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Up for sale, a 1961 Fender Duo Sonic in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case and bridge cover. This Pre-CBS short scale Fender model is 100% original save for a body-only refin in a bright shade of Fiesta Red.
The guitar offers a clear, chiming acoustic voice that’s surprisingly resonant and authoritative, with plenty of sparkle and twang on tap via the pair of original black bobbin alnico magnet single coil pickups. These pickups are essentially wound identically to a '61 Strat pickup, with the only difference being the flat pole piece design. Both pickups have strong output and exceptional tone, with a bouncy, sparkling sound that's sweet and lively, offering a smooth midrange character and focused bass register cut. Featherweight at just 5lbs 14oz, this Duo Sonic has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.
The one-piece maple neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve at the nut, quickly gaining more shoulder and heft further up the fretboard, with rolled edges on the extremely dark and tight-grained Brazilian rosewood slab fretboard. The profile measures .790” deep at the 1st fret and .990” at the 12th. The slab Brazilian rosewood fretboard sports clay dot inlay and stock slender fretwire. The frets have been leveled and crowned in the guitar’s lifetime and are currently quite low, yet show only faint wear on the crowns of frets 1-3. The guitar plays cleanly up the 22 1/2" scale length with a straight neck and responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. This is a true short scale instrument, perfect for players with smaller hands or those looking to comfortably execute chord extensions that might otherwise be out of reach. The original nut measures 1 1/2" in width. On the headstock, the original single line Kluson Deluxe tuning machines are present and turn smoothly, and the original "Fender - Duo Sonic" waterslide decal is intact.
All of the electronics function as intended, with untouched solder joints and Stackpole pots that date to the 23rd week of '61. Controls include a three-way pickup selector switch and Master Volume and Tone knobs. All of the original hardware is accounted for including the knurled flat-top chrome knobs, bridge with threaded saddles, serialized neck plate, and even the original chrome-plated bridge cover. There is light pick scuffing across the stock single-ply white pickguard, with pick wear extending faintly to the bass-side waist of the body. The original brown pickup covers round out the plastics.
The semi-gloss body-only refinish in a color best described as a slightly brighter and more atomic Fiesta Red, and the body exhibits honest playwear (no artificial aging), with a small area of wear through the finish where the forearm crosses the top and to a greater extent at the body waist. There are also various minor nicks and scuffs on the body as a whole. The original smooth nitro lacquer gloss is retained on the neck profile, with palm wear through the finish on the shoulders and some small, shallow marks central to the carve that aren’t distracting to the palm in the slightest.
The original tan hardshell case is included, featuring brown leather ends, functional latches, and the original molded handle.
The guitar offers a clear, chiming acoustic voice that’s surprisingly resonant and authoritative, with plenty of sparkle and twang on tap via the pair of original black bobbin alnico magnet single coil pickups. These pickups are essentially wound identically to a '61 Strat pickup, with the only difference being the flat pole piece design. Both pickups have strong output and exceptional tone, with a bouncy, sparkling sound that's sweet and lively, offering a smooth midrange character and focused bass register cut. Featherweight at just 5lbs 14oz, this Duo Sonic has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.
The one-piece maple neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve at the nut, quickly gaining more shoulder and heft further up the fretboard, with rolled edges on the extremely dark and tight-grained Brazilian rosewood slab fretboard. The profile measures .790” deep at the 1st fret and .990” at the 12th. The slab Brazilian rosewood fretboard sports clay dot inlay and stock slender fretwire. The frets have been leveled and crowned in the guitar’s lifetime and are currently quite low, yet show only faint wear on the crowns of frets 1-3. The guitar plays cleanly up the 22 1/2" scale length with a straight neck and responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. This is a true short scale instrument, perfect for players with smaller hands or those looking to comfortably execute chord extensions that might otherwise be out of reach. The original nut measures 1 1/2" in width. On the headstock, the original single line Kluson Deluxe tuning machines are present and turn smoothly, and the original "Fender - Duo Sonic" waterslide decal is intact.
All of the electronics function as intended, with untouched solder joints and Stackpole pots that date to the 23rd week of '61. Controls include a three-way pickup selector switch and Master Volume and Tone knobs. All of the original hardware is accounted for including the knurled flat-top chrome knobs, bridge with threaded saddles, serialized neck plate, and even the original chrome-plated bridge cover. There is light pick scuffing across the stock single-ply white pickguard, with pick wear extending faintly to the bass-side waist of the body. The original brown pickup covers round out the plastics.
The semi-gloss body-only refinish in a color best described as a slightly brighter and more atomic Fiesta Red, and the body exhibits honest playwear (no artificial aging), with a small area of wear through the finish where the forearm crosses the top and to a greater extent at the body waist. There are also various minor nicks and scuffs on the body as a whole. The original smooth nitro lacquer gloss is retained on the neck profile, with palm wear through the finish on the shoulders and some small, shallow marks central to the carve that aren’t distracting to the palm in the slightest.
The original tan hardshell case is included, featuring brown leather ends, functional latches, and the original molded handle.
