Fender Mustang

My 'Stang is a 1968 slab body model purchased cheaply from eBay in March 2009 as a nearly-playable project. Poplar body, originally red judging from traces in the neck pocket, but long ago stripped down to natural and since well and truly relic'd - looks like it's been played really enthusiastically from all the dings and scrapes: looks really great (I hate shiny, unscratched guitars). 22-fret 24-inch neck with "veneer" rosewood board and nickel-plated Kluson "two-band" patent-number tuners with plastic buttons (strange, as Fender reputedly moved the Mustang over to F-stamped tuners in '66, but I've no reason to believe that these were substitutes). Pearloid white scratchplate, black pickup covers and switch buttons, Jazz Bass style control knobs, all original Fender blue cloth-covered wiring. The original neckplate with serial number has been supplanted by a plain un-numbered generic plate, but the neck and both pickups are all clearly stamped or handmarked 1968, so I think it's safe to assume it's otherwise all original and not a parts mutt. The only other dubious features with respect to originality were that one Kluson had been replaced with a later "one-band" nickel-button example and that the whammy arm that came with it has a threaded end and was clearly from a Strat. Oh, and at some early stage the cavities have all been neatly lined out with copper sheeting, and the back of the scratchplate sprayed with what I take to be conductive paint, to reduce hum. Almost certainly a custom job as I can't believe Fender did this to their budget models.

To get it up and running I had to cut off the original bridge saddles, whose screws and springs were immovably rusted in place, and to address very slightly loose, raised fret ends on the five highest frets (how did that happen?). It now has a set of replacement saddles from Allparts, and the loose frets have been backfilled (with window putty!) and their ends carefully filed to remove the sharp corners. I've also replaced the original Klusons with brand new genuine Klusons in the same style to ensure tuning stability: be assured that my vintage guitars are all players, and not museum pieces. The slide switches work OK, if a little noisily, but the original jacksocket was corroded and crackly so I fitted a new one. All other components - pickups, pots, bridge height adjustment, that crazy whammy system - work fine. That done, I now have a fully playable, reliable vintage Mustang for considerably less than the price of a MIJ repro. And I have to admit I'm very fond of it already. For a budget model, it's well armed, so a gracious 8 out of 10 for features.

Sound is, as you'd expect, somewhere between a Strat and a Tele. The pickups, if raised to the closest sensible spacing from the strings, are surprisingly powerful with a full frequency range including a strong bass; they certainly don't sound inexpensive. There are four distinct sounds depending on the positioning of those esoteric slide switches. Used through my Roland Cube 60 on the clean channel, neck alone is strong and Stratty; bridge alone is wiry and Tele-ish but not as biting as Tele bridge; both in parallel is a ringer for the Tele mid-position. And there's the out-of-phase option, which is nothing like a Strat on neck-plus-mid or mid-plus-bridge but very individual. Other reviewers have implied a weak sound from their 'Stangs; I suggest they ensure their pickups are set as close to the strings as possible, as this really can make a remarkable difference. Frankly, I think it sounds brilliant for what was supposedly a student model.

God, I don't know what the original setup was like - it's been used and abused for 40 years! It's set up pretty well now though after a day's effort on my part. Neck appeared loose in the pocket but that could be a result of stripping the body paint off. I've shimmed it sideways with cardboard for a snug fit of the bass side of the butt end of the neck against the side of the channel, and all the strings run true and central along the neck. I don't use whammies, so I've hardtailed it by wrapping the legs of the bridge in insulating tape to stop it rocking in the body cups, and by setting the whammy unit tailpiece bar as low as possible, just leaving room for the strings to pass underneath. Strings I've fitted are Gibson Brite Wires 10s, which are perhaps a little light for the short scale, but which permit wonderful three-semitone string bends and finger vibratos and which present no tuning issues in hardtail configuration. Action is a little high even with the bridge in the lowest possible position, but I could easily correct this by shimming the neck pocket. In fact I'm happy with it as it is as I'm an Atkins-style picker, not a shredder, and also play slide on it, so I won't bother shimming it at present. Possibly it will require a refret at some stage if the temporary repair I've made to the slightly loose high fret ends proves untsustainable: if so that would also allow further lowering of the action. However it's well playable at present, so I'm in no hurry to do this. I should add that because of the short scale I find playing clean, fast single notes on the uppermost frets tricky as they're so close together; however I rarely venture above the fifteenth fret, so no real problem.

It's a Fender solid, so built to last forever, like a good bicycle. As with a well-used bicycle, some parts have worn out with use - the original Klusons were a bit wobbly - and other suffered with neglect - the rusted bridge saddles and jacksocket. Replacing these has made it a player as good as the day it was turned out. That's why I love Fenders! Vintage Gibsons, Guilds and Gretsches are pieces of antique furniture, and require luthier skills. Vintage Fenders are machines, and can be rebuilt by amateur engineers like me.

Hardly applicable? Allparts can provide just about any part you need for Fenders, old and new. The only thing to watch out for is that threads and dimensions are now metric rather than Imperial as in the sixties, so mixing and matching on an old guitar won't always be straightforward. Example: my replacement Klusons have shafts which are fractionally narrower than the originals, so a little loose in the original peghead ferrules. As it happens that doesn't really matter, but of course it would if the shafts were fractionally wider!

The 'Stang joins my '77 Strat, '71 Tele, '66 Coronado, '65-ish Newporter and '67-ish Villager, so I guess you could say I'm a bit of a Fender admirer. I just love the looks, feel and sound of the 'Stang. And, let's face it, Johnny Winter, Curt Kobain and Dave Alvin couldn't all be wrong. And did you know that John MacLaughlin allegedly played all his parts on the stuff he did with Miles Davis in the late 60s on a Mustang?

Baby blue "just like Kurt" (I think it is Daphine Blue) finish, 2 single coil pickups with phase reverse, white pickguard, 1 volume 1 tone, 24 inches scale, dynamic vibrato...not really much. Made in Japan, 2006, it is a 65 reissue, so no racing stripe or body counters. The switches take some time to get used to, sometimes you can kick them off or they can bother a palm of your right hand. But I used to have same kind of problems with a les paul style switching and learned to avoid them, so I think it's just a matter of time.

I tend to experiment with my sound, although I'm leaning more towards heavier stuff, and I bought it to try out something with single coils but different from a strat/tele. It sounds really loud unplugged, but plugged in it was not that great, sounded rather week although it could provide some cool rhythm playing. I replaced the pickups with Lace Hot Gold and now it sounds much better, I can even pull some metal tones off(although it does not go too good with the looks haha). The vibrato is pretty nice too. Also, it came with the 10th's and it sounded kinda weak, I replaced the strings with 11th's Blue Steel and now it has more of low end and highs are better defined, I like it. The sustain is not that great, but if you mind the fact that it is not a hard tale guitar, it sustains pretty impressive. I forgot to mention that it's a shortscale, so you can do some really deep string bends. I heard other reviewers complaining that it throws it out of tune, but I think it is because they don't have their intonation set too precise. After I adjusted it, the guitar stays in tune pretty good unless I go to wild. And even then, sometimes I can do divebombs and stay in tune, but sometimes I can't, I have no idea why is it so. But hey, if you wonna do divebombs get something with a floyd. Otherwise, I'd say it is more for a bigsby type effect, and if you do it that way it stays in tune nicely. I'd give it a 7 with the stock sound, but after my mods I think it'd deserve 9 or 10.

The guitar was set up pretty good, although I had to readjust the whole thing after switching to a heaver gauge of strings. I did not like the way the intonation screws are located, as well as the truss rod nut(its in the heel of the neck so you have to remove the neck to make adjustments). The frets are filled nice, and the neck has a glossy finish on it-the feature that I absolutely love. The body finish is really nice too, it used to be smooth and glossy, but I had it for about half a year, and it has got some dings and scratches on it. But I'm not too disappointed with that because 1. It's made of basswood, so there is no way to avoid it and 2. Its a Fender, do I need to say more? I give it a 10, because this guitar looks flawless brand new (at least, mine did).

I dont play live that much, and if I do its mainly acoustic stuff, so I didnt have chance play this guy live. But I think it is built well enough to be played live, and because of the price tag, it MUST stand playing live. I dont think the finish will wear down(that's a disappointment, since it's Fender) and the strap buttons are good, considering the fact that guitar is not heavy at all.

I have not dealt them too much, but once I wrote them about ordering a new pickguard and no answer.

I been playing acoustic(including classical) on and off for about 7 years. I'm kinda fresh to electric, I got my first electric like 5 years ago and the 'stang is my first "real" electric. So far I love it, the only thing I dont like as much is the color, I wish I got it in white with red pickguard, but oh well, too late to complain and the store where I got it didnt have that. Also, I say this guitar is grossly overpriced, it's in the same class as Gibson Melody Maker but costs twice as much. Although maybe it's worth paying for the vibe and feel that this guitar provides, you decide. If it was stolen I would try to get it back as best as I can, and if I fail, I'd get another one, but maybe in Olympic White or sunburst. Overall it's a good guitar, with an interesting sound that not everybody may like, and it is crafted and put together very nice.

22 frets, Fender Dynamic Vibrato, 2 pick-ups with 2 selector switches. I prefer to use it without the arm, and just rock the vibrato with my palm heel. My beauty was made in 1978 and I bought it in 1987 second hand. I can't think of anything I'd want to add or change to the hardware.

There are so many sounds that this guitar can produce. With the tone high and the bridge pick-up only, we're in serious twangin' country territoy. Similar to a Tele, but with a tad more sustain and less of the almost instant attack. Recently I started hankering after a Tele, but then began learning banjo rolls and my Mustang was absolutely perfect.

With the neck pick-up and eased off tone, I am able to play jazz, albeit only basically. But the sound is mellow and full enough to sound and feel authentic.

Both pick-ups on presents a choice depending on whether I have both selectors closest together (difficult to describe. I have never owned a Strat, but suspect it is that out of phase sound they always chunter on about) or furthest apart (More of a rounded tone.)

Bearing in mind no guitar can truly or realistically cater for absolutely every type of musical genre perfectly, I feel there is nothing enormous lacking in this guitar for the styles I play : Blues, rock, rockabilly, country, jazz and the occasional avant-garde punk.

I have no idea how the original factory set-up would have been like, as it was second-hand. I have it currently fairly low with D'Addario 9s and it is easily the most comfortable guitar I have played. String bending is really smooth and easy for those pedal steel bends I'm practising. I have not had reason to make any major adjustments since the set-up I did on it back in 1997. Wow, that's 10 years ago. Amazing how time flies.

Well, given how old it is, I am confident that this guitar will continue to age rather like those really posh wines snobby people get snobby about. It has withstood live playing and has been used in the studio. I admit that it has a couple of battle scars - courtesy of the bloke who owned it before me - but I feel it adds character. This is one tough survivor. Still stays in tune dependably. The only slight irritaion is that a few of the screws holding the scratchplate in place have become a little rusty.

Not applicable.

I've been playing guitar since 1986. I've never owned any other real guitars; just an awfully cheap copy of a Les Paul and an even more horrendous Mockenbacker. I used to be a guitar tech, and so have played on lots of other people's guitars, so I have a reasonable grasp on what is good and what is a complete load of J Arthur. I genuinely like this guitar and would not sell it. If anyone stole it I would spend 3 years at university to obtain a degree in Applied Torture, and then find the foul miscreant and then torture him for another 3 years. I can't really expect to replace it; I know it far too well.

1964 Fender Mustang. I bought it in 1990.
Original electronics (switching, etc) as came from the factory--two single coil pickups with plastic covers (no pole pieces).
I bought it used (approximately 26 years old when purchased); the finish had been slightly abused, but still looked pretty good. It was a creamy white (possibly originally Olympic or pure white?) color with a red faux tortoise shell pickguard.
Tuning pegs were similar to Klusons but had white plastic buttons.
Short scale 22-fret (as were all Mustangs and Musicmasters) maple neck with rosewood fretboard. Neck profile was c-shaped, but the width at the nut was VERY narrow--almost too narrow to play regular chords at 1st position.
Original funky Mustang tremolo; trem arm was missing (but I never used tremolos much anyway). It didn't have a problem with intonation.
It came with the original silver "snake skin" hardshell case (interior was red velvet).
Overall, it was a cool-looking guitar.

I play Texas Roadhouse Music (mix blues, classic rock and outlaw country) with a Fort Worth, Texas-based group called the SCREAMIN' ARMADILLOS.
At the time I bought this axe, I had no band--I just jammed anytime, anywhere, with almost anyone that would have me. I had only been playing for about a year and a half, and didn't really know what I was looking for, instrument-wise. I thought, "Vintage Fender=good for anything!"
I later found out that a person had to find what worked for them personally, and that not all "Vintage Fender" instruments were created equal.
The sound I got out of this guitar was okay--it was a little on the thin side (which I compensated for with my big bad Bassman Ten amp (that amp could make any guitar sound beefy). Not too noisy, but the pickups were weak in comparision to the G&Ls I owned at the time (a Nighthawk and an F-100).
The switches and knobs gave a pretty diverse set of sounds within that somewhat limited range--the weakness and lack of beef in the tone made this axe a one-trick-pony.

I have no idea about the factory setup--the instrument was 26 years old when I bought it. But it was set up well and played well when I bought it.
Unfortunately I found out (later) that 1964 Mustangs had terribly narrow necks at the nut--almost like a four-string banjo!...I thought I would adjust to it, but I never did.
It would have been a great guitar for a kid or a person with extremely small hands.
Mechanically, I can't gripe, it just wasn't the right instrument for me.

It was durable enough, but I never used it playing live due to its weak, thin tone and skinny neck.

Never had an issue with it, but I have dealt with Fender before on other instruments, and I like the company overall--they have done right by me over the years.

First af all--I am a HUGE fan of Leo Fender's designs...especially Stratocasters, Telecasters and various G&Ls.
The Mustang just wasn't for me. I sold it to a young Japanese rhythm & blues player who was as happy as a clam to get it--and it sounded good in his hands.
I have learned a whole lot about picking the right instrument for my own wants and needs; I don't think anything bad of this guitar (as opposed to BC Rich and several other buzz-bomb pointy-headed pieces of crap)--it just wasn't the right guitar for me.
I've been playing for approximately 18 years, and have owned too many instruments, amps, effects, etc. to list.

96 made in Japan Mustang reissue. Sonic blue with a red tortoiseshell pickguard. Maple neck wirh rosewood fretboard. 2 singlecoil pickups with no visible posts, 3 way slider switch for each pickup, master volume + tone. Mustang Vibrato (trem).

This reissue is a faithful reproduction of the original. Very bright without alot of output. The pickups buzz when singled out just like the originals. Unplugged it sounds guite clunky, but is fairly loud when not amplified. Not alot of bottom to it, and the 2 switches make it possible to run the pickups in or out of phase. Great for surf, bright rock tones, and out of phase it has a good blues tone.

The action is similar to a Strat, but it is a shortscale guitar. The finish had a flaw by the top hornd strapbutton, but otherwise no issues. The bridge is quite quirky for a Fender; it sets into the Vibrato plate and is held in place by the strings. The strings go in, and wrap under the mount bar, which some people like, but I prefer less moving of strings in a trem. To adjust the trussrod, you have to unbolt the neck. The pickup switches are located above the strings when you're playing, making them easy to hit when playing hard.

Had to replace one switch, but otherwise this has been a solid guitar. The finish is the older type nitro cellulose similar to the 60's Fenders, so it should age in a simslar manner to the Mustangs of old.

Quirky. The Mastang was reissued for people who like mustangs (plus Kurt Cobain using them at the time didn't hurt). This is not a guitar capable of heavy balls out tone, but how many Fenders are?

1966 daphne blue - all original
22 frets got a Tone and Volume control and two 3-way- switches fpr the PUs. Two Single Coils.
i absolutly love the simplicity of this guitar,and the fact that
you can bypass the pick ups by putting the selector switches in the middle cause lets just face it most vintage fenders with original wireing are a bit noisy.

The mustang is a guitar with its own unique sound.I bought this guitar in used condition!!!! i play into my '59 fender bassman ltd, 1986 proco rat, ibanez ad80, boss ce-2.

ok!!!!!!!!!!

ok!!!

ok!!!

play guitar for about 13 years. i also have a only acoustic ovation legend 1117, love the Mustang. It is the one guitar I will never part with!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I play classic rock,blues and it's perfect for me!!!!!!!!

1965 dakota red - all original. Slab Body, short scale etc ...

41 years - now it sounds great.

41 years and still working well

41 years and still working well

german "customer service". only selling amount counts in Germany ...

THIS was my first guitar in 1972, present from Dad. Now it came home. Sold in the eighties, now found after 20 years ...

mine is a 1998 50th anniversary reissue with a teal-aqua body and a natural maple neck. its a beautiful guitar to look at it also has a nice looking pick guard i guess its red and black and silver. one volume and one tone knob dont seem to do much to satisfy my needs. the pickups pretty much suck. even with a heavy metal distortion pedal cant get anything

good for blues and no distortion

really hard to move around the frets quickly definetely not for metal

very solid guitar, never out of tune, never use on stage

been playing since 10, now 24, gotta admit i was obsessed with nirvana, probably the only reason i bought it, i do enjoy the light distortion when playing blues although metal and classical are my main music preferences, probably gonna trade it in for an acoustic

A 69 mustang in dakota red... just before the switch to the competition models. Has the standard 22 fret layout. Made of alder... I've heard that multiple woods were used in the construction of the bodies, but mine has to be alder because it's light and a ding in the paint shows the wood through.
Standard control layout... etc
The tuners are the crappiest ever. original klusons with white (chipped) plastic heads. inaccurate and unevenly stiff.
The neck carve is good... a very soft V shape.
overall a solid design... but i wish i could find the right type of trem bar

Do not expect to string this guitar with anything less than 11s. It feels terrible.

This guitar seriously weighs like 5 pounds. and good for tiny hands too.

The mustang is a guitar with its own unique sound. Its twangy and bright no matter what pickups you put in. The stock pickups sounded fine to me, but were extremely low output (5.8 ohms with thin wire) and made a lot of hum. I wound up switching out the pups to two Fender Hot Noiseless (jeff beck) pickups. Swapping the pickups is a move i would recommend to any mustang owner in an instant. The sound is as bright and crisp as ever, but so full and good. Without the swap, I would give it a 7.

Here's where this guitar falls short a bit. Fender had to cut corners somewhere to make this guitar cheap.
The rosewood fingerboard is more... textured than an average fingerboard. nothing too bad though
The original fretwire, which i have yet to replace, is much too small.
The pots are scratchy (tho that one's probably to be expected after 30 some years)
One of the switches broke... this was no big deal as replacements are available at stewmac.com
Tuning this guitar is very difficult with the combination of cheesy klusons and the floating bridge.
The bridge makes the strings buzz audibly when playing unplugged.
The pickup routs were too small to accomodate strat pickups.

The good: Very low action, generally easy to play. Neck is fast.

All the bads are mainly little details that are easy to get over...

Seems like the hardware/body/neck is all stuck together like a tank. I've heard that mustangs are very hard to break. make sure not to flick a pup switch off while you're playing. Finish is old, and a little weak but the wood itsself holds up well. Overall dependable, especially if you like to smash guitars. don't gig without a backup anyway.

Mustangs are not perfect... They're unique. Very fun to play. Very sexy. Sound good too. No, you aren't automatically a nirvana poser if you play one. Kurt said they sounded like shit and he was wrong.

Mid 65 USA Fender Mustang in white with red "tortoise" pick guard
B size maple neck, 22 thin frets on rosewood fingerboard with 6 inline 2 row Kluson deluxe tuners
No F on # plate 5 digit serial # starts with L
2 single coil pickups, 1 vol, 1 tone knobs, 2 three position slide switches for the pickups
White pu covers and switches
Fully adjustable bridge on Fender vibrato tailpiece
Chrome hardware
Original case

This was an entry to mid level guitar from Fender and was very popular with teens in the sixtys
The sound is weak in my opinon it can't compare with the more expensive Fender guitars. The switches work when they feel like it and the pots are scratchy

I got this guitar as a basket case in a trade for an old Honda dirt bike that I got for free and refinished - rebuilt it (both the Honda and the Fender)
The original white finish was striped and the body was stained a dark wood tone. The pickguard had been replaced with a crappy looking black thing with non original pu covers and switches. two of the bridge saddles were missing as well as the whammy bar and bridge cover.
The neck was perfect with original decal and virtualy no wear to frets, tuners, or fingerboard
I replaced all missing - non original parts with original parts found on E bay. About 50 bucks for every thing.
The guitar came with the original hard shell case that was in much better shape than the poor mistreated Mustang. It is a silver grey black specked material with black leather ends and orange felt inside

I have never gigged with this guitar altho I've used much worse equipment over the years
I've only played it plugged in once to make sure everything worked after the rebuild.
The sound is so much weaker than my Strat or Tele that it would require a total reset of my amp to get the sound I want so it stays home when I gig.

I own several Fender guitars that are solid, reliable workhorses.
This guitar is not one of them

I have been playing for 30 years or so.
I wanted a Mustang when I was a kid but couldn't get the frog skins at the time.
I also own a 2002 American Deluxe Hotrodded Nashville B-Bender Tele and a mid 80s Strat Elite as well as a mid 60s Fender Palomino acoustic
I would never have bought this guitar (in my old age) and only got it to save it from an undignified end.
Someday someone will come along to love it and give it a good home.
But since I love restoring old things I guess i got a lot of enjoyment from this project.
Now I'm looking for a basket case 62 Jag to replace the one I had when I was a teen