NGD-Tahitian Coral 1960 Musicmaster!
Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 3:00 pm
Check this one out... While I've owned a bunch of later 60's Musicmaster II's with the 24" scale, I have always been afraid to try a 22.5" scale one. When I came across this little beauty I decided it was time to take a chance! The seller had recently bought it at an estate sale, and the previous owner apparently had it for a long time, perhaps since new. It's got a couple replacement saddles and an added string tree, but appears to otherwise be original. There is a crack on the back of the headstock near one of the tuner screw holes that appears to have been there for many years. It doesn't extend to the front, and the guitar tunes up and plays great so I'm not worried about it. The slab rosewood board is super dark, and the neck is pencil dated 5/60.
The main odd thing about this one is obviously the color... Now I assumed that it MUST be a refin, as everyone knows 1960 Musicmasters only came in tan right? Well after giving it a closer look in person I'm not so sure! The finish is definitely VERY old, and has lacquer checking and chipping throughout, and looks to have been this color forever. I'm not claiming to be any expert on Fender finishes, but I've seen my share of originals and this one looks like it actually could be a factory refin or possibly even a special order. The color looks VERY much like Tahitian Coral, a rare custom color found on this strat from the same time period:
http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/1 ... tian_Coral
Another oddity is the headstock logo. Upon close examination I believe it to be the original decal, as is the rest of the neck finish... but there is no evidence of it ever having the "MUSICMASTER" wording under the silver spaghetti logo. Now maybe this thing is just a really old refin with a really old repro headstock logo... but my gut feeling is that it's not. Unfortunately the previous owner is deceased, as I would really love to know some more history on this one... in any case, it plays and sounds insanely good for such a little guitar, and the neck is quite chunky... the original frets are in really nice shape and it is a real blast to play! I can't say it's as comfy as a 24" scale neck, but it's definitely playable, and this little guy now becomes the oldest Fender I've ever owned! I'm not sure if it could be an original finish or not, but I know it's a cool one I'm glad to have been able to get! Hope you dig the pics...
The main odd thing about this one is obviously the color... Now I assumed that it MUST be a refin, as everyone knows 1960 Musicmasters only came in tan right? Well after giving it a closer look in person I'm not so sure! The finish is definitely VERY old, and has lacquer checking and chipping throughout, and looks to have been this color forever. I'm not claiming to be any expert on Fender finishes, but I've seen my share of originals and this one looks like it actually could be a factory refin or possibly even a special order. The color looks VERY much like Tahitian Coral, a rare custom color found on this strat from the same time period:
http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/1 ... tian_Coral
Another oddity is the headstock logo. Upon close examination I believe it to be the original decal, as is the rest of the neck finish... but there is no evidence of it ever having the "MUSICMASTER" wording under the silver spaghetti logo. Now maybe this thing is just a really old refin with a really old repro headstock logo... but my gut feeling is that it's not. Unfortunately the previous owner is deceased, as I would really love to know some more history on this one... in any case, it plays and sounds insanely good for such a little guitar, and the neck is quite chunky... the original frets are in really nice shape and it is a real blast to play! I can't say it's as comfy as a 24" scale neck, but it's definitely playable, and this little guy now becomes the oldest Fender I've ever owned! I'm not sure if it could be an original finish or not, but I know it's a cool one I'm glad to have been able to get! Hope you dig the pics...
