"Nothing is more beautiful than a guitar. Except, possibly two."
― Frederic Chopin
Or three ... or four ... or, or, or!
There were three at Dave's Guitar and then one sold. I had been watching them for awhile, but I finally decided to move on it. I used my tax return to assist procuring this 1963 NOS Fender Stratocaster. The color is Red Sparkle. Two of the three had mint-white pick guards and one was pure white, which was the guitar I had my eye on. The day after I bought mine, the third and last sold. I noticed on the order sheet that the three guitars were made specifically for Dave's store.
Anyway, what a gorgeous guitar. I have yet to customize the bridge saddles for string height, but even now it's a dream to play. This guitar (unlike my others) was made at Fender's Custom Shop in Corona, CA. NOS stands for "New Old Stock", which means every component was custom manufactured to precise specifications of a 1963 guitar. Fender states: "Models from the past that have survived to the present day looking brand new. An all-lacquer finish that looks as if it hasn’t aged at all ― as if you went back in time and bought it." Elites will say that they're still not as good as the ones made in the 60s, but this is likely as close as you can get without paying over $10k for one.
The product presentation is astonishing:
Here you can see the sparkle finish a little better:
Certificate of Authenticity:
Who made the case? G&G!
Even has the Custom Shop Logo on the interior.
Some additional hardware shots ...
The bridge and saddles ...
Output Jack ...
Controls ...
Custom Shop logo on the rear of the headstock ...
And the front ...
So, now what? I don't know, really. They don't just sit around in their cases or collect dust ― I do play them. This clip is me playing some Gilmour-esque inspired growling chords and bends with my Black Stratocaster, which is still my favorite to just pick up and play:
But did not go birding this weekend! That'll hurt my numbers, right?
BTW: That is a Catherine Hamilton Snowy Owl print in the top image.
All images © 2022 Mike McDowell