A 1971 Fender Montego hollow body electric archtop guitar, number #31, in sunburst finish. Owned and played by Randy Bachman, who has sold 40 million records worldwide as a member of The Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and as a solo artist.

A highly skilled and respected luthier from Germany, Roger Rossmeisl was hired by Fender to design and produce a range of archtop electric guitars in the German style, including the technique of carving the edges of a guitar’s top and back so that they are much lower, sloping upward to a raised portion in the middle; this is known as a German Carve.

With the assistance of Phil Kubicki, Rossmeisl would develop the LTD and Montego models, crafting the former by hand while the bodies of the latter would be made in Germany and finished in-house at Fender in California. The jazz-focused electronics were designed by Freddie Tavares, the Hawaiian Steel guitarist and Fender collaborator who had a hand in many of Fender’s other designs. Only 36 LTDs were produced; this is #31 of less than 100 Montego models known to exist.

While the Montego may have bodies imported in a relatively complete state, thus lacking the personal touch of Rossmeisl’s carve on the top, it suffers not for it. It’s an elegant, stately affair, with a beautiful brown-toned sunburst finished spruce top, set off by multi-ply binding and bound f-holes. The back and sides are flamed maple, also bound. The Fender catalog boasts that the 25 1/2” scale length “fast action” maple neck is “heelless and removable” and it includes 20 frets on a mother-of-pearl inlaid ebony fretboard. The guitar wears chrome hardware, a single pickup, an ebony bridge, pearl-button tuners, a black pickguard, and master volume and tone controls.

This guitar is in very good condition and is a stunning example of Fender’s lesser-known but finely-crafted hollow body instruments. Includes non-original soft-shell case.

PROVENANCE From The Collection of Randy Bachman

Guitars & Instruments, Randy Bachman