Fender Musicmaster, Desert Sand (1956)

This 1956 Fender Musicmaster is one of the finer student model electrics made during Fender's heyday. With its unique aesthetic of Desert Sand body finish, anodized aluminum gold pickguard, and Maple neck, it's just as attention-grabbing as its older siblings in our book. The short scale, amazing V neck, and lightness of build undoubtedly made it an easy option for the youth of yesteryear. For vintage electric fans, the Musicmaster has remained largely accessible and affordable, especially when compared to the likes of the Jazzmaster, Stratocaster, and Telecaster.

Like many Fender necks from 1956, the profile is considered one of the most popular of any era. It's chunky, yet supremely comfortable and fits right in the hand. The taper is less extreme than later 50s examples and retains much of its shape all the way up the neck.

There's a unique element of this neck, though. Measuring at just about 1 11/16" at the nut, it changes the entire feel of this guitar from a playability standpoint. Now this is well before Fender started standardizing nut widths, so it's likely that it just went through production a little quicker the day it was made. It really opens up the fingerboard, skirting that line between a student guitar and professional-playing instrument.