1963 Fender Stratocaster Lake Placid Blue
***More pictures soon***
Rare and exceptionally well-preserved 1963 Fender Stratocaster, featuring an original factory Lake Placid Blue over Sunburst finish.
During this period, Fender occasionally applied custom colors over standard Sunburst bodies to fulfill special orders or repurpose existing stock. This guitar clearly shows that practice. Decades of natural wear now reveal areas of the original Sunburst beneath the metallic blue.
This Strat is 100% original, with the exception of a professional refret.
The neck is dated October 1963. The black-bottom pickups, mint-green pickguard, Kluson tuners, tremolo system, and all electronics are original and untouched. The pots are dated to the 34th week of 1963. The nitro finish shows fine checking and light wear, but no breaks, repairs, or overspray.
The rosewood fingerboard is dark and tight-grained, paired with a comfortable mid-’63 neck profile. The guitar plays easily and sounds exactly as an early-’60s Strat should—clear, articulate, and dynamic, with the unmistakable chime and response of original black-bottom pickups.
The body was already sprayed using the paint stick method, but—typical for 1963—it still retains its original clean nail holes, a small but important detail authenticating it as a Fender factory color.
This LPB strat was originally purchased new in Brussels in 1965 by Laurentius (Ostend BE), who played it throughout the 1960s in local bands The Swallows and Bunch. I have been in contact with Laurentius, who told me his story and the history of this guitar and shared a period photograph of his young son holding the guitar.
In 1977, he sold the Strat to a local jazz musician, who later got in touch with David from Brussels Vintage Guitars, from whom I acquired it.
An outstanding and completely original pre-CBS Stratocaster, with a rare Lake Placid Blue over Sunburst factory finish and fully documented Belgian provenance... what's not to love about this guitar!
More details:
- Original alder body in factory Lake Placid Blue
- Small pre cbs headstock & spaghetti logo
- One piece maple neck Oct 1963
- Braz Rosewood fingerboard with clay dot inlays
- Original black-bottom pickups