One of the First Musicmasters and the Only Blackguard We've Ever Seen!

This 12-inch three-quarter size "student" guitar weighs just 5.70 lbs. and has a scale length of 22 1/2 inches. Solid ash body, one-piece maple neck (neck date of "XA-4-56") with 21 frets and black dot position markers. "No Name" Kluson closed-back tuners with white plastic buttons. One plain-top Bakelite Musicmaster pickup, angled at neck, with an output of 5.71k. Two controls (one volume, one tone) and jack socket, all on the black anodized aluminum pickguard. Telecaster-style chrome knobs with knurled sides and flat tops. Combined bridge/tailpiece with three adjustable saddles. Some very slight belt buckle wear on the back, a small amount of wear on the sides, with a few areas showing the actual wood, a small indentation (the size of a match head) on the side of the lower bout, a few small dents to the top of the guitar, a little bit of fretboard wear on the first, second, and third frets, and some slight wear to the frets. Otherwise this guitar is in exceptionally fine condition. With the original bridge cover. Housed in its original Fender light brown hardshell case with brown leather ends and orange plush lining (8.75). One of the first Musicmasters, possibly even a prototype. This extremely rare guitar is the only blackguard we've ever seen.

"Fender's new 'student' guitars, the Duo-Sonic and Musicmaster, first appeared in 1956. They had smaller, lighter bodies, shorter necks and basic appointments. The Musicmaster was the single-pickup version...Despite their budget status, the student models were still playable instruments: Fender seemed to have cut the right corners" (Tony Bacon and Paul Day, The Fender Book, p. 29). Although Fender used the term "three-quarter size" in publicizing the new student models, only the neck and the resulting scale-length were smaller, designed for younger hands that were just starting to play guitar.