1965 Fender Stratocaster with Brazilian Rosewood fretboard and CITES certificate. Pre-CBS build date of 2 January 1965, three days before the CBS aquisition of Fender. With January 1st being a national holiday, this guitar is one of only a handful of 1965 Pre-CBS strats! The original owner was inspired by David Gilmour and Pink Floyd, so he wrote to Fender on the guitar's 10th anniversary to see if Fender was able to transform the guitar into the ultimate "tricked out" Stratocaster finished in Black with matching headstock. Not having a Custom Shop available to the public, Fender recommended a nearby Arizona Custom Shop to create what you see here: the ultimate Black Strat. This is the earliest example I have ever seen of an established American custom shop modifying a pre-CBS Strat. You have a completely original 60 year old guitar underneath a 50 year old black paint job with added built-in wah, phaser and piezo effects plus tone circuit boosts! The pickups are original and simply have black covers added.

When Reverb.com took the world guitar shopping with them in Chicago near their headquarters, this is the guitar that stood out the most to them and is the one they wanted to share with the world on their YouTube channel. There is not a cooler, better looking '65 Strat on the planet. The engraved neck plate documenting the 1975 transformation captures an era of American innovation and experimentation in using new sound effects that would become a permanent fixture in rock music. This guitar perfectly encapsulates the transforming direction of rock music from 1965 to 1975. It is a beautiful piece of functional artwork, and it has lived as case queen for almost the entirety of the last half-century.

Worldwide shipping to any country. Will be professionally packed and shipped with UPS or FedEx. I am selling off my entire guitar collection and have several 60s Strats available for sale, so follow me here and keep an eye out on upcoming listings.