FENDER STRATOCASTER slab board, 1960

Three tone sunburst. Probably the best '60s Stratocaster we have ever had in our inventory! 
100% original guitar, with a recent and perfect refret job.  Alder body dated July '60 in the spring cavity. The three-tone color has lost part of its red shading, especially on the top, looking almost like a two-tone near the upper bouts. The red color is much more vibrant on the back. The finish is all original and in overall excellent condition, with heavy traces of wear only on the body edges. Light checking runs from side to side, giving the guitar a beautiful vintage look and feel. Minimal belt-buckle wear which doesn't go down to the wood. We have taken a lot of detailed pictures of all the worn areas. All the three nail 'clamping holes' are where they are expected to be, and they are shown in detail in the pictures below.  
The neck is made of lightly flamed maple, is dated May 1960 and has nicely worn from playing.  The thick "slab" brazilian rosewood fretboard has clay dots and new frets perfectly installed. The original Spaghetti logo is intact. 
The headstock has original Kluson Deluxe single-line tuners with D-169400 patent number, with somewhat rusty but in good working order. Never other tuners installed, no other holes, no repairs, no breaks, nothing, really a very clean guitar.
All original electronics: three black-bottom pickups with original rubber spacers, three way selector switch, paper capacitor, three original Stackpole pots dated 32nd and 34th week of 1960, cloth wires,  jack socket with Switchcraft brand.
All original plastic parts: pickup covers, knobs, and most of all a gorgeous "green" pickguard, with no cracks whatsoever, slightly retired but not warped, with its original shielding plate signed by "Mell", a name we have just seen somewhere in our old Strats. And finally, all original hardware, bridge with "pat pend" saddles, screws, vibrato springs, etc. 

No set-up work is needed, this guitar is ready to play: the sound is hot, with all the three pickups well-balanced and with a strong output. This '60 Stratocaster has a very different voice if compared to the '58 we purchased one month earlier, maybe because of the slab rosewood board, a deeper and more complex sound.  Thanks to the deeply contoured body, it is very light and responsive, with a beautiful un-plugged tone. The electronics are working properly. The three-way switch stops easily in the "middle" position between middle and bridge pickup, but it takes some time to find the right position between middle and neck settings.
The guitar comes with the spring-cavity cover (no screws) and a vibrato arm correct for that era, but not original to this guitar. 

As we always do, we like to show all the flaws and signs of time: in this case, the truss-rod access has been slightly enlarged, as you can see in the neck pocket picture, as it was very common with vintage Strats; a few solder-joints have been re-soldered for functional reasons (the finish originality is out of question); finally, it looks like the nut could have been replaced with an aged new one when the guitar was refretted, I can't be sure but that's what I think.
Original brown tolex hardshell case, very beautiful and in nice condition. Inside, it has been re-lined in blue, which looks more Rickenbacker than Fender, but all in all it is a very rare, solid and original brown case, with original latches, hinges and handle (covered with black tape), which adds even more value to a musical and collectible treasure.

front - front2 - in case - body1 - body2 - body3 - body4 - back - body back - body back 2 - body date - headstock - logo - knobs - bridge - saddles - circuitry - pickup1 - pickup2 - pickup3 - pickups 1 - pickups 2 - nail1 - nail2 - nail3 - body cavity1 - body cavity2 - neck1 - neck2 - neck3 - clay -  selector 1 - selector 2 - - - - pots1 - pots2 - pots3 - pots4 - neck date - neck pocket - neck plate - tuners1 - tuners2 - tuners3 - color - slab - jack - wear1 - wear2 - wear3 - wear4 - wear5 - checking1 - checking2 - case - flame1 - flame2