Here's an outstanding Fender Duo-Sonic model from the generally-agreed upon best era in Fender's storied history: 1963-1964. This is time zone that the production quality was off the charts. The Duo Sonic was only made for a very short time with the following combination of features: White finish on a slab body, full-sized tortoiseshell pickguard with the splayed pickup angles, Telecaster-style knurled metal knobs, and single 3-way switch. This guitar is super-rare and in very good 'survivor' condition-retaining its original finish and all original parts except a replacement switch.
The original Olympic White finish is in good condition with nominal 'toning' here and there. In bright lighting I would describe the color ranging from off-white to eggshell, while in low-light it takes on a more mellow creme tone. There are nicks, line checks and rub marks present-see photos. This one has excellent mojo. The color contrast with the red tortoiseshell pickguard is totally killer. The pickup covers have toned as well and again, look killer. The pre-CBS "slab" body is solid and in good condition. The offset waist is very comfortable and sexy. Underneath the pickgaurd, all of the factory production marks are present including proper nail holes, "OK" neck slot stamp, paint stick shadow and batch number on the masking tape still present in the neck pickup cavity! The original neck plate is present and in good condition. The neck joint is perfect and an excellent fitment.
The neck itself is super-smooth and exceedingly comfortable. It is straight and the toss rod functions smoothly. The neck profile is best described as a vintage-C shape and it measures 1.53" wide at the nut. The neck depth measures .814" deep at the 1st fret and .975" deep at the 12th fret. The original tuners are in good condition and function well. The headstock and Pre-CBS "spaghetti logo" display excellent. Single patent logo!
The Brazilian rosewood fingerboard has a beautiful high-contrast grain. I did a poor job of capturing the color of the fingerboard because I was a bit distracted by the super-clean frets. The frets look near new condition and have been serviced, crowned and polished-see photos. The clay dots are in excellent shape. The action is set low with minimal relief and the guitar plays like butter. The string height is currently .010" at the 1st fret and .055" at the 12th fret. The guitar plays great up and down the fingerboard with no dead spots.
The guitar sounds great plugged in and has the quintessential Fender "bell" tone and bright chime associated with vintage Fender pickups-the sound we all love. The pickups both have an excellent signal and nice balanced volume. The neck position measures 5.92 ohms and the bridge position measures 6.93 ohms. At this time in Fender's production history, the company utilized black pickup bobbins which necessitated a yellow date stamp in order to be identified during harness assembly. The company wanted a lighter colored pickup bobbin for quicker and easier identification in the marginalized lighting conditions so they began using a grey bobbin. As they integrated these grey bobbin pickups-they eventually began to assemble harnesses with both black and grey combinations. I do not see a date on the black pickup but the grey one is stamped 1964 on the top, underneath the pickup cover. These pickups are both correct purple coated wire units with original cloth leads. I have no way of verifying if they are both original to this particular guitar but many examples of grey/black bobbin combos exist. The 3-way switch is a newer piece. The rest of the harness is certainly all-original with cloth leads and date codes of 20th week of 1963 on both potentiometers. The controls function smoothly and quietly. The neck pickup has a thick smooth tone and the bridge position pickup has a bright sparkly treble as you would expect. The pickguard is in amazing condition-it fits nicely and has NO cracks! virtually unheard of these days. The metal shielding underneath the pickguard is present and also in excellent condition with employee inspection signature. The bridge and saddles all function perfectly.
The guitar is very lightweight and the offset body design makes it very comfortable. The guitar only weighs 6.25 LBS! No neck-fatigue here whatsoever. You can play this baby all night long and feel super-fresh. Once you play it, you won't want to put it back down-it is a lot of fun, and never gets old.
Comes with original tan hardcase. The case is in good cosmetic condition with the exception of a chunk at one end-you can see it in the photo on the left side of the lid.
This is an excellent Pre-CBS offset guitar in a rare, good looking and super-desirable color (Beach Boys!) It is fun to play and sounds looks and feels very nice. You know what to do.
