

The peghead is the “small” version, correct for 1961, and the Fender logo is the “Spaghetti” type, with two patent numbers, also correct. The string tree is correct, as is the “Original Contour Body” decal.

1961 Stratocaster Fender “Spaghetti” Logo, with two Patent Numbers.

1961 Stratocaster Lower Bout Wear

The Stratocaster as received had a black plastic nut, probably Corian. It was replaced with an aged bone nut.

1961 Stratocaster nut replacement with aged bone.

The pickguard is the original celluloid 3-ply which has shrunk (as is evidenced by the off-center pickguard screw holes), and cracked in several places. It has also turned slightly green, which is typical for these pickguards.

1961 Stratocaster Pickguard Shrinkage and Cracking.

1961 Stratocaster lower horn pickguard crack.

In the photo below, the pickguard shrinkage is evident by the top right screw hole being off-center. Also notice the crack by the neck pickup. The body seems to have been clear-coated in this area, and some overspray is on the top of the pickguard. Some linear checking is evident. The clay dots are original, as is the Rosewood fingerboard.

1961 Stratocaster Pickguard Shrinkage, Overspray and Crack.

1961 Stratocaster Pickguard wear (top of photo) and overspray (bottom of photo).

The bridge/tremolo string saddles are original (Fender / Pat. Pend.). All screws are original except for the saddle Allen screws, which are replacements and are very high. These were replaced with the correct height screws (second photo).

1961 Stratocaster Bridge, High Saddle Screws.

1961 Fender Stratocaster, replacement bridge string saddle screws.

The control knobs are original “3-spoke” type. (See below).

1961 Stratocaster original “3-spoke” control knobs.

The guitar fretboard is the correct 7.25” radius. The bridge radius was not correct and was adjusted to the correct radius. The intonation was set.

1961 Stratocaster Neck Radius.

The tuners are original Kluson (“Deluxe”) 6-in-line. All operate properly.

1961 Stratocaster Kluson “Deluxe” Tuners.

The upper front rear bout shows signs of sprayed clear-coat, with an inch and a half “sag” in the paint that is not very noticeable. There is an attempted repair of a small gouge toward the middle of the bout that is a noticeably darker color (see below). The linear checking is evident in the photo. 1961 was the year that Fender started using a more robust red color for the three-tone sunburst; it is more resistant to fading.

1961 Stratocaster upper bout with repair, overspray, and checking.

The pickups appear to be original and have the correct stagger on the D and G string positions. The pole pieces are slightly chamfered. Pole pieces from this period varied widely in the degree of chamfering, if any. The “G” pole piece was elevated because in 1961 most guitar players were using a wound “G” string. In later years, the staggering practice was eliminated.

1961 Stratocaster Correct Pickup Pole Stagger.

The pickguard was removed. The pickguard screws were replaced at some point, but are as original. The pickups are original, with black bobbins, and measure DCR as follows:

NECK: 6.14 Ω

MIDDLE: 5.95 Ω

BRIDGE: 5.87 Ω

These resistances are typical of the pickups from that era. The tone from these pickups is extraordinarily good.

The original tape is present, and in the correct positions. The aluminum shield is original, and lightly corroded. The Stackpole potentiometers and switch are original. The ceramic 0.1 µF tone cap (SK/.1X/50V) tested good and all wiring is original. The yellow tone cap wire sleeve is original. Solder joints all appear to be original and untouched. The jack plate is original, but the ¼” input jack has been replaced, and its solder joints are of course recent. The 3-way switch is somewhat stiff to operate, but functions correctly without undo switch noise. The rubber height bushings of the pickups are original and severely degraded, as to be expected. The neck and middle pickups as a result are noticeably tilted towards the back. The bridge pickup is tilted slightly towards the front. This does not affect playability. The pickup pole pieces are all “North Up”, which is typical and correct for this year.

1961 Stratocaster Controls Wiring.

1961 Stratocaster Control Wiring.

1961 Stratocaster 3-way Switch.

1961 Stratocaster Pickup Height Bushings (Degraded).

The pickup body routing appears original, with overspray from the original 3-tone sunburst finish. There is a penciled number “4” in the right side of the neck cavity. It is unknown what this designates, if anything. To the Southwest of the far lower right screw hole is the “nail hole”, used by Fender when painting the guitar. The yellow stain with which Fender treated all Alder bodies is visible here.

1961 Stratocaster Body Routes.

1961 Stratocaster jack plate with replaced ¼” input jack.

The back spring cavity cover was removed. The spring claw, springs, and tremolo base appear original. The ground solder joint appears original.

1961 Stratocaster tremolo spring cavity.

The springs were removed. The body is dated “12-60”, meaning this body was made at the end of 1960.

1961 Stratocaster spring pocket date.

The neck was removed from the body. The neck plate appears original, and bears the serial number 57286, which dates the guitar to 1961. The neck screws are the original partially-threaded type. The heel of the neck has the truss rod adjuster in the correct place (halfway through the slab board), and bears the date “1-61” in pencil. So this is a transition guitar, with the body made in December of 1960, and the neck made in January of 1961. The neck pocket has a shim at the back. The shim is probably not factory, as Fender used a red shim material. The back side of the neck heel has the “pilot” hole, used with a template for neck shaping at the factory.

1961 Stratocaster original neck plate and screws. Correct serial number placement.

1961 Stratocaster original neckplate with serial number and original screws.

1961 Stratocaster neck heel with pilot hole for template.

1961 Stratocaster neck pocket with shim.

1961 Stratocaster neck heel with date and slab board with truss rod screw.

SUMMARY:

This is an authentic transition 1960 – 1961 Fender Stratocaster in 3-tone sunburst.

Some of the specifications used to authenticate this guitar:

The body wood is Alder. The neck is Maple with a Brazilian Rosewood “slab” board. The board radius is 7.25”. The pickups are staggered pole pieces, Formvar wire insulation, magnetic North pole on top. Black bobbins. The pickguard is three layers, (white/black/white) of celluloid, fixed with eleven screws, screw #3 between middle and neck pickups. Bridge has 6 individual saddles of bent steel, with a separate tremolo block. The finish is thin nitrocellulose lacquer, 3-tone sunburst (yellow / red / black). Tuners are Kluson, stamped in one line with “Kluson Deluxe”. Pickup switch is three-way. The tip is a replacement. The body is deeply contoured. This was done by hand, so varies by guitar. The headstock decal is gold “spaghetti logo” with two patent numbers. It is the small peghead size. 1961 serial numbers range from 50,000 to 80,000. This is serial number 57286. The 1961 Stratocaster came with strings that had a wound G string, and gauges .012 - .052. This guitar was restrung with nickle.010 - .045, the G string is not wound. Note:

I am not a professional appraiser. $289.50 was the list price for the 1961 Stratocaster. Currently, the early 60s Stratocasters seem to be offered for sale for between $12,000 and $30,000+. There is a lot of variation depending on condition and originality. If I were to offer this particular guitar for sale, I would estimate its value to be about $19,500 - $22,500.

The “slab” board Stratocasters like this one are more valuable than the later 60s “veneer” fingerboards (August 1962 on).

Donald W. Hayward

HardWay Vintage Electronics

Note on CITES law and Brazilian Rosewood:

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an

international agreement between governments designed to protect endangered plants and animals.

The CITES law was introduced on the 2nd of January 2017 and put restrictions on how certain woods

were traded across international borders – especially the likes of rosewood.

Do I need CITES Certification for my guitar?

Not necessarily. If your guitar or instrument was made before 2nd January 2017, you won’t need any certification to travel with your guitar. In addition, the law only requires you to produces a CITES Certificate if you’re carrying over 10kg of Rosewood, which is highly unlikely – you do have to travel WITH your guitar though.

The CITES Law mainly affects dealers and brands. Brands will start shipping their guitars with CITES Certification, or provide you with a website link to get your certificate, should you ever need to prove where the wood is from.

You can:

You can still buy and sell guitars with rosewood (and other regulated woods) within your country and freely within the EU.

You can travel with your guitar freely as long as you don’t have over 10kg (22lbs) of rosewood and other regulated woods.

You can’t:

You can’t order a guitar outside of the EU without the correct CITES certification. This is the responsibility of the exporter / retailer.

You can’t sell a guitar internationally without CITES Certification. If you’re selling a guitar which is 2nd hand internationally and it includes any of the regulated woods, you may have to prove that it’s older than Jan 2nd, 2017.

Donald W. Hayward

HardWay Vintage Electronics