Fender / Duo Sonic / 1962 / Candy Apple Red / Guitar
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Here’s a very cool pre-CBS Fender Duo Sonic from late 1962 in 100% original condition! Not to many of these guitars were finished in a custom color, but here is a genuine very rare Candy Apple Red example from my personal collection!
This particular guitar has “C.A.R. Red” carved in the body with a soldering iron right below the pickguard underneath the finish, which was common practice to indicate the guitar was meant to get a different color than stock. There is also a 4 digit order number in the neck pocket which some would argue indicates that the custom color would be a factory refinish or that it received a factory repair once. These were normally finished a tan color or even maroon burst by this time. However, a striking element I found when dating the guitar is that it shows both nailholes and a paint stick shadow in the neck pocket. The combination of these two methods, to support the body during the finishing process, was only used from mid 1962 until late 1964, after which the use of nails (leaving nailholes..) was completely phased out and only the paint stick method remained. Therefor, as all parts date to late 1962 or early 1963 on this guitar, in case of a factory refinish, the custom color would have been applied within a year after the guitar was initially assembled!? My guess is that it was either returned to the factory by a dealer who had a special order from a customer, or that it never even left the factory before it received this color and the 4 digit number is just a random order.no. The latter assumption is supported by the fact that most factory refinishes would be applied on top of the original finish, but there is no residue of a previous color anywhere. On top of the bare wood you’ll see a white undercoat, followed by a silver coat and than a transparent red coat. This is typically how Fender would apply a CAR finish in those days. From 1965 onwards the silver coat was substituted by a gold coat, and there would be no nailholes. The story behind this rare Duo Sonic is lost to time, but it’s definitely quite a special piece.
This very unique Duo Sonic has been played over the years and exhibits a very nice vintage patina. The original fret’s show only modest wear, the back of the neck has worn in nicely, and there is some normal play wear and some checking on the body. The spaghetti logo has partially faded and there is a bit of corrosion on the hardware, but all remains structurally intact and 100% original. Pots read week 52 of 1962, the neckstamp dates to september 1962 and the serial number dates to late 62′ or early 63′ too.
Initially these were marketed as student-model guitars, but one should consider this within it’s historical context. Introduced in 1956 the market for solid-body guitars in general was still pretty much new territory, and the market for 3/4 electrics was completely uncultivated. These no-thrills guitars were meant to offer access to Fender electrics for a broader audience, with the Tele and recently introduced Strat being such expensive instruments. Nevertheless, these were built with the same pre-CBS level of workmanship and quality of materials as the iconic Strat’s and Tele’s from that era, and have been gaining more and more appreciation from both collector’s and players.
This is a great piece for a collector , but also an awesome player with superb tone! I’ve played this allot, and the single-coil bells and sparkle from this guitar are simply amazing! You can also use the pickup’s in series (yes, Fender invented the humbucker), for fat jazz or blues tones! I still have a 1960 Duo-Sonic which I’ll be holding on to, otherwise I would be have been on the fence about selling this one!
The super rare red leather genuine Fender hardcase is not included, and is from my personal stash, but I will add the original brown hardcase with this one at no additional charge. I got it with an export-case so that’s really a bonus!
Dear Wood Guitar Boutique, Netherlands 
Welcome to Dear Wood Guitar Boutique!
We are driven by a passion for guitars, fine tone woods and the art of lutherie!
Our showroom is located on the top floor of a beautiful 18th century monumental building which you are welcome to visit by appointment, and we offer worldwide shipping too.
We specialise in luthier made, vintage, used and new acoustic and electric quality guitars and are official dealer for Maton, Supro and Stanford.
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