Fender Solid Body Electric Mandolin
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Item # 10904
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Fender Solid Body Electric Mandolin, made in Fullerton, California, serial # 02072, Lake Placid Blue lacquer finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black tolex hard shell case.
This is a just one of the coolest things we have seen in a long time, a ridiculously rare example of Fender's more obscure instrument creations, the Electric Mandolin. This one dated to 1966 and is finished in a beautiful custom color Lake Placid Blue. This design was in production from 1957 up into the 1970's but was never built in large numbers. Most extant examples date to the 1950s; later examples are rare items in any livery.
This Lake Placid Blue example was almost certainly made in 1966; the mando-necks are not dated but the post are coded to the 31st week of that year and the finish and fittings are correct for '66 as well. It remains in fine completely original condition. All Fender Mandolins from the 1960s are rare but the blue baby is on another level; the shipping total for 1966 was 104 units, almost all of which would have been in a sunburst finish.
The Fender mandolin differs from most other electrics (and all acoustic mandolins) in having only four strings instead of the usual doubled courses. This follows the ideas of the mostly western swing players who were instrumental in helping develop Fender instruments, and is also seen in Bigsby electric mandolins. This results in a clearer more brilliant electric sound without the natural "chorusing" effect of doubled strings, albeit one that sounds as much like an octave guitar as a mandolin.
This instrument is mostly just absurdly cute, resembling more than anything else a "just hatched" baby Precision Bass. All the regular mid-1960's Fender features are there in miniature, including a pearl-dot rosewood fingerboard on a maple neck, metallic Lake Placid Blue lacquer on the alder body, 3-layer white pickguard and brown plastic-covered single coil pickup. The tuners are single line plastic-button strip Klusons, the 2-saddle bridge has a snap-on chrome cover.
The '60's style transition Fender logo decal on the headstock has no model name- "Mandocaster" is the collectors' slang for these but showing less concern for a snazzy moniker than usual Fender Sales just called it the "Electric Mandolin". The red-lined black tolex case is also a miniature version of the standard guitar case, and is simply adorable as well. If you're assembling a Fender Custom Color collection or a set of Lake Placid Blues don't pass this one up---it's the only one we have ever seen!
Overall length is 25 7/8 in. (65.7 cm.), 10 1/16 in. (25.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 13 3/4 in. (349 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/16 in. (30 mm.).
This is really a superbly preserved instrument showing just the lightest wear overall for 55 years on the planet with no repairs or alterations. The body finish has some broad checking and like all LPB's has "greened" a bit over time but has only a few very minor dings and scuffs. It is actually a lovely color, still true blue but with a bit of a turquoise tint. The neck finish has just some very minor wear as well.
All hardware is original and complete with some minimal wear. The frets and fingerboard remain in excellent condition also with some very light fret wear in the lower positions. This is a fine playing and sounding instrument, with a nice sparkle to the tone offering that "Les-Paul-sped-up-the-tape" effect if you really let it rip. This is just a superb piece of Fender history, complete in its red-lined original black Tolex HSC. Excellent + Condition.
This is a just one of the coolest things we have seen in a long time, a ridiculously rare example of Fender's more obscure instrument creations, the Electric Mandolin. This one dated to 1966 and is finished in a beautiful custom color Lake Placid Blue. This design was in production from 1957 up into the 1970's but was never built in large numbers. Most extant examples date to the 1950s; later examples are rare items in any livery.
This Lake Placid Blue example was almost certainly made in 1966; the mando-necks are not dated but the post are coded to the 31st week of that year and the finish and fittings are correct for '66 as well. It remains in fine completely original condition. All Fender Mandolins from the 1960s are rare but the blue baby is on another level; the shipping total for 1966 was 104 units, almost all of which would have been in a sunburst finish.
The Fender mandolin differs from most other electrics (and all acoustic mandolins) in having only four strings instead of the usual doubled courses. This follows the ideas of the mostly western swing players who were instrumental in helping develop Fender instruments, and is also seen in Bigsby electric mandolins. This results in a clearer more brilliant electric sound without the natural "chorusing" effect of doubled strings, albeit one that sounds as much like an octave guitar as a mandolin.
This instrument is mostly just absurdly cute, resembling more than anything else a "just hatched" baby Precision Bass. All the regular mid-1960's Fender features are there in miniature, including a pearl-dot rosewood fingerboard on a maple neck, metallic Lake Placid Blue lacquer on the alder body, 3-layer white pickguard and brown plastic-covered single coil pickup. The tuners are single line plastic-button strip Klusons, the 2-saddle bridge has a snap-on chrome cover.
The '60's style transition Fender logo decal on the headstock has no model name- "Mandocaster" is the collectors' slang for these but showing less concern for a snazzy moniker than usual Fender Sales just called it the "Electric Mandolin". The red-lined black tolex case is also a miniature version of the standard guitar case, and is simply adorable as well. If you're assembling a Fender Custom Color collection or a set of Lake Placid Blues don't pass this one up---it's the only one we have ever seen!
Overall length is 25 7/8 in. (65.7 cm.), 10 1/16 in. (25.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 13 3/4 in. (349 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/16 in. (30 mm.).
This is really a superbly preserved instrument showing just the lightest wear overall for 55 years on the planet with no repairs or alterations. The body finish has some broad checking and like all LPB's has "greened" a bit over time but has only a few very minor dings and scuffs. It is actually a lovely color, still true blue but with a bit of a turquoise tint. The neck finish has just some very minor wear as well.
All hardware is original and complete with some minimal wear. The frets and fingerboard remain in excellent condition also with some very light fret wear in the lower positions. This is a fine playing and sounding instrument, with a nice sparkle to the tone offering that "Les-Paul-sped-up-the-tape" effect if you really let it rip. This is just a superb piece of Fender history, complete in its red-lined original black Tolex HSC. Excellent + Condition.