Certainly, refinished guitars aren't exclusive to the Musicmaster or Duo-Sonic. Because they were available in so few colors, MM/DS refins are usually easier to spot, and perhaps because they were (are) so low-regarded, there seem to be more folks eager to "practice" refinishing on them. This page is divided into 3 sections: correct, custom, and natural refins. (Refinished guitars with other mods are listed in the other mods galleries.) While the line between "correct" and "custom" refins might not always be clear, "correct" will be defined as anything that matches known colors offered for the MM/DS for that year, and "custom" will refer to other colors.

     "Natural" refins offer insight into what types of wood were used for bodies. Fender usually saved ash for sunburst-finished Strats, semi-transparent "blonde" Teles, etc., because ash tended to have more of a figure than alder. The least desirable wood for bodies (i.e., wood with knots, made of 3 pieces of scrap, etc.) went to solid-color guitars. Student guitars were usually stuck with "plain"-looking alder (late '50s, early '60s) and yellow poplar with dark streaks (mid-'60s to early '70s), but there are plenty of exceptions. For example, a small number of Fenders were made with mahogany bodies and see-thru red finishes ca. '63-'64. The "mahogany red" finish was also offered on guitars with other body woods before it was discontinued. Not many were made because the finish didn't stick very well. Finally, several late-'70s Musicmasters had ash bodies.

"Correct" refins

• '65 Mustang, dead-perfect white refinish
  I had the opportunity to see this guitar in person in the late 1990s: the finish was a nice white/cream color, with a surface like polished glass. They couldn't prove it was a refin, but it was "too perfect" not to be one, so it was priced accordingly. Wow!
  Source: Rod & Hank's Guitars (Memphis, TN)
  
  
• Case study: '67 Duo-Sonic II, refinished in a glossy white/cream (SN 194210):
  front | body, front | back | headstock
  Source: unknown (eBay?)
  
  

"Custom" refins

• '57 Musicmaster, with homebuilt and designed amp
  Owned by Henrik Leffler
  
  
• '58 red Musicmaster, collage
  Includes a good look at an original(?) MM wiring harness.
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '58 Musicmaster, in very light blue
  Is this really a refin? Collector Dale Harley told me that Fender 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.
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '59 Musicmaster, in "sherwood green":
  front, in case | front | back | body, front | headstock
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '60 Musicmaster, in Dark Green Meta (with matching headstock!)
  "2-piece alder (basswood?) body; 60-10 neck date. Original pickguard shrunk, reproduced as a Jaguar like Mac OS X."
  Owned by Takayoshi
  
  
• '60 Duo-Sonic, in a teal blue
  Source: unknown (eBay?)
  
  
• Case study: '61 Duo-Sonic, in a dark brown:
  front | body, front | body, even closer | body, back
  headstock, front | headstock, back | neck, back
  electronics | back of pickups | back of 'guard | body, minus 'guard
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '62 Musicmaster, very nicely refinished in nitrocellulose shell pink
  (as received, with natural refin and non-original knobs)
  Owned by Bill Samsonite
  
  
• '62 Duo-Sonic, in black with a flame job, plus Rob Zombie's signature on the 'guard!
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '61 or '63 Duo-Sonic, nicely refinished in a blue sparkle (SN 67402?):
  front | body, front | front, in case | wiring harness
  headstock | highly corroded original(?) neck plate
  Pots stamped 304-6315. This guitar looks exactly like the early '60s sparkle blue Duo-Sonic that appeared on eBay a few years ago!
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '64 Duo-Sonic
  Refinished with 2 cans of VW Pastel White car paint ("just like an old Beetle!").
  Owned by John Phillips/Unquiet
  
  
• Case study: '66 Duo-Sonic, professionally refinished in Candy Apple Red:
  The neck code (16 MAR 66 B) suggests it was originally meant to be a Mustang neck, but the neck does not look refinished. Note the thin, curved "veneer" fingerboard.
  front | pickup routs (with shielding plates) | neck rout (with period-correct "stick" shadow)
  electronics | back of pickups and switches
  headstock, front | headstock, back | bottom of neck end | butt of neck
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '78 Musicmaster, with a cool blue flame job!
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  

"Natural" refins

• '56 Musicmaster (SN 10592): front | back
  Body is made of ash/alder/ash (alder center with ash "wings" glued on); neck code of XA-6-56. One of the first MMs made?
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• Case study: '56 Musicmaster (SN 16901), with alder(?) body
  front | body, back | headstock | headstock, back | heel
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '56 Musicmaster, alder(?) body with a big knot
  Source: Gruhn Guitars
  
  
• Case study: '58 Duo-Sonic, with ash body
  front | front, from bottom | back | in case, from bottom | in case, from side
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '58 Musicmaster, with alder(?) body:
  front | body, front | back | headstock | decal
  Other specs: "low serial number preceded by a hyphen," early '58 neck date
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '60 Duo-Sonic, with alder body:
  front | back | body, close-up
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '60 Duo-Sonic, with alder body (SN 48676):
  front, in case | front | back | headstock | neckplate (SN on lower edge)
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• Case study: '60 Duo-Sonic (SN 51803):
  This was advertised as a '64, but the serial number (located on the lower end of the neckplate) suggests otherwise. The body appears to be made of ash.
  front, in case | body, front | body, back
  heel/back of neck | headstock, back | headstock, front
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• Case study: '60 Duo-Sonic, with alder(?) body (SN 56209):
  front, in case | body, front | heel | headstock | back of neck
  Source: MosriteGuitars (eBay)
  
  
• '63 Duo-Sonic, with alder body
  Source: unknown
  
  
• '64 Musicmaster, with mahogany body
  Source: unknown
  
  
• '64 Duo-Sonic , with body made of ??? (but very nicely refinished; SN L28772):
  lying in case | body, front | heel | headstock, front
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '64 Duo-Sonic (SN L50011)
  Other specs: 22.5" scale; Duo-Sonic II body style; neck date SEP 64; "spaghetti" logo may not be original
  Owned by Mike Robinson
  
  
• '64 Musicmaster II, with alder body
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '65 Duo-Sonic II, with yellow poplar body
  This one was said to be stamped "demo" on the back of the headstock(?).
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '66 Musicmaster II, natural refinish
  Owned by Randy Carlisle
  
  
• Pre-1967 Duo-Sonic II, refinished in natural
  From Allan Sieker's guitar collection
  
  
• '70 Music Master (collage), with a yellow poplar body
  Source: unknown (eBay?)
  
  
• '77 or '78 Musicmaster, with an ash body (SN S809926): >
  front | back | headstock
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '78 Musicmaster, with an ash body (SN S811679):
  body, front | front, in case | headstock | neckplate
  Source: unknown (eBay)
  
  
• '78 Musicmaster, with a nicely figured ash body:
  front | body | back
  Source: unknown (eBay)