Fender Electric XII 12 String Solid Body Electric Guitar (1966)
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Item # 7737
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Fender Electric XII Model 12 String Solid Body Electric Guitar (1966), made in Fullerton, California, sunburst lacquer finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black tolex hard shell case.
The "Electric XII" is perhaps not one of Fender's best-remembered creations but is a superbly engineered, great-sounding, and extremely practical guitar. Introduced at the 1965 NAMM Show at the dawn of the CBS era, the Fender 12-string married the popular Jaguar/Jazzmaster style body to a new neck with a distinctive extended "hockey stick" headstock.
The electronics are unique as well, with two pickups each with two separate coil units as pioneered by the Precision Bass, and a 4-way selector setup allowing different phase combinations. The bridge is also a marvel of Leo Fender's engineering prowess, with 12 intonation-adjustable saddles, and must be considered the best unit of its kind ever attempted. This one carries pots dated the 31st week of 1966, the year most Electric XIIs date to.
With all this original engineering, Fender unfortunately missed the boat a bit on the electric 12-string fad and by the time the "Electric XII" came to market, Rickenbacker had already pretty much reaped the bulk of the benefit of the Byrds' and Beatles' popularization of the sound. For all that, the guitar is a very good design and an excellent sounding stage or recording instrument, albeit without exactly capturing the Rick's trademark jangle.
Led Zeppelin, the Velvet Underground, The Move, The Kinks, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, the Baja Marimba Band, and many others have made classic recordings with this model, and much of its potential is perhaps still untapped.
Overall length is 42 7/8 in. (108.9 cm.), 14 in. (35.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This one is just about as clean as they come…well OK, there is a bit of light corrosion to parts of the bridge and some screws, and the finish shows small handling marks, but even the body edges show only a few tiny dings and dents. This one looks to have not been played much since it shipped out of Fullerton in 1966, into the world of folk-rock and jangle dreams. Simply a splendid example, with the original HSC to boot. Excellent + Condition.
The "Electric XII" is perhaps not one of Fender's best-remembered creations but is a superbly engineered, great-sounding, and extremely practical guitar. Introduced at the 1965 NAMM Show at the dawn of the CBS era, the Fender 12-string married the popular Jaguar/Jazzmaster style body to a new neck with a distinctive extended "hockey stick" headstock.
The electronics are unique as well, with two pickups each with two separate coil units as pioneered by the Precision Bass, and a 4-way selector setup allowing different phase combinations. The bridge is also a marvel of Leo Fender's engineering prowess, with 12 intonation-adjustable saddles, and must be considered the best unit of its kind ever attempted. This one carries pots dated the 31st week of 1966, the year most Electric XIIs date to.
With all this original engineering, Fender unfortunately missed the boat a bit on the electric 12-string fad and by the time the "Electric XII" came to market, Rickenbacker had already pretty much reaped the bulk of the benefit of the Byrds' and Beatles' popularization of the sound. For all that, the guitar is a very good design and an excellent sounding stage or recording instrument, albeit without exactly capturing the Rick's trademark jangle.
Led Zeppelin, the Velvet Underground, The Move, The Kinks, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, the Baja Marimba Band, and many others have made classic recordings with this model, and much of its potential is perhaps still untapped.
Overall length is 42 7/8 in. (108.9 cm.), 14 in. (35.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This one is just about as clean as they come…well OK, there is a bit of light corrosion to parts of the bridge and some screws, and the finish shows small handling marks, but even the body edges show only a few tiny dings and dents. This one looks to have not been played much since it shipped out of Fullerton in 1966, into the world of folk-rock and jangle dreams. Simply a splendid example, with the original HSC to boot. Excellent + Condition.