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Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 3:24 pm
by aliendawg
So are they always come with the custom colors right?
Are there exceptions? On which years? I've seen black and white jags without matching headstock so I'm confused.

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 4:25 pm
by kracdown
They started in 1962. Blond never came with a matching headstock, though. Everything else did to my knowledge after some time in 1962.

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 4:41 pm
by sunburster
When did the matching headstocks stop? 1970? I know in the 70s they didn't have them anymore, but I don't know the exact year.

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 5:32 pm
by aliendawg
What does it mean when you see an olympic white Jag from the 60's without a matching headstock? Is it possibly a refin?

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 12:46 am
by Maulden7
kracdown wrote:
Wed Oct 17, 2018 4:25 pm
They started in 1962. Blond never came with a matching headstock, though. Everything else did to my knowledge after some time in 1962.
I have a 1963 dated all original CAR (with all gold hardware) Jazzmaster that does not have a matching headstock.

As always with Fender "never say never"!

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 1:02 am
by Paul-T
aliendawg wrote:
Thu Oct 18, 2018 5:32 pm
What does it mean when you see an olympic white Jag from the 60's without a matching headstock? Is it possibly a refin?
Possibly, yes, a non-matching headstock would always need to be inspected more carefully.

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 2:32 am
by Maulden7
Regarding the end date, I can say that matching CAR headstocks on offsets seems to have stopped by 1971 (I have a Mustang & Mustang Bass from this year - don't have anything from 1970)

In between ... a late 1965 CAR Bass VI with a plain headstock (but a 1966 is painted)?

Also a CAR Swinger from 1968 with a plain headstock (but given the origins of this odd guitar perhaps that's nothing to go on)

Regarding other Fender lines, CAR P Basses do not seem to have had matching headstocks at all as a matter of routine, but Jazz basses certainly did through to at least 1967 / 68 (I have a 68 model with no paint) & by the 70's these guitars had only plain headstocks.

Trouble is that you could probably had ordered anything with matching paint (or not) at any time as a one-off!

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:28 am
by kracdown
Maulden7 wrote:
Fri Oct 19, 2018 12:46 am
kracdown wrote:
Wed Oct 17, 2018 4:25 pm
They started in 1962. Blond never came with a matching headstock, though. Everything else did to my knowledge after some time in 1962.
I have a 1963 dated all original CAR (with all gold hardware) Jazzmaster that does not have a matching headstock.

As always with Fender "never say never"!

This is a good rule. There are weird inconsistencies. But they became "standard" sometime in 1962.

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 8:23 pm
by bterry
In general after spring 1962 through early 70s:

blonde = never + tort

oly white = mostly never + tort

all others = always + white guard unless it was a true custom order or other special circumstance

Fender would try to do any finish in any configuration (tort or white guard) if desired by a customer, but production guitars almost always follow the format above.

Always verify in person or make sure you can return it ;)

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 5:13 pm
by Baracus
I'm new here, but this seems relevant, recently picked up a '62 with matching headstock:

Image

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 5:48 pm
by morkov
Sweet!

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 9:09 pm
by Embenny
Maulden7 wrote:
Fri Oct 19, 2018 2:32 am
Regarding the end date, I can say that matching CAR headstocks on offsets seems to have stopped by 1971 (I have a Mustang & Mustang Bass from this year - don't have anything from 1970)

In between ... a late 1965 CAR Bass VI with a plain headstock (but a 1966 is painted)?

Also a CAR Swinger from 1968 with a plain headstock (but given the origins of this odd guitar perhaps that's nothing to go on)

Regarding other Fender lines, CAR P Basses do not seem to have had matching headstocks at all as a matter of routine, but Jazz basses certainly did through to at least 1967 / 68 (I have a 68 model with no paint) & by the 70's these guitars had only plain headstocks.

Trouble is that you could probably had ordered anything with matching paint (or not) at any time as a one-off!
Well, Mustangs are a different matter entirely. They only came in 3 colours in any given year, and from '64-early '68 they never had matching headstocks.

Then, with the competition stripes and redesign (e.g. contours), they introduced matching headstocks in late '68, which lasted until '70. Then, in '71, the matching headstocks were discontinued although the other changes (colours, competition stripes, contours) remained.

That's a very different timeline from the custom colour Fenders from '62 on that had matching headstocks.

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 11:43 am
by blacktiger
From the never say never file:

Image

Note the BMM Jag with tort and non-matching headstock.

All non-matching, actually, so maybe this is from early ‘62?

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 4:14 pm
by DeathJag
How’s they get those guitars to stand up by themselves like that? Fender is magic!

Re: Help me understand matching headstocks

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:42 pm
by zepset
Just to be clear, this conversation only applies to Jaguars & Jazzmasters, right?