Fender Mustang Solid Body Electric Guitar (1966)
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Fender Mustang Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1966), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 128090, red lacquer finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original grey hard shell case.
This is a somewhat played in but overall decently preserved 1966 Fender Mustang, mostly original and showing just some general cosmetic wear. It was made just less than two years after the model's debut in the second half of 1964 and shows no changes from the first examples except for pearloid dots on the fingerboard in place of the "clay" versions.
The Mustang was Fender's classiest student guitar, basically the same as the Duo-Sonic II but with the new "Dynamic vibrato" tailpiece and floating bridge. Light, easy to handle and quite versatile with its in/out of phase pickup options the model was instantly hugely successful. While not promoted as a professional guitar it has proved a timeless favorite of countless garage bands and even many pro players through the 1960s and '70s right until today.
The body on this example sports a deep red lacquer finish with some wear and checking but virtually no yellowing or fade, since the clear lacquer overcoat used on the higher-grade Fenders was not sprayed over the color coat. The pickguard is laminated plastic with a snazzy pearloid top layer. The rosewood-fingerboard maple neck has a 24" scale length, the same as the Jaguar and longer than the earlier 1950s Fender student models. The heel is stamped February 1966, with both pots coded to the 9th week of that year.
At this time this one was made the Fender Mustang was the most popular electric guitar in the world. Sales peaked with a staggering nearly 18,000 units shipped in 1966 alone, far more than any other competitive instrument. This is a nice playing example, worn in a bit with some dings and dents but still a great little guitar. Like its contemporary automotive namesake the early Mustang remains an American classic and still represents the best deal in an original 1960s Fender instrument.
Overall length is 39 1/2 in. (100.3 cm.), 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 in. (610 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This guitar shows some wear and tear but remains mostly original, with just a few later parts. The finish is relatively clean on the face with checking and dings, scuffs and dents; the sides and back show more wear with some deeper dings and chips It appears that some touch up lacquer was possibly added at some point, although it is not much evident to the naked eye. There is some otherwise inexplicable red paint internally on the pickup grounding plated and in the neck pocket, but the lacquer looks original without any notable anomalies on the exposed areas.
The back of the neck is partially worn down to the wood in the lower positions and feels nicely played in. There is some minor checking to the headstock and the logo decal is partially flaked away, which is often the case with '65-6s. The pickups and wiring remain all original. The trem arm is a recent repro but all other parts remain as they left Fullerton in 1966.
The frets are original, recently crowned down a bit and this is a good player with two strong pickups that blend well together for the typical phased Mustang tones. The original case is intact with some external wear and a dead middle latch. Even if not the cleanest we have had this is still a nice ready-to-gig 58 year old Fender with a great sound and a cool vibe. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a somewhat played in but overall decently preserved 1966 Fender Mustang, mostly original and showing just some general cosmetic wear. It was made just less than two years after the model's debut in the second half of 1964 and shows no changes from the first examples except for pearloid dots on the fingerboard in place of the "clay" versions.
The Mustang was Fender's classiest student guitar, basically the same as the Duo-Sonic II but with the new "Dynamic vibrato" tailpiece and floating bridge. Light, easy to handle and quite versatile with its in/out of phase pickup options the model was instantly hugely successful. While not promoted as a professional guitar it has proved a timeless favorite of countless garage bands and even many pro players through the 1960s and '70s right until today.
The body on this example sports a deep red lacquer finish with some wear and checking but virtually no yellowing or fade, since the clear lacquer overcoat used on the higher-grade Fenders was not sprayed over the color coat. The pickguard is laminated plastic with a snazzy pearloid top layer. The rosewood-fingerboard maple neck has a 24" scale length, the same as the Jaguar and longer than the earlier 1950s Fender student models. The heel is stamped February 1966, with both pots coded to the 9th week of that year.
At this time this one was made the Fender Mustang was the most popular electric guitar in the world. Sales peaked with a staggering nearly 18,000 units shipped in 1966 alone, far more than any other competitive instrument. This is a nice playing example, worn in a bit with some dings and dents but still a great little guitar. Like its contemporary automotive namesake the early Mustang remains an American classic and still represents the best deal in an original 1960s Fender instrument.
Overall length is 39 1/2 in. (100.3 cm.), 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 in. (610 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This guitar shows some wear and tear but remains mostly original, with just a few later parts. The finish is relatively clean on the face with checking and dings, scuffs and dents; the sides and back show more wear with some deeper dings and chips It appears that some touch up lacquer was possibly added at some point, although it is not much evident to the naked eye. There is some otherwise inexplicable red paint internally on the pickup grounding plated and in the neck pocket, but the lacquer looks original without any notable anomalies on the exposed areas.
The back of the neck is partially worn down to the wood in the lower positions and feels nicely played in. There is some minor checking to the headstock and the logo decal is partially flaked away, which is often the case with '65-6s. The pickups and wiring remain all original. The trem arm is a recent repro but all other parts remain as they left Fullerton in 1966.
The frets are original, recently crowned down a bit and this is a good player with two strong pickups that blend well together for the typical phased Mustang tones. The original case is intact with some external wear and a dead middle latch. Even if not the cleanest we have had this is still a nice ready-to-gig 58 year old Fender with a great sound and a cool vibe. Overall Excellent - Condition.