1966 FENDER MUSTANG

Magnificent 1966 Fender Mustang, in excellent original condition.

Introduced in the second half of 1964, the Mustang completes the range of student models, already represented since 1956 by the Musicmaster and the Duo-Sonic models – with the added benefit of having a vibrato bridge, a trademark of guitars made in Fullerton already present on Stratocatsers, Jazzmasters and Jaguars! It is interesting to note that the Fender Dynamic Vibrato system employed on the Mustang, the patent for which was freshly granted when this guitar left the factory in mid-1966, is eminently more functional than the system offered on the high-end model that is the Jaguar, the design of the adjustable saddles offering much better pressure of the strings limiting buzzing effects… We also find the two original single-coil pickups tied witoh a set of selectors switches, allowing them to be turned on and off as well as putting them out of phase with each other – all controlled by a volume and tone potentiometer. The Mustang is a superbly versatile instrument, and when we add to this its small body and short 24-inch scale length we easily understand its unequivocal success, having been the instrument of choice in particular for all successive waves of garage music from the 60s and 70s to the present day.

The example presented here is superbly preserved, including all of its original parts. Alder body finished in a stunning Olympic White, one of three original color options alongside Daphne Blue and Dakota Red – the finish is lightly checked but otherwise mostly free of dings or scuffs; maple neck topped with a rosewood fingerboard – this has the dot pearloid inlays typical of the early Fender-CBS era; F-stamped tuners with plastic buttons, Dynamic Vibrato bridge and tailpiece, original pickguard, control plate and electronics. The elements making up this guitar indicate an assembly during the first half of 1966, and we find it today perfectly intact, almost as it left the factory 58 years ago! After a stop through our workshop for a fret levelling, a new bone nut and complete adjustment of its action and intonation, it is now perfectly setup for playing and ready to go for another round.

Sold in its original Fender rectangular case, with its original vibrato arm.