vintage fender guitar

Fender Vintage Guitars

By Ruby Katz Platinum Quality Author

While any Fender instrument is a good instrument, whether vintage or new, the most collectible ones were created before CBS purchased the Fender Company and changed their guitars. The best guitars for collectors were those created before 1966.

Part of the appeal of Fender vintage guitars was that they were known as custom-contoured and exceedingly well-made. The Fender Stratocaster, one of the most desirable Fender vintage guitars sought by collectors today, was even changed with the move to the large peg head style.

With CBS came mass production with its cheaper materials to maximize profits, ruining the classic look and feel of Fender vintage guitars produced after 1965. The least collectible Fender vintage guitars are those produced during the transition to CBS ownership and management, from about summer 1964 to December of the following year.

The first Fender vintage guitars were the Esquire, the Broadcaster and the Telecaster, the last two of which were actually virtually the same guitar. This guitar, and their 1954 creation of the Stratocaster, actually served to popularize the solid-bodied electric guitar and are sought out by those collect Fender vintage guitars.

This instrument set the standard for all other bass instruments.