A c.1971 Fender Montego II hollow body electric archtop guitar, #78, 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, who had a hand in many of Fender’s other designs. Only 36 LTDs were produced; this is 78 of less than 100 Montego models are 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” three-piece flame maple neck is “heelless and removable,” with 20 frets on a mother-of-pearl inlaid ebony fretboard.

The guitar wears chrome hardware, two pickups mounted to the top, an ebony bridge, pearl-button tuners, two volumes, two tones, and a three-way pickup selector switch. Curiously, the guitar also has a label that reads “Fender Broadcaster” which can be seen through the bass-side f-hole.

Includes hardshell case.

PROVENANCE From The Collection of Randy Bachman

Guitars & Instruments, Randy Bachman