Was Fender making blonde Customs in 1942?

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 11 Jul 2006 11:45 am

I know of a 1942 Fender triple-eight Custom with a blonde finish. 1942 was determined from dates found under the tuning pans for all three necks. The finish is the opaque blonde color that has yellowed with age, and there is a Fender decal on the front of the guitar. Could this be the original finish? I thought that all of the early Customs had the natural walnut colored stained finish, and the painted blonde finish didn't come in until the early 1950's.....anyone know for sure.....Jody?

Thanks,
Cliff

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 11 Jul 2006 12:31 pm

Cliff
I'm certainly am not Mandrake the Magician, but to my limited amount of knowledge, I doubt
very much that what you describe is a 1942 guitar, it's possible someone is playing games to sell that guitar. If the guitar is in good shape and plays well, I wouldn't be concerned about the date. Yes the early Custom guitar's were made of walnut and discontinued in 1954, but I doubt this guitar is a 1942 model.As I said, if it plays well and is in good shape, it may be a bargain, how much is the asking price?

Post if you have any further information.

Thanks Cliff. PS I have never in my days with Fender seen a steel with names or initials under all three necks,the person who assembled the guitar would as a rule initial the outer neck only.

Thank you for asking.[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 11 July 2006 at 01:37 PM.]

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 11 Jul 2006 12:48 pm

Thanks, Jody. The seller sounds like a honest person. He said that he confirmed the year from dates he found under the tuning pans, but he also said that he is unsure about whether or not the finish is original, but that it looks old (yellowed), but he also said that all of the other triple-eight Customs he has seen are natural walnut (like you say). He did speculate that it could have been a custom-ordered finish because he says it looks like a factory job and it's got the Fender decal on the front, but also that he has never heard of Fender doing custom-ordered finishes back then. I'm just trying to get an idea if Fender was doing finishes like this back then, but from what you say it sounds unlikely. Everthing else is supposed to be good, good tuners all around, pickups sound good...it has the trapazoide style pick-ups.....does this sound correct for 1942? Price is $1,000, with a non-original case.
Jody, thank you (again!) for your generousity in sharing your invauable knowledge with us.

Cliff

John Dahms · Post by **John Dahms** » 11 Jul 2006 1:01 pm

1942? Fender did not exist in 1942 and the earliest multiple neck steels that I have seen are from '47.

Don LaCourse · Post by **Don LaCourse** » 11 Jul 2006 1:20 pm

i have a 1949 twin pro. it has the box car pickups. its all original, i bought it from bobbe seymour, it was his personal guitar.
its the best sounding fender i ever had, of course i play it with a steel king amp., Don.[This message was edited by Don LaCourse on 11 July 2006 at 04:40 PM.]

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 11 Jul 2006 1:28 pm

Cliff, in a nut shell to cut through the facts that may not be so,BUY IT. These Custom guitars are scarce and will become moreso as time goes by.

Buy The Guitar and don't look back.

It's a GREAT guitar. PS The parts on that Custom if sold indivdually would be worth more than $1000.00.

Be well

Jody and good luck.

[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 11 July 2006 at 03:19 PM.]

Roger Kelly · Post by **Roger Kelly** » 11 Jul 2006 2:27 pm

Leo Fender was not manufacturing guitars or Amplifiers under the Fender name until 1946/47 according to the Fender Amp Book.
Your guitar may be a 1952.....but most certainly not a 1942 Fender. Also it still may be a good buy for you if you really want the guitar.

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 11 Jul 2006 2:45 pm

Ooops! 1942? No way. Could the number: "1942' under the tuning pans be for something other than dating? Is there a number under the tuning pans that DOES indicate the year it was made? Also, what years would the trapazoid pickups be for, and does an opaque blonde finish fit for a triple-eight Custom from the years Fender used trapazoid pickups? Perhaps he mispoke....or I misheard. Sorry for all of these question! As always, this forum is fantastically educational!

Loni Specter · Post by **Loni Specter** » 11 Jul 2006 3:53 pm

We were at war with Japan in 1942, so this could be the earliest example of counterfeit Fenders if it weren't for the fact that there was no Fender in 1942. It's gotta be a '52.

Dana Duplan · Post by **Dana Duplan** » 11 Jul 2006 3:54 pm

Cliff:
Could it be that the necks are marked 4/2--meaning the 4th month (April) of 1952? That would make sense with the manufacturing timelines.

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 11 Jul 2006 4:32 pm

Dana, By Jove, I beleive you have something there.

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 11 Jul 2006 5:29 pm

Well, that makes more sense. Does that sound like the format Fender used in 1952 for dating their Customs?

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 12 Jul 2006 4:14 am

Cliff,there was no uniform way of anything back then, serial numbers were not in sequence and it's difficult to go by the serial number on the end plate, so it's more likely than not that 4 is for April and 2 is for the second week. Fender was playing it by ear back then and nothng but nothing was in order,There will NEVER BE ANOTHER LEO FENDER NEVER...I have said that over and over BUY THE GUITAR. Good Luck Buddy

I'm posting less and less these days, trying to get a book out on my life with Fender, but when I see a thread such as this I can't help but chiming in, Good Luck and Good Health to you and your new Custom, because I know you and it belong together.

PS I beleive that Dana nailed it.
[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 12 July 2006 at 05:17 AM.]

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 12 Jul 2006 7:45 am

When I bought this guitar new in 1949 I was told that it was the first Custom! But, I've learned to never "bet the farm" on anything.

EDITED to clarify my statement above: I was told that my new 1949 Custom was one of those made during the first year of the Custom.

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<img height=100 width=70 src=http://genejones.bizland.com/Scan10095.jpg>
www.genejones.com
 [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 12 July 2006 at 09:00 AM.]

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 12 Jul 2006 10:13 am

Hey Gene, are those dings I see on the top edge of the outside-neck of that new Custom?

...shame on you.

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 12 Jul 2006 12:40 pm

Rick, my only excuse is that the picture was made in 1961.....after 12 years of dragging it in and out of car trunks and bars!

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 12 Jul 2006 12:59 pm

That's a great picture, Gene.

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 12 Jul 2006 1:05 pm

Gene,

Is that Conway Twitty AKA Harold Jenkins sitting next to you?

Drew

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Drew Howard - website - Fessenden, Derby and Fender guitars, 70's Fender Twin, etc.

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 13 Jul 2006 6:00 am