ShortScale.org

This has sparked my interest. I don't know vintage guitars. Is this real / parts guitar /refinish? I know to see neck off but other than that I don't know what to look for. I do have a shop I trust to look at it.

local CL listing

looks legit. a late 64/early 65 with the finish stripped off and restained like furniture probably.

Thanks, may go look at it? Any idea of value?

personally, am not a fan of the early headstock shape on these mustangs or stripped finishes, so I wouldn't do more than a few hundred bucks.

you could probably go to 5 hundry if you really wanted it. save up a bit more cash and go for one with the original finish thats a late 65 or 66.

or you could go the other way and get a nice 73 for about 9 hundry, see ebay 270940512779.

Mustangs from 1970-1973 are sweet guitars. This is the non matching headstock era. Things to remember about this era:


Never, ever go beyond a 1973 neck date or code
You can get comp red, orange, blue or sunburst during this era
Always make sure you get a model with the pearloid guard (they did plain white non pearloid during this period also)
Never, ever get a Mustang with two string trees from this era. Always go for a single tree example.

KPI wrote:or you could go the other way and get a nice 73 for about 9 hundry, see ebay 270940512779.

Mustangs from 1970-1973 are sweet guitars. This is the non matching headstock era. Things to remember about this era:


Never, ever go beyond a 1973 neck date or code
You can get comp red, orange, blue or sunburst during this era
Always make sure you get a model with the pearloid guard (they did plain white non pearloid during this period also)
Never, ever get a Mustang with two string trees from this era. Always go for a single tree example.

Really curious as to why pearloid guards and string trees make a difference?

cause they mark the transition from the good mustangs to the lousy post 1974 mustangs.

The pearloid pickguards from this era are teh bomb, they look great. however the sunburst models and some rare comps start to get the plain white pickguards during this period.

the second string tree just looks retarded on fenders, thats all.

Apart from the change in finish on the Mustangs, 1965 - 1973 are a pretty solid era for mustangs. a 73 plays and feels as good as a 65.

cur wrote:This has sparked my interest. I don't know vintage guitars. Is this real / parts guitar /refinish? I know to see neck off but other than that I don't know what to look for. I do have a shop I trust to look at it.

local CL listing

Hi, cur. The CL piece is down so I'm just goin by what's in this thread. I have a 1965 Mustang that had been refinished. Other than that it was all original in the OHSC. The seller was asking $999 USD and I agreed. He then said that was too much and he'd expected me to dicker and then gave it to me for $875.

So you might consider top dollar for a refinished, all original 1965 in very good condition with OHSC to be $900 USD.

The thing is, ya gotta love vintage. I'd never change a thing unless it was something that prevented the guitar being played. You can get a good used reissue for what I paid.

I love this guitar, the way it feels, the way it sounds, the aging of the wood, the yellowing of the pearl pickguard and tuning knobs. Through any good amp, it's sound is strong and it can hold it's own against any very good modern guitar.

Just do get it checked by a vintage expert...you need to know if the pots, switches, pickups, caps, wiring, anything at all under the hood has been changed. You need to know if the tuners are original, the nut, the bridge...people mess with Mustang bridges a lot. If it's all original with no damage history, then paying up to about $900 is reasonable based on the prices in Vintage Giuitar Magazine. If some parts have been replaced, paying up to $700 might be reasonable, depending upon how many parts and which ones...if both pups are replacements, then the guitar's value is much lower...around $500 give or take. If there is repair like to a broken neck or headstock, or if the pickups routs have been savaged, the price goes way down.

Oh, and without the OHSC, the price comes down at least $100. I'm no expert but I hope this helps.
Have fun whatever ya decide.

KPI wrote:cause they mark the transition from the good mustangs to the lousy post 1974 mustangs.

The pearloid pickguards from this era are teh bomb, they look great. however the sunburst models and some rare comps start to get the plain white pickguards during this period.

the second string tree just looks retarded on fenders, thats all.

Apart from the change in finish on the Mustangs, 1965 - 1973 are a pretty solid era for mustangs. a 73 plays and feels as good as a 65.

Interestingly I have a 73 Mustang in fiesta red, with a white pickguard and two string trees, I tried it head to head with a blue 70 Comp and a stripped late 60's when I bought it and it was much much better. I have a 65 Musicmaster as well and the Mustang plays better than that too.