The sum of of all these changes had a serious effect on Fender guitars as a whole. By 1966 (a year after CBS bought Fender), CBS management had really taken hold of Fender's production facilities and incorporated many changes. This era is known as a "transition" because later summer 1964 to December 1965 was the time when there was a transition from the Leo Fender management to CBS management, and mass-production manufacturing techniques were starting to take a firm hold. The "transistion" era (late summer 1964 to December 1965) are the least collectible of the pre-CBS models. Of the rosewood fingerboard models, the "slab" fingerboard (1958/mid-1959 to August 1962) variants are more desirable than the "veener" fingerboard (August 1962 and later) pre-CBS models.
The early 1960's Fenders with "slab" rosewood fingerboards are also collectible, but not to the extent of the earlier 1950's maple-neck era. This decade produced guitars with one-piece maple necks, single layer pickguards, thin "spaghetti" logos, and tweed cases that seem to capture collectors the most. Because of this, Fender's most innocent era of the 1950's is their most collectible. Many other models suffered the same miserable fate of being over mass-produced and cheapened by corporate zealots. Fender now employed the infamous "3 bolt neck" and one piece die cast bridge on the Strat, ruining it's tone and feel. And by 1968, polyurathane replaced the original nitrocellulose lacquer that was used from Fender's conception. Indian rosewood replaced the beautifully figured Brazilian rosewood on the fingerboards. Pearl fingerboard inlays replaced the original "clay" dots. Newer (and less attractive) plastics were used for the pickguards. The "custom contoured" bodies Fender was famous for no longer were as sculped and sleek. The "large peghead" (starting in late 1965) as used on the Fender Stratocaster was one example of the (bad) changes to come. All collectors feel the quality of their instruments and amps suffered as CBS employed more "mass production" manufacturing processes to the Fender guitars. By the end of 1965, the general look and feel of the Fender guitars had changed significantly. Although CBS purchased Fender (officially) on January 3rd 1965, it took some time till the guitars changed (though by mid 1964, six months before CBS bought Fender, things were already "on the way down").
For most collectors, pre-CBS (pre-1966) Fender vintage guitars and amps are the desirable ones. Fender Electric Guitar Schematics Vintage Fender Guitar Pickup Specs Fender AmplifiersÄVD video version of this web page for Stratocasters and Telecasters: Inside a 1954 to 1965 Fender Stratocaster video. Inside a 1951 to 1969 Fender Telecaster video. Introduction Serial Number/Year Identification General Fender Parts & Detail Specs Fender Cases Fender Custom Colors Reissue and Original Fender Vintage Parts Comparison Models: Fender Electric Model Info Models: Fender Acoustic Flattop Info Inside a 1954 Fender Stratocaster. General specifications, serial numbers, Fender vintage guitar cases. Overview of collecting vintage Fender guitars, basses and amps. Vintage Guitars Info's Vintage Fender Guitars, Basses, Amps.