Fender Jazzmaster Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1966), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 153808, sunburst lacquer finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black tolex hard shell case.

This is a nice original example of an early CBS-era Fender Jazzmaster with a neck date-stamped to March 1966, just over a year after Leo's company had been sold into corporate slavery! The pickups carry a hand-written date codes from June '66, indicating the guitar was not assembled until then. 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 old style lacquer finish is still on the body and neck, applied just a bit thicker than the Pre-CBS era. 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 neckplate shows the CBS style "F" stamp and a 6-digit 100,000 series number typically used in 1966.

Following a period in the shadows Leo Fender's Jazzmaster has been increasingly popular over the last few decades with new generations of performers re-discovering its particular charms. This one survives in better shape than many played in just enough to gig, ready for the next 60 years.

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.)., 8.98 lbs.

This nice sounding and playing Jazzmaster shows some wear and tear but remaining nicely original and unaltered. The all original lacquer finish shows some wear overall with general checking and just a few typical dings and dents to the body overall but very little fade; the face is really quite clean, and there is no major buckle wear to the back. The neck finish is more heavily checked, especially for some reason on the headstock. A couple of areas of the finish have flaked off the headstock face but the decal remains mostly intact.

In something we rarely see on a vintage Fender there are a couple of small surface splits to the wood of the body, one coming forward off the trem cavity and a couple smaller ones off the bridge mounting post and the pickup cavity under the pickguard. We can only assume it represents some underseasoned alder used in this CBS period as there is no impact damage involved; at any rate this does not affect the guitar in any functional way. There is also a tight split through the lower rear screw hole on the neck heel, which has been reinforced with glue and is not visible when the guitar is assembled.

Everything on the guitar is original except for a repro trem arm and the snap-on bridge cover has gone missing. The pickups and wiring are untouched, the plastic covers show some noticeable scratching on the tops; perhaps someone used a metal pick. The original larger-wire frets have been crowned down fairly flat but still play well. This Jazzmaster sounds great with real sparkle to it and resides in the original "no logo" black Tolex HSC which has some wear and two replaced latches but is fully solid. Overall Very Good + Condition.