❌SOLD❌ Fender Mustang Red, 1965

The Fender Mustang Red was one of three colours available when the model was introduced in 1964 – the other two being white and blue.

This example has a Poplar body, paired with a Maple neck with Rosewood fingerboard and a date stamp of 8DEC64. The neck plate reads L51237, marking it as a pre-CBS construction. However, the neck pickup has a date marking of 6/65, which means that this particular guitar was assembled in mid to late 1965, after the January 1965 sale to CBS and then shipped to a dealer. This situation was very common given Fender’s production model.

At the time this guitar was built most guitar and furniture builders sourced ‘Rosewood’ from Central South America. The country of origin was seldom identified.

Very similar to the Duo Sonic, the Fender Mustang Red was an upgraded model with the new ‘Dynamic Vibrato’. The Mustang sports two pickups, here on a faux pearloid pickguard, controlled by a pair of three position on/off/on slider switches, the outside ‘ons’ also selecting phase.

This guitar is in overall good condition with wear expected for a guitar approaching 60 years old. The Red finish is fairly thin, Poplar is fairly soft, and there is wear primarily to the edges and back. There is an amount of tarnish to the neck plate and bridge, particularly the saddles. Fret and fingerboard wear are moderate and the guitar appears to be largely original, with the exception of the switch wiring. The neck pickup switch has partly failed and been replaced.

The three colours used in 1964 and 1965 are very similar to the ‘Custom’ colours available on higher-priced models, specifically Dakota Red, Olympic White and Daphne Blue. These were apparently chosen as a ‘Patriotic’ colour set.

The Mustang was also available in a shorter 22.5 inch (572mm) scale.

Introduced in August of 1964 and built until 1982 as a student model, the Fender Mustang has also been used by a number of touring professionals, including Adrian Belew, Kurt Cobain, David Byrne, John Frusciante and of course the late Johnny Winter.