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This is a really nice vintage 1966 Fender Mustang wearing its original Dakota Red finish. This Offset was produced at the original Fender factory in Fullerton California, U.S.A. in the fall of 1966. It is full of original date codes and inspection stamps. The Mustang is 100% original and even comes with the original vibrato arm! It was obviously well-taken care of and we thank the previous owner for his service. It is fully set up and ready to go-it needs nothing.
The slab style body features the familiar double cutaway silhouette that immediately identifies it as one of the most iconic Fender guitars of all time. The finish is vibrant and very even throughout. There is one small 1/2" touchup along the edge on the top side of the guitar-see photos. There is some light checking on the face-with more of the backside. There are light impressions and other signs of handling wear all over the body-mostly near the edges where these guitars typically exhibit wear. Overall, the finish displays very nicely with that beautiful vintage soft shine that we love so much. The neck slot has a perfect original paint stick shadow and inspector's ink stamp is present with the number 12. There is also a model/batch identifier written in pencil (16) in the shadow. Excellent provenance for the Vintage Fender fan.
The neck angle is perfect, thanks to the factory trapezoid soft shim. The neck itself has an ink stamp denoting the September 1966 date along with model designation (16-Mustang) and standard 1 5/8" wide at the nut "B" neck. The neck is smooth and perfectly straight. The truss rod functions smoothly. The back of the neck feels really nice and has the classic vintage C-shape profile. The nut measures 1.61" wide and the neck depth measures .850" at the 1st fret and .942" at the 12th fret. The tuners all function as designed and the guitar stays in tune perfectly. The headstock and original metallic gold logo display excellent-and there is a slight figuring in the wood that looks really cool. The rosewood fingerboard is very clean and has a nice contrast in the grain. It feels smooth with a soft touch. The frets have been professionally leveled, crowned and polished and appear near-new condition-see photos. The action is set low for a fast and easy playing experience. The string height is currently set at .010" at the 1st fret and .055" at the 12th fret. If you prefer a higher action for increased tonal response, the adjustable bridge can easily accommodate that. The guitar plays great up and down the fingerboard with no dead spots anywhere. It is lots of fun to play.
The pickups have an excellent signal and balance. The neck pickup reads 6.27 ohms and the bridge position reads 5.62 ohms. The Mustang has that quintessential vintage Fender chime and brilliance and even carries a "bell" tone-just like a vintage Stratocaster. The pickups have hand-written employee dates of 10-7-66 on both pickups and they are the grey bobbin units. The electronic harness is in excellent condition throughout. The switches function nicely and the controls turn smoothly and quietly. The potentiometers date to the 37th week of 1966 (early September). Likely, this guitar was finished just before mid-October 1966 and shipped out to the dealer. The pickguard is nice and flat and in excellent condition. The bridge and vibrato system function smoothly. The saddles show a bit of patina as expected-overall very clean condition.
This guitar is very lightweight-it weighs just 7.19 lbs with the vibrato arm. The guitar is very comfortable to play whether on a strap or in your lap. It just feels good. The light weight means you can forget all about shoulder fatigue-you can play this Mustang all night long and still feel fresh. You will want to also-it's just that much fun to play.
