Contender for second place, second cleanest? It’s really tidy and unaltered. Comes with an aftermarket hard shell case. It’s probably a ‘65; it’s definitely from early in the 1965 - 1971 run of this model. Plays great. Designed by the fabulous Roger Rossmeisl, hired away from Rickenbacker by Leo Fender in 1963. Roger loved a gold pickguard and checkered binding! These trademarks followed him.

(I am a musician, not a retailer. So you can deal with me as a peer. Any gear that appears here has been part of my toolbox).

This is a very clean early Newporter circa 1965 with very low action, a very sweet and companionable small guitar with good intonation—and a great Fender collectible, initiated in the pre-CBS era. Birdseye maple neck! Rosewood fingerboard. A compensated saddle would be easy to do and would make the intonation perfect, but even with the stock saddle, intonation is remarkably good. The dark patch on the lower bout seems to be a feature of this particular piece of wood. There is a dot / spot of housepaint (?) visible in the soundhole; there are couple of marks (see photos) (neck has a microscopic “thumbnail” type dent and what may be the lightest, faintest bit of “strap burn” but it’s faint I mean faint—the neck reads as very smooth) yet it has to be said, the guitar is remarkably crisp and clean. I’ll try to get a measurement on string height, but it’s very low, and the neck is utterly straight. A recent hardshell case is included. This model reached the shops in February 1965. It’s nearly-but-not-quite as pristine as the magical $1800 other one on here…. But this one is a contender for second nicest on Reverb, for sure. Best I’ve seen in person, and a great sounding and great-playing example. Great Fender collectible and songwriter’s or performer’s tool.