So these "competition" guitars were initially offered in late 1968 with a Lake Placid blue hue and frosted dark red edge-hence the Burgundy namesake. If you see a nice un-toned example, it appears like a purple edge and does look very striking. This paint technique was just too difficult for the employees to execute consistently and the frosted edge was dropped-leaving us left with a blue guitar. The Competition Burgundy name continued on as the official name in the Fender catalog. All Fender finishes that contained metallic paint were covered in a clear coat that was susceptible to yellowing, absorbing UV rays and oxygen, yielding a beautiful turquoise appearance which is what we have here.
Produced at the original Fender factory in Fullerton California in early 1970, this guitar looks killer. The guitar has mojo and character to perfectly compliment its famous association with Curt Kobain. There is minor handling wear all over the body-see photos. The guitar itself is very solid and most importantly it sounds awesome. The pickup switches have been replaced along with the output jack. These components were replaced with correct parts, the jack is a switchcraft unit. Other than that, the guitar is completely-original as it came from the factory. It is set up and ready to play-it needs nothing.
The body has the standard offset design with a nice contour for added comfort on the arm rest area and backside . The finish has toned to the beautiful turquoise hue you see here. You can view the photos under the pickguard and see the difference clearly. There are inspection stamps on the body, pickups, neck slot and end of neck also. The guitar has some chips in the finish along the edges and end of the neck slot, along with line checks and other typical signs of handling. The neck joint is solid.
The neck itself is straight and the truss rod functions. The neck has a vintage C-shape profile and measures 1 9/16" wide at the nut. The neck depth measures .868" at the 1st fret and .933" at the 12th fret. The original tuners all function and the original "Quigley Music Kansas City Missouri" sticker is present. This was THE music store in the K.C. area. The headstock and logo display excellent-see photos. The rosewood fingerboard is super clean, smooth and in excellent condition along with the frets. The frets have been professionally cleaned, leveled and polished and appear near-new condition. The string height is currently .010" at the 1st fret and .040" at the 12th fret. It is a low action with easy to play string pressure. The guitar plays great up and down he fingerboard with no issues.
The pickups sound clear and bright. This Mustang has that quintessential Fender "bell" chime everyone loves. The switches are replacement original style pieces and they function smoothly. The pickups have clean date code stamps on the grey bobbins. The neck measures 5.45 ohms and bridge position measures 5.65 ohms. They balance perfectly. The volume potentiometer dates to the 8th week of 1970 and the tone potentiometer dates to 1970 as well. The pots are both original stackpole units and they function smoothly and quietly. The bridge is fully adjustable and the vibrato is smooth-but the guitar is missing the trem arm. The pickguard is in excellent condition, nice and flat.
The guitar is very lightweight, it only weighs 7.37 lbs! It is lots of fun to play and extremely comfortable whether on a strap or in your lap. The Fender hardcase is a salt & pepper piece that is in decent used condition. The vinyl strap is worn out and there is battle damage all over the case-inside and out: but it does the job and doesn't complain.
