Fender Mustang

1964 Olympic white, two single-coil pickup beauty with a birch body (i think; i could be very wrong). rosewood fretboard, dual three-way on-off-on slide switches, master volume & tone, large "jazzmaster" headstock, fender "vibrato" vibrato. wonderful neck....but i love the pickups. the switcher on it allow eight different tonal combonations.

i have this really cool style of music that mixes jeff buckley, brit-pop, nirvana, and green day-style punk. this guitar is a perfect compliment for those clean fifth chords. it has this shnazzy chunky/plunky sound to it. it sounds evil when run through a chorus pedal clean. the rhythm pickup is bright and not overwhelmingly bassy like a les paul, even brighter than a strat. it has sweet tones all over the body. the bridge pickup resembles the growl of a telecaster, but is a bit more sinister. put them together and you have a high midrange sound character that just plain bites. but that's the top third of the iceberg. i have a zoom gfx-707 run through a '66 gibson ga-19rvt. put the wildfuzz effect with a little EQ tinkering and you have the most snarling, aggressive grungy distortion sound that makes kurt cobain look like elvis costello. i have to give this work of art a ten because for what it does, it does it well.

my dad got this guitar used, and it has been in and out of the case for decades, so i really don't know what it sounded like when i
was -20 years old.

if this thing can last since 1964 with every body inder the sun banging on it, then i think it can last another thirty. to put ot simply, it's a tank. a 2x4 with strings on it. indestructable.

no dealings with them.

i've been playing ofr nearly three years now and this guitar has brought me where i am today. it was my first set of wings, and it can only take me higher. i doubt it would be my main axe, though, because my other baby is a gibson les paul junior lite, which has a sound charcter of its own. but all in all, if somebody stole or broke my mustang, i would kill them. no questions asked. there is no guitar in the world like the mustang, so it would be extremely hard to replace.

the only thing i hate about it is that it is so freaking shrill with very little output. that's why i have t run it through a tube amp with a multi-effects processer to get it to sing. but when it does, it is as furious as the asian jungle.

1967 in Dakota Red; slab body; 24" scale rosewood board on maple neck; stock single-coil pick-ups; neck/headstock had been re-finished with clearcoat in past - "spider-web" cracks on headstock; new pickguard screws; no other mods as I could see; original gray hard case. Small dings on back of body, normal for a 34-year-old guitar that's been played (front is surprisingly clean); some checking. Complete with the bridge cover and tremolo bar.

Mustangs were "hot" in the mid-60s after Ford stormed on the scene with their trend-setting Mustang "pony car." I bought a '66 Fender Mustang, also in Dakota Red, back then and foolishly sold it in 1994. By that time, the paint cracked and I had it re-finished in "natural." I bought a mid-70s sunburst Mustang with the contoured body in 2000, but it didn't feel or play the same.

My music style is simple and basic: "oldies" ('50s through '70s), "surf" instrumentals, and ballads. No distortion, effects, etc.

The electronics are superb. The sound is clear and bright: no snaps, crackles, pops, hums, or screeches. Switches still in perfect working order (I'm crossing my fingers as this is one of the first areas to give trouble). Run it through Fender tube amps (Bandmaster, Bassman, Twin Reverb, Quad Reverb, Tremolux, Showman Reverb), Silvertone 1484 Twin Twelve, and a solid-state Peavey Bandit 112.

String height is low even high on the fretboard, unlike the mid-70s Mustang I have, which needed the bridge raised. No string "buzz." Electronics seem to all be in order. Tuners original, no bent keys. Strap buttons missing (disclosed by seller), cost $4 to replace.

It's already lasted 34 years and has a lot more to go. The slab body gives a "heft" lacking in the later contoured models (1969 onward). Besides, I don't abuse my instruments and always wipe down the bodies and strings after each use.

Local dealer has provided good service when needed. Replacement parts fairly easy to get. Have never dealt with the Fender company.

Playing off-and-on for 36 years, though I'm no virtuoso. Have 12 guitars: '63 Jaguar; '62 Jazzmaster; MIJ Jazzmaster; Strat (Mexican); '72 Tele Thinline (w/Bigsby); mid-70s Mustang; Silvertone Jag-style; '78 Ovation classical; plus a few other non-descript axes. 22 amps, as mentioned prior.

The Mustang was my first Fender and has always been a favorite, partly due to its simplicity. Getting this one on a "BUY IT NOW" bid was a way to satisfy my "nostalgia" craving. Especially after I sold my original one seven years ago and the mid-70s replacement I got a year ago was such a disappointment.

right. my mustang is a 1978, american made guitar, plain finish, with a black scratchplate. i know that it was made right in the middle of the CBS years, when everything started to go wrong for fender, but this guitar is truly great. at least in my opinion.
its got a one-piece, maple, bolt-on neck, which is almost too chunky, with an oversised headstock for good sustain. i think its a bit shorter than on most guitars, but i wouldnt bet money on it.body wood's unknown to me; could be ash or maple...? i dont really know a lot about guitar construction woods, to be honest. its got 2 single coils, one at the bridge, and one at the neck, with some weird selection switches, which i dont really understand the working of. i heard something about in-phase and out of phase, but its all dutch to me. as most people here will know, the bodys like a hybrid between a strat and a tele, with a 'dynamic fender vibrato'bridge & whammy. my only qualms with the thing are that the nut sometimes creaks if im doing large bends up high on the fretboard, and that if i do bends on any of the wound strings up high, then the other strings go slightly out of tune, due to the 'dynamic fender vibrato'
basically, nothing special really, just a standard block of wood, as far as features are concerned. simple is nearly always best in my books, but i cant really pretend its very tinker-able.

even unplugged, this guitar sounds great (but a bit quiet). it sounds suprisingly bassy and rich though, unless you use the bridge pickup alone, with the tone all the way to the treble side of things. it sounds great & sorta jazzy when clean through a tube amp (i use an old Silvertone 1472), though there is an annoying bass hum i cant get rid of. dont know if thats from the guitar or the amp though....
through my effects, it sounds good too. a subtle phase-shifting (electro-harmonix small stone) sounds good, as does a wah when slightly overdriven (vox). there is a slight loss of warmth when put through a fuzz pedal (z.vex fuzz factory), but its still good sounding.
i know this guitars got a rep for being a sorta so-crap-its-good guitar thanks to a mr. cobain, but mine at least is actually a really good, warm- sounding guitar. wouldnt really recomend it as a metal guitar though; more as a rock/blues/jazz guitar really. or wotever takes yer fancy really. sounds good, but theres only really a few sounds you can get out of it, so i cant give it top marks

ummmm anything that was wrong with this guitar has since been corrected, but not by me. its twenty odd years old, probably had a few owners who sorted problems out. then left it for me to buy, as a lovely, perfect guitar. v. low string tension, easy to bend etc. the only problems are the ones i mentioned in the first bit of the review. as this is a vintage guitar, i dont think i should really give this a mark as im not its only ever owner, and the previous ones might have souped it up a bit. but for what it is now, id give it a 9 1/2.

this is a fender. plank of wood with strings. nuff said.

never needed or tried it.

been playing... 4 years now, and i dont think im ever gonna buy another electric. i intend to play for the rest of my life, too. obviously the guitar could have some more features, but i love the simplicity of it. my fave bit has to be the super-fat neck though; if i do ever get another electric, im almost definately gonna stick this babys neck on it.
basically, i love this guitar, but i doubt id buy another should i lose it, for exactly that reason. id just hunt down the bastard who stole it, and kill him like the dog he'd have to be, to steal such a work of art.

This guitar was completely disassembled (in about 10 pieces), in a box, in the corner of a back room at Guitar Exchange (gone now) in Catonsville MD back in 1989. I paid $125 "as is." I could tell there was a really nice Fender Mustang in there screaming to be reborn. The neck, rosewood on maple, was removed--but the wood, fingerboard, all 22 frets, dots, and headstock & decals were in pristine shape. On the body end of the neck was the born-on date: 8 NOV 65B. The only damage was one of the original white button F-logo tuning machine shafts being slightly bent. All hardware was off the body, which had been refinished to resemble an ancient black bowling ball (it was pretty bad). There were no Frankenstein mods to the body or pickguard, which is a 3-laminate white/black/white "mother-of-plastic" quilted tortoise shell--VERY 60's and in perfect shape too! The original electronics were all there, along with the black plastic pickup covers and large black bakelite volume and tone control knobs. The rocking bridge and bridge plate were complete; there was a very small amount of surface rust where the chrome plating had been worn off the bridge saddles from palm wear. The only part missing was the vibrato arm. The salesman even had the case for the guitar, which was really beat, but servicable...he said this box of stuff had been sitting around collecting dust for years. A Mustang out of the box is no hot rod guitar, but it lives up to its namesake by being a real workhorse.

Before I attempted a full restoration, I tested the pickups and pots, slapped it together, strung it up, set up the action, and the little guitar SANG without even plugging it in. I think it's a combination of the neck and body woods, combined with the one-piece neck and larger-style Fender headstock they used on the guitar. It sounded live...I could feel it humming when I picked it up. This aspect is key when trying out an electric guitar to buy: Play all your prospective purchases unplugged, and compare them next to each other. The better they sound unplugged, the better they'll sound plugged in. Running through a 1973 Ampeg 50-watt tube amp--the sound was pure Fender (it was, after all, a Mustang, and the Ampeg circuitry was a Fender knock-off). The clean sounds were sparkly, but the old single-coils were quite noisy. Dirty up the sound a bit, and it was smooth and creamy. Plugged into a cranked Carvin X-100 tube amp--it really barked.

I tore down the guitar again and stripped the old black paint off the body. The original color (under several Krylon spray jobs) was seafoam green! There were a few nicks in the body that had been filled with a plastic auto-paint scratch filler putty. I scraped all this out and patched it with wood filler, sanded, primed, and refinished it in a gold laquer with several coats of clear on top. I polished out the pickguard, dropped two new Lace Sensors into it, replaced the worn switches, cleaned the pots and plug jack, and dropped it into the body. I installed the Sensors because I use the guitar to record with, and quiet is a good thing. Next, I hard-tailed the bridge by removing the springs and pivot bolts that hold the string anchor bar to the bridge plate--these I replaced with stainless bolts which fastened the anchor bar to the plate. I made two steel sleeves and dropped them into the two cups that hold the rocking bridge height adjustors; into this I dropped the newly-polished bridge. The steel sleeves prevented any rocking of the bridge itself, which guarantees the guitar will stay in tune. I leveled and polished the frets, cleaned the fingerboard, gave the neck a light sanding to give the finish some "tooth," masked off the rosewood, and sprayed it with a few light coats of clear laquer. I installed chrome Schaller tuners and dropped the neck into the body. I strung it up, set up the action again (I worked the nut a bit to get the string height where I like it), and played it for a few hours. It was LOUD even without an amp. Leo Fender, I'm not worthy.

If you've ever seen The Who play (live or on video) you already know the answer. If you've never seen The Who, I suggest you get a video to learn how much punishment and torture a Fender guitar can take before it dies and goes to Heaven.

I've had no dealings with the company.

I've been playing of and on for 20 years. I'm no virtuoso, but I've been in several bands and this guitar has been there with me for some of it. I also have a 1975 Kramer 650 (when they made guitars with aluminum necks), a Steinberger headless, a Carvin DC-125 with two Gibson PAFs, and an old Charvel Model 4 I use for "stunt" work. None of these I consider my main guitar, because they all produce sounds that are valid in given situations. For the Mustang, though, the lack of a vibrato is really no problem, because it removes the opportunity for me to overuse a vibrato that isn't there! Besides, if the song calls for some whacky stuff, all I have to do is reach over with my right hand, grab the headstock, and pull it forward. Don't try this with any other guitar except a Fender, folks! The reason is because the Fender neck is one solid piece of maple. Most other guitar builders use a joint to attach the headstock, which will snap off if you show it any disrespect. Fender's one-piece neck is simple engineering that WORKS. Try breaking a Louisville Slugger over your knee. Your knee will die before the bat--I guarantee.

1966 Slab Mustang, USA, 22 frets. Standard on/off/phase switch configuration. At some point someone added a toggle switch then changed their mind and removed it. Original finish has been stained over in a red SG-stain color, red tortoise pickguard, decals and logo sanded off the headstock. The original color looks like it might be brown where the stain is chipping away. Standard Fender "F" tuners. White pickups with exposed pole-pieces. Single volume and tone knob, silver-metal telecaster style. Original mustang "rocking" bridge. Included the tremelo bar, bridge cover and badly worn case.

This guitar is played and manipulated through a Boss Turbo Overdrive, Boss Digital Delay 3, MXR Distortion + (Block letter), a Maestro 3-speed phaser and a Boss Digital Delay 5. Effects chain is run into the vibrato/Reverb input of a '73 Silverface Twin Reverb. Other pedals / effects used include a Boss Flanger, Boss Hyper-Fuzz, and Korg MS2000 Analog Modeling Keyboard (filters / oscillators).

Overall there is a pretty wide pallette of sounds available through the pickup/phase switches...from bright trebly bridge pickup sounds to warm/mellow jazz-esque voicings on the neck pickup. Combined together in-phase there is little single coil hum. Out of phase gets a nice subtle chorused sound. Recently have been playing a Japanese Jaguar reissue and a Japanese '69 Thinline Tele reissue and the tonal range of this guitar falls right in between the two. The Jaguar has more features where the tele is straight-ahead tone.

As others have said, the pickups are relatively low-output, but I have found that using a good sounding overdrive first in the pedal chain to "drive" the guitar signal really opens up the sound and increases sustain and punch without needing compression. I use both the Boss Turbo Overdrive and the MXR for this...with the Boss having the advantage of a tone control.

Only so-so with a slide...could be due to string height.

Style is mostly droney/spacy-rock, ranging from ambient meanderings to driving rock to apocalyptic white-noise bursts. Influences include Mogwai, My Bloody Valentine, CAN, Spiritualized, Polvo, Tortoise, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Allman Brothers, Swervedriver, Bardo Pond, etc.. Guitar is usable for most sounds I am looking for. Thinline Tele is much better for slide and feedback (obviously) but the Mustang has much more low end.

Purchased used from a drummer no longer interested in playing guitar...in very bad shape when I got it. Needed setup, cleaned, restrung and de-rusted. Very solid body and neck, heavy wood.

Neck was broken-in well, very playable and comfortable once setup. No dead spots or fret buzz, sounds good with a variety of string gauges (For anyone complaining about a "thin" sound try Ernie Ball Skinny Top, Heavy Bottoms to fill the sound out). Short-scale neck is a comfortable fit for smaller hands like mine.

One position in the neck pickup switch stopped working recently, most probably due to a loose wire. Anything but the slightest movement on the virbrato seems to knock it out of tuning. Bridge cover is useless too, vibrates audibly when put on.

Easily withstands live playing, I see them from time to time being used onstage by players into non-standard sounds. They were an unbeatable bargain but since Cobain started using them prices have gone up. They are still a lot of value for the dollar though, and I would recommend them to anyone who wanted a fender sound that's a bit unique in its own right. With the Twin Reverb's EQ I can get close to the sounds of Jaguars and Strats, but with a little more uniqueness.

Overall this guitar is built like a tank, It would take a serious fall or a hit right on the neck to damage. Previous-owner negligence ignored I would give the guitar an 8.

Never dealt with Fender. I did have an authorized Fender service center set it up and they did a nice job. They also looked into getting a replacement neck, but Fender wanted close to $300.

I've been playing for almost 4 years now, this was my second guitar. This has been my primary guitar but I've also played a '66 Vox Hurricane, a '62 Jaguar Reissue (90's Japan), a '69 Tele Thinline reissue, a cheap (in a good way) Japanese Harmony Rocket copy and a '73 Fender Musicmaster Bass.

The Mustang by far has been the most comfortable to play, with the Jaguar coming in a close second. The Jaguar however, had all kinds of Bridge problems, dirty pots and switches and a malfunctioning tremelo bar. The tele is fantastic for what it does, yet has a very limited tone-range compared to the Mustang.

I would definitely get another if this one were lost. My favorite features are the phase/pickup switches, the tele-style knobs and the short-scale neck.

The only thing I wish it had would have to be room for a third pickup (humbucker). As it stands it sounds too good to risk removing either one.

Don't let anyone tell you that Mustangs are not "pro guitars". There is no such thing as a "pro guitar", that's marketing hype and technical wankery speaking. A guitar should be about producing tones and textures that feel and sound right to YOU.

Anyone that tells you that a Mustang isn't a real guitar is a gear-snob elitist and can take their mullet and go speed-solo for 5 hours. Trust your ears, not the hype.

They definitely aren't the best guitars in the world, but never claimed to be. They are simply an outstanding value with solid tone, good looks, and true playability.

My mustang is a '69 competition blue model, with the racing stripe and matching headstock. I bought it with the original hard shell case, which you tell by the smeel of it. I bought this guitar when I used to be totally devoted to Nirvana. I used to be a big pain in ass about staying in tune, but not it stays in tune pretty well. It has the smallest nice I've ever seen, and I love it. The only thing I replaced was the bridge pickup, it sounded pretty bad. I replaced it with a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails, which sounds pretty nice. I left the original neck pickup in, and it sounds great.

I play a wide variety of music, and I can find all the sounds I want on this guitar. Right now I playing through a Mesa/Boogie Studio .22 amp. I just been using a Boss DS-1 for distortion lately, and it sounds pretty good.

The action could use a little work. It's kind of high because of the bridge setup they have on this guitar, but other than that it's fine.

I haven't had any problems with it yet, and it already over 30 years old. So I would say it's pretty reliable.

Never dealt with them.

If anything ever happened to this guitar I would probably try and look for another one.

'66 Mustang, 2 single-coil pickups, each with three way selector. F-tuners, F-neck plate, Pat. Pend. vibrato. Refinished in Magenta w/ matching headstock, replacement decal. The finish is chipping in a few places, and the original sonic blue shows through, so I figure that the black pickguard is a replacement. The cool guy before me cut part of the pickup covers off so that the polepieces are now exposed. Original bone nut, worn frets but it still has good intonation.

Both pickups in-phase sounds brilliant. All that Fender magic. The other positions are pretty useless, but with the exception of the pickups of a '53 Tele combined, I've never heard a finer example of Fender sparkle.

When I got it, it buzzed a little, but I tilted the bridge a bit, and now it's perfect. The frets are worn pretty badly, but it holds it intonation after 34 years, so it's all good. The nut is a very aged (original) piece of bone, perfectly cut for 10-46s. The neck feels oh-so-great. I love it.

This guitar is a beast. During one show it survived 2 Thurston Moore noise solos and 90 minutes of standard playing...I never had to retune. This thing has lasted 34 years and will probably stand another 50. I replaced the strap buttons with washers, but that's my standard trick. I would definetly gig it without a backup if I had to, but I have an old beat-up P-90 SG for that.

Never talked to Fender.

Been playing for nearly 3 years, own 8 guitars. This is easily my favorite. It sounds brilliant through my '68 Bassman and my new '64 Super Reverb. I want a million of them now.

I've got a 1976 US fender mustang, all black, non original P/U's, it's missing the whammy bar but i'm looking for one now, tuners replaced at least twice, came with original case

kinda tinny, but cool in its on way, i use a fender princeton chorus and this combo rocks, i play everything from beatles to experimental noise and the mustang does it all

Un-original p/u's that i'd like to replace soon, it's a little dinged up but i consider it "character"

used it live on various occasions, its been dropped and takes a beating, i'd use it live without a backup if nescessary (done it before)

have you ever tried to get anything from fender?

Been playing for 5 years and i prefer this to any other guitar i've had. If i could ever find another original i'd buy it on the spot. What can i say, i'm a fender addict

Japanese Reissue in Sonic Blue w/ tortuise pickguard. 2 single coils..short scale neck...got it over ebay but in mint condition. Came with original black hardshell case. Pickup switch for each pickup tons of combinations.

This guitar sounds amazing! the only thing it's bad is for playing hard distortion. The bridge pickup is a little weak for that type of music...it's not bad on it's own just for that style. So i'm putting in a dimarzio super distortion. GOt that great fender tone. NOt even that noisy as you would think for single coils. Bright sound but can get dark on neck pickup. Very versatile guitar. I love my mustang to death!

action was a little low but that's standard for these guitars. Had to raise it and its' great now. Pickups adjusted great. Everything was awesome.

this guitar is light and short scaled but i know it will take a beating....i changed the strap buttons to strap locks cuz i do that standard with every new guitar i get. This is my 5th guitar and my absolute favorite. It's my dream guitar. Would def. use it without backup but bring one anyways..cuz you never know what's gonna happen.

never dealt with them....from what i've heard.....never want to

i've been playing 5 years and have been waiting each one very long to achieve a Mustang. Finally i've found one thats' gorgeous and exactly what i wnted and could actually afford it. The other guitars i use are 2 Fernandes's. A strat copy and a jaguar copy. This guitar is the best ever made....hands down!

1969 Fender Mustang. Made in the U.S. 22 frets. Volume, tone, and two three way pickup selector switches (in phase / off / out of phase). 2 origional pickups. Standard Mustang hardware. I feel that the in phase / out of phase switches are totally useless. I leave them both on (in phase) all the time. One switch is going bad (after only 31 years...) Nothing special, but it works.

I like it a lot. It's the sports car model of guitars: small, fast and light. I use mostly a Rat Distortion box and a Boss Digital Delay / Reverb stompbox. My main amp is a Roland Blues Cube 30. I like the amp / guitar setup. The pickups tend to be a little noisy, and the amp is able to take out some of the noise while keeping a cleaner, brighter sound. Overall it has a very good sound for me.

The guitar buzzed real bad when I got it, but after a little tune up and some heaver strings it turned out real good. Flaws: The guitar had a hard life before I got it. It was refinished in a purple color, and that has a couple of dings in it (on the back). All the finish on the back of the neck has been worn off (sanded off?), and someone sanded off the "mustang" logo on the front of the neck and painted over it. It doesn't look that good, but it still plays great.

The hardware seems like it's wearing out. The frets need replacing, and it needs one of the pickup switches replaced. But, I can't really complain because all of that is origional hardware, and it's lasted 31 years... With few repairs, it should last a few more years.

n/a

I've been playing for about a year and a half. This is the only guitar I've ever owned, and I love it to death. If it was lost or stollen I would buy another one without a second thought. I've played some other cheap guitars that my friends own, and this is still my favorite. Things I like about it: it's light, it has a short neck, and it sounds great. Things I don't like about it: It's very old and switches / pots are starting to die on me, it needs new frets, and the tremolo is totally useless (one tap on that and everthing is out of tune!). Still a great guitar.