Fender Mustang

It's a 1973 Fender Mustang, 22 frets, rosewood fingerboard, alder body. It's got two three way pickup selector switches, tone and volume knob and Fender tremolo. Standard single coil pickups, neck and bridge. I think the finish is cream, or maybe olympic white. I've read that the cream finish wasn't used until 1974 but at any rate it's a yellowish cream now. White pearloid pickguard. Fender chrome tuners with the script "F" on the back. All original with original hardshell case.

The sound on this guitar is great. It varies from a great clean crisp tone to total noise when run through effects. Very bright due to the singles. I use it mostly through a Hiwatt DC40, sometimes through a Fender Princeton 65 or a Roland Super Cube 40, depending on what i feel like lugging around. For effects i run mostly a MXR dyna comp, Boss RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay and Electro Harmonix Big Muff. It's like they were made for the guitar.

I work at a guitar shop and am very crucial about setting up my guitars once i get them. I wasn't alive when this guitar left the factory but when i got it the setup was pretty good. I eventually did the intonation and a slight neck adjustment. I think it was set up for .009s and when i switched to D'Addario flatwound chromes it had some buzzing before the adjustments. It's well worn in. Lots of bumps, bruises, nicks, scrapes, etc. The frets are in good shape, especially considering it's age. the chrome is all bright, neck is in great shape, solid wiring, etc. The guitar has some buzz if i am playing through a PA or something along those lines, but that's to be expected. Solid guitar.

I could throw this guitar out the window and nothing would happen to it. If it wasn't so light i'd swear it was made out of stone. There are no signs of any parts of this guitar failing anytime in the near future. I replaced the strap buttons with strap locks a bit ago though, just because i did get a bit tired of dropping it. I tune it when i put new strings on, and tune it again when i replace them. I never even think about bringing along a backup when i have this guitar. Just an extra string or two.

I'm fairly sure that customer support for this guitar no longer exists. At any rate it's really not needed. If anything breaks you go on Ebay, get the part, and replace it. At the same time i'd like to keep it all original.

If someone stole this guitar it would kill them and find it's way back home.

the guitar was your basic mustang, except for the bridge pickup which was switch out for a seymour duncan jb mini-humbucker. volume and tune knobs, lead and rythym circuits, i dont have to tell you the rest.

I think it could have been better. I own a couple of guitars and I bought the mustang because i wanted to see if it suited my style and if it lived up to its playablity. There is a problem with the string saddles, they sit too low, so when your playing all you hear is the E strings. Also, the guitar was re-fretted poorly and it buzzed... A LOT... so i fixed that. the stock pickups are much better because it was that sixty five style hand wound where each pickup sounds different. the sixty six's used sixty five (pre-cbs buyout) pickups until they ran out somewhere in march or april '66.

the guitar was over paid for. the body had the original red striped off and it looks like it was spray painted blue. eventually i will get it repainted by a professional. the bridge pickup's wiring was faulty and it fell off and sparked. so i had it rewired. I only paid 350 and that was with shipping and a gigbag included. it shows.....

this is where the guitar happens to score highly. i actually dropped it down a flight of stairs going to a bamd practice once and nothing happened to it. it's built like a tank. it's also lighter than any of the other guitars i own/have owned. The offset body style also seems to give it more of a balance (not so much strain on your neck!)

cbs/fender??? i wouldn't touch this issue with a 10 foot pole. don't bother calling. just take your guitar to a local technician.

if i had more money availible, i probably would have spent the the 800 dollars on a pre-cbs mustang and eventually put some sort of humbucker in the bridge because it really does beaf it up. This guitar is an investment piece. i will probably fix it up and sell it in the paper. the mustang is not a bad guitar..... it's just that this is the second worst i've ever seen out of the hundreds i have come across.

According to serial number, made in Autumn 1996 (reissue), original color - Sonic Blue.
As you probably know, has two 3-way switches for 2 pickups, and mine has pickups from JagStang - that's how it was when I bought it on eBay for $400.
Modified from original - has a full-sized hambucker in the bridge position + repainted to Ice Blue. Has a Fender 'floating' tremolo/vibrato bridge.

Note: As I said, I have JagStang pickups and I couldn't get a chance to play Mustang's stock pickups.
Suits my style just perfect! I like grunge/alternative stuff (Mudhoney, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Placebo etc.), and hambucker in the bridge gives me the desired "juiciness" with my Boss DS-2 pedal while the single coil gives clean, strat-like sound.

Set-up - great. Pickups are great, everything routed properly.
Needed to make a little adjustment to lower the action a bit since most Mustangs (at least, reissues) will produce a fret buzz. A simple mod to eliminate it would be to put a piece of cardboard under the neck where the neckpocket is - that will change the string's angle, giving you lower action.

Haven't tried it live, but I'm sure it won't differ much from playing at home.
The guitar itself is the haviest among those I've played, and I don't think you can actually break it's body - only saw it up, I guess.
Mine came with no strap buttons, so I bought a pack of Schaller strap buttons and haven't regretted that buy.
Would use it on a gig no problem.

Haven't had any issues so far, and since I bought mine on eBay, I'll just ask people on forums if I will have any.

I first wanted to buy a cheap Squier, but then got a part-time job and got money to buy a better one. I planned to buy either a Deluxe Fat Strat or a Cyclone. Fat Strat was expensive for me, and there were no Cyclones on eBay at the moment, so in frustration I looked through Fender's 'weirdos' (Jaguars, Jazzmasters, Duo-Sonics, Mustangs etc.) and found this - boy was I happy!
And I'm still now. Really love everything about this guitar, especially that it's not just a 'pop' such as Strat or Les Paul. I really don't want Fender to make any moer of those, so then I'll pass this thing to my grandsons =).

feb'64 ( stamped on body end of neck ) fender mustang made in usa
22 fret solid top it has a volume and tone knob with selector slide switches at the top body is basswood and has been painted john deere green and the pick guard part is john deere yellow ( it looks really cool ) even an ol' plow boy likes to twang on a fender bender every now and then,i replaced the bridge pickup with a seymour duncan and the neck is left standard, the bridge is the standard fender whamey bar type and the tuners are the standard ones that came with the guitar which i really dont like the guitar was a birthday present for my eighth birthday and would not part with it for nothing

i use this guitar for slide and it is teriffic i play it through a '65 fender twin reverb, it has a gutzy quality to it and can squeel like a mutha

the guitar was originaly white and red and came from the music dealer perfect especially for an eight year old boy no complants at all

this guitar has and will stand alot of punishment if you like to strum heavy this is the one everythings solid and yes i know with firm faith that she'll be their when all others fail

i havent dealt with fender directly but have had er in the shop from time to time for a tune up but everyone who sees it or freshens it up says it is a joy to work on

been playing all my life so to speak, have '62 gibson es335, guild songbird, guild d4, fender tele, 12 string ric
i ask for a jaguar but daddy couldn't afford it
if it were stolen or lost i would just die
for what i use it for their are no other guitars

Made in the Good Ole US of A in 1965 by the dedicated Fender production staff, before they were sold down the river to CBS.

Basswood (I think, I'm not a carpenter) body, rosewood neck. Has had the paint removed to allow its tobacco and beer soked body to breathe. You could save a fortune on drink and smokes by simply licking the body....

Like many Stang owners I have replaced the bridge pick up. My weapon of choice is a Di Marzio hot rails (I know thats a Sey*** Dunc*** copyright but what else would you call it?).

Wooahh there horsie!!! With the stripped body the tone is so pure it would make Eric Johnston get emotional in his pants... Old ain't always best, but this axe has so much depth of tone and clarity that my playing efforts do not do justice to its voice. I say voice and not voices, as, although it has a variety of switching configurations, it still underlines each one with an earnest, soulful tone. Despite these bucolic ramblings, when plugged in, the stang produces the finest industrial sound I have ever heard.

Amplified, the pick ups do a fine job of detecting a wide range of frequencies and transmitting them intact. I use .09' to 0.68' strings and the entire frequency range is well represented, if a little low output on the stock pick up (it is 38 years old after all). Not too bassy or trebly, but heaps of definition.

The Mustang can be a little noisy, most old (and new) Fenders are, and it's nothing to worry about.

Back to industrial... Oh how this baby crashes, grinds and screams for attention when played. Yes it can sing oh so sweetly, but it really wants to scream in your face and roar in your ear. I use it mainly for Pumpkins, Chilis, Mudhoney and Nirvana numbers, the potential nastiness of the sounds however, never get the better of its more gentlemanly toneful characteristics.

I use it through Marshall or sometimes Rickenbacker amps, Rickenbacker when I want only dogs to hear it, very shrill...

It left the factory 38 years ago....

The Mustang has survived 38 years of abuse under various owners, and I'm not about to change that. As beautiful as guitars are, they ARE tools and are meant to do a job. This axe takes all the abuse I give it, never goes out of tune, and never lets me down.

Finish ain't an issue as it hasn't got one.

I never gig with one guitar ever. Three minimum.

I have been playing 17 years, and own several axes including; teles, a strat, SG, Explorer and several semis and acoustics.

I bought this guitar on seeing it, barely played it before the Visa escaped. It looked well played and had the appearance of a trusty tool rather than a glass case display item.

The only gripe I have with this guitar is the skinny low frets, I like to have control over a bent note. The upshot is a wilder, more aggressive edge to the bent note. Oh and throw out the Vibrato arm, it sucks. The guitar has rock solid tuning until that damn thing gets used...

I own a 1976 Mustang with a maple fretboard and neck. It has a solid black body with a black pickguard. 2 single coils. (i actually kinda like the hum!) Has the original case too!

i absolutely love the sound of this guitar! i also own a tele, and when i make recordings (tascam home 4-track) the two guitars play with and against each other quite nicely. i love the "out-of-phase" sound for soloing, or just to make it sound like two different guitars. i use no effects currently, used to use a boss ds-1. but it has a good natural tone. for distotrtion, just turn that mother up!

this guitar defintely takes the abuse i (sometimes) give it when playing live. but all in all i prefer to baby it a bit. i have a couple of imitation strats for smashing. still, i'm no pete thownsend.

i also own a tele and some strat knock offs. this is by far my favorite one. if it were lost or stolen i would definitely buy another one. (after several weeks of grieving). i just love this guitar! BUT i detest the re-issues.

a 1965 fender mustang. its an '8' (which means its 'full scale' 24 inch) and a 'b' width at the nut. dated july 65', so thankfully it has a contoured rosewood fretboard, and its not a slab (jaguar) neck thrown on by the good people at CBS (damb them for ruining the company). body is either poplar or mahogany. neck and body are finished in nitrocellulose laquer. dots are pearl (and not clay, bahhhhhh!) machine heads are kluson deluxe with plastic buttons. all plates are chromed, other metal parts are nickel plated. scratchplate is that old style plastic that shrinks! guitar electics.......guitar is copper shielded with cloth wrapped wiring, POTS are 250K. some idiot has replaced the switches and pickups, and surprise surprise, i'm going to have to replace them. which makes me an idiot?? no, seriously.....they do need replacing as they are cheap jack parts.

a vintage noise. playing it with a boss gt-6 processor. perhaps not as bright as i would want (although i do usually use an american vintage jaguar), but i suspect all that will change when i replace the pickups

oh come on! its almost 40 years old. yes the hardware was rusted/oxidized/pitted (cleaned it up best i could), cause some guy decided it would be best off in his garage? or maybe he lived in a cold, damp, old house?

a solid guitar. after 40 years of neglect (i suspect) its now finally come to its loving daddy

ho ho ho

love this guitar. not least for the smell, kind of like an old libary book. looks just like one of those relic strats you see, except this is the real thing!

1966 Mustang finished in Dakota Red. It has the extra fret (22). It has two 3-way slide switches used to select between the two single coil pickups. A tremelo arm is also present as well as a volume and tone knob for controlling the pickups. The instrument is 100% stock including the original gray hardshell case.

The sound is at it's best when clean. It sound pretty good with overdrive but not the guitar's primary purpose which was probably surfing music. The guitar is well suited either for lead or chord playing. The pickups can be selected individually or both together. One setting you can have 70 30 in favor of the neck pickup or vice versa. The total tones you can get are 5 with the two switches. One setting on each switch is "off". This is a very original sounding guitar that can be heard on some early Motown hits such as "My Girl".

Don't know about the factory setup. What I really don't like about the guitar is that often time when I bend the B string, that G string comes out of the nut! I hate this and it is a serious flaw. It does not stay in tune very well after you play around with the tremelo, but what 60s guitar does? I find that if you gently use it for more or less a vibrato effect when you play chords or leads, it will stay in tune. The pickups buzz alot too but what Fender doesn't?

I have gigged with this guitar (a '64) and would not hesitate to take it to a gig. The strap buttons are solid and it really is a dependable axe. If I did not have a backup, I would not worry that much. However, I feel that I must include in this section that the switches on the guitar are unreliable at best. I had this same problem with my '64. If want to switch sounds, often times the sound will be dead because the switches will not 'switch' properly to the next sound and will be in no man's land until you fool with it and try to get it working - finally crackling into phase - not a desirable attribute at all.

I have had years of experience and I currenly own 8 guitars. I really don't have any regrets buying the instrument as the the flaws previously mentioned are inherently characteristic of the guitars of this vintage but I felt should be mentioned anyway. As far as comparing it to other fenders, the hierarchy goes something like this: Strat;Tele;Jag;Jazz;MUSTANG.

I have a Japanese Mustang that was bought for my sister about 6 years ago, I am currently babysitting it. My wife describes it as a duck egg blue colour with a kind of red marbley scratch plate (i'm no expert). I think it cost around #650 when new but I aint sure.
Originaly it had 2 single coil pick up's these have been replaced with "rails" ?? I do not posess the originals Aaaaaaaaaaargh!!
Volume
Tone.
The usual stuff, been treated pretty roughly as part of a touring band, many scratches, cracks, was covered with stickers...removal in progress.

Sounds great, really!
I'm no expert but it has a very good range, don't know how it was with standard pick ups.

Absolute abomination, could not play anything above about 19th fret, action so low, buzzing etc. Found out it had never been set up just played out of box. Have recently been fumbling with it, managed to raise action so that it is still low but does not catch other frets if ya know what I mean? intonation seems way out and I can't seem to get it right, may have to take it to the pro's, "g" being a real problem. Is this normal. Apart fromthis everything seems solid, tremolo arm is missing, and apparently the floating thingy (sorry) has been locked down, I think it can be unlocked with an allen key?
What the hell is that moving bridge all about, I really need some advice with this otherwise beautiful instrument before I unwittingly damage it, answers to my e-mail.

Sister says no problem, and considering the stick it has taken from an uncaring owner, I'm amazed its not matchwood.

I love it, just wish I could get it set up and fixed up.

73 blue, comp stripe, all original. $850 AUD ($450 US approx)

Great sound, if a little bit on the hummy side. In the dual pickup position you get that distictly glassy sound that is perfect for funk, disco etc. The bridge pickup just screams distortion. Very versitile.

This guitar needed some love and attention when I found it. It had tele parts on the bridge, making the whole neck buzz like a swarm of bees. Amazingly the original parts were sitting in the case in a little plastic bag, along with the original tuners that had also been replaced.

Greatest body shape ever, and the colour and comp stripe all combine to create a fantastic look. Perfect neck - the guy in my band plays a 62 strat and can't put my mustang down. High praise indeed!

A first position D always sounds a bit out of tune so there must be internation problems somewhere. Stays in tune in all other respects. The pick guard is really in need of attention. Basically it is shrinking, pulling against the screws and revealing sticky, undried paint underneath. Best just to play and not look too close!

This is a fine, eclectic example of one of fender's great achievements. I'd love a more plank-like 60's version but in Australia beggars can't be chosers. I wish the scratch plate wasn't all warped and shrunk but in a way this adds to the guitar's charm and hints at it's budget roots. Through the old Diasan trannie amp I have (late 60's Australian) it sounds very warm and "tuby". If I want a more diverse sound I just reach for my strat copy. If I want the right sound, the mustang is there to provide it!