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Fender Mustang Complete Guide: Dating, Authentication & Value (1964-1982)
A vintage Fender Mustang from 1964 to 1969 has been selling for roughly $1,900 to $3,400 in clean, original condition, and a 1970s Mustang for roughly $1,200 to $2,200, based on Reverb's sold-price guides. Edgewater Guitars, based near Cleveland, Ohio, buys vintage Mustangs nationwide. Call or text (440) 219-3607 or text us photos.
What is a vintage Fender Mustang worth?
Mustang | Reverb sold-price guide (Good to Mint) | Recent Reverb sales |
|---|---|---|
1964 to 1969, original finish | $1,886 to $3,365 (1,014 orders) | $1,420 to $3,725, most $2,300 to $3,050 (Sep to Oct 2026) |
1972 to 1980, original finish | $1,199 to $2,227 (440 orders) | $950 to $2,250 (Aug to Oct 2026) |
Any year 1964 to 1980, refinished | $1,310 to $2,595 (293 orders) | $1,350 to $2,499 (Mar to Oct 2026) |
Mustang Bass, 1966 to 1969 | $2,998 to $5,114 (107 orders) | $2,950 to $4,460 (Aug to Oct 2026) |
Competition Mustang Bass, 1969 to 1973 | $2,985 to $5,560 (111 orders) | $4,100 to $4,900 (Jul to Aug 2026) |
Where those numbers come from: Reverb's sold-price guides for the 1964 to 1969 Mustang, the 1972 to 1980 Mustang, the refinished 1964 to 1980 Mustang, the 1966 to 1969 Mustang Bass and the 1969 to 1973 Competition Mustang Bass, viewed October 2026, Good to Mint condition only. Reverb does not publish a separate guide for Competition Mustang guitars, so those are valued one at a time. Asking prices run higher than these, but asking is not selling, so use sold prices as the benchmark.
Edgewater's cash offer on a guitar like that would typically land around 20% under those sold figures, and lower for refinished, modified or heavily repaired examples. Condition and originality move the number more than the exact year inside each span, so the accurate answer for yours is a free appraisal. Want a quick read first? Upload a photo for a free identification and value range.
Fender Mustang years and what changed
1964 launch: Fender introduced the Mustang in August 1964 as its new student model, with two scale lengths: a 24 inch neck with 22 frets, which became the common one, and a rare 22.5 inch neck with 21 frets.
Pre-CBS guitars: CBS bought Fender in January 1965, so the Mustangs built in the model's first months are the pre-CBS ones. Date them by the neck and pot codes, not by looks alone (see below).
1964 to 1968, slab body: the early body has no forearm or belly contour. Fender's own catalogs of the period list the finishes simply as red, white and blue; collectors often call them Dakota Red, Olympic White and Daphne Blue. Pickguards were white pearloid or tortoiseshell.
1969, Competition Mustang: Fender added the Competition finishes, Competition Red, Competition Blue (listed as Competition Burgundy in the Fender catalog) and Competition Orange, each with racing stripes. Body contours arrived at the same time, which ended the slab-body Mustang.
Early 1970s: the Competition finishes ran into the early 1970s (sources say 1972 or 1973).
Around 1976: a black pickguard became standard, and the serial number moved from the neck plate to the headstock.
Late 1970s: sunburst, natural, blonde, walnut and black finishes, plus the two-tone Antigua finish.
1982: the original Mustang was discontinued (some sources say 1981).
Every vintage Mustang shares the same core layout: two angled single-coil pickups, each with its own three-position slide switch that can turn it on, off or reverse its phase, a master volume and tone, and Fender's Dynamic Vibrato tailpiece with a floating bridge. Our year guides go deeper on the 1965 Mustang, the 1966 Mustang, a blue 1965 Mustang and an unusual green sparkle 1965.
How to date a vintage Fender Mustang
Serial number: stamped on the neck plate until about 1976, then on the headstock near the Fender decal. Run it through our Fender serial number lookup, but treat it as a range, because Fender's serials and neck plates did not run in strict order.
Neck date: with the neck off, the heel carries a stamped or penciled date with the month, the year and a letter for nut width. On Fender necks of this period "A" means 1 1/2 inches and "B" means 1 5/8 inches.
Pot codes: under the pickguard, the volume and tone pots carry a source code. 137 is CTS and 304 is Stackpole. In 1960s and 1970s codes the next two digits are the year and the last two the week, so 1376512 would be a CTS pot from the 12th week of 1965. A pot date shows the earliest the guitar could have been finished, not the exact date.
Body shape: a slab body points to 1964 to 1968, a contoured body to 1969 or later.
When the neck date, pot codes and serial agree within a few months of each other, the guitar is most likely together as it left the factory.
What moves a Mustang's value up or down
Original finish: the biggest single factor. Compare Reverb's refinished guide above with the original-finish 1964 to 1969 guide.
Original pickups and slide switches: both pickups should be the original Mustang single-coils with the two slide switches intact. Humbucker routs or toggle-switch conversions count against the guitar.
The vibrato: the Dynamic Vibrato tailpiece, its floating bridge and the original arm should all be present. A missing arm is common and easy to fix; a missing or replaced tailpiece is not.
Matching neck: a neck date far from the pot dates can mean a swapped neck.
Case and paperwork: the original case, hang tags or a sales receipt add confidence for the next buyer.
Competition Mustangs: what to check
A Competition finish is one of the most copied looks in the Mustang line, so check two things. First, the body should be contoured, because Fender added contours in 1969 together with the Competition finishes; racing stripes on a slab body are a warning sign. Second, the stripes should wear and fade the same way as the body color around them. If any of that is unclear, send us photos and we will tell you what we see.
The Mustang Bass
Fender added the Mustang Bass in 1966, with a 30 inch scale and a single split-coil pickup. It sells higher than the guitar: Reverb's guides put 1966 to 1969 examples at about $3,000 to $5,100 and Competition basses at about $3,000 to $5,600. We buy those too.
What sellers say
"I had an excellent experience here at Edgewater. Knowledge and fair. I sold them a 60 year old fender and they were honest and forthcoming with everything about the guitar. They made me a fair offer. I would recommend then to anyone." Mike Rogers, Google review
Frequently asked questions
How much is a vintage Fender Mustang worth?
Reverb's sold-price guides put 1964 to 1969 Mustangs at about $1,900 to $3,400 and 1972 to 1980 Mustangs at about $1,200 to $2,200 in Good to Mint original condition. Edgewater's offer usually lands about 20% under sold prices, lower for refinished or modified guitars.
Which Fender Mustang years are worth the most?
On Reverb's data, original-finish 1964 to 1969 guitars sell above 1970s guitars, and original finish sells above refinished. Competition guitars from 1969 into the early 1970s are valued individually because Reverb does not track them separately.
How can I tell what year my Mustang is?
Check the serial number (neck plate until about 1976, headstock after), the date on the neck heel and the codes on the pots. A slab body means 1964 to 1968; a contoured body means 1969 or later.
Did Competition Mustangs have a slab body?
No. Fender introduced the Competition finishes and the body contours together in 1969, so a factory Competition Mustang has a contoured body.
What is a 22.5 inch scale Mustang?
From its 1964 launch the Mustang came with either a 24 inch neck with 22 frets or a 22.5 inch neck with 21 frets. The 24 inch version was far more popular, so the short-scale guitars are rare.
Does a refinish hurt a Mustang's value?
Yes. Reverb's guide for refinished 1964 to 1980 Mustangs sits at about $1,300 to $2,600, below original-finish 1964 to 1969 guitars, and a refinish removes the original Competition finish that collectors pay for.
Where can I sell a vintage Fender Mustang?
Edgewater Guitars buys them directly, nationwide, with free appraisals from photos. Call or text (440) 219-3607 or request a free estimate online.
More on Fender values: What's my vintage Fender worth?
By Stephen Pedone, co-owner of Edgewater Guitars. Last updated: October 2026.
