Fender Mustang, Dakota Red (1965)

If ever there was a vintage Mustang to check off the student model search, this one could probably do it!

This late 1965 Fender Mustang just came into the shop on trade from a pro touring guitarist, and to no one's surprise, it's got all the goods. First? Dig that factory slab Rosewood fingerboard (and it looks like Brazilian RW at that). Second - we've got ourselves a factory 1 5/8" nut width and 24" scale length Mustang here. It's the ultimate in player-spec for the folks that quite get along with the skinnier nut and even shorter scale that these guitars were also built with. This guitar almost certainly left the factory with its original Dakota Red finish as evidenced by the finish in the neck pocket. It ended up being partially sanded down and refinished yet again in red, so there's seemingly a mixture of some original paint and new(er) paint throughout. It's not the most professional of finish applications by any means, but the color well represents the model. At the end of the day, it's a Mustang that is just begging to be played, and the price reflects that.

The pickups are original and sound wonderful, with mid '65 pots and grey bobbins bearing pencil dates of 12-30-65, respectively. The pickguard, hardware, and tuners (with the exception of the low E having been replaced with an early 70s F tuner) are all there.

While it may not be everyone's daily driver, this vintage Mustang could easily earn its keep amongst some of its most cherished peers of the period.

Paired with a modern Fender gig bag.