Fender Cyclone

I have just bought my 2nd cyclone ( i sold the first one two years ag to cover bills etc after a seperation) This cyclone is an 2002 model in the Fabulous Orange colour they did these and the Toronado in. It has a Texas special staggered pole piece singlecoil in the neck with a zebra atomic humbucker in the bridge. Vintage bent steel saddle trem unit with vintage spilt shaft machine heads, mustang style tone and volume knobs plus a 3 way les paul type switch. 24 3/4" scale length 9.5" radius rosewood board on a maple modern C shaped neck.
Cant think of anything else you need on a guitar of this type.

The sound is where this guitar shines, that texas special is a brilliant pickup can nicely overdrive a clean valve amp to get a loverly bluse type breakup tone but role back the vloume a bit for strat like sounds ( allthough slighty warmer as the scale length is shorter). The inbetween switch position (single& Hum) is nice too offering 70's like strat sounds with a touch more bite and brilliant trebles. The Humbucker is a beast, not sure what the specs are but its a hot output, a little too mid rangy for my tastes so will eventaly swop out for either a duncan JB or custom custom. Tone control works well but not much range over the whole pot same as the volume, they are full sized alpha pots but I'd recommend changing if you play with them a lot for your sounds when gigging.

Got mine seccond hand so cant comment on set up. Mine came with a nasty scratch on the upper bout through to the wood but at least it shows just how thin the poly coat is, which is probably why this guitar rings out and resonates so well. Overall a superbly well made mexican guitar on par with USA strats/teles etc ( own both). The guitar in my mind though does have some flaws in its design/construction, I don't know if its all Cyclones but this one and the last one I had both suffer from the bridge being fitted slightly too close to the neck as intonation suffers. Most saddles are set back as far as they can go but the intonation is still ever so slightly sharp at the 12th fret. I intend on trying a different bridge with more movement to try and help this matter. The nut like most non USA guitars will need some work as the ever familliar pinch on the G & B strings is there so using the trem ( i dont its locked down) or excessive string bending causes these strings to lose pitch.
Also the tuners have begun to slip and will be replaced with schallers /fenders in the near future. I know that sounds like a lot of things wrong with this guitar but honestly it sounds amazing, you can cover a lot of ground sonicaly with this guitar and best of all you get that fender sound without having the same old looking guitar as everyone else out there, plus the shorter scale length means a more supple playing and easier playing guitar.

well its 7 years old and the frets are still like new. If you gig a guitar a lot you ca nexpect the oxidation to the bridge and the odd scratch and dings to appear but I suspect this guitar will survive well beyond me. Good quality woods with a nice weight and a great neck.

never dealt with Fender which could be argued means they make great products but I always play a guitar before i buy it as Fender like any manufacturer can and do sometimes let a dud leave the factory ( the friday afternoon guitars i call em)

With its retro looks, versatile sounds and amazing playability there is nothing to dislike about this guitar (once suitable mods have been made - i.e tuners and bridge). Treat it right and you'll be playing this thing till a refret is needed hopefuly in 10-15 years time!
Its a keeper!

I think mine is an 04 Fender Cyclone made in Mexico. Cream with the red shell scratch plate. Atomic humbucker in the bridge and single coil neck. Thats a great combo in my opinion. Was previously upgraded with graph tech saddles and the tremolo is essentially locked by using huge springs. I like the location of the toggle switch. I rock out and never hit it by accident (like I do on my Les Pauls).

The pickups are surprisingly good. I expected to replace them immediately but I'm keeping them. Playing through my Lee Jackson it has a very nice tone. I actually like the mid-position pickup combo.

I bought mine on ebay. Setup was a total joke - probably why someone sold it. The neck was hugely curved and the action sucked very badly. I adjusted everything and its pretty good, but could be a little better on the low E and A. A little fret polishing may be needed. Build quality is ok. Nothing special. Tuners work and stay in tune, but their design sucks (big open slot in the top).

Should be fine.

Its a guitar.

I had a Squier Cyclone that sucked very badly indeed. It wouldnt stay in tune at all, mostly because of the retarded bridge saddles that allowed the string to wander up and down. This one has graph techs and a locked tremolo and stays in tune very well. I have a set of Schaller tuners that I may install because i think these are a little irritating to use, but on the otherhand I dont want to modify the headstock really.

I love the way the guitar hangs on the strap. Its body-heavy and hangs at a steep angle like my Les Pauls. I love playing this guitar. I love how it sounds too. I'm so damn glad I bought one. Its gorgeous to look at too.

Mine's a 98 MIM metallic red finish mustang style body, strat style tremolo, 24.75 neck-same as les paul which is good for me i love small scale necks, 22 frets? i think but that doesnt matter, 1 volume and 1 tone knob but my tone comes from my amp anyways,atomic humbucker works great and tex mex single is warm sounding. Alder body rosewood fretboard and maple neck. 3 position toggle switch is awesome.

This guitar for my stle of music anything from hard rock to indie to alternative to punk. Right now i run it throught a Fender Frontman Series II 25R amp but im looking to invest a little more in a half stack after this summer. if you play theneck pickup with distortion is hums some but that hum is cut out with the atomic h/b. i love th versitility of the humbucker to the single. the tex mex is a little too warm for me but that can be replaced if you dont like. even if you hate the tex mex buy it for the atomic humbucker.

Mine was used but neck was still straight. Pickups worked great and still do. Bridge pins moved a little and some werentstraight and wont fix but you can buy new ones (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Vintage-Strat-Bridge-Sections-Set-of-6?sku=361341) neck is pretty fast and very smooth, great shape. My switch did mess up and sometimes when in the neck position it will pop back out but those can be replaced. The tuners will slip a little but what i suggest doing is either what i am about to do with the advice of a friend at the guitar shop here is put on some schaller locking tuners or you ca do what i did before just use heavier gauge strings which shouldn be a problem because this wasnt made for some yngwie malmsteen crap.

This guitar stands up to jamming in garages with friends, and even littl gigs. i cant say a lo of live playing because i dont have a band to do that with and havent expierenced it yet. i depend it completely i have 2 otherguitars but only play this one now. strap buttons are solid but i suggest strap locks just because strap ends can wear down and slip off. if i had a gig i would definitely use it without a backup its great.

ive never dealt wth fender about it only with kevin at railroad bazaar just to see if the schaller locking tuners woud fit....nothing has gone wrong at all

ive been playing about 3 years so im not great at this stuffbut in my opinion and my guitar teacher s opinion and opinios of friends it is a great guitar.i would definitely find another one to buy it i lost this one. i love the mustang body, large headstock, pearloid pickguard, metallic finish, control plate, knobs, tex mex and atomic pickups, toggle switch, evrything basically. Only thing i dont like is the tuners. Favorite feature is probably just th mustang body in general, im a die-hard kurt cobain lover. i compared it to a strat hss before buying but decided on this because of the body and sound of the atomic humbucker. i sort of wish it was hardtail tremolo isworthless and just makes it go out of tune but whatever.

Features as below reviews.

People say it sounds strat-y but I think it sounds quite a bit brighter than my strat. The Atomic h/b is fantastic- even though I'm not a big h/b user. The neck pick-up seems to vary a lot- sounds stronger through solid state amps than tube amps (to me). Can border on harsh (but not brittle) but through the JC-120 or the Stauss the neck pick-up gets this great tube-like complexity about it.

I play mellow alternate to edgey indie pop (that's some range, I know...). Use mostly Fenders into (mainly) a Little Big Muff, Boss DF-2 feedbacker, MXR Phase 45, Carl Martin trem, Boss DSD-2 sampler/delay into a Roland JC-120, Fender Super 210 tube combo or ancient Strauss head and Sovtek quad. Suits me well, although I have to switch to my strat when it's more mellow, so it loses a mark for versatility. But fantastic.

Second hand but all good. Only problem was that the volume knob had separate from the pot.

I think it will withstand live playing but it does need retuning once in a while, and its my only guitar that needs that. When trem is used it has issues but I find if you use it moderately, it's ok. I would suggest if you use the trem arm a lot, maybe invest in Gotoh tuners and bridge.

Never play without a backup kids!

Hm...Fender...have you got the 1952 tele with serial no. 001? If you do, they want to know all about you. Otherwise...

I've been playing for about 15 years and own a lot of gear. This is a really under-rated guitar. it's small and neat, sounds pretty good and looks a treat with its Mustang body. For the money, you can't go wrong- especially if you want to mod it etc. It feels more comfortable to me than either the Mustang or Jaguar and the Jagstang doesn't have the body contours, so of all the alt-rock Fenders, I think it wins.

Mexcan made in 2001 I think.
The number of frets does not matter. That's a new thing...
Yellow - very ugly...
1 Volume 1 Tone - efficient
Atomic Humbucker that screams in bridge and hot single in neck.
Body style is complete ugly as well...
Tuners...I think (they're not good)

Sounds good if you're a good player with a good tube amp (who uses solid state - garbage). Mine won't stay in tune for anything. The atomic sounds like a nuclear explosion through a Marshall...neck single coil sounds really nice as well.

Action is and always ends up high...obviously a low quality build (Mexican). You want a good guitar, buy an American made Strat or the '52 Tele reissue.

I really got a kick out of Mr. Spizio (a punk) screaming and cursing throughout his submission. Old guys? How old are you buddy, 8 or 9? I really liked the language...I'll bet he wrote that when he was drunk and/or stoned on who knows what...

You cannot gig with this guitar because it won't stay in tune for more than a half of song, especially if you bend the strings!

I can't comment on this as I've always stopped playing it after one song...sounds good for a while but because of the poor quality that only lasts a little while. Reminds me of the old Fiat cars...they were good when they were running but they didn't run for very long!

I'm using mine for parts. The neck is going to go on a Strat I have laying around. I'll use the pickups on something else for sure. They're really nice, especially that humbucker.

N/A

I own over 30 guitars and like 10 amps I think...I've got and have played every guitar (post 70's and after) so I do have a bit of experience. I've played in bands for 30 years, everything from "heavy metal" (a new term for hard rock), blues, rock. I guess some punk rock although I had seen AC/DC back in 1978 I think and they were a warmup band and were called "punk rock". Now they're called "classic rock". In another 25 years they'll be old rock and roll so I don't like to classify music. It's all just rock & roll! Except for Grunge...that's rock played out of tune and really badly...(Kurt Cobain...hello...)

Well, the fender cyclone is a pretty straight-up guitar. Mine is a 2004 I think. (i bought it new that year) It has the tex-mex single coil at the neck position and that wonderful atomic humbucker in the bridge position. 20 or so frets (???...hell i dont play up there), A srat tremolo bridge, a volume and tone control, and a 3 way pick-up selector. basically I see the damn thing as a strat meets a mustang...and i love both of them.

Great sound. The one tone control and the 3 way selector are great for those bastards that dont like to screw around with setting up your tone. I play punk, grunge, metal, and a wee bit of the blues, and the cyclone has worked great for all of them. I ususally use the humbucker for distorted shit and the single coil for cleaner stuff. But dont get me wrong!!! No one has mentioned how great the single coil pickup sounds distorted. It has a ultra warm sound with all of that wonderful fender clangyness. Basically, that setting works great for straightup 5th chords that you want to sound evil as hell. The coil is kinda noisy when the volumes cranked and your not playing anything, but the humbucker is nice and quiet. I use a peavey bandit, no effects, and i can get a wide variety of tones out of the the two. The sound is really good for grunge/90s players especially, and looks great too. Basically, awesome for just rockin out.

I yanked it out of its gigbag and it was beautiful. A nice black color with the toritise shell pickguard. I did have to tweak it a little over time to get what i wanted. I raised my strings , bought new saddles (fenders saddles do suck, i broke about a string a week with the stock ones) put thicker strings on it, and "locked" the tremolo in place using a pen and a papertowel (it did slip out of tune, especially when using the tremolo). But all in all, the factory set up is good for most players. All of my "customizations" are just due to my own playing style. The guitar is wonderful to play. Fits like a glove???...Hell yeah.

This thing is a total tank. Totally dependable. Ive had it for 9 months and it has endured: falling on the floor about 20 times, thrown onto the ground 5 times, headstock being burned, cigarettes being put out on it, being thrown into a wall, being thrown into an amp, hitting someone with it, throwing it into the car or couch countless times, being played to hell at least an hour each day, and smashing 20 beer bottles. AND IT STILL SOUNDS GREAT!!! The wall and floor did take its toll on the finish, but why the fuck wouldnt it?! I would not recommend that users do this to their prized instruments...but it WILL survive.

Umm...I think if I contacted them they would tell me to go to hell. I dont care at all for warranty and shit like that.

Ive been playing 3 years, and I am totally happy with the cyclone. I love the sound and durability and straight up "balls" of this guitar. If it were stolen I would totally buy another one. It has everything I need as a player. I am happy with it...:)

my cyclone is a 98 MIM in creamy yellow finish and red pearloid pickup. HOTT. the thing I really like about my cyclone is the neck. the shape is perfect for my hands-i feel like i can access any part of the fingerboard with ease (and I dont wear my guitars above my beer belly like some of those old geezers).

the pickup combination provides a good range. the atomic humbucker at the bridge works miracles for me, but I often use the neck pickup too. depends on what i play of course.

my favorite feature of the guitar has to do with the headstock. bigger, but not that big. love it! give the guitar character.

only problem with the guitar as far as features go, is that i can't seem to find a darn hard shell case that fits....any ideas anyone?

I play mainly 90's Rock (nirvana, weezer, foo fighters, pumpkins, pearl jam...you know what i mean) and for that purpose, this guitar is great. The bridge humbucker works really well for that kind of music.

I am starting to get into more classic rock stuff like the allman bros and this guitar is definitely holding up. and now i actually use the neck pickup too and i have no complaints about it either. then again, i'm still learning to become an old grumpy tone snob so what do i know, right?

I think a big factor to the range I can get out of this guitar and being able to get the sounds I want has to do with the amp I have. I run this guitar into a Marshall ValveState 100. I absolutely love that amp (but i'm selling it and replacing it with a smaller one like the Orange Rocker 30 because I got a nice job and will be moving to a nice apt where the only other person that will appreciate hearing me rock out at 3am is the doorman woh needs to try to stay awake anyway). With that said, I should add that I've also owned a mid 90's squier standard strat (made in USA!), fender 50's strat reissue, and an esp eclipse...and those...they dont sound as good thru my amp as the cyclone does...in my opinion at least..so there's my assessment of the sound.

I got this guitar on ebay for an incredible price. the guitar came with some dents, but the neck had been very well taken care of (straight as an arrow! the seller advertised..and he wasn't lying), and the nut was replaced with a graphite one.

since it was a used guitar..it has its share of problems which i will discuss later. for right now, i easily adjusted the guitar to my liking so i would say ....Fabulous = 10.

So this guitar came used....the strap nut on the 'top' of the guitar comes loose sometimes...but what annoys me the most is that the screw closest to the output jack has stripped the wood...(from years of plugging and unplugging the cable perhaps). So each time I need to unplug my cable, I have to hold down the face plate. Doesn't affect playing or sound at all tho. One more complaint is that the toggle switch is a bit worn out or something. I sometimes can't get any sound in the neck pickup position.

These are all signs of an old, frequently used electric guitar tho. I just need to get my act together and bring it into the store to get it taken care of. no tools at home for soldering.

N/A

Well, i got it for 180 bucks..it came ready to play...and only minor adjustments had to be made to 'perfect' the action to my liking. so value wise..i would say its a 10...fantastic value.

i've been playing for almost 10 years but i'm not a real serious player. i performed a couple of times in high school but in college i am just a guitar yuppy. I love to play because I love music (like people who play basketball because they watch the sport). I also have other hobbies....so i'm by no means your guitar expert.

i've owned a few guitars...but guess what...this is the only one i have now. each of the others i spent more money on...but they just didn't feel as good. graduating and moving soon...this is the only piece of my current rig that will be making the trip with me. awww....

My cyclone's was made in '98 in Mexico, its candy apple red and has an aged white pearloid pickguard..... equiped wif an atomic humbucker and a single coil tex mex.... Rosewood fretboard and maple neck.... vintage tuners..... i've also taken hte liberty to customize my cyclone ... the volume and tone plate has been replaced with a solid jarrah plate (jarrah is an australian hardwood)....... the back plates and the plate which holds hte neck has also been replaced with jarrah and coated in tung oil.

The sound is exceptional......... atomic humbucker is a beast .... awesome for grunge and metal and all types of distortion while the tex mex with its mellow tone is great for clean ....... the atomic humbucker has minimal feedback when turned up high but hte tex mex seems to let off a mild hum ..... thats the onli downfall in my opinion ..... i run this baby through a digitech gnx4 and a marshall mg100dfx half stack so i can generally get any sound i'm looking for... i guess u can onli expect to get great sound through great equipment .... dont expect a great deal if ur goin to run it through a cheap chinese made 10 watt amp

fits like a glove great feel ....... one of hte most comfortable guitars u'l ever play ..... the fat neck is luxurious in some ways .... fits ur palm perfectly ....... relatively fast action too ..... no flaws ... i've had it for 7 years now ....

its a lil tank .... very durable doesnt easily cop scratches too which is a big bonus ....... the finish is marvelous ... always seems to shine
i've giged it, very dependable very unlikely to fuck up on you, i'd gig it without backup

Never had an issue

been playing for the best part of 8 years, and considering i'm onli 16 thats half my life, i play a variety of styles from led zep to metallica to beatles to clapton to floyd ......... and exceptional all rounder guitar. i dun know if i'd replace it if it were stolen ....... it was one of the first production year guitars..... the build of cyclones nowadays is a lil shotty... has sentimental value ... i wont ever sell it and i'd prob try to hunt the cunt who stole it..... oh and its a bargain guitar which could easily have a higher price tag

my fender cyclone was made in 2003 mim. has 22frets 24.75 scale. 1 volume 1 tone . the atomic humbucker in the bridge is ok its not to hot and not to cold. i dont really care for the tuners vintage style will probley be replaced. with it came with 10s on it

i love this guitar, it fits my body perfect the way it hangs on my hip. i suits my music style really well 90s rock . the neck pickup is kinda blusey. my gear is a peavey bandit 75 with a boss ds1 or a zoom 505.

the guitar was set up ok could have been better.
the pickups needed to be raised a little but who cares.
the tuners werent that great like i said will be replaced with somthing. but over all after i set it up it sounded like a rockin machine. plays perfect now.

this guitar will withstand anything you throw at.
the cyclone should last a life time if you take proper care of it.
you could deffintlly gig with it even without a backup imo. very dependable.

not that reliable i called fender and asked where i could find a tortoise pickguard for my cyclone. they said they were currently unavaliable and dont know when it will be back in stock. though it would look good on candy apple red.

over all i would rate this as a 10 very reliable great guitar i just love it

1999 Fender Cyclone, MIM, Sunburst everything was original.

The guitar sounded pretty good, unless you play a d chord. The g string on this guitar would NEVER stay in tune, and the whole guitar had a serious problem with staying intune. I dont know why, it might have been a bad nut, or the strat tremelo or the small body, i have no idea. The humbucker was very dirty, and the single coil was just like the neck pickup on a Tex-Mex strat. Got that Kurt sound perfect.

I got it used, but it was horrible to play. Really made me upset because it was so beautiful, and had such a good sound.

I played it live 3 times and it went out of tune every single time.

Never tried to deal with fender

I have been playing for about 3 years. I have a 1976 Twin, and all kinds of differnt effects, always searching for the perfect stuff.



www.jeffersoncolby.com

Made in Mexico. I believe it is 2002 and is orange. I got a good deal because the shop said they couldn't move this color guitar, I like the color a lot. It actually looks really beautiful with the rosewood finger board. Everytime I take my guitar out of the case or play a show it draws more attention than I want. In fact, while it is on the stand before and after sets, a lot of crowd members and other bands make there way over as close to stage as possible to get a better look. I guess I'm trying to say this guitar has a unique look without being outragous.

This guitar works for everything I want to play. I run it through a Fender Hot Rod Deville 2x12 and use a Boss DS1 distortion pedal. This setup is the exact sound I want. I found the guitar to sound a little bright when used with cheaper solid state amps, but when run through tubes, it is rich and full. The neck pickup is really great for clean tones and warm bluesy riffs. The bridge pickup is perfect for distorion and full sounding rock. Like I said, this setup is perfect for me.

The action was actually pretty well from the factory. I did some changes to set it up how I like, and I've never felt more comfortable playing than when I use this guitar. All the hardware was in perfect shape. The pickups were set a little high so I backed them off a bit. The neck didn't have proper relief set to it, almost perfectly straight. I had to loosen the bolt about 3/4 of a turn to get the relief right, but like I said, now it plays just right.

This guitar is great for live playing and has never failed me. I don't use a backup and don't feel like I need to. The finish is very resistant. I always use strap locks so I don't know how the buttons are. I wouldn't want any other guitar on stage.

No experience.

I've been playing for about 11 years. I have a Les Paul Studio and Telecaster. The Cyclone is my favorite out of the guitars I own and I will always pick it up first. I actually bought it before I ever played just becuase of the great price and now I can't ever imagine not having it. I have a couple amps, Marshall, Hughes/Kettner, but I use my Fender Deville almost exclusively. I don't really use effects, just distortion through a DS1 and somtimes wah. If this guitar was lost or stolen I would probably go into deep depression. Every guitar, even same brand and model, is different. This is MY guitar and we belong together.

Enough has been said by the previous reviewers about the features. I like the simplistic beauty of the Cyclone. Fender put some great quality hardware on this baby.

I've used this guitar in a practice room with a Bruno amp (not sure what model) but it sounded excellent! The tex mex p/u is my favorite - very SRV/Hendrix sounding with plenty of volume. The jury is still out on the Atomic Humbucker. Initially, I thought the sound was a little trebly and not my cup of tea but with a little effort on my part, I've been able to dial in some decent sounds on the fly -- it hasn't disappointed me yet. In any case, it's nice to have the option of a good, powerful pickup.

One of the most comfortable guitars I've ever played (I've owned Jazzmasters, Teles, an Explorer). Very light and great craftsmanship.

A real workhorse! I can't see any problems.

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I've been playing for many years and I have to say that the Cyclone is one of the greatest deals -- EVER! This guitar can get almost any sound you want from jazz - heavy alt rock. The bottom line is that this guitar RAWKS!

1 atomic humbucker, 1 tex mex strat single coil, strat tremolo, made in mexico,3 way selector, 24.75 scale length.

This is where the problems come in, no, not the sound problem, its the player problem, this guitar was made for grunge, punk, alternative, surf, none of that old country music bullshit there is, if you want a fucking ugly guitar for fucking pathetic music like country, get yourself a telecaster. Any person who doesn't play grunge, rock, punk, go fuck yourself, this guitar is meant for that! It sound great by the way.

It was set up good, nothing was loose, I can slide my hand down the fingerboard perfectly. I changed the strap buttons to Dunlops.

IT'S A FENDER FOR FUCKS SAKE. OF COURSE IT WITHSTANDS LIVE PLAYING, I PLAY GIGS ALL THE TIME. I NEVER GO TO A GIG WITHOUT BACKUP, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT CAN HAPPEN. EVERYTHING IS SOLID.

I spoke to Fender Customer Support for a showmaster, and they weren't that helpfull.

YOU OLD GEEZERS, GO GET A DIFFERENT GUITAR FOR YOUR SHITTY MUSIC. You can tell what kind of sound a guitar makes just by looking at it, and basically fender only makes 1 guitar for crappy music...the Telecaster. This guitar is awesome.

Its Mexican made and Candy Apple Red in colour with 22 frets.
It has 1 volume control + 1 tone control (some might see this as a negative but i like my guitars to be quite simple in that respect)
1 "zebra stripe" humbucker at the bridge, single coil at the next with 3 way pickup selector
Body style is similar to a Fender jaguar, with a jazzmaster style headstock- looks almost like the jag-stang but less mishapen (and in my opinion nicer)
Has a rosewood fret board which i always opt for over just the plain maple fingerboard. Il give it 10 because i honestly think this guitar is truly a great guitar and although it only has the one set of volume and tone controls it suits me perfectly!!! I fixed the bridge on mine so i can use alternative tunings without worrying about the intonation being knocked out.

The music I play in my band is alternative rock (Pixies/Smashing Pumpkins influenced)and this guitar is fantastic-sounds great with distortion when set to the humbucker and offers some woody hendrixy tones when set to the single coil and also really nice strat-like clean tones. Its great for jazz,blues,classic rock also- all in all a very versatile guitar with a very bright tone which will cut through the mix very well.

Only finish flaw was inside the guitar there was a hole drilled badly for the screw to enter but this is a minor cosmetic detail that doesnt affect its performance (and you dont see anyway -it being inside the guitar!!!) There is a volume drop when switching to the single coil but thats always expected.
Finish is of a very high standard. Action is nice and low with very little buzzing even past the 12th fret.

Its a great guitar for playing live- very robust.
I have used it with out a backup each time i have used it live.
I own a Gibson SG- but out of personal sound and tone preference I have started opting for this guitar.

Never had to contact them.

I have been playing for about 8 or 9 years now and Its definately my favourite guitar that I have ever owned.
I use a Roland Bluescube Amplifier and Boss DS-2 Distortion (otherFX also) -sounds perfect to me.
If it were stolen the person responsible would be in fear of their life.
I would descibe the guitar as playing/sounding like a mix between a fat-strat and a jaguar. great price-well worth the money (got a case thrown in as well.)

This is a Fender 2000 model Candy apple red Cyclone.
22 Fret guitar,
9.5in fret radius,
1.685 nut width.
It has a 3 way selector switch
1 volume, and 1 master tone control
Single Tex mex and an Atomic Humbucker
Poplar wood (heavy)
Offset body
Vintage style tremolo
Vintage style tuning machine heads
Included: Deluxe gig bag
459 dollars on musiciansfriend.com

The Cyclone suits my music style perfectly. I use the humbucker for my rock tones and the single for the jazzy latin tunes. I play out of a Fender Frontman 15R amp, with a Digitech RP 50 Effects petal. It isnt noisy at all. The clean effects sound perfect, my other guitar sounded distorted on the clean chanel. I love that I can bend or use vibrato and it stays in tune. There is nothing I dislike about this guitar.

It plays perfectly right out of the box. The only problem I had was the trem springs loosened up a bit, but a screwdriver can fix that! The pickups were a little high for my taste, but fully adjustable. Everything is tight. The pickup switcher, the jack, the pot's, etc.

This guitar definitly will withstand live. It is heavy so it is durable. I've bumped the head on my computer desk, and no chips or dings. The strap buttons are secure and I can mash blink 182 on it and the finish withstands that. I'll gig it without a backup.

Never had to

I've been playing for about a year and 8 monthes. This is my third guitar. I have a Squier Affinity fat strat, a Fender Resinator, and the Fender Cyclone. If it were stolen, I would hunt down the culpret, beat him, then take back my cyclone. I love the single humbucker as I've said, and the 3 way selecter instead of the 5. So far I've played (at stores) A gibson ES-333 a Fender highway 1 strat, a fender telecaster, a squier showmaster, a BC-Rich Warlock, and a PRS Custom 22. The ony guitar I would chose over the cyclone is the PRS.

i'd just like to do a follow-up. i've read a few more of the other reviews here, and i'm bothered by how brutal some of them are. one could do a helluva lot worse for 300-400 dollars. compared to a squier, korean epiphone, samick, or any of those entry-level jacksons, ibanezes, washburns, and bc riches.....this is a great guitar. the reason guys that have played for 30-some odd years don't like this guitar is because it's NOT DESIGNED FOR THEM. there are plenty of top-shelf american made guitars with hand-polished bloody pickguard screws that undoubtedly sound and play better, but unless you're 50 with a good job and only buy equipment to impress your friends or "add to your collection" to get back at your wife, this is about all you can afford. no-one will be plugging this guitar into a boutique amp...the people who buy these guitars buy the same kind of amps-not a blooming bogner or top hat, more like a crate or a peavey or a fender. i own a bloody vintage gibson les paul. people swear by the things, pay thousands for them. in my eyes, it's a heavy, uncomfortable (due to the square edges), finicky (due to the low action and nearly un-intonable bridge), one-sided guitar. it's beautiful for sure, but it's not for everyone either. i stress that these reviews are here to provide helpful input, not make people feel like the thing they own and love (or would love to own) isn't worth it because somebody with a very different opinion said so.

made in 2003 in mexico
22 frets laminated

controls: 1 volume 1 tone (later removed) 3 way pickup selector 1-NS, 2-NS&BH, 3-BH. (<-- had to repair the selector a while after I got it because the hardware was malfitted)

pickups: 1 tex-mex single slanted below the neck & 1 atomic humbucker at the bridge

electronics: passive

wood: maple neck on alder body

finish: polyester

body style: mustang

bridge: "Vintage Style Synchronized Tremolo"? looks like a regular strat bridge to me.

tuners: "Fender/Ping Vintage Style Tuning Machines"

neck/scale: 24 3/4? (629 mm) (mentioned "jazzmaster neck")

accessories: came with a gig-bag


-removed tone pot (no use to turn it down)

rating: 8, i had to do some work

I designed this guitar in shop class before I found out that fender was selling it, so I bought one. The pickups were nice and loud once I fixed a minor output-jack prob, it suits me because I play loud music. The humbucker is excellent at picking up vibration from the body and feeding back, if you like that kind of thing... think sonic youth or noise rock like that..

rating: 9, i was suprised actually..

the guitar was fine out of the box, although I did file down the nut a little more for comfort and I had to move the ... string-holder-downer-thingy on the headstock up a little so the string wouldnt fall off the nut (I play at a drop-dropped tuning)

rating: 6, they designed it for preppy-ass hair-metal tuning

seems durable and have played it live.. i use tape locks, and yes I did use it without a backup. (easy to replace a string fast too)

rating: 9, that was an easy one

after all my warranty voiding maitainence? customer support? psshh

like I said, this was the guitar I designed.
Perfect for heavyer genres of rock.. damn expensive though.

Mexican Fender Cyclone made in 2003, 22 frets, alder body (like a thick mustang), 'tic-tac' orange, cheap 'vintage-style' hardware, three-way toggle, volume+tone knobs, a tex-mex single coil in the neck and an atomic humbucker at the bridge. a good word is basic.

instead of picking apart my sound, i'll call it undistorted rock. lately i've been playing a Greco ES-175 copy, and switching from that to the Cyclone is not unlike moving from one coast to the other. i'm still getting used to this thing, despite playing a strat for almost ten years. the tex-mex pickup is a little toooo punchy for a neck pickup - the atomic humbucker sounds like the average humbucker. sometimes the low end drowns out the high end and that's no good. i'm thinking of replacing the neck pickup. the sound isn't too thin, and it can growl when you want it to.

This guitar was a special order from a music store (they only had graf yellow), so it was shipped directly from fender - still had the little humidifying packet and stickers all over it). the neck was on TIGHT, and there wasn't a single scratch in the paint job. Aside from a tiny bubble of paint and polyester at the neck joint, the finish was flawless. The neck was also in perfect condition. I didn't pay too much attention to the hardware, since I replaced most of it as soon as i brought it home.

After upgrading the tuners and string saddles, this thing is a tank. I've already accidentally banged the headstock against a couple of walls (tight spaces), and the tuning didn't even budge. The main reason I got this thing was because I always feel extremely cautious playing my ES-175 live, and hollow guitars hate humidity and any temperature that isn't room temperature. I would definitely use this at a show without a back-up.

I've been playing guitar for ten years. I have the 175 copy, a 50's Stratocaster, and now the Cyclone. I play through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (6L6's), and a Fender Princeton 65. Before buying the Cyclone, I read up on it and noticed that everyone's number one complaint were the tuning machines. They were junk, really, but I replaced them with the Fender Schaller Locking Tuners. To anyone looking to buy this guitar, definitely get replacement tuners. And if you go with the locking ones, know that they won't fit the slightly smaller holes of the headstock. Oh yeah, and unless you are completely confident in your wood boring skills, have them replaced by a luthier (I did it myself and now there are a couple of scratches on my headstock booo). I changed out the string saddles with graph-tech saddles and added two more springs to the tremolo, too. At this point, overall, I really like the Cyclone. I'll like it even more once I get used to it.

fender cyclone. i think its a 2000...i bought it new that year. it has a black body (made out of _______wood?), maple neck with rosewood fretboard, medium frets, tortoise-shell pickguard, one humbucking pickup and one single-coil (three-way switching). vintage style trem and tuners, one volume-one tone knob.
all fender standard parts, made in mexico.
has lots of mojo...buckets of it.
it came with a gigbag and a sticker.

this guitar has a great sound in my opinion. fenders have always had a twangy-thing going on, which is true for the humbucker...even though i've had it rewound. the single is much more up my alley. with some time put in, the height of both pickups can be adjusted to where the top end isn't too shrill and the bottom end isn't warbly. i've been playing it through a 15 watt vox, a late 70's 100 watt music man, a pre-dsp fender ultimate chorus. it sounds great through all three of them, even though the music man needs to be rebiased. i wish that fender had opted for separate tone controls, because switching from the single to the humbucker results in an unpleasant twang unless the tone is backed off a bit. overall, it's a very versatile guitar, sound-wise...capable of fat clean and overdriven tones as well as screaming metalstuff. i've played radiohead, atdi, anah aevia and cream on it all in the same night through the same amp.

i've done numerous modifications to the guitar...i replaced the knobs, installed straplocks, had the bridge p/u (humbucker) re-wound a little hotter, i even tightened the trem claw down all the way and crisscrossed the springs, so it's basically a hardtail. the hardware on the guitar, namely the tuning machines and the bridge, is all i don't like. the tuners are imprecise and cheap...and the bridge isn't too hot either. i don't like tremolos, hence the immobilization...and the saddles leave something to be desired. i think my string-breakage problem can be attributed mostly to the cheap saddles fender uses on everything under $1000. i plan to replace them as soon as i can come up with $50. otherwise, the fit and finish are great. the frets are all even and smooth, there are no blemishes (well, now there are...) and the rest of the machinery is just ducky. the action is perfect, at least for me.

the guitar is a tank. it's seen several years of pretty heavy use. the lacquer on the treble side of the neck is wearing off, probably because i play it too much. but it's been dropped, nicked, hammered on and obssessed over alot, and nothing has broken. the thing sounds great no matter what, and i have to hand it to fender for having a reputation for building tough guitars.

so far, nothing has gone wrong...so i've yet to deal with fender. my hope would be thery're nice people. but i'll leave this one blank.

i've been playing seriously for four years...i'm currently in a 5-piece original rock band that sort of denies a genre at this point. i use the amps listed above, a late 60's gibson les paul custom (which isn't mentioned here because i don't play it much) 2 taylor acoustics, a 76 alvarez classical, and an ampeg g-60 head (without a cab...) the fender was one of my first purchases and probably one of the wisest. i never let the thing out of my sight, but if someone did manage to steal it, i'd be heartbroken, but would sell a limb to get another one. i've never seen anyone else playing one, which is cool, so i don't compare it with anything. it's in its own league as of now.

made in mexico 24 3/4 scale length. alder body with rosewood frettboard. 1 vol 1 tone 3 way switch, texmex single coil and atomic humbucker. vintage tunners that wont stay in tune!

well writting about sounds is impossible and eveyone has a different view on sound but here goes.... the neck pickup is ok its loud enough to not have that much a drop in volume when switching from the humbucker but its a little too trebly, the lower notes seem smudged together to allow the higher notes to ring out. now the humbucker has a nice loud output and gives a great alt rock sound which i think fender designed the guitar for, its got lots of middle but nearly now bass or treble response. the best sound from this guitar comes from the middle switch position when you blend both pickups together. it gives a nice warm well balanced blusey kinda sound which is a nice stark contrast to the high trebleness of the guitar overall.

When i got this guitar the finish was flawless and the action ok, the intonation was nearly spot on a first with all the guitars ive bought.
now heres where we have problems. whatever the fretts are made of is weaker than the stuff earnie ball uses for his strings. ive had the guitar for over a year now and the first 5 fretts are allready pitted. i know what your thinking but i play all over the frett board and have 4 other guitars to play so it just cant be me playing open chords too much. the neck is a little too narrow for my likeing as when you go to bend either E strings they get choked on the fret edges , this on a 1/2 step bend!!!! the truss rod is great however and really lets you get the neck straight. I play 1/2 step down on normal concert tunning and use 11's to compensate on the string tension and the guitar handles it well, you'll never be able to get the action super low on this guitar without excessive acoustic string rattle but you can get it low without the rattle comming through the amp. the tremelo on this guitar might be good i wouldnt know as i dont use it and have clamped the bridge right down. the weight and balance of this guitar is perfect and apart from the issues ive raised i find it a real joy to play.

like i said the fretts wont last long but mine might be the only one with this problem. im looking at a refrett pretty soon. the tuners will hold well if you use heavier string gages but when i used 9's or 10's they would constantly fall out of tune. the neck is prone to warp slightly with climate changes but dont worry because the truss rod is really great at composating for this. id say this guitar would withstand constant gigging obviously the body is prone to dings etc but the neck is rock solid (apart from the fretts!) i dont think it'd fall apart or smash apart too easily.

never dealt with them but im gonna check to see if the fretts are included in the limited warrenty or not. probably not, but we'll see.

I put this review on here to help people decide if this is the guitar for them as i allways check this site before buying anything new even after ive tried the guitar/amp out its nice to know if things are still great a year or two down the line.
Ive been playing for around 10 years and this was the first fender i bought and based on this guitar alone id buy fender again. the guitar is reliable and sounds good in the right situation, the finish was flawless and all the parts seem built to last, if your considering buying the reissue mustang dont! buy this instead it'll give you more pleasure and last at lot longer than the mustang will.
if the guitar should get lost or damaged id buy it again definatly but id like to see a better colour chice than the yellow or orange the ydid them in when i bought one.

2000 Mexican Fender Cyclone
Red
Pearloid pickguard
3 way toggle switch
S/H pickup configuration
I have no idea what its made of
Strat-style bridge
gig bag included

The Cyclone looks like a Mustang. I like the sound alot. I play alot of punk, grundge, classic rock and the occasional blues (only the songs I write). This guitar holds up very well. I have only one complaint. The little strap-holder thingy keeps coming unscrewed. My friend Austin's does too. Other than that, No Complaints

My brother, Josh bought it at Mars Music in Plano TX. I liked the action very much. The pickups were apparently fine, too. I liked the guitar the second it fell into my hands. The finish was good. With the exception of frequent stops at the local music store for broken strings, No Complaints

I dropped this guitar so many times from the strap thingy coming unscrewed while playing live. With the exception of a half-dime sized chip on the butt, its fine!

Like, Josh, Fender was nice when they said "no" to painting mine Lake Placid Blue. Thats okay...got one of those reissue Mustangs(trash) with the LPB finish.

Been playing for 5 years. I own a Legend something (ripoff of a Jackson), a crappy reissue mustang, THE CYCLONE, a Peavey bass amp that I borrowed from Josh, a DS-1, and a Digitech RP2000. I hate the Mustang. DON'T BUY IT! but BUY THE CYCLONE!

Read other reviews for specs.
Paid $300 used, this is my second model.
Made in 2000.
Candy Apple Red finish.

I give it an 8 because of it's simplicity, which I like.

This guitar, like every other mid-priced stock Fender I've played, sounds good. Not bad, by any means, but not great either.

The Tex-Mex single coil in the neck sounds great. It is primarily a Strat pickup, and you can get a nice, warm, rounded tone with it. Great for playing bluesy solos. The tone really shines with a cranked tube amp.

The Atomic Humbucker isn't so great though. If you play with a lot of distortion, you probably won't be able to notice the tone as well. It sounds fine distorted, but when played clean it suffers. I found it to be very harsh. I eventually replaced it with a Super Distortion by DiMarzio, which has increased it's tone a significant amount. The only flaw with replacing the pickups was that the output is so much hotter in the new pickup that it doesn't round off well with the neck single coil.

Since I bought it used, I can't vouch for the factories set-up, but nearly ever Fender I've played straight out of the box has been set-up poorly. The first Cyclone I owned, which I bought straight out of the box was set up poorly.

After buying, I took to a shop to get a good professional cleaning and set up. The guitar plays very smoothly. You can get very low action, which is how mine is set up. The neck is fairly smooth, although a bit small for my hands.

The paint job is fantastic. The guitar has been dropped (and thrown) many times and there are hardly any scratches on it. The ones that did appear were able to be buffed out usually.

The pearloid pickguard has already begun to peel bad, to the point where I will probably peel the rest off to get a flat white pickguard. This will eventually happen to all pearloids, but it's obvious they used cheaper materials to make these.

Now, for the bad parts:
The saddles are cheap and move around constantly. They also came with very sharp, unrounded tops that cut my hard when playing.

The tuners are fairly cheap, and not to mention, a pain in the ass to restring, especially when you are in a rush. I know a lot of people have had tuning problems with their Cyclones, but mine has always stayed in tune fairly well, even while using the tremelo arm.

The tremelo arm has very stiff action on mine, it came this way. I use the arm quite a bit, and it never seems to knock it out of tune, or at least way out of tune.

The back-plate was made uneven, so any time you want to restring, you have to remove it. The strings do not fit through and go to the saddles. This is very annoying.

The wood seems good enough, it could have been made of Alder, which would have probably increased the tone noticably. It is made of poplar. It is heavy and stays balanced well while strapped on, though.

The guitar has with held countless hours of hard bedroom playing, as well as several band practices, and it has never failed me yet.

The tuning pegs are alright, but if gigging, I would replace with locking. The guitar is heavy, so the strap will fall of time to time.

I would bring a backup, but I would bring a backup no matter what. I think it could withstand live playing without a hitch, there is a good chance that some tuning problems may occur, but that can be resolved by switching them out, which I recommend doing anyway.

I have never talked to Fender regarding this guitar in particular, but have dealed with them on other occasions through my local shop (ordering schematics, etc.) They always were fast about getting things to me. I will leave this catergory blank, though, since I've never called them directly myself.

Over all, this is a nice intermediate guitar. It will blow cheaper guitars out of the water, but it could never hold up against any American made gear. The guitar is obviously suited for heavier rock, but I have found good blues tones in it. It is just a guitar to be worked with and will need some modifications in order to bring out it's full potential. It's obvious that the main flaw is the cheap stock Fender parts.

I just wish Fender had put on better stock parts, because modifying things can get so expensive. I defaintely wish it was made of better wood and they would have opted for different tuners and saddles. A bigger selection of colors would be nice as well, I've thought about getting it refinished, but I probably wouldn't risk it.

I've been playing for about 5 years now, and this is my second Cyclone. I sold my first a few years back in order to buy another guitar. I have owned several others (Epiphones, Fenders) and this one was probably better than them all.

If lost, I probably would upgrade to better gear, but that is just a personal preference. I am sure this guitar will get better with age.

Since the release of Deluxe Cyclones and the Squier line, the regular models are no longer being manufactured.

Specs:
2002 Mexican made Fender Deluxe Series Cyclone
22 Fret Rosewoood Fingerboard on bolt-on maple neck
Master Volume, Master Tone controls / 3-way selector switch
1 Tex-Mex Strat single-coil (neck) and 1 Atomic Humbucker (bridge)
Traditional strat-style spring-block tremelo
Mustang-style body, made of Poplar
Horrid tuners and poor-quality bridge saddles

I give it a 6. Most who would be reviewing this guitar a month or so after aquiring it, would probably rate it higher, but they probably haven't experienced the quality of an American-made guitar.

Amps used: Fender 30-watt Champion 30 DSP solid-state amp, and Fender '65 reissue Deluxe Reverb 22-watt tube amp

The Tex-Mex single coil is actually pretty good. It would probably shine on a guitar of better craftsmanship. When my guitar had its "good days", I could get a very smooth stratocaster-like sound (and I should know, I have an American Fat Strat). Played clean, the humbucker is a little thin, without much character. Somebody coming from a cheaper guitar might not think so, but it just doesn't even come close to measuring up to the Seymour Duncan Pearly gates in my fat-strat. Driven, it gets a very crisp crunchy sound that really suits grunge/punk music. I actually miss that characteristic of the humbucker, but still don't think it would be worth sacrificing the deep, solid punch of my Pearly Gates HB for that sound. I could use the guitar to play Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Weezer, Foo Fighters, etc. As far as tonal palette, the guitar actually can span quite a range, but doesn't have a lot in the middle (does that make sense?) What I mean is between the humbucker and the single coil you can get sounds from each end of the spectrum, but they don't blend very well to get the sounds inbetween. Sustain isn't great, but passable. The bridge saddles are really cheap and I think they hurt the sound tremendously. Rating this category is hard. It doesn't exactly measure up to higher-end guitars, but I really think it's well above average for the price range. Hmm, duck 4 points on the overall (comparing it to all guitars) but give it and extra 2 for excelling within its price rangel. Comes out to 8.

THIS GUITAR HAD HORRIBLE ACTION. I'm not going to waste time getting into everything that was wrong because, well, it was just everything. With some work the guitar became playable, and after a lot of work played very well, but it just wouldn't ever hold tune. Replacing the tuners helped a little bit, but the poor bridge was at fault too. Eventually, after installing $80 Schaller tuners and several major adjustments the bridge, I traded the guitar in. The finish is actually quite durable. It never got a scratch on it until the day I traded it in, when it got a small gash right in the front of the guitar on the car ride over. I'm gonna duck 5 points for the lousy hardware, but it gets 2 points for the incredible finish

Like I said, the finish is very durable, and there's nothing to worry about there. The hardware is thin and of very poor quality. Uh, I don't exaclty know how to answer the questions about being able to depend on it or using it on a gig without a backup. I know that Mexian made models can vary greatly in quality. Some Cyclones I've seen are worse than mine was, while some were pretty good. The difference is in the craftsmanship, NOT the hardware. They use the same cheap hardware on all of them... So I guess If you got a "good" one, you could depend on it, as the rest of the construction is durable. As far as gigging without a backup... I think it's a stupid thing to do in any case, but I wouldn't even dare gig at all with the Cyclone I had, just because you'd have to re-tune mid-song. I'm just going to throw out a number that sounds right here... how a bout a 7?

never had to deal with 'em

I sold this guitar after six moths of struggling with it. I have seen and played others, and I know some of them can be pretty good. THIS IS THE IMPORTANT THING: Never buy any guitar sight-unseen. I did the stupid thing and bought this guitar over the internet. Never happening again. I'm a lot wiser now, and a much better guitarist. I know Cyclones are not easy to find in the run-of-the-mill guitar shops, but If you want one (and you probably would if you need versatile sound and don't want to get a Strat or Tele) go hunt for one that you can try out before you buy. Mexican shop quality varies greatly, like I said. Even American shop quality can vary just a little, so I'd even try out the EXACT guitar before I'd buy, just to make sure I get the best I can get for my money. NO TWO GUITARS PLAY EXACTLY THE SAME. Guitars that are the same model do play similarly, though. The only guitar company I think you could maybe order one of their guitars over the internet is Rickenbacker. Partly because unless you live on either seaboard, finding a dealer is hard, but also because they are renowned for having just incredible quality. So, if you have your heart set on a Cyclone, know that it can be a very good guitar for the money, but stay away from Musician's Friend and the such. Always play the INDIVIDUAL guitar in-store before you buy. You can never be to careful. After all, it's your money. Now for the rating here. Let's see. On my personal experience I'd take away probably 5 points. I'd give it back 3 because I know the Cyclone really can be a good guitar, based on other ones I've played in shops and those owned by other people. So, 8. (Hint: If you wan't a more sure-fire guitar, try the Strats and Telecasters at the same price range. Craftsmanship is better on those models than on the more exotic Cyclone/CyconeII/Mustang/Toronado models. You probably won't have to hunt around as much to find a good one)

I own a 2001 Mexican-made Fender Cyclone. I bought mine in Dallas at Mars Music before they closed. It is red and has a pearloid pickguard. 1 volume and 1 tone knob. It also had an H/S pickup setup. I think its made of poplar. It also is heavy.

I play alot of punk rock. I play throught a 25w Peavey Bass amp (I like bassier distortion) and a Digitech RP2000. In all honesty, I can't complain. For the faster, more distorted songs, the middle pickup setting is awesome. I think the Atomic hum. is pretty good. I don't realy search for sounds. With the gain cranked to 10, the Cyclone sounds excellent. When our group plays cleaner songs, I usually turn the pickup position to the neck. No Complaints.

I'm guessing someone modified it at Mars Music because it felt totally right in my hands. I could not find anything disappointing with it. Mine does not seem to suffer from the Out of Tune thing. When I tune it, it stays tuned (I use Slinky 11s). I played my first show with this guitar and everyone thought it was a Mustang. No Complaints

Of course it will withstand live playing. I play with a heavy hand and break alot of strings. I never had to change mine until they get all funky. The strap buttons are solid but don't jump up and down with it. Too heavy and the strap will fly off your shoulder. I depend on it for every show we've had. I'd use it without a backup but I don't. I favor my lighter Mustang.

I called fender to ask about painting it Sonic Blue. They were really nice when they said "no"

I've been playing roughly 2 years and I love this guitar. Its a break from the crappy stock pickups that come with the new Mustangs. If it were stolen, I'd find it and kill the thief. Mine was one of a kind and could not be replaced. I compared it to my Mustang. The Mustang was lighter but sounds like crap with distortion. i use it mostly for Nirvana covers and clean songs. I wish it was a little lighter. After a back injury 2 years ago, its not easy to jump up and down with this guitar. That is primarily why I do my jumping with the Mustang.

2003 or late 2002 Mexican made 21, frets, maple neck with rosewood fretboard, skunk stripe on the back of the neck, alder body, 1 bridge Atomic humbucker, 1 slanted single coil Tex-Mex at the neck, 3-way Gibson style toggle, 1 volume 1 tone, passive pickups. Graffiti yellow double cutaway body style, similar to a Mustang. vintage style trem with vintage style chrome tuners. Purchased with optional G & G vitange hardshell case.
I love the look of the guitar and love the graffiti yellow color, I also own a Strat in this color. The vintage style case also brings back good memories! The bridge hum and one slanted single coil is also my favorite combination it has a good middle sound.

For passive pickups these are very quite and get some good tones. I play through a Line 6 Pod Pro and like to use all sorts of vintage and modern tones and with this pickup combo I can get most sounds I'm looking for. I did find it a bit harder to get a good clean tone from the Atomic humbucker, but for distrotion tones it is well up to the task.
I'm an EMG active pickup guy all the way and will switch this guitar over to an EMG89 and SA, but I was impressed with these pickups for a stock setup.
The ground wire, that is soldered to the spring mount, was off when I removed the spring cover. That was a small chink in the armour. Not a big deal for anyone who has a soldering iron though

I ordered this guitar and it went straight from the factory, to the store, to me. The first adjustment I made was to tighten the trem flush to the guitar. I don't like floating bridges. I also am not a fan the the vintage saddles. Does anyone like these? I find myself grinding the side of my picking hand off from the saddles height screws. I will be replacing them with Graphtech saddles later. The overall string setup wasn't bad but the G string was too low and had to be brought up a bit to even out the action. I also switched the guitar to 10 guage strings and with the lowering of the trem and guage tension, the action and neck bow came out alright.
The string spacing, in relation to the neck was also off a bit to the left, but was corrected. And I noticed a tiny finish flaw by the neck in the neck pocket, nothing major, just a very small paint run.
The only other problem I can see is that the vintage style tuners are of lesser quality and will have to be replaced. They feel loose and turn too quickly, which makes it tough to tune in small steps.

The guitar overall feels really solid, the paint feels thick and the hardwars seems fine. I would probably change the tuners and pickups anyway, but I would have no problem using this guitar live, but not by itself. I've been playing live for 20 years and know better than to only take one guitar:) I've also learned to tech my own gear so nothing could happen to the guitar that I couldn't fix.

Don't know, and hope I don't have to find out anytime soon.

I've been playing guitar for 25 years and live for 20. I've owned about every guitar made and currently own 5 Steinbergers, 2 Fenders and a Fernandes. I just recently bought the Fender Strat and the Cyclone because of the look and memories that they brought back. I would change the pickups to EMG's no matter what was in it so that was no a problem. The guitar feels really great and plays nice. If it was lost I would probably replace it with another one. Overall It doesn't have the true Fender tone, but that wasn't my reason for buying it. I like the looks and the pickup configuration.