Fender '69 Reissue Mustang

I own a 94 Sonic blue made in Japan and made of basswood. Purchased brand new and has gone through a lot of changes. First off I had to turn the saddle around to access the screws without unstringing the guitar every time to adjust em. Then there is the chrome hot dog that fender calls a tremelo. I play hard and every time I would bump that thing my guitar would go out of tune, so I locked that thing down tight, and now it never goes out of tune. The short scale neck is where this thing shines, and the reason its been my main guitar for 15 years, even with my best efforts to find a replacement. The neck allows you to play some disturbing chords with ease that on other guitars would make your fingers cramp up, especially past the 9th fret.

This thing is used for rock and roll. I run it into a Big Muff and a 65 Bassman and it has a very unique sound, Fender tone on steroids is the best way I can describe it, but it took some work to get there. The pickups that came stock in this thing were terrible. They were so weak and flimsy. Ripped em out and put a hot wound strat in the neck and some random humbucker I got for $20 in the bridge. Put on a set of 12s and raise the action a bit and voila, you have a very mean sounding Fender.

In the store this thing was setup great and did not have any noticeable flaws. The construction on this thing is remarkable, it's taken a beating over the years and with the exception of the nut all the remaining stock parts function as good as new.

This thing has been played regularly for 15 years. Its had cigarettes put out on it, been thrown a few times, and used in a fight. I would give it a 10 but the nut finally broke on it a few weeks ago. Fender of Japan has earned my approval.

When you get drunk and chisel out out a space for a humbucker with a screw driver and a pipe wrench it's time to say goodbye to the warranty.

I've been playing guitar for 16 years. I own a Danelectro, an Ibanez Strat, a Jackson Rhodes EX, and this Mustang. I have also played a Gibson SG and a mid 90's Jaguar extensively and the Mustang is my favorite of the bunch. If this guitar was stolen, first I would feel sorry for the thief trying to sell it, and then I would start hunting around for another one. A Fender Mustang is not for everyone(weird switches, a chrome hot dog, and a small scale neck) but if it catches your fancy and you are willing to put a bit of work into one, get yourself one of these Japanese Mustangs. There is just something about the basswood bodies and the short scale neck with a heavy set of strings that give these reissues a very cool sound.

You all know the details. I actually bought a couple- I have a bad right arm and wanted to choose the easiest for me to play. The 65 RIs werent as good (I'm going to sell the others- the move wasn't as extragant as it sounds). The '69 has the Fender body contours (forearm and ribcage) and that makes the '69 much better. I thought the 65 looked better but the 69 is just beautiful to play.

The only negative about Mustangs (to me) is that the neck, because it's thin at the nut, gets thick really quickly, because it's normal thickness where it meets the neck (does that make sense?- it starts off shallow then gets deeper more quickly than other guitars).

Other than that, just a gorgeous guitar, especially in terms of playability. But alas, not many features.

As everyone says, very bright, posibly brittle tone. Although, I put a DiMarzio Virtual Vintage in it and I thought one of 65s sounded better than it, so it's a bit random. The problem may be the timber and body shape and size, not the pick ups. I only ever use the neck pickup and I think the stock ones sounds fine- I only put the DiMarzio in because it's noiseless. Variety of tones is fine. Noise is also ok but I did notice that we were previously in a house with dodgey wiring and the hum was a bit louder than other guitars.

It suits my stuff- kind off Coldplay/low gain indie/Built to Spill-ish stuff. I am using mainly a Laney LC-30 (Vox AC30 clone) and it appears to be a great match. I've also got a Fender Super 210 valve combo and a 70s Vase valve head but it doesn't sound as good on those. I use a heap of effects, but my setup is mainly a Boss OD-20 drive zone, an MXR Phase 45, a Yamaha FL-01 analog flanger, home made tremelo and Marshall Ecoh Head delay.

Most of my guitars are Fender Japan. I have not noticed a single manufacturing flaw in one of them, even the 88 strat that has been badly abused by a previous ownder. I have owned one MIM guitar and the workmanship was shoddy to say the least. I own one US Fender and it's great but certainly no better than Japanese Fender. I don't understand the snobbery about Japanese made Fenders. I honestly can't fault their quality on any level at all.

All setup was ok, playability was great and was great aestheically.

The only possible weakness is the trem which does go out tune fairly easily if used to harshly. Sometimes I can play for 3 hours without tuning, other times I am tuning every 15 minutes. Go figure.

Otherwise, everything is very well held together. Tuners seem ok. Strap buttons etc are fine. Completely trust it- it's my main playing guitar. I'm paranoid about gear breaking during gigs (after a mis-hap with an amp a while ago...oh the humiliation...) so I never gig without a spare guitar and amp.

I've heard that basswood dents easily but I haven't noticed that to be the case yet.

Fender are fairly ordinary with customer service, even being put to shame by far eastern companies. Fender are just another huge corporation, interested in money alone. I know companies exist only to make money, but other companies manage to make consumers feel more secure. Fender isn't Leo making guitars in his garden shed anymore. Although their website has improved in the last couple of years.

As above for other gear- Fender Japan all round. A strat, a Jag, the Mustang. A Fender USA Lead 1, an MIM Cyclone 2 and an Ibanez Talman. I sometimes prefer the sound of other guitars, especially the strat and the Talman, but the Mustang is just so playable, it's not funny.

I've been playing forever but I'm still pretty ordinary. But I love anything with 6 strings. This guitar is a great mixture of playability, sound quality and build quality.

2005 '69 reissue Mustang, made in Japan. Same features as every other Mustang: 24 inch scale, two single coils with on/off/phase switches, and a funky tremolo bridge. Basswood body makes it very light, which makes my back very happy. Mine is a beautiful custard yellow, which Fender calls "Vintage White." Nice dark brown tortoise shell pickguard, it's so dark it is almost black. I got this one second hand, but the previous owner had only owned it for six months after buying it new. He had played it a few times, and the guitar had spent most of its time in the case. Came with a nice Fender gig bag.

The two single coils were bright and thin. Typical Fender sound, but without the jangle of a strat nor the twang of a Tele. Very usable, but nothing extraordinary. The neck pickup was my favourite, it had a nice bluesy sound when used with a touch of gain. The bridge pickup wasn't bad, but was very thin. Both pickups sounded good on clean settings. The two pickups together in phase was my favorite sound. Rich and full, this was the setting that worked best with heavier distortion. The two pickups out of phase was too weak and thin to be of any use for me. Overall not bad, but one major complaint: the output was very weak. I think each pickup is something like 4.5 k. I think Fender would have done the right thing if they had included pickups that were hotter instead of these ones. Output was so weak that a pedal was necessary for distortion, as there was no way these pickups could drive the front end of an amp into natural overdrive.

One very positive thing about the sound: very little hum. Despite the fact that the pickups are single coils, the hum was almost non-existent. After looking under the guard, I saw that all the cavities are lined with shielding paint.

I ended up replacing the pickups with Lace Sensors (blue in the neck, red in the bridge). What a difference! Thankfully, the Mustang pickups are the same dimensions as Strat pickups, so there is a wide selection of aftermarket upgrades that will fit this guitar without having to route new holes or cut up the pickguard.

The guy who sold it to me told me that he had made no adjustments other than change the strings in the six months that he owned the guitar. I don't know if the setup was done at the factory or at the store, but it was perfect for me. No buzzes, intonation spot-on. The kluson style tuners hold the guitar in tune as well as any fancy modern sealed tuners that I've ever used. I don't use the trem, so I can't comment as to whether it stays in tune after using the whammy bar.

The fit and finish are the best that I have seen on any guitar. Simply incredible for this price range. I own several American guitars that each cost several times what this Mustang goes for new, and none of them are as flawless as this one, not even my Gibby Les Paul Standard. Literally not a single ripple or bubble in the finish. The best fret job I have ever seen: no dead spots, no sharp edges, no high frets. And the nut is perfect, something that's rare for a guitar out-of-the-box in this price range. If the Japanese can do this for a mid-price guitar, why can't Fender and Gibson do this for their expensive American made instruments?

Seems as solid as any Fender, in other words it's probably indestructible. Hardware looks like quality metal, not the cheap pot-metal stuff you see on some instruments. The finish is some kind of plastic, and it appears to be quite tough. I haven't gigged in years, but I think it would easily withstand live playing.

The electronics did look a little cheap, though. The pots were the size of a watch battery, so when I changed the pickups I changed out all the electronics for CTS pots, a Switchcraft jack, and a Sprague orange drop capacitor.

I haven't owned this guitar long enough to give a score for this category.

The previous owner had only had the guitar for six months, so it was probably still under warranty when he sold it to me. However, I doubt that the warranty is transferable.

I wouldn't bother trying to deal with Fender, if any problems come up I'll just take it to a luthier, so that I don't have to mail the guitar to Fender's factory to have it fixed.

For the price, this thing is an amazing bargain. Sure, you'll probably want to change the pickups, but even after this extra expense, I still feel that I've gotten more than my money's worth.

I have to say, though, that I'm surprised that Fender never offered the Mustang with higher output single coils, or a humbucker in the bridge. Most of the new generation of Mustang fans got into this guitar after seeing their favourite punk and grunge bands of the 90s using them, so I think that it's safe to assume that a lot of people using this guitar are using it with heavy distortion. From what I've seen on the net, most people upgrade the pickups as soon as they buy a Mustang, so it would have made sense for Fender to offer more powerful pickups as an option.

It's too bad that this guitar was only offered outside of japan in a choice of two colors (vintage white and sonic blue). If you look on the Japanese web sites, you can see Mustangs in a whole variety of colors, including most of the classic custom colors. They even have some new competition color schemes, like Ocean Turquoise! How cool is that!?

A completely stock 2005 reissue, crafted in Japan, Fender Mustang in 'vintage white' (they call it vintage white, but to me it looks more yellow). Standard Mustang body shape, with the unique Fender Dynamic Vibrato, only found on this guitar and it's sister the Jag-Stang. The neck, in my opinion, is the greatest aspect of this guitar. A (possibly) maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. Silky feel and it fits into my hand perfectly, even though I am quite large handed, the small nut width and relitavely shallow depth to the neck allow me to use it in ways that would not be possible on a Les Paul or even a Stratocaster. An absolute dream to play. 22 frets with good upper access means that the whole fingerboard can be used. Two covered single coil pickups with in and out of phase switching allows a large range of sounds to be achieved. The basswood body means that the guitar is light, so can be played for long periods without any aches or pains, as well as giving a huge amount of resonance, especially unplugged.

The Mustang is perfect for my style of music, which is somewhere in between blues and rock, sometimes venturing to heavy rock, and the guitar adapts brilliantly to each style. Amplified I use it through an origional 1960s Hiwatt 100 watt custom valve head, with 2 1960s/70s 2x12 wem columns. Used with a Dunlop Crybaby and an Electro Harmonix Big Muff distortion you can get a truely 60s sound. Beautiful. The guitar only has one downside I can see, and that is that there is a slight earth buzz whenever the pickups are out of phase with each other, but not very noticable. 2 single coils means you can't get the crunch you would with a humbucker, but it suffices.

I like the action on my guitars to be low, and this one came perfect. The pickups came set up properly and I havn't had to make any adjustments. The only flaw on the guitar is 2 small cracks in the laqer coming down from the neck socket. Purely superficial, and I've noticed that it is common to a few Fender guitars. The up side is that because of this I got it at discount price. *thumbs up*

Although small, this guitar is tough. I have gigged it and it has withstood everything I have thrown at it. The hardware is durable, and even the tremolo doesn't put it out of tune (just don't pull up on it). The only problem is that the strap buttons often come loose. This is because basswood is soft compared with mahogany or maple, so it is advisable to get the screw holes filled with a harder wood and re-placed. Apart from that it is a very dependable guitar and I would, and have, gigged it without a backup. I havn't broken a string either, in 2 years of owning it (touch wood).

Never had to deal with Fender because the guitar is great as is!!

I'm 15 years old and I've been playing guitar for just over 8 years now. My first guitar is a gibson 335 copy, which is still my backup guitar (if needed). Since I bought the Mustang nearly 2 years ago I have hardly put it down. It is the most playable guitar I've ever used and I will never let it go. It's simply too good. If it were lost or stolen I would cry my eyes out. These guitars are no longer available in the UK, so I would do everything I could to get another imported from Japan. I love the guitar as a whole, especially the playability. I would have this guitar any day over nearly every other sort of guitar.

The absolute greatest thing on this guitar is the neck. It is soooo smooth and you can really play fast on it due to the 24' maple neck and rosewood fretboard. The tremolo in my opinion is the best one i have ever used that isnt double locking and you can use the wammy bar a lot without it going out of tune (unlike a strat). Another great feature that i stated earlier is the phaser switches which can make it so you can sound like a tele or a strat

Let me start off by saying that this guitar has one of the most unique sounds you will ever hear. It's pickup switches are actually phaser switchers so you can get a nice telecaster like twange out of it or a strat like sound. If you are a blues, classic rock, grunge, punk, or alternative player you will love this guitar. Don't buy it if you want to play metal it just doesn't have a heavy enough sound. Like other reviews have said this baby plays CRYSTAL clear on the clean channel and you do tend to get some single coil buzz and hum with the distortion turned on and the tone all of the way up.

all in all its sounds like a strat with a little bit more edge for those who have never played one

When i got this guitar from musicians friend the action was already set up super low so it was perfect for me. I did raise the pickups a tad just because of personal preference. I have to admit this is one of the best looking guitars i have ever seen and the sonic blue looks so awesome. Only thing i don't like about the pickup switches is that they are right were i like to rest my hand when i sweep pick so it's a little irritating but does not affect my playing.

Considering that kurt cobain used this guitar you can depend that it wont break because it is pretty solid. Only way you can break it is if you slam it into a half stack or a drum set like kurt, lol. I would always bring a backup to a show though.

Haven't dealed with fender and i won't have to because they make quality guitars.

I would consider myself to be a pretty good guitar player. i've only been playing for a year but people usually think i've been playing longer. I play this guitar through a ds-1 boss distortion and a rogue 120 watt amp. You can get a really cool sound if you use the ds-1 distortion on the amps lead channel. Only bad thing i can say about this guitar is that the single coil buzz is a little annoying (i've heard worse) and it sucks for playing heavy metal

This is a 2005 CIJ Fender Mustang. It has 22 frets, and has the usual things that come on a Mustang. However, when I got this used, the original owner swapped out the original pickups for SD Strat Quarter Pound Pickups, so I have no experiences with the stock pickups.

The body is basswood, and the neck I believe to be maple. The bridge is a Fender dynamic vibrato, and the scale I believe is 24". With my purchase I got a gigbag, and all the original warranty information on both the Stang and the pickups. Not to mention the phase switches for the pickups which make sounds no other guitar can. For what I paid, you cannot beat this.

This guitar is perfect for parts of my style. I have other humbucker guitars for heavier music, but this Mustang is perfect for classic rock and blues type songs and is my #1 guitar in that setting. The pickups are noisy, but with single coils, that is pretty much expected. The sounds isnt rich, and isnt full, but that isnt what the Mustang is about. This guitar is about a raw sound that very few guitars can imitate. As I said before, this is a great guitar for classic rock and blues type stuff. The clean channel sounds are incredible. If you want to be the sickest shredmaster on the block, move along.

Everything seems to be perfect. The action is a little high, but for playing blues I prefer it to be. The pickups seem to be in the right spot, I assume the bridge to be routed correctly. The only flaw I notice is a slight ding on the backside of the guitar which really doesnt mean a damn thing.

This guitar is built well. It is one of the pieces I intended to carry around with me for the rest of my life. It is remarkably dependable, but I would never gig without some sort of backup.

Never had to deal with Fender.

This is a great guitar. If you buy a Mustang, atleast know what one sounds like before you throw cash at it. For what it is, this is a great guitar at a fantastic value, and one of my absolute favorites.

Mine is a re-issue Japanese one with a light blue body and brown scratch plate.

All i can say it has many nice features! the tremolo bridge i really like, because it is floating as well and the controls are great with the 2 switches for the different pickup effects, and the two other knobs for the volume and tone.

Together all these feature work well! i fine the mustang stays in tune really good to even with alot of bending and whammy bar use.

The Sound is good! again it depends what your are looking for, i have added a roland pickup as well, but the factory sounds are really cool and nice.

I have my action really low and their is no fret buzz at all on this axe.

I made some ajustments! i lowered the action right down and the bridge was little a high, but this was just to suit my tastes.

The neck is perfect and the scale size, i wish was on all standard size guitars, it make speed so much easier i have medium hands with medium size fingers.

I dont think players with fatter fingers could play on it very easy but i would imagine even players with bigger hands with medium size fingers could really get some amazing stretches on this axe.

The finish is really cool! and it is a great looking axe, and all is very well made.

Looks ok! but have not had that long so cant really say.

Never used!

I have several other guitars, and they are nice and they have the longer scales sizes, but i can adapt ok, but this axe is wonderful, i can sweep and alternate as fast on it.

It took a few weeks for me to get use to the scale size, so give it a bit of time.

If lost or stolen i would cry my eyes out! because it is so great to play.

Thank You! Fender!!

Fender Mustang Reissue 2005. Crafted in Japan reissue of the 69 although it is different paintjob from the era. It has a short scale neck which is nice, two pickups with phase/off/on selectors for each which does change the sound but does not add much variety. One volume KNob and one Tone Knob. Solid Basswood Body finished in Sonic Blue with brown tort pickguard, one of the best looking guitars i think. Has the unique Mustang Vibrato Bridge which works fine just do not use the tremlo bar. The tuners are type in which the string goes down into the it not through and the work fine and the guitar stays in tune well i have not yet had trouble with it. Came with free gigbag and allen wrenches for bridge adjustment.

The guitar has great sound, the neck pickup is full of bass and mid tones while the bridge has lots of treble which on its own sounds awful but together balance out. It fits my playing style welll i like to play led zeppelin,Jimi Hendrix,Lynyrd Skynyrd and Nirvana but mostly my own songs, which consist of blues rock. I am planning on upgrading the bridge pickup but i am not sure as to what yet though.

The action was set low but doesnt buzz and is real nice. It was intonated well to the low E string was slightly flat but a minor adjustment fixed that. I have not encountered an flaws in the guitar yet and im satisfied with it.

This guitar will defenitily withstand live playing everything is in good quailty hardware that will last years as the vintage ones have proved. I would not gig without a back up because i could break a string etc.. it is very dependable

Have not had to deal with Fender

I play this guitar through a Rogue 120 watt combo amp which i purchased because it was loud, it does not have high quality tone, and is kinda of muddy sounding but my Mustang still shines through. Besides a better bridge pickup i am content with this guitar the neck is its greatest aspect being more comfortable and fun to play on then any other guitar i have ever played (consisting of strats, LP,SG,Tele,Epi,various no names) except Jags, and Jagstangs which have the same neck.

Beautiful sonic blue color with white perloid pickguard. Not sure of the year, but it's "Crafted in Japan" as opposed to "Made in Japan". I got it direct from Japan at a great price. To be honest, it's the looks of the Mustang that really drew me in. Basswood body which means it's quite light; I can play this guitar all night and my back/shoulders don't get tired like they would with a Les Paul. The neck is very nice, very smooth. Everything is standard as you would espect from this reissue model.

I'm not crazy about the in-phase/out of phase switch as I can't tell a huge difference between the two. The original tuners aren't that great, especially when playing hard ala White Stripes, Sonic Youth, etc as they go out of tune fairly quickly. And, to me, the neck pickup has a pretty non-descript sound to it; I plan on changing this to a stacked humbucker. I really like the bridge pickup though. You get a great sound when palm muting and when played clean or with overdrive it has a distinct, pleasurable sound.

I ordered this gutar straight from Japan and when I opened the package and stumed a G chord the guitar was in tune! Good action- maybe a hair on the high side when getting below the 8th fret but nothing to fret over (haha). When adjusting for volume or tone the nobs are noiseless (no crackling). The pickup switches, too, are noiseless.

This is my rock star guitar and I'm not worried about dings or scratches. That said, I do take care of my guitars. I've had no problem with electronics or the body and, with respect, am sure this guitar will last many, many years.

Self taught for 7 years. Other than new tuners and an upgraded neck pickup, this guitar is perfect for me. I play White Stripes, Pearl Jam, Velvet Underground, as well as some Roy Orbison and the like. I play through a Vox mini-stack and can get both a nice clean sound as well as a gritty overdriven sound. This is a fairly dynamic guitar, depending on your amp. It's certainly not the right choice for everyone though. This guitar covers a wide variety of rock and that's what I use it for.

A 1993, 69' Oylmpic White, W/ red guard. Standard Mustang everything, except stock pickups have been replaced with two of the Seymour Duncan JB Jr.s. No frills anything, no trem bar, but non-locked tremolo. possibly 500k pots? The electronics were probably replaced when the guitar was first purchased, they are aged, and the pots seem crappy.
However the neck is in immaculate condition, the whole thing seems like it was played very little and then just sat in a closet for a few years.

Well first of all, I bought this guitar as a project guitar. Its pickups had been replaced with two of the single sized humbuckers. The toggle swtiches still work however, and produce a few different sounds, none are very extreme or different from the others. I like the single coil sound, and plan to replace the pickups in this thing with some of the Antiquity duo-sonic or mustang pickups because I want those tinny snarling with electric hum sounds. The humbuckers are very mellow, middle and low end, and have little high drive almost throatier than my other guitar a 96? Epi- Les Paul?
I bought this thing to drone, and thats what it does, although at some point it will MUCH more. Love the dark 80s, forget that indy stuff its all just lifting from the 80s masters.
I would say though, that the double humbuckers really dont fit this guitar. Rating withheld because it's not finished yet

Fantastic! the action was set incredibly low when I received it, and with further tinkering the intonation is also incredible. Just sexy. There is some rust here and there (im not sure it was cared for that nicely...) but it just adds to the beasts character. The floating bridge assembly seems pretty nifty to me, and I have only minimal problems with it knocking the guitar out of tune. I found if you set the bridge all the way back, when you use the bar and pull back up carefully the bridge will return to the same place, leaving tuning almost perfectly the same. No prejudice against japanese guitars now, this thing is Solid. Those weird mustang tuners are also kind of fun, although they make string replacement extremely slow. The pickups, tuners and bridge are all kind of tarnished, but I have no problem with it. The finish is sexy Nicotine white with that maroonish red pickguard, oh MAN. The finish is Very deep and glossy, as is the neck. Smooth.

The guitar seems like an excellent player, I figure with some minor part replacement It would function fine live. Unlike most people on here, apparently I'm not in a world famous touring band... heheh but it will be seriously fun to play with my music buddies late at night.

none

Hey, I bought this guitar because it was exactly what I wanted, so what do you expect as a rating, 10. When I was a kid I had a stratocaster copy, a Cort? then I graduated to a Les Paul (epiphone) when I was a older kid. I just decided that the Les Paul just really wasn't the right ride... I'll probably sell it at some point when I'm finished tooling the mustang. Have been playing for about 8/9 years, and would recommend that anyone who wants to get weird with themselves to buy a mustang If its under $400. I don't uh.. actually have an amp although I just got a big ugly silvertone on Ebay, which should arrive sometime soon.
I've been using this computer/mixer setup thing, dont ask it works fine though.
-Anyway, this is a fantastic and unique guitar.