Rare Fender Electric Guitar Models

[Wardpike]

Ok, gang, I don't know where to put this... so I'll throw it in here, hoping someone has some information.

In the mid 1970s, my uncle owned a weird Fender Electric guitar, I think it was from the 1960s. I remember distinctly it had squarish dearmond style pickups, gold foil in there under the chrome mounting ring, as part of the pickup. It was black and had a body shape not unlike the jazzmaster or jaguar or mustang... kind of like the ones featured in Archie™ comics, and I believe it was a shorter scale.

Anyone have any ideas? I've been searching for eons!!

Cheers,

Ward

[Wardpike]

BUMP.

I actually played my uncle's in 1969, when I was but 4. But then a gentleman in church also had one throughtout the 70s that was identical.

any ideas?

[Blueblood]

Sounds kinda like a Fender Marauder...

[brewwagon]

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/...he+Archies.jpg



brewws

[Blueblood]

If you can't find it here (at my second favorite site), you just ain't gonna find it!!
http://www.myrareguitars.com/toplevel.html

(Archie's guitar is similar to a "Eastwood Wandre Deluxe")

[Blazer]

It must be a Fender Coronado, that's the only Fender that came with the DeArmond made Gold Foil pickups you described and it DOES look like the guitars depicted in the "sugar sugar" video by the Archies.

[Wardpike]

Thanks guys. The pickups in the Coronado are right, but it was like a Jaguar only smaller. I'm going to keep on searching and try and wrestle it out of the mind of old Mr. Davis from church... but I don't like in that town, haven't for 25 years and haven't seen him in as long. The search goes on!

[Wardpike]

Hey, what's the deal with people's attitudes towards Fender stepping on Gibson's toes?
It seems that the Coronado, Starcaster and Robben Ford models were all shunned by the Fender Elitists.

was the Coronado really that much of a dog?

[Blazer]

Originally Posted by Wardpike

Hey, what's the deal with people's attitudes towards Fender stepping on Gibson's toes?
It seems that the Coronado, Starcaster and Robben Ford models were all shunned by the Fender Elitists.

was the Coronado really that much of a dog?

Ah, the Coronado, one of those "Right-guitar-by-the-wrong-brand" moments. In the mid sixties with the beat boom happening Fenders weren't really all that popular because of Bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones NOT playing them. (John Lennon once said that it was deliberate because they didn't want to be associated with instrumental bands like The Shadows and the Ventures) But Semi acoustic guitars like those from Gretsch, Epiphone and Gibson were must haves for beat groups.

So the high command of Fender decided to see if Fender could carve itself a niche in that market too and so they hired THIS guy....

..to help them get to it. Roger Rossmeisl was a German immigrant who previously had worked for Rickenbacker, designing the legendary 300 series guitars and 4000 series basses, including the 4001. An accomplished luthier, Rossmeisl was the man for the job in bringing a little more sophistication to Fender.
http://www.archtop-germany.de/-Herst...erjunior_5.JPG
This is a Rossmeisl made guitar, evident are his signature shape F-holes which can also be found on Rickenbacker's Import series and on the Fender instruments he designed. Note also the R tailpiece, something we also found on Rickenbackers Rossmeisl designed.

The first Rossmeisl/Fender product was a nod to his Rickenbacker past.

The Thinline Telecaster, has that typical Rossmeisl shaped F-hole and the body was hollowed out in the same way as a Rickenbacker 360 guitar (or 4005 bass), routed from the back and having a backplate of matching wood covering it all up. This Rossmeisl made Fender is still being produced today, proving the most succesful of the Rossmeisl made Fenders.

But after this innitial succes Rossmeisl came up with some spectacular UN-Fender-like instruments.

Fender's acoustic range for example: they had bolt on necks and screwed on heavy plastic pickguards (can you imagine what wonder those features did for the sound charicaristics of an Accoustic guitar?)

Then came the Coronado range, which married Gretsch-style bodies and DeArmond pickups with Fender bolt-on necks, they were light and didn't sound that bad but nobody wants a semi accoustic with a bolt on neck. The Wildwood idea also didn't catch on because of the resulting pieces of wood either being hit or miss in the looks department, some guitars looked really spectacular whilst of others you could barely see the color.

But perhaps the worst Rossmeisl came up with was Fender's Archtop range.

The Fender Montego and the Fender LTD showed where Rossmeisl got it from, his German luthery and the Rickenbacker 360F, which shape it closely aped. But once again, a bolt on neck was the nail in the coffin, nobody wanted a Jazzguitar with a bolt on neck

What the people of Fender learned the hard way here was that when people wanted a Gibson, they'd BUY a Gibson. And as they also would learn later was that a chap called Jimi Hendrix would turn the tides for Fender's popularity, the Fender Stratocaster would once again be THE rock guitar.

But as for the Fenders made under Rossmeisl's guidance? Only the most Fender looking and sounding of them all survived: the Thinline Telecaster. Which is now also made under the Squier brandname and carries that typical Rossmeisl shape F-hole as a tribute to it's designer
http://www.woodbrass.com/images/wood...0-1240-544.JPG

[Wardpike]

Fascinating!! You would think the interwebs would have had something on this, but even after I searched with goggles/googles on, I still seen nutting!

[Yoni]

I've been facinated with these since I first read about them on the last page of a guitar player magazine 10 years ago. I would love one, now if only I could have money and find one of these.

The Starcaster

[kelnet]

Originally Posted by Yoni

I've been facinated with these since I first read about them on the last page of a guitar player magazine 10 years ago. I would love one, now if only I could have money and find one of these.

The Starcaster

The headstock looks like a woman's shoe.

[Deaf Eddie]

How about this one:



NOT a Fender... but looks like one???

[bo]

Was he ever in the service. There are plenty of weird Filipino made guitars branded as Fenders and Gibsons from that era.

[Mark Davis]

I think Deaf Eddie is on the right track are you sure it was a Fender?

Lets start with the pickups did they look like this?

[Wardpike]

Guys, I believe you might be on to something in a Filipino guitar branded as a Fender. But like I said, there was another one that a Gentleman, Everett Davis, played in church as well. I have contacted his son and am hoping he can shed some light on things.

The pictures above are close to what I'm talking about, but still not exactly right.

But thank you all SO much for your interest and input!!

[jwj4856]

Well I have not seen anyone else with one lately but I have a Silvertone 1488 exactly like the red one on the to of the page that DeafEddie posted a couple posts up, got it from Sears and Roebuck in 1965 or 1966, it is a 65 model. Still have it and it looks and plays as well as it did the day I got it and it does look like the jaguar or jazzmaster.

[jumpnblues]

Originally Posted by Blueblood

Sounds kinda like a Fender Marauder...

Ya' beat me to it. I actually had one of those ordered but canceled shortly afterward.


Tom

[tiktok]

Originally Posted by kelnet

The headstock looks like a woman's shoe.

...if she has pointy ears!

[jumpnblues]

Originally Posted by Blueblood

Sounds kinda like a Fender Marauder...

Ya' beat me to it. I actually had one of those ordered but canceled shortly afterward.


Tom

[Wardpike]

You guys rock! Anyone have any offset body Fenders for sale? I have one Jaguar now, en route, soon to keep my Jazzmaster company.

I could pay oh I dunno, maybe even HUNDREDS of dollars for some 60s units. LOL

[T_red7882]

why would no one want a jazz box with a bolt on neck? i see no reason y that would affect tone.

[Wardpike]

http://www.offsetguitars.com

Been searching over there too. Awesome site! Zhivago's gallery along makes it worth the visit.

[Robb]

I don't know why people are snobing the Coronado, I've had one for years in my collection and I still use it over my ES 335 when I play the blues, the neck is sturdier, easy to adjust,and always in tune, altough the bridge pick-up is a bit muddy and it feeds a little when you face the amp it still is more fun to play than a fragile ES 335.

Only my 2 cents !!!

[robb3566]

Great thread! I love pics of 60's oddities.

[Post Toastie]

Originally Posted by Robb

I don't know why people are snobing the Coronado, I've had one for years in my collection and I still use it over my ES 335 when I play the blues, the neck is sturdier, easy to adjust,and always in tune, altough the bridge pick-up is a bit muddy and it feeds a little when you face the amp it still is more fun to play than a fragile ES 335.

Only my 2 cents !!!

Courtney Taylor Taylor of The Dandy Warhols uses the Coronado in the studio and live,sounds pretty good to me.

[PapaBeef]

I've always been curious about the Coronado.
I'd like to get my hands on one some day.
It sort of fits into my weird guitar fetish.

[Joe-Bob]

Originally Posted by Yoni

I've been facinated with these since I first read about them on the last page of a guitar player magazine 10 years ago. I would love one, now if only I could have money and find one of these.

The Starcaster

They are available if you really want one. When I was in NYC a couple of years ago, 30th Street Guitars had 2 of 'em.

[T.C. Madison]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

I think Deaf Eddie is on the right track are you sure it was a Fender?

Lets start with the pickups did they look like this?

niiiiiiiiiice me like

[jwj4856]

here is a pic of the silvertone 1488 I have that is like the one n the sears cataalog that deafeddie posted earlier, manufatturede January6 1965, wish it had been 2 days later and it could have been born on mu birthday, not same year though, It still looks almost new and plays as good as it did when bought, all original except for two of the tone post and one opf the switches.