Fender Jazzmaster Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1966), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 164071, sunburst lacquer finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black tolex hard shell case.

This is a great-playing example of an early CBS-era Fender Jazzmaster with a neck date-stamped FEB 1966, just over a year after Leo's company had been sold into corporate slavery! The pickups carry a hand-written date codes for later in 1966, indicating the guitar was not assembled until that fall. At the time the Jazzmaster was still a popular model, but sales were already slowing compared to the resurgent Telecaster and Stratocaster that would dominate in the later '60s.

The appointments show a mix of features specific to this period. The very tight "Target" sunburst finish has a large yellow center and minimal color blending as is typical of 1965-6. The bound rosewood fingerboard has the pearl dots added in early '65 and binding that came in at the end of the year, but not the blocks adopted later in 1966. Other features include the gold transition logo headstock decal, older style Kluson tuners and pickguard made of tortoise pattern plastic instead of the nitrocellulose used earlier.

The old style lacquer finish is still on the body and neck, just applied a bit thicker than the Pre-CBS era. The neckplate shows the CBS style "F" stamp and a 6-digit 100,000 series number typically used in 1966. This very fine-sounding and playing Jazzmaster, with some "Bodyguard" wear but other than that nicely original and unaltered.

Overall length is 41 1/16 in. (104.3 cm.), 14 in. (35.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.)., 7.62 lbs.

This guitar shows only light wear overall and remains all original and unaltered. There is some general checking with minor dings and dents to the finish overall but very little fade. The only really noticeable defects are some typical burn/melt marks to the body edges from long contact with a Fender Bodyguard ("by Parker"). This was a molded plastic cover for the back which had a foam pad along the rim that nearly always reacted with the finish, ironically damaging what it was intended to protect. This means there is hardly any buckle wear to the back anyway, but some small foam bits flaked off the edges and settled there leaving a pattern of small black marks that are surprisingly resistant to removal!

The neck lacquer has very little wear, and the original larger-wore frets are also very well preserved. Everything on the guitar is original including the trem arm; only the snap-on bridge cover has gone missing. At just over 7 1/2 pounds this Jazzmaster is lighter than some from this period and is an easy handling and fine-playing and sounding guitar. It resides in the original "no logo" black Tolex HSC which has some wear but is fully solid. Excellent - Condition.

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Listed6 months ago
ConditionExcellent (Used)
Excellent items are almost entirely free from blemishes and other visual defects and have been played or used with the utmost care.Learn more
Brand
Model
  • Jazzmaster
Finish
  • sunburst lacquer
Categories
Year
  • 1966
Series
Fretboard Material
  • Rosewood
Color Family
  • Brown
Pickup Configuration
  • SS
Body Shape
  • Double Cutaway
Right / Left Handed
  • Right Handed
Model Family
Number of Strings
  • 6-String
Neck Material
  • Maple
Finish Pattern
  • Sunburst
Finish Style
  • Gloss
Body Type
  • Solid Body
Offset Body
  • Offset Body
Bridge/Tailpiece Type
  • Tremolo Tailpiece
Scale Length
  • 25.5"
Neck Construction
  • Bolt-On
Number of Frets
  • 21

Retrofret Vintage Guitars

Brooklyn, NY, United States
Sales:1,601
Joined Reverb:2015

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