John Entwistle's 1969 Fender Swinger electric guitar originally acquired at the sale of his estate at Sotheby's, London, on May 13, 2003. A wonderful opportunity to not only acquire a rare guitar, but one formally owned by one of the premier bassists of the rock era, John Entwistle. As The Who bassist was known for his vast and varied collection of guitars, it is no surprise that he would have in his treasure trove of instruments one of the rarest of all Fender models. The Swinger was an attempt by CBS (which had bought the company in 1965) to extract cash from inventory by combining unused bodies from the failed Fender Bass V with parts from the Fender Musicmaster. As the Swinger was built using parts that were surplus, the individual components may be older than the guitar. For example, the neck may be date-stamped 1966. As far as is known, all Swingers were assembled in 1969. There are estimates that only 250 to 300 Swingers were ever produced.
The original color of this example is Lake Placid blue; however, as the result of the lacquer yellowing over the years, it now has taken on a deep green hue. The body exhibits scattered nicks, dings, edge chips and other expected wear from use. Guitar comes with a black Fender hardshell case, with an old Continental Airlines tag attached to the handle. Provenance: Lot 191, The John Entwistle Collection, Sotheby's, London, May 13, 2003.
RRAuction COA.
We use cookies on this site to improve your experience. By using this site, you accept our use of cookies. To learn more, please see our Privacy Policy.
