Here I have an original 1966 Fender Mustang in Dakota Red. This guitar does maintain it's original finish. The neck however has had extensive work done to get it into optimal playing condition and it now plays like a charm. This is the third Mustang I have had but the difference between this one and the others is that when I pick it up to play the neck feels like it came off a brand new guitar. That's how great it is! During restoration that neck went through heat treatments before ultimately removing the old frets and planing the fingerboard. After this was done it was refretted with Fender Vintage frets. There are some repair spots as can be seen in the photos but the backside is super smooth and it almost feels wider and more modern than my '65 Mustang. It could possibly be that Fender had changed the profile at this point. The rest of the neck was subsequently refinished. The first and last four fingerboard dot markers were replaced. At one point the headstock was drilled out for modern tuners so adapter bushings were fitted so the original F tuners could go back on. Sadly most of them are bent which makes it a nuisance when trying to use a string winder but I do prefer the vintage look.
     This guitar has a well worn look to it for a good reason. As you can see it has been played over the years. The body has many dings and there is some wear on the part that your arm goes over when sitting in your lap. There are also faint stripes that can only be seen in the light. This was either from tape or someone had it resting in a case against a strap. Either way this makes it super cool looking and gives it excellent mojo. The bridge has been replaced with a Jazzmaster bridge which is a popular upgrade for some. The reason players do this is because Mustang bridges aren't fully adjustable. This way you can adjust each saddle on it's own. This may be another reason why this guitar plays so much better than my other 2 Mustangs. It's a real player's guitar. The newer parts on this guitar are the neckplate and pickups.
    The neckplate on this guitar has a random serial number. The 187 means nothing. The pickups were custom wound with the neck being RWRP for hum cancelling. They are hotter than the originals putting out around 6.5K ohms on the meter. The pots are 1 Meg CTS dating to 1966. The switches are NOS original equipment so you don't have to worry about them crapping out during a show. This all comes with a vintage, non-original, HSC so you don't have to worry about it getting damaged during shipping. The finish checking on the body is very heavy and looks really cool up close. This will make for one great guitar to use up on stage or at home to practice with.