This item is preowned / used, but tested in shop to be fully functional unless otherwise noted in the description. Any case, box, manuals, or accessories included will be either shown in the photos or mentioned specifically in the description. Otherwise, you can assume they are not included.
Description:
Up for sale is a really cool L-Series 1965 Fender Mustang with it's original hardshell case. Quick history lesson: CBS (yes, the TV media company) acquired Fender in late January 1965. Lots of guitar collectors beleive that the manufacturing quality eventually suffered during CBSs ownership, especially in the 70s and 80s. But, in the early days after the acquisition, the only thing that changed was back-office stuff. Manufacturing took a while before changes were made. SO, most collectors still consider these 1965 guitars with the L serial numbers to be pre-CBS construction. Norm's Rare Guitars has a video about a 1965 Jaguar in which Mark Agnesi explains this in more detail if you are interested.
Originality & Condition:
We are almost certain this one has been refinished in an olympic white at some point in its life, but the former owner allegedly had it since the late 70s and said he bought it this way. We can't verify, but most of the original white Mustangs from this era have yellowed a lot more than this one. But, the finish looks great and the color combo is very attrative with the tort pickguard.
Otherwise, this is mostly all original. In our evaluation, we think (i) its a refinish, (ii) trem arm is non-original, and (iii) pickguard screws look a little too nice to be original. The electronics all date to 1965, and everything else appears to be in excellent original condition. Neck date is stamped July 1965. Condition is very good for the age, but it does have some dings and dents here and there. Original case is included, which shows some wear to the fabric covering.
Setup & Playability:
This Mustang plays and sounds excellent. We completed a full setup (more on this below), and ended up shimming the neck angle 1 degree, which is a very common improvment to these older offset guitars. This provides a more ideal break angle over the bridge while maintaining low action. Action is 4/64" measured at the 12th fret. Pickups are strong and clear. Individual switches allow for neck, bridge, or both pickups to be active and to be either in-phase or out-of-phase. Lots of cool tones to be had!
As always, this guitar has been treated to a brand new set of strings and a deluxe setup here in the shop. That includes a full fret polish, setting neck relief / truss rod, dialing in nut slot height and string action, setting the pickup height and more! So, you can rest assured that it is playing its absolute best!
