Fender

This iconic rectangular coco early ‘60s Fender case is a survivor with some wear and tear to show for its many years of us, but it remains quite functional.  This case was part of a fair-sized estate of approximately forty dusty, musty, moldy guitars that we purchased in the fall of 2025. During our initial evaluation of the lot, we immediately noticed the unmistakable Coco color of this case peeking out from a pile of random cases. Upon opening the case, we were greeted by the site of what appeared to be an extremely clean Fiesta Red slab-board Strat—pulses quickened. Sadly, upon dismantling the guitar, it was clear that it was but a very deceptive Allparts guitar masquerading as a ‘60s Strat that happened to be housed in an original ‘60s case for an offset model—hearts sank.  Disappointed as we were with the inauthentic guitar, finding an early Fender case in the mix was a satisfying silver lining.  (Incidentally, the parts Strat that was housed in the case has since been stripped of its undeserved waterslide logo and properly listed separately for what it really is.)  Now, having benefitted from some cleaning and a few repairs (please see condition notes below), this lonely offset case is ready to be reunited with a genuine Jazzmaster or Jaguar of the era.

Condition:

As intimated above, this case was subjected to a less-than-ideal moist storage environment for an unknown amount of time.  As a result of this and the passage of time, it certainly has some issues of note.  After thorough cleaning, its initial musty odor has been greatly improved, but some musty odor does remain along with hints of the bonding agent used to re-adhere some of the lining.  The interior lining had curled and separated in various areas and has since been secured with contact cement that has been allowed to properly off-gas.

The brown leather end caps are in good condition overall, but there is a patch of missing material at the bottom corner of the headstock end—as the material is thin and can become brittle with time, this is not too uncommon.  Otherwise, both end caps have some general wear with sections of the material worn through along the edge, as well as some areas of missing stitching. However, where possible, these sections have been stabilized with contact cement.

In two key areas, the ply-wood of the case itself shows some evidence of buckling, distortion/warping, or deterioration that is likely resultant from moisture.  The lesser of these areas is in the center of the top lid’s back, near the center hinge, where there is a crack in the Tolex and some slightly pooched-out shape to the surface—indeed the wood here does have a little more give, but still feels solid enough. More significantly, the area corresponding to the top section of center clasp on the front of the top lid had deteriorated such that the clasp component had fallen out and the Tolex had separated.  The torn Tolex in this area was gently pulled aside such that the damaged wood beneath could be removed as necessary and otherwise carefully reinforced with dowels and strips of veneer. The Tolex was then re-glued and the clasp was remounted with new brass brads.

 Finally, while all functional, several hardware components have some wear of note.  Corresponding to the distorted section of the case mentioned above, the rear center latch is missing its top rivet. As also mentioned above, the top section of the front clasp has been remounted with two new brass brads.  Finally, the two locking latches have both lost the springy bounce in their step (i.e., they don’t pop up when their latch is pulled to the side). Though the latch functions and clasps securely, it appears that the barrel section of the hinge on the latch closest to the headstock area is cracked, thereby allowing the top section to slightly pivot/tilt laterally when not latched.  There is some similar wiggle in the other latch (body section), but to a much lesser degree. With that said, both latches both would benefit from a little bit of additional service (perhaps from a luggage repair company) to be restored to proper springy action.  FAIR condition.

• Rectangular Strat/Tele Case
• Coco Exterior
• Burnt Orange Velour Interior
• Offset Case Compartment
• Brown/Chestnut Leather Endcaps with White Piping
• Brown/Chestnut Leather Handle
• Brass Hardware
• Two Spring Loaded Locking Latches
• One Flip Clasp
• Three Rear Hinges
• Four Bottom Bumpers and Four Rear Bumpers