Used Vintage 1964 Fender Stratocaster

Condition Report

This '64 Strat is one of the most beautiful vintage guitars I've ever seen! It has shows typical vintage wear...actually, "typical" sells this guitar short. It has some of the most amazing checking I've ever seen, and all the battle scars and areas of wear from use look unbelievably cool. If it didn't sound so mind-blowingly good, I'd say it belongs in an art gallery! It has no structural issues. Somewhere along the way, a previous owner swapped out the backplate, knobs, and switch tip, but the electronics are all original. It has also undergone a refret at some time its storied life. The original hardshell case is functional, but the two outside latches are squirrelly and not to be trusted. All in all, it's dripping with mojo and sonic power!

Sonic Evaluation

I've been beating my head against the wall trying to capture the magic of this '64 Strat in words. They say writing about music is like dancing about architecture, and I feel that most acutely with jaw-droppers like this guitar. So, I'll just do what I normally do and word-vomit my through it!

The long and short of it is simple: this is one of the finest vintage Strats I've ever played. It has few equals and no superiors. Immediately upon strumming a few chords without plugging in, I was blown away by how resonant it is. It's also quite harmonically dense with a rich cornucopia of sweet overtones. The attack is also quite springy, so you can really smack it and the notes won't splat out. Speaking of the attack, it's unbelievably responsive! The notes sound the instant your pick touches string--really impressive.

All of this qualities are only magnified when you amplify. It sounds fat, and when I say "fat" picture of one those big blocks of beef tallow they use for fryers at restaurants, but the size of a Ford F-350. That kind of fat. The overtone profile is beautiful, with lots of even-order harmonics that mesh and stack perfectly. Notes bloom with piano-like immediacy, and they sound as sweet as spun sugar.

The bridge pickup packs a focused snarl, with tight low-end, a vicious bite in the midrange, and a glorious bell-like jangly chime in the highs. The middle pickup is where that aforementioned fatness comes through--it's beefy enough to make some neck pickups run for the hills, but it has the clarity of a bridge pickup. The neck pickup is thick and warm with just the right amount of glassy sparkle for seasoning.

If you're looking for a great vintage Strat, you owe it to yourself to check this beastly '64 out. It'll make you feel like you stepped into one of your favorite old records!