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

A Fender Competition Mustang made in Japan 2002. Features two tone and one volume, and two single coil pickups. Basswood body, maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard with 22frets.

The neck is thin and nice. I really love it.

It sound ok to me. It's a little bit noisy. I'm using a Fender Twin Reverb and it's sounds good togther. I don't think it's the best solo guitar on the market, but it's ok.

I've been playing it live a couple of times and it has never let me down. I can depend on it and i know i can use it live without a backup. The finish seems to be good and i think it will last for a couple of years.

I bought it a couple of months ago and it's my first Fender guitar. I've been playing on a Squier Strat for some years, but nothing beats my Mustang.

I owned at one time three USA made Fender Mustangs '64, '65, and '66. I sold the '64 because it had an "A" size neck which was too small for my hands. The '64 and '65 have "B" size necks which are wider at the nut and I love 'em! Although they have 22 frets they are SMALL scale guitars. Some reviewers think that scale length is measured by number of frets but the true measure of scale length is in the scale length...duh! In other words measure from nut to bridge. This distance on the Mustang is significantly shorter than the Strat by more than an inch. If you have a "regular" length neck on an original Mustang body you must sound like crap because your intonation (and neck joint) must be seriously compromised. My dream is to put a Mustang Vibrato on a "regular sized" Start body but until I get a wood shop I'm "stuck" with a small scale, not that I mind much. Although the small scale has no real effect on tone it does affect the "feel" of the guitar. It results in easier chording if you have difficulty stretching to reach frets on a Strat (or similarly scaled guitar), and easier string bending (the shorter the string the less distance you have to bend the note to alter pitch). If you play many guitars you may find you need a slight period to adjust to the different scales. Some people with large hands may even have difficulty fitting their fingers into a chord. The soft radius is extremely comfortable but not real good for bottleneck or slide playing. The two slide switches are effective but poorly placed and too small for quick changes. The single volume and tone knobs are hard plastic (The '64 even had metal knobs like on a Duosonic or Telecaster)and are fully functional. They're mounted on a metal plate similar to a Fender Bass. The "offset waist" bodies are made of basswood slabs glued together and are more attractive than the Strat. In fact they are the most classically beautiful electric bodies I've ever seen. The arm contour on the upper body was not available until the '69 Competition Mustang (the one with the stripes). The fretboards are slabs of nice brown rosewood that feel wonderful. The frets are low and comfortable with no sharp edges and the adjustable action is set fairly low. You may find a higher action will help if you get a string buzz with heavier strings. Some guitars BEG for heavy strings but the Mustangs really don't. Again, that's the beauty of the short scale. I've got two string trees on mine but they may have come with only one. The "dynamic vibrato" is also one of the high points of these guitars. The direct pull makes for a soft even response and the rounded "lipstick tube" anchor makes for a great palm rest. The tremolo arm does not screw in, it just sets in place in the anchor. If you move around a lot when you play you may just find yourself reaching for something that's no longer there. I (and almost everyone else I've talked to about it) feel there's absolutely no need for the arm itself. Vibratos are easily expressed by shaking your palm on the rounded anchor. The tuners are replacement Schallers that are effective. I did have the original tuners on the '64 and they were fine too.

The Mustang has two single coil pick-ups. They are noisy but fully sweet toned. A bit trebly but back off the tone and volume a tad and you'll find a NICE big sweet spot. People who associate the Mustang with Kurt Cobain aren't really appreciating the guitar's tonal characteristics. Kurt himself was dissatisfied with the bridge single coil for his grunge style, prompting him to replace it with a humbucker. I like the sound of the single coil but it does lack the punch for high gain playing. Instead it offers up a variety of smooth mellow single coil sounds with the distinctive "phase" options. John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a more appropriate Mustang user. His playing highlights the complete separation of individual notes within a chord. Although he uses it in a rock setting, it is most utile in jazz, r&b, and country. In short, it is a soft subtle guitar meant to be heard, not overdriven. It is not for everyone but if you like lots of clean sounds with less brashness than a Strat, this may be the guitar for you.

The Mustang has a truly unique vibrato. I have heard many complaints about it but I LOVE it! Some people say it won't stay in tune but I gotta remind you it's not meant to be used as a dive-bomber. I have never had any problems with tuning and I use the vibrato often (but maybe more subtly). The replacement tuners might help, but even my '64 with original tuners had no such problem. It raises or lowers the pitch evenly and effectively. The frets are clean, well rounded, the neck, smooth and fast. Electronically the guitar needs help with the grounding. A short bit of wire from the pickup to the metal control plate will help reduce the noise. The pick-ups are non-adjustable but the bridge is. Originally the Mustang came with strings wrapped around the bottom of the "lipstick tube" anchor but many people modified it by turning that anchor around and running the strings directly through. Tonally there is no difference except for maybe more stretch in pulls with the original set-up due to a longer string length. The modified set-up does aid in string changes if you change strings "en masse". The vibrato needs some string pull to keep the anchor off the body to allow the ball end to slip under it in the original set-up. Since I change strings one at a time I have never had this problem. The slide switches are crappy. They don't set into their positions cleanly and no amount of "cleaner" will help that. Live with it.

Despite it flaws (I call them quirks!) this is a reasonably reliable guitar. The bummer is the switches, which may prevent you from making a lot of mid-song changes in pick-ups or phasing. Everything else is solid and durable...after all, these guitars are ALMOST as old as I am and still working well! In the appropriate setting there is no need for a back-up unless you need a humbucker's crunch. There is a wide range of clean single coil sounds...phased or not.

These guitars are rare (at least in Northern New England). I brought my '64 to Daddy's Junky Music Store in Portland, Maine and they thought I had a Japanese rip-off. Of course the salesman was half the age of the guitar so he didn't know any better. In fact, he had never seen one before. The epitome of lousy customer service, he didn't even refer me to a manager who might have done some research on his own. He just said "No, we're not interested" and went on to the next person. Feeling humiliated, I returned just as they were closing up and tried to slip him some information under the door but by then he must have been feeling threatened by my outrage. On the other side of the coin, I had the pickguard replaced on my '65 (the original had shrunk)at Buckdancer's Choice in Portland, Maine. They did a magnificent job. In short, don't bring this guitar to a "sales" shop if you need work done on it. They WON'T know what to do with it. Instead bring it to a "service" shop. Even they may not know what to do with it but your chances are much better. The phase switches and wiring are fairly complex and the common modifications to the vibrato make this guitar harder to work on than other guitars...leave it to the pros...if you can find one. I have found some parts available through catalogs, but I haven't been able to find any in stores.

This is an awesome guitar for beginners, people with small hands, and experts who like a variety of clean sounds. I think it's the best sounding guitar I've ever played but I also realize it's limitations. Depending on your style of playing this guitar can either be the greatest guitar ever made (which it is for me) or the lousiest dog in the closet (which it would be for a metal head). It plays fast, bends easily, has a great light body, and a FANTASTIC vibrato. It is tremendously comfortable standing or sitting and has accessible frets due to the double cutaway. If you're about flash and gain, effects and crunch this guitar is not for you. However if you like style AND substance and a pretty set sound, this guitar can't be beat! It is rare, well-made, great looking and great sounding. I LOVE the Mustang.

Mine's a 1970 USA Mustang, with 'competition' stripes. It's a lovely blue. The exact same guitar as seen in the 'teen spirit' video all those years ago... how I smiled on seeing it for the first time. :D

It's all original, barring one rewound pickup and a new scratchplate (the original expired after inadvertantly setting fire to the guitar).

The features are entirely adequate for a range of uses. I particularly like the choice of phasing between pickups; adds variety to the tone. Switchgear isn't the best quality, but is supremely functional.

Crap noisy pickups, if I'm being honest. Otherwise, it's lovely. I've used it with many amps over the years, but it sounds best with a nice phat valve amp. Plug it into a Fender Hotrod Blues Deville for more volume than is really decent, and a tone to die for.

The neck and action of this guitar has defined what I look for in terms of playability. I've never played anything as pleasing.

Having a very small radius neck makes this guitar *hopeless* for slide guitar, but that's ok... just get another for that kinda thing :)

Compared to my '76 Strat (despite it's superior pickups), this wins every time. Hint: it's not the Mustang I'll be selling when I next trade up. For context, I should add that the Strat is *lovely*.

The bridge is still showing rust, but no sign of real deterioration; it's always been like that.

Has been gigged numerous times, on many occasions finding its way into the drumkit at some speed... *nothing* can destroy it. It just keeps going. Never considered a backup, cos I knew it'd do the business.

As indicated above, I did have to get a pickup rewound after about 5 years of ownership, but (as also noted) they were cheap pickups in the first place.

The paintwork has taken a battering, and has flaked or worn away in the usual places, but overall the guitar was made to last. It's marginally older than I, yet in considerably better shape. :)

As noted above, I did once accidentally set fire to the instrument. The scratch plate was totally destroyed, but otherwise the guitar seemed not to notice...

No idea about Fender themselves. I did deal with Arbiter, the spares distribution company in the UK, when I needed to replace the scratch plate. I have no real recollection of whether they were any good or not, so I guess they were adequate.

I learnt to play 17 years ago, aged 15, and bought the Mustang at 18. At the time I wanted a Jazzmaster (and I still do!), but the Mustang has seen me through in splendid style.

I should really fit some decent pickups, get it re-fretted, and respray the body, but it's hard to justify the expense... i rarely play electric guitar these days. :(

I shall never sell it.. I'm sure there are finer instruments, but it's got a special place in my life.

mine is an original Leo Fender 1965 pre-CBS Mustang
22 frets (not that short-skale thing)
got a Tone and Volume control and two 3-way- switches fpr the PUs
Two Single Coils

I bought this guitar in used condition and first time I played it, I was very unsatisfied.
But then after I adjusted the Neck, the Stings, the Frets and all other stuff this guitar ist great!
Turn on both PUs and you get a full sound, with lots of Bass, Mids and Treble. Great for playing without Effekts, just directly into my ProReverb. The bridge PU gives a thin sound with less Bass and lots of treble, great for Tube-Distortion and my 70s BIG MUFF.
The Out of Phase is great for playing hard distortion. I get that chonk, but it doesn't sound muddy. Even Metallica Songs can be played with that setting! (Marshall Drive-Master + Tube Distortion)

The only guitar that could make me happy like this is the Fender Jag-Stang.

Well, it's an original Leo Fender guitar.. nothing to complain about!
I got an original old neck, an old non-contour-body and everythings really old and original ! Be shure that you don't got those lousy late '65 Models which were produced under CBS, they got a bad finish.

hmm.. 1965-2005 = 40 years.. I think this is pretty fine for a guitar :) and it is still alive and will hopefully be there for me in 20 years, too. :)

Every part of those old guitar can still be bought through the Fender All-Parts Service. I had to replace my 3-way-switches but couldn't find some at different electronic-stores. Then I found Fender All-Parts and: I could order those switches. But very exspensive..

I'm playing this guitar for one year now and fell in love after the first week. I wish I had bought it earlier.
If this one would be stolen or lost I could kill myself!
This ony is mine and no other can make me happy like this one.
The fantastic Dakota Red, nearly no dings or dongs. This one is in really perfect condition!!

Mine is a '65 with a slab body. Everything original except the scratchplate, I think. Two single coils, short scale neck, cool floating tremolo, Kluson tuners. Oh, yeah, the white finish is not original either. Good basic guitar that makes the most of two single coil pickups.

I like indie rock/alternative and this guitar fits the stuff like a glove. I traded a '74 Gibson SG to a friend to get $400 cash PLUS this guitar. The SG is a great guitar, no doubt, but I was looking for character and this guitar has it in spades. The sound is somewhere between a snarl and a twang if you play it just slightly overdriven with both pickups in phase. This is my fave sound, though the neck pickup alone is as smooth and bluesy as any other Fender neck pickup. The tremolo is great for authentic surf or 80's goth and is superior to the Strat trem. People going out of tune must be pulling a Steve Vai. This is not your everyday guitar. It strays from the more standard sounds of the Strat or Les Paul, but that's why I like it. It's unique enough, but I think, by now, it's becoming a classic in its own right.

My god, I got this in bad shape! It was so neglected before I got it, plus it is 40 years old! I fixed it up a bit, but my crackly switches need to be replaced and my neck needs adjustment. The action needs help. This is wear and tear, plus I'm foolhearty enough to put 12's on it! I used to go with 10's, but I'm pretty much used to 12's now (I got it in summer of 2004), plus 12's sound great. All things considered, this is a servicable guitar, but I hear the necks have a tendency to bow back, which I hope I can fix. Anyway, it's still my main axe, all the same.

I'm optimistic. Once this guitar is set up again and has new switches, it ought to last another 40 years without incident. It's playable after up to forty years of neglect! Everyone knows old Fenders are built like tanks.

I play this through an Ibanez Tube Screamer and old Boss delay into a 100 w Fender Performer (bad amp, I know!). I've played for twenty years. Aside from my early love of Iron Maiden (I still have a soft spot for 'em!), this guitar would have been a perfect guitar for me if I had gotten it as soon as I started playing! It would have been great for all the classic rock I liked while I also liked Maiden(!), the punk rock I got into after that, the 80's alternative I got into after that, the 90's grunge and alternative I had been waiting for up to that point, and it's great for a lot of new stuff like the Hives, Modest Mouse and Franz Ferdinand. From the beginning, I played in my own bands, doing our own music, and a lot of that time, when I wished my sound was a better balance between the typical finesse of the Fender sound and a more aggressive growl, this would have been the guitar that would've made me happy. Not for everybody, but worth giving a shot if one comes your way. It may have that extra "something" you're looking for. Plus, I have a pre-CBS Fender for $600 cdn (I paid $1000 for the SG)! My main guitar for life.

my mustang is from 1965 it has the original single coil pickups.
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. My mustang has a full size neck instead
of the smaller scale and its very similer to an old strat,the neck is very worn and smooth and makes for very fast playing abality,the action is very low and flat and makes playing very effortless. It has the original standard white plastic fender tuners and for some odd reason they keep my guitar in perfect tune at all times even with the floating tremelo. the butt of the neck is stamped dec.65.
the only real problem i have with this guitar is,i have difficulty
using the pickup switches and playing at the same time however its just something i am getting used to,i have played this guitar for 2 years and it will be my main guitar at every gig for the rest of my life.

this guitar is so versitile!..its so easy to shape the sound of the guitar into what i want,the single coil pick ups in this guitar are very powerfull,i own a gibson sg that i mess around and play from time to time and it cant touch the tone of my mustang. and im not really a gear head or anything like that i like to keep it very simple this is my rig setup(please dont laugh) =).
1. 1965 fender mustang
2. 1967 sunn solarus 100 watt head (all tube)
3. 1960A marshall 4x12 cab
4. prescption electronics yard box fuzz pedel.

i get massive amounts of tone bottom end and a nice bled of trebel as well with this setup. i wouldent suggest using any kind of pedel with a lot of trebel in like an mxr distortion plus or anything cause mustangs have massive amounts of twang and highend.
i have the bass on my amp all the way up and the bass on my yard box
almost half way up so really to get a classic,rich tone from these guitars your just gonna need a pedel with some balls. and some time to spend tweaking your amp =)

my mustang has the orginal finish and looks like it has been to hell and back. it used to be white and now over the years it has turned to a nice shitty yellow. this is prolly the most beat to crap insterment i have ever seen in my entire life! sometimes paint falls off of it when i am giging with it! the bridge is slightly rusty all the screws are rusty and the back of the tuners are rusty i think rust is holding the damn thing together! people laugh at this guitar and my amp at every show my band plays..untill they hear it,then they always ask me about it. i think fender did a crappy job with the finish on these guitars even though mine is a pre-cbs i just dont think they really gave a rats ass about it. but i wouldent have it any other way..

you could throw this thing off a building pick it up and play war pigs and go about your buissness,this thing is a freaking tank. it has been the most dependable guitar i have ever owned and i swear by this guitar. i will never gig with out it and it someone stole it i would kill myself.

i have had no experiance with these people. i have never had to call them for any reason.

i have been playing for 13 years
i absolutly love this mustang
i will say they are not for everyone
but i will be burried with mine.

1968 USA Competition Mustang (matching head)
22frets
original pick ups.
This is my main axe. Don't laugh! Because I make it sound better
than my Gibson SG & Gretsch Duo Jet. I've been using it for 6 years. This guitar is my signature. It creates cheap vintage sound and bandmates and most of musicians/sound engineers love this guitar
over SG & Duo Jet when I play.

Sounds little thin when it's plugged directly to my '65 Twin and 60's
Ampeg Jet. But with Pro Co Rat makes it dirty! Fuzz? oh yeah!!
Small Stone phaser gives warm and rich fat tone! Even the powerless single coil of this guitar can make sweet sound. You have to find a niche. Try not to sound too trebly. It is trebly to begin with. I use vintage pedals and amps to play with this. If you want to play safe,
I do not recommend Mustangs. If you are adventurous, you can spend some time with it and find distinctive sound of your own. With right
effects & an amp, you can appreciate the underrated guitar such as
Mustang. Style of music matters to this guitar. I play funky, dubby
Spacy with Envelope filtered freaky stuff. Also good for alternative
music.

With a small hand like I have, it's perfect to play chords.
Tuning is pain.... It's so hard to tune with floating bridge.
I luckily found this one in great condition. Many scratches but
neck was straight and everything was working great.

Because of light and very simple features, you can bang this guitar
on stage and throw it on the floor, it doesn't break. ha ha. Even if
it breaks, it's easy to fix. I wouldn't do that to Gibson or Gretsch.

Not for everyone, but for me, this Mustang is very special.

USA, 1966. I bought it in a wave of nostalgia. 30 years ago I dropped my gibson sg and the head broke off. ( Before strap locks that I always use now.) Gibsons still have the same flaw!
I paid too much and had to refinish it. I played it and recalled its lmitations, the vibrato is crap, the tuners are crap and the pickups are too quiet. It however light and " has a sound" as my studio guy says.I'm being gentle.

It has substandard pickups. However it is light ( poplar body folks!) and the neck is great. It has been refinished in nitrocellious oxide and looks good now. It hangs on the wall as a tribute to the refinisher. I would never use it live.

Leo has it figured out when it came to mass production. This was an entry level guitar and the components are cheap. It has rusted a bit but it still sounds like a mustang. It has a nice clean sound, no sustain and no distortion sound. Add a few million pedals and it might open up. It hangs on the wall and I use teles and les pauls for playing live.

It is already old. What you hear is what you get. I understand Cobain used these as they were cheap and he used to destroy his guitars at the end of the gig. i could never do that. Remember I used to play one live. However I would never do that again. It hangs on the wall. It has held up very well for what it is, an entry level guitar. At least is in not made in indonesia or korea. It is not up to snuff.

The guitar is so old no one may remember them. I love fender and what this has it great playability and good intonation. It looks good on the wall where it will stay until I sell in on ebay.Original tacky orange case too! Shite.

I've played professionally for 30 years. I keep this guitar because i used to use it as a main axe at 17. Nostalgia, not sound.
All I can say is thank God for teles and les pauls. The after market prices for these is insane. There is no " holy grail" of vintage guitars. There is a hum and poor action in most of them. Buy a faded les paul ( fantastic value) or a tele. Don't lust after old fenders, as that is about as logical as wishing to get it on with a grandmother. Skip this one unless you need a conversation piece.

Made: September 1966, USA
Bought: 1998, Istanbul
Originally Dakota Red (badly done), but stripped to natural wood w/ thin matte finish (looks great, but you can see that the body is 3 pieces of wood glued together, but what would you expect?)
(I am of the opinion that there are only two great colours for a guitar: natual wood & black, with candy apple red as a distant third.)
Original bridge, but saddles replaced.
Light as a feather.

The original pups suck - have little to offer, but then they were cheap in 1966. So now they are just 40 year old cheap pups. Kinda jangly but no power - makes it difficult / impossible to switch guitars onstage. The band complains about the tone when I bring it to practice.
This will be a before and after review, as I am about to change both pups, probably get all new wiring too. BUT, love the pup switches, they are so out of the way that I never hit them (well, once). With the original pups, the out of phase setting is the best sound, but the hiss this generates makes it impossible to record.

Second-hand: the poor thing had bee abused and left to die, especially the bridge. Had to cut a new nut - the original was so badly cut, can't imagine why it was still there after 30 years. Tuners were about as cheap as you chould get - and were replaced immediately. Set up is fine now but still a bit low for me. Pickguard is totally warped, bubbles up along the edges b/n screws - propably has since the 60s. Paint job was crap too.

This guitar (despite its faults) was built to last. Probably give it to my daughter one day...and she's only two years old.

After reading everything above, you might think I hate this guitar. Wrong. Bought as a backup for my Tele, I never had great expectations. HOWEVER, the neck is to die for, while the body fits like an old lover. This guitar is the most comfortable I've ever owned. Also own a 68 Mustang bass, which is just as comfy. If it were stolen, I would hunt down the SOB and beat him about the head with my Tele (more wood, greater skull damage). Plus, I will never be able to afford a real vintage guitar, so this is as close as I'll ever get. If you can find one, buy it. DO NOT SETTLE FOR A JAPANESE RE-ISSUE: GET AN ORIGINAL. Be prepared to modify it, but in the end you will fall in love.

Look below for lots of the details. One thing not mentioned is the neck radius of 7.5 and the extremely narrow head nut and the 24.75 inch scale. Very important aspects of this very poorly made guitar. Lots of cheep slip switching that produce one and off and reverse polarity that creates an awful sound. I like the tremlo, lots of fun.

Single coil at it's worst. Don't even think that the polarity switches are of any use. Noisy and painful

Set up from the factory with 10s. You can't use anything lower so if you like light gauge strings (I don't, but I understand your position). Good action and nice playability for lead work. This would be an excellent guitar for lead playing if the pickups were humbuckers. This guitar is a failure for it's target consumers, the beginner guitar player. It was designed to be a 1st guitar/learning guitar with short scale and narrow neck. It fails because the neck radius makes it impossible to play bar-chords easily and the narrow neck makes it very crowded. I have small hands and it's hard for me to play this guitar. There's a good reason why this guitar disappeared for almost 2 decades only to resurrected from the trash by some grunge players. One last important note, adjusting the neck is no simple task on this guitar, go to one of the many Mustang websites to find out how before you buy this guitar, all guitars need adjust sooner or later and this one is no simple turn of the screw.

It's a Fender so it won't give you any problems with the exception of going out of tune. The tremlo is really neat but has been abandoned for a reason. If you use it much, expect to be out of tune soon.

Fender sucks when it comes to support so buy a good product like a MIA Strat

I'm bored and I like play guitars. I've been playing for 20+ years. I've played everything. The best guitars I've own have been my 1969 MIA Strat and my 2002 MIA Strat. Fender does put out some very bad guitars, look at the late 70s and 80s and look at this Mustang series. There is no reason for a guitar costing over $400 to be garbage. I have already sent this guitar back. It's a poor design in guitars and frequently disappears from production for a good reason. In a year this guitar will go out of production again until some "rock-star" starts playing it again and the production line will start of again. I have no idea what the other guys on this review section are talking about when they give this guitar a good rating. I believe that they are from another plant or something. There is no reason to pay more than $150 for a guitar of this quality. Go buy an Ibanez, Epiphone, or even a crappy low end Squire Strat before you waste money on guitar.

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...