FENDER

CORONADO XII

1-18-1968

SN:  162091 (built in the Fullerton, CA plant)

RED

INCREDIBLE.

COLLECTOR QUALITY

Introduction.

I was one of those guys who always dismissed FENDER guitars, e.g. the “Strat” and the “Tele” as being boring in appearance and simply “not cool.  But then I discovered the “stylish” models such as the CORONADO series followed by the “STARCASTER”, LTD, et al.

(From online sources):

“Fender first offered Coronado hollow body models in 1966 in response to the Gretsch and Epiphone guitars whose popularity surged thanks to the Beatles and other British Invasion acts. Roger Rossmeisl, a luthier previously associated with Gibson and Rickenbacker, designed the series, which featured single- and dual-pickup guitars (with and without tremolo) arms, a 12-string, and a bass.”

“Coronados were strange mash-ups—fully hollow guitars with bolt-on necks, Fender-style headstocks, and DeArmond pickups. They were also—at least relative to Fender’s other successes—a commercial flop. The instruments were prone to squealing at high volumes, which discouraged rock guitarists from playing them. Meanwhile, most jazz guitarists viewed the bolt-on assembly as inferior (though jazz/R&B great Phil Upchurch was a Coronado endorser and made good use of its bouncy, elastic vibrato.)”

“Coronados were discontinued in 1972. But despite their quirks—or maybe because of them—they have since been embraced by left-of-center rockers like Graham Coxon of Blur and Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo. Vintage Coronados have crept up in value, and now Fender has added this dual-pickup Coronado II to its Modern Player Series.”

ABOUT THE FENDER CORONADO. (from Wikipedia):

The Fender Coronado was a double-cutaway thin-line hollow-body electric guitar, announced in 1965, it was manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. The aesthetic design embodied in the Coronado represents a departure from previous Fender instruments; the design remains an uncharacteristic piece of Fender history.

The very un-Fender like instrument was designed by Roger Rossmeisl (who had previously also designed instruments for Rickenbacker, but who went on to create numerous models for Fender) in an attempt to capitalize on the increasing popularity of semi-acoustic guitars following the high-profile use of hollow-bodied instruments, such as the Epiphone Casino by bands like The Beatles. During Rossmeisl's time designing for Fender he also designed the Fender Montego, a jazz box style guitar which shares the Coronado's fixed F tailpiece; and the 1967 Fender Wildwood which shares the Stratocaster headstock.

Three versions of the Coronado guitar were produced from 1966 through 1972. The Fender Coronado I, discontinued in 1970, was the original single pickup design. The Coronado II had an added bridge pickup (with relative tone and volume controls). The Coronado XII, released in 1967, was a twelve-string version of the guitar. Coronado basses were also manufactured. The Coronado was a true hollow-bodied electric guitar; like the Gibson ES-330 and Epiphone Casino, it did not have a central solid wood block in the body. This is in contrast to guitars such as the Gibson ES-335, which, although appearing similar, were constructed with a solid central block running lengthways through the arch top body.

The top, sides and back of the body were maple for the non-Wildwood versions, the top being slightly arched, and featuring two generous, routed and bound "f" holes. The body of the instrument was finished in a high- loss nitrocellulose lacquer, a finish which is no longer frequently used in the manufacture of modern guitars. The Coronado also featured relatively thin 'C'-shaped bolt-on maple neck, topped with a rosewood fingerboard, and a headstock shaped similarly to that of a Fender Stratocaster.

Unusual for Fender at the time, the Coronado's pickups were made by DeArmond; a company whose pickups were more usually found on Gretsch guitars, and the bridge was a free-floating, non anchored, 'tune-o-matic' style bridge, with a suspended tailpiece. Tremolo tailpieces were also available at extra cost for 1966 until cease of the Coronado's production. The wiring harness used in the Fender Coronado line was manufactured by Rowe Industries of Toledo, Ohio and delivered as a completely pre-assembled set.

The Coronado gained significant attention when used by Elvis Presley in the 1968 film Speedway, performing the song 'There Ain't Nothing Like a Song' with Nancy Sinatra in the final scene and is the only guitar used by Elvis within the entire film. Rossmeisl's Fender-creations were also used by Elvis in a separate film 'Clambake' where the Fender Wildwood is seen in two scenes.

Despite the expensive construction of the instrument, the Coronado achieved little success. The guitar was prone to feedback at high volumes, and the bolt-on neck construction, favored by Fender, failed to appeal to purist jazz guitarists, who would make up a large part of the market for a hollow-bodied electric guitar. It has however gained a significant following after release for its natural resonance and bright and deep.

Coronado XII two pickups—neck and bridge positions—two volume and two tone controls, as well as a three-position selector switch. Block inlays. Fender curved twelve string "hockey stick" headstock. Cherry, Sunburst, DuPont custom colors and six shades of Wildwood.

THIS GUITAR:

This guitar is in EXCELLENT cosmetic and operating condition.  It has the usual small dings, dents, scratches, etc. that are expected on a guitar 46 years old.  But please look at the photos to get a good view of its condition.   

NOTE:  It does not have the “Finish Checking (cracks)” that you usually see on these nitro guitars.

Does not come with OHSC.