1966 Fender Electric XII

S/N #154159

In the middle 1960’s, a renewed interest in folk and blues music brought about a revival in 12 string guitar manufacture, initially acoustic and then eventually electric guitars. The Electric XII, Fender’s offering introduced at the 1965 NAMM show, is a uniquely well designed and very playable instrument. This one features an offset body with a sunburst nitrocellulose lacquer finish, a bolt-on maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard and a distinctive “hokey stick” headstock. The headstock features a “Fender Electric XII” decal with patent numbers underneath the logo, twelve “F” stamped Fender Safe-T tuners and a chrome plated string retainer. The unbound rosewood fingerboard has a 1 11/16” nut width, twenty one frets and pearloid dot markers at the third, fifth, seventh, ninth, twelfth, fifteenth, seventeenth, nineteenth and twenty first frets. 

The pickguard is four ply, white, black, white with pepperoni celluloid on top. The bridge, designed specifically for this model, allows for the precise intonation of each string as well as two adjusters for the overall string height. The electronics feature two pickups with two independent coils for each pickup. This allows for several phase options available through the three-way flipper switch. A chrome plated plate houses the volume and tone pots and a jack. 

The potentiometers date from the 17th week of 1966, all other features point to a build date in mid-1966, though we did not remove the neck to check the pocket because the mounting plate and the finish around it are undisturbed, though we are confident that the neck is original to the body and the date stamp would correspond to a mid-1966 date of manufacture. The frets are the original small wire, they have been dressed down somewhat and there is some light pitting in the lower frets, but they still play beautifully. The finish shows a few marks, with a case bite and some small marks through the upper layers of the finish where the elbow relief carve heads towards the lower strap button. There are a few marks on the back, but none through the finish and the front face of the headstock shows crazing throughout. 

Overall, this is an all-original and nicely preserved example. It comes with the original orange-lined case in similarly well kept condition, with the full original Fender logo intact and three fully functional latches.