A 1964 Fender Duo Sonic anyone? And not just any old 1964 Duo-sonic. This is the rarest Duosonic out there from this period and is a mahogany body, translucent red variant. All original too.

From the beginnings of the company, Leo had seen that student models were a way to keep his instruments in players’ hands as they progressed. Released in June of 1956, the Duo Sonic went through a few changes alongside its stable mates and found favour with players as diverse as John McLaughlin, David Byrne, Patti Smith and of course Jimi Hendrix when he was backing the Isley Brothers.

This guitar is in used but cool and original condition. The cherry finish is in fact the top colour from candy apple red without the metallic undercoat. This, combined with the rare mahogany body makes for quite a combination. Fender’s history regarding alternative body woods is vague to say the least but there is no doubt that during this period they were experimenting with mahogany and korina, in all probability due to Leo Fender having access to some cheap stock.

The finish is quite beaten up but the colour is still vivid.

The neck (made of a lovely piece of birdseye maple), fretboard and frets are in great shape with the finish having worn into a comfortable surface. The neck date reads as April 63.

The plastics and hardware show the passing of time but have not been abused.

Electrically everything looks correct. Interestingly the pot dates are week 50 1963 with the pickup stamps reading April 1964.

The guitar comes with its correct hardshell case.

Even though this is a short scale guitar (22.5”) and aimed at students, there is no doubt that these are well made instruments . The neck feels comfortable and easy to play, the no-frills nature of the electronics yields a classy tone. This guitar certainly punches above its weight.

A great guitar with so much potential, this is a must have for any collection. Grab this one before it gets away.