1966 Fender Mustang Blue
Vintage 1966 Fender Mustang Blue electric guitar
Fender's Mustang model debuted in 1964 and helped bridge the gap between their student and professional level guitars. It featured a 24" scale length neck (same as the top of the line Jaguar), two single coil pickups carried over from the Duo Sonic and Musicmaster, and a new proprietary Dynamic Tremolo tailpiece and floating Bridge. Its individual on/off/on (invert phase) pickup switches allowed for cool tonal variation not officially offered in any of the professional level guitars like the Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazzmaster, or Jaguar.
This fine example of the model came to me via the daughter of the long time owner. She found it while cleaning out his house after moving him to an assisted living facility. I made a few videos of the cleaning and restoration process that you can find here:
Make and Model: Fender Mustang Blue
Year: 1966, serial 125xxx, Neck stamp "16JAN66B" (Mustang model, January, 1966, B neck width = 1 5/8")
Specifications: 24" scale length neck, veneer Rosewood fretboard, Blue finish (also known as Daphne Blue for custom color guitars), 7lbs, 14oz, .89" neck depth at first fret, .92" depth at 12th fret
Originality: All parts original except one pickup selector switch. I installed a vintage correct replacement switch. Both switches work perfectly.
Condition: Very good! The finish shows checking, fading, and some dings and scratches. There's an area on the back with significant finish discoloration. The neck, frets, bridge, and electronics are all in excellent working condition.
Playability: Excellent! It’s a dream to play. All electronics have been cleaned and work as intended. The neck is straight and the frets don't show much wear. I'm confident you'll love playing this one.
Notes: I'm finally listing this Mustang for sale after enjoying it for the past few months. My favorite vintage guitars are the ones that have been forgotten for the past few decades because they go from being unplayable to a fully professional playing instrument with some careful cleaning and set up. I called the video series a "restoration" since I thought more people would be searching for that term although it's exactly correct. I'll miss this one but I'm confident you'll love this 1966 Fender Mustang.