As with virtually the entire Fender line, the student models received a slight facelift in mid-1959. The most obvious differences were the switch from anodized aluminum to plastic pickguards and from a one-piece maple neck/fingerboard to a two-piece maple neck/rosewood fingerboard design. The image above illustrates these differences: on the left is a Musicmaster from late that year (the second version), and on the right is one from earlier in the year (the original version).

     The standard finishes offered during this period were (in chronological order): tan, shaded sunburst (a 3-color sunburst with maroon instead of black on the outer edge, a.k.a. "maroonburst"), and white. The tan offered was somewhat darker in tint than the Desert Sand used previously. Towards the end of this period (starting in late summer/early fall 1963), many Fender models were offered with a translucent red finish (initially only on mahogany-bodied guitars). This finish option (commonly referred to as "mahogany red") was short-lived because of problems in getting the paint to stick. All guitars received white pickguards and black pickup covers, except for the white-finished ones (which received reddish-brown faux-shell 'guards and white covers). MM/DS authority Tim Pershing has found that white-finished MM/DS guitars produced during late summer/early fall 1963 invariably came with plain brown pickguards, with clean examples of this particular color combination becoming somewhat rare. (Thanks also to Leonard Lowry for posing this question in the first place!)

     Finally, collector Dale Harley told me that Fender also made these guitars in "girls' colors" (pink, sky blue, seafoam green, and pale yellow) ca. '59-'61, as part of Fender's effort at marketing towards young women. He said that few were sold, so they are rare (especially the pink color). I've never seen any of these myself.

1 9 5 9

• Case study: "transition" (???) Musicmaster (SN 40878):
  tan body/plastic 'guard ... front | back | body, back
  ... but one-piece maple neck (with changed tuning keys): front | back
  outside of case
  Source: unknown (eBay?)
  
  
• Duo-Sonic, in tan: front | headstock
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• Case study: a well worn, tan Duo-Sonic:
  front | front of body | back of body
  headstock | butt of neck and neck pocket | wiring harness (bottom of guard)
  Owned by H. Hyde (photos from eBay)
  
  
• Musicmaster, in tan
  Source: Gruhn Guitars
  
  

1 9 6 0

• Duo-Sonic, in tan
  Source: T. Pershing
  
  
• Musicmaster, in tan (SN 54397): front | collage
  Neck date 11-60, pots date 47th week of 1960
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  

1 9 6 1

• Musicmaster, in tan
  Source: Amanda's Texas Underground
  
  
• Duo-Sonic, in shaded sunburst
  Source: GGJaguar's Guitarium and Ampeteria
  
  
• Musicmaster, in tan (super clean!)
  Owned by Genji Nakano/Genzo Vintage Guitars
  
  
• Duo-Sonic, in shaded sunburst
  Source: Gruhn Guitars
  
  
• Case study: near-mint Duo-Sonic, in shaded sunburst:
  front, in red-lined case | front | back
  close-up, front of body | close-up, heel/back of body | headstock
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• Case study: Duo-Sonic, in shaded sunburst (SN 62802):
  front | body, front | body, back | front, in case
  body routs | pickguard assembly, back | electronics, back
  headstock, front | headstock, back | neck date (5-61) | neckplate
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• Musicmaster, in shaded sunburst, with original orange-lined case:
  front | back | in case | side angle shot of body
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• Musicmaster, in shaded sunburst
  The reddish-brown shell guard is probably not original
  Source: unknown (gbase.com)
  
  

1 9 6 2

• Duo-Sonic, in shaded sunburst
  Source: T. Pershing
  
  
• Case study: Duo-Sonic, in shaded sunburst (SN 77883):
  front view | body: front | side front | back |
  inside original case: front | detail | another detail
  neckplate | neck date (1-62) | body routs | pickguard assembly, back
  Source: Island Frets
  
  
• Duo-Sonic, in shaded sunburst (SN 880219?). Nice!
  Owned by Alireza of Switzerland
  
  
• Musicmaster, in shaded sunburst
  Source: Gruhn Guitars
  
  
• Musicmaster, in shaded sunburst (but photographed in rich Technicolor):
  collage | lying on brown case
  Source: unknown (either eBay or Music Man)
  
  
• Musicmaster, in shaded sunburst (SN 98079):
  body, front | body, back | headstock
  lying in original case | with original strap and manual(!)
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  

1962 ad copy for Fender's student models. Source: unknown (eBay)

1 9 6 3

• Musicmaster, in shaded sunburst
  Owned by Rock In Joe
  
  
• Musicmaster, in shaded sunburst
  Source: GGJaguar's Guitarium and Ampeteria
  
  
• Immaculate Musicmaster, in shaded sunburst
  With period-correct Fender Champ and Fender dealer stand
  Owned by Terry Foster
  
  
• Duo-Sonic, in white
  Source: T. Pershing
  
  
• Case study: Duo-Sonic, in white:
  front, in orange-lined case | close-up of front of body | body routs
  headstock | butt of neck, with 3/4 stamp
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• A well-played Musicmaster, in white: front | body | back
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• Case study: Duo-Sonic, in "mahogany red" (SN L107XX):
  Assuming the finish is original, this is the oldest MM/DS (and the only Duo-Sonic) I've seen finished in "mahogany red".
  front, lying in case | headstock, front
  body: front | front, detail | back | pickguard
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  

1 9 6 4

• Duo-Sonic, in white (SN L32109):
  front | body, front | pickguard | "transition" decal (may be a repro?)
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• Musicmaster collage, in shaded sunburst
  Source: unknown (eBay?)
  
  
• Musicmaster, in white
  Source: Dale Harley
  
  
• Case study: pristine "mahogany red" Musicmaster:
  front of body | front, in case | front, on case | back, on case
  front of headstock | back of headstock | butt of neck, with 3/4 stamp
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• Case study: slightly worn, "mahogany red" Musicmaster (SN L39574):
  Neck stamped 3/4 MAR 64 A; Stackpole pots stamped 304-6426 (3rd week of June, '64). "The body does not appear to be mahogany, but it is cut from a one piece slab. My guess is it is ash (grain like a baseball bat). The finish is a translucent red."
  lying in case | body, front | body, looking toward neck
  headstock, front | headstock, back (all images are at least 90k each)
  Owned by Dave Register