1965 Fender Musicmaster Partscaster Electric Guitar

Overview: My buddy Steve sent this up here as a parts jumble in late 2022. It's all 1965 Fender parts except for the wiring harness and Duncan Antiquity pickup. The Duo-Sonic body had been refinished black at some point (and then used heavily) and the neck had a pretty thick coat of poly overspray. The neck is a 24" scale, A-width (narrow) Mustang neck. I guess that makes this a Mustymaster? Or maybe it makes it a Stangmaster? Or maybe a Mustasonic? Bonus points on this guitar are awarded to the tuner buttons (which have "pearled" as they aged), the saddles (which I've mildly-bent at the adjuster screws so they can "tilt" to aid compensation as you set their location), and the frets (which were replaced with bigger, kinder stock at some point).

Tone: It's clean, sweet, and full. I'm currently running 54w-12 gauges on it with a wound G (I can restring and setup as you desire, mind you) and so it's got a good, chunky, almost jazzy sound to it when picked closer to the pickup at the moment. When picked at the bridge you get more of that Fender snap back.

Feel: It's got a narrow nut and the old-style, medium-heft C, curvy-board, Fender thing going on. I think it's super-cozy as a chordmaster guitar but it will also do lead and fill work well, too. The steep radius to the board means the nut "feels" wider than it is as the curved board has more surface area vs. a shallow radius and equally-narrow nut width.

Interesting features: The black finish is non-original (it's refinished) but it looks right and has nice, old crackle to it. 

Repairs included: I assembled it as a Musicmaster with Ancel's help -- Ancel did the fret level/dress and wiring work (after a primer) and I put it all together and set it up with the originally-requested "old, bigger strings." The neck was improved by way of light sanding/buffing-up of the finish to tame it down to the same sort of look and feel as on a late '60s or early-'70s Fender neck. It feels nice! Post-work, it of course sounds and feels like a million bucks. It's an old Fender! I'm always jealous of Musicmasters, too, when they're around. I like the simplicity.

• Weight: 6 lbs 7 oz
• Scale length: 24"
• Nut width: 1 1/2"
• Neck shape: medium-C
• Board radius: 7 1/4"
• Body width: 12 1/4"
• Body depth: 1 1/2"
• Body wood: poplar? not sure
• Bridge: original period 3-saddle
• Fretboard: rosewood
• Neck wood: maple
• Pickups: 1x Duncan Antiquity Musicmaster pickup
• Action height at 12th fret: 1/16” overall (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 54w-12 with wound G (can setup to taste)
• Truss rod: adjustable
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: medium

Condition notes: It's a partscaster -- all the parts are 1965 save for the frets, nut, pickup, and wiring harness, but it was never assembled this way from the factory. The body is refinished (but the job is old. and good and it looks authentic) and the neck had a coat of poly overspray on it when it arrived that we've buffed-down into a mellow, late-'60s feel. NOTE that the side dots are Luminlay -- they glow in the dark for long periods of time.

It comes with: It does not have anything on hand officially at the moment, but I do have some spare (period) Fender-looking hard cases and will include one with it.

Consignor tag: JW