Fender Toronado

My Toronado is the American made DE-9000.
* 22 Frets
* Alder Body with the Red Chrimson finish (Really nice you can see the wood grain)
* Maple "C" shaped neck with Rosewood fret board
*DE-9000 Single Dove single coil pickups.
* 3 position switch, similar to a Les Paul
* 2 Volumn and 2 Tone, again similar to the Les Paul
* Comes with 9-42 strings
*Schaller Delux Cast, sealed Tuning heads - Very nice
* 4 ply pick guard
* Jazzmaster head stock - looks really good
* Black painted head stock, I really like the looks
* Side mounted Jack??

It's almost like they wanted it too look like "Fenderish", but with some "Gibson" design stuff

All in all this is a well built guitar, no corners cut. Good equipment. For my self, I replaced the strings with 10-46.

This is where this guitar really shines. A PEavy "starter" guitar can look good, but how does it play?

The DE-9000 Toronado is in a class by it self. Don't be confused into thinking it's a "Fender LEs Paul Jr." copy. It isn't. I own a 1997 american made G&L ASAT (Fender Tele), and a Strat, and have ownd3 a LEs Paul. I wanted a unique sound for some light rock, T&B, JAZZ and Blues. But I didn't want to copy the sound of my Tele, you know what I mean?

I was afraid it would be "Les Paul Jr." Copy, but it isn't. How can I describe it??? It has a sound all it's own. I'd say it's the perfect Blues and Jazz tones. It's Rich and full. It doesn't have the Toanl range of a strat, but then that's not what I wanted. It's the perfect partner for a tele, and would fit nicely into any band.

If Fender was trying to copy the "Jr", they failed- thankfully. The DE-9000 Tornonado is a "voice" unto it's self. It isn't going to be for everyone, but then what guitar is. With the 10-46 strings, she's really awsome.

Noise?? Well it has single coil pickups, so what do you think.

Great Fender Action Everything was fine, but of cousre when you change strings to heavier, you must make adjustments. No flaws, nothing. She isn't flashy, but she's well made with a uniques style. Play her with a good amp and you'll be sold. Do I like her better than my American made G&L ASAT (Leo's last tele), no, I was afarain they would be similar. But they are like two race horses. Each great, but they run their own race

Personally, I think it will run like a throughbred. Last a life time. There was a time I didn't like Fenders. I went to G&L, because they were made by Leo Fender, they way he wanted them made. Pure. Recently, Fender seems to have found teir way back to Leo's original ideas of quality. This guitar is a classic example of that. She isn't flashy, she's a well made work horse, witha voice so unique and sweet you gotta love her. I don't know how the mexican, or the Highway 1 versions are, but if you can afford it, go for the American. For about $400.00 more it's well worth it. Like the original Jazzmaster, The American made Toronado series will be a classic.

Would I use it at a gig with out a back up... sure, Fender built a great guitar here. But I take my G&L ASAT(tele) with me everywhere.

My only dealings with Fender thus far was when I was trying to find out about this guitar. Their Customer Service people don't seem to have an idea how this baby sounds. MAybe they need to get people who actually play, and let them play the different models so they know what's what

The perfect guitar. Classic, stylish, and well built. It isn't a tele, a strat, a Gibson LEs Paul Jr, or even a jazz master. It's new voice, rare among the many imitations, that most of us will enjoy

The Toronado I purchased was made 2001-2002 in Mexico, 22 frets,rosewood fretboard on maple neck, poplar body,2 humbuckers,string thru,I could go on but most of this has already been covered.

The sound is excellent, sonically in between gibsons and traditional fender (strats and tele's), which I think is a great idea! Its unique tone can cover both spectrums ( not to say it sounds like a Les Paul or Stratocaster)but what I mean is this... Try playing a Gibson type song such as Sweet Emotion or maybe Sweet Child-O-Mine (for the older crowd how about Sunshine of your Love) on a Strat... just doesn't sound right. and conversely try playing a Strat tune such as Pink Floyd's Time,Another Brick in the Wall, or SRV and Robert Cray (or any other Strat Blues musicians music) on a Gibby and well...just not quite the same vibe. Now take the Toronado (as I said before, It won't put out the same tones.) Those same songs still sounds good.
My theory on this is the humbuckers give the guitar girth, while the bolt-on thin neck with poplar body balances it out to give it a bit of snap (or twang if you will) The fact that it is a unique sounding instrument is what sold me.

When I bought this guitar it was sitting for probably a year or two.
It had really light strings which I had to replace, the neck had a convex bow instead of concave, not itonated properly, etc. So I took care of that right away. other than that, when I played it at the store, the volume and tone knobs had a bit of scratchy pot noise, but since I've had it home, I haven't noticed this. I am guessing there may have been some dust or dirt that worked off as I used them more.
No real major flaws, no dents, dings, or runs in the finish.

The only concern I have is the saddles look like they won't last, I think they are stamped (for cost savings I am assuming). Other than that, this guitar seems fairly durable and should withstand live playing. I am basing this on my MIM Strat that I have owned for 7-8 years and is still going strong,since the Toro was made in Mexico as well I am assuming the relia/dura is the same.But in all fairness, since I have only owned this guitar just over a week, I can't give a rating at this point.

Too soon to tell, however, I have never had to deal with Mfgs in the 20+ years I have been playing so I hope I don't have to start now.

As I mentioned before I have played for around 20 years. This is probably one of the sweetest axes I have played and probably the best that I have owned thus far. I hope Fender keeps producing this line so if I would ever have to replace it I can. I will not be selling or trading this one, it is a keeper. The only thing I wished this guitar came with was a coil tap, I have a feeling someday I will mod my guitar in this way to get some single coil sounds.

Everyone has covered the basics so I won't re-hash too much. Made in Mexico 2002. 22 frets, heavy solid wood body (poplar I believe?). Mine is Bright Yellow with the stock Fender Atomic Humbuckers. Stock hard-tail string-thru bridge. 3-way selector. 2 volume, 2 tone.

It doesn't have any "special" features but it gets a 10 because it has everything you'd need.

The neck is wide. Small hands, beware. The guitar is also heavy. I consider this a positive. It projects tremendous volume and sound, even when it's not plugged in.

The outrageous colors (yellow, orange, etc) are in keeping with the punk/grunge/distortion friendly nature of this guitar. I think that's what Fender was going for, anyway.

This guitar was not intended to be played clean. The clean sound is acceptable, although quite muddy even with the tone controls set as bright as possible. I am not entirely happy with the clean sound but with the selector in the middle position (both pickups) it is acceptable. This may be a problem with my crappy amp (line 6 Flextone Plus 60) which tends to be muddy.

Distorted, this guitar is wonderful. I'm not talking about a little bit of overdrive, I'm talking loads of distortion. I play through an Interfax Harmonic Percolator and this thing will provide all the punk, grind, and distortion from power chords and solos that you will ever need.

Overall I may install new pickups to add some brightness to the guitar's sound but through the Percolator, this is the best and most versatile guitar for distorted playing in this price range. By far.

I bought the guitar used and, amazingly, have had no problems whatsoever.

If there were any problems from the factory, the original owner must have fixed them.

Ideal for gigging and home defense. Massive hunk of wood.

Never used.

Overall, this guitar does what I want it to do......produce a lot of distortion for fast power chord playing and Shellac-type noise rock.

Sound quality and tone are the most important aspects of my playing, moreso than fancy technique, and the Toronado gives me the hard distortion that I look for.

The clean sound leaves something to be desired, too muddy and not enough high-end clarity, but pickup changes may help.

THIS IS THE 2002 MODEL, ITS ORANGE FINISH IS BEAUTIFUL , IT CAUGHT MY EYE THE MINUTE I ENTERED THE STORE BEING UP ON THE DISPLAY WALL AT THE TOP LAID ON ITS SIDE .
THEYRE ALL MADE IN THE SAME PLACE MEXICO, THEY ALL HAVE 22 FRETS SOME PEOPLE NEED TO ACUTUALLY COUNT THE FRETS.. 2 VOLUME 2 TONE CONTROLS, 3 WAY SELECTOR, PASSIVE ELECTRONICS, THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME WOOD, SAME POLY FINISH. THERES A SMALL GAP ON ONE SIDE OF THE NECK AS WITH ALL THE ONES I VIEWED. IM A STRAT PLAYER WHO PLAYS 5 TO SEVEN DAYS A WEEK OUT PROFESSIONALLY.

THE GUITAR HAS A GREAT SOUND, DEFINETLY A ROCK GUITAR. WE DO VARIOUS STYLES FROM FIFTIES TO ROCK, BLUES AND COUNTRY,ALSO SOME BIG BAND. THIS GUITAR COVERS ALL STYLES WELL, BUT COUNTRY LICKS,ON THE LOWER STRINGS,, THE GUITARS GETS BURIED IN THE MIX, ALL THE TWANG IS THERE BUT AGAIN IF YOU DONT ROLL BACK THE VOLUME IT GETS BURIED,,IT HAS TO MUCH COMPRESSION SOUND , AND I ALSO USE A COMPRESSOR. ITS JUST NOT A STRAT. IF I HAD TO SAY ONE THING POSITIVE,, I LOVE THIS GUITAR.

DISLIKES ARE THESE,,, THE NOISE IN THING, BUZZING ,CHAINSAW SOUND,, I THOUGHT AT FIRST DIFFERENT BUILDINGS GROUND PROBLEMS, NO ITS THE GUITAR, THESE GUYS IN MEXICO CAN PAINT NO DOUBT,, I PAINTED FOR 22 YEARS AND I WAS GOOD ,THEYRE GREAT, BUT THEY CANT WIRE ANYTHING, THE WORKMANSHIP IN THE POT AREA STINKS, LOUSY SOLDERING AND PROBABLY CHEAP POTS BUT THE GUITAR IS WORTH THE HASSLE , THE PICKUP ARE WONDERFUL.

I HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT ON THE SWITCH, ITS REALLY NOISY ,, HELLO LOUD CLUNKING WHEN YOU SWITCH IT MIDSTREAM ALA SRV,,CLUNK BANG RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR SOLO,, ON COUNTRY SOUNDS LIKE SOMEBODY IS WORKING CONSTRUCTION ON STAGE WITH YOU CLUNK , BANG.

ALSO THE SWITCH CAN BE EASILY BUMPED, I SWEAR THEY THOUGHT OUT THE GUITAR IN BODY DESIGN BUT WHEN IT COME TO BEING FUCTIONAL THEY THREW THE PLANS OUT AND JUST COPIED GIBSON. MOVE THAT STUPID SWITCH, AND PUT A BLADE IN THERE NOT THE CRAPPY POLE THING, OBVIOUSLY LES PAUL WAS A GUITAR PLAYER AND NOT A DESIGNER, AND OBVIOUSLY LEO WAS A DESIGNER AND NOT A GUITAR PLAYER.

ID HAVE TO GIVE IT A TEN DESPITE MY COMPLAINTS, SHORT SCALE,NEW PICKUPS AND NEW BODY DESIGN ALONE WARRANT THE RATING.
BUT IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, EVERYTHING COPIES A FENDER OR A GIBSON, EVEN THE COMPAINES GET IN A BOX AND COPY THEYRE OWN DESIGN TOO MUCH, THIS TIME THEY CAME UP WITH SOMETHING UNIQE AND IT CANT BE CALLED A COPY , THEYFORE WHEN YOU THIS MEX GUITAR YOU BOUGHT AND ORIGINAL.
THE OBVIOUS THING TO ME IS THAT THE QUAILTY CONTROL DEPT HEAD NEEDS FIRED BADLY, BECAUSE HES SLEEPING ON THE JOB, THE HUM PROBLEM IS OBNOXIOUS, AND THE CASE THING THEY DONT MAKE ONE , WHY DID THEY INCLUDE THE GIG BAG ? YOU CANT FIND A CASE.
BUT HAVING AND EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF CASES I HAVE A ANSWER FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE SUFFERING. TAKE YOUR FENDER HARDSHELL CASE LAY THE GUITAR IN IT AND YOU WILL FIND THE UPPER BOUT IS THE MAIN PROBLEM.
TO CORRECT THIS TRACE ON THE CARPET , THEN TAKE A SINGLE BLADE CUT THE LINING ON THE BOTTOM OF THE CASE , CAREFULLY PULL IT LOSE ROLLING IT UPWARD , THEN TRIM THE STYRYFOAM TO FIT THE GUITAR, REGLUE THE CARPET WHICH THEYRE WILLBE PLENTY, AT THE HEADSTOCK TRIM CUT THE CARPET AND TRIM THE FOAM ONCE AGAIN ABOUT A INCH, ALSO AT THE NECK JOINT SAME PROCEDURE ABOUT ONE INCH REGLUE ALL SEAMS AND YOU HAVE A CASE. NOW YOU HAVE A CASE FOR MIMIAL EFFORT AND WHEN THESE FOOLS AT FENDER TRY LATER THIS YEAR TO OVERCHARGE YOU FOR THE NEW CASE THEY MAKE, THEYLL HAVE A TON OF THESE THINGS SITTING ON THE SHELF.

IVE BEEN USING IT NITELY AND HAVING PICKED UP MY AMERICAN STRAT SINCE, I DO THIS TO GIVE IT A REAL SHOT AT GETTING FRIENDLY WITH IT. I LOVE IT. DESPITE ITS COMPRESSED SOUND WHICH I REALLY EXPECTED, ITS WONDERFUL.
NOW FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME, IM OVERWEIGHT, AND THIS THING WRAPS AROUND MY BELLY PERFECTLY, THE OFFSET WAIST THING IS GREAT TOO, AND THE WEIGHT OF THE GUITAR IS PERFECT NITE AFTER NITE.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, 22 YEARS OF BODY AND PAINT WORK HAS GIVEN MY FINGERS ARTHRITIS AND SHORT SCALE TENSION ON THE GUITAR HAS WORKED WONDERS FOR MY FINGERS.
IT SUFFERS A LITTLE FOR BRITENESS ON COUNTRY, BUT IF YOU GET TO FEELING DOWN, HIT THE OVERDRIVE AND DIG INTO STEVIE RAY OR SANTANA OPEN THEM POTS ALL THE WAY AND HANG ON, BROTHER THAT SOUND ALONE IS WORTH IT.
DONT LEAVE HOME WITHOUT A BACKUP,, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GUITAR, IF YOU PLAY 300 NITES A YEAR AND BOOK YEARLY CONTRACTS LIKE WE DO BELIEVE ME YOUR CROWDS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN WATCHING YOU , OPEN CASES AND SWITCHING CORDS WHILE SOMEONE APOLOGIZES FOR YOUR MISTAKES.

I HAVE ALOT TO SAY HERE BUT ILL TRY TO CONDENSE THIS. THE TERM CUSTOMER SUPPORT IS A LAUGH,, I DONT CARE IF ITS A GUITAR OR A BLENDER, OR A CAR, IF YOU DONT MIND HEARING PUSH NO 4 THEN PUSH NO 1 AND FINALLY YOU END UP LEAVING A VOICE MAIL, AFTER TALKING TO SOME STUPID COMPUTER , ONLY TO FIND OUT THEY WILL CALL YOU BACK, AND OF COURSE YOU WONT BE HOME, BECAUSE YOU WORK THE SAME HOURS THEY DO, THEN YOU TRAVEL 30 MILES TO THE STORE TO FIND OUT , YOUR TECH HAS THE DAY OFF OR HE DOESNT GET IN UNTIL 1:00 WE ALL KNOW THE STORE DOESNT OPEN UNTIL 11:OO IN FLORIDA, THEN OF COURSE YOU HAVE TO LEAVE IT,
GUYS ITS A BLOCK OF WOOD, WITH SOME ELECTRONICS LEARN TO FIX IT YOURSELF, BECAUSE WHEN YOU GO TO LOOK FOR THE RECEIPT YOU WONT FIND IT ANYWAY, AND THE GUITAR GOD AT THE STORE,DOESNT KNOW ANY MORE THAN YOU EXCEPT HE HAS A PICTURE BOOK AND A SOLDERING IRON, BESIDES THIS FOOL CAN GET UP AT 10 AND STILL MAKE IT TO WORK , PUT YOU OFF UNTIL GOD KNOWS WHEN , OVERCHARGE YOU FOR SOMETHING YOU COULD DO YOURSELF, AND LOOK AT IT THIS WAY, WHO WILL PAY YOU TO LEARN SOMETHING?
FIX IT YOURSELF, SAVE THE MONEY AND MAYBE YOUR WIFE WONT COMPLAIN SO MUCH WHEN YOU BUY YOUR NEXT GUITAR.

I OWN AMERICAN STRAT, POWERHOUSE STRAT, LOTS OF OTHER EQUIPMENT PA , RECORDING CRAP , COMPUTERS GALORE

This is a 2003made in mexico Bright Orange toronado with atomic HUmbuckers and a string thru bridge. It has a 2 volume and 2 tone controls and a shorter scale lenght than a normal fender (like a jaguar) Rosewood fingerboard and a pretty highly flamed maple neck vintage tuners. the one thing that i really like about this guitar is the bridge its the only guitar in the fender line with a bridge like it

This guitar sounds so much different than other fenders thanks to the humbuckers. I play blues and light rock stuff like the Stones or Tom Petty and this gutar does it good. I play a this and also a strat with texas specials through a Fender "evil" twin with no effects or distortion just a hint of reverb and it sound pretty fucking good. not bright just warm and smooth. I give it a nine because it doesnt sound like any other fender out there

Orange color fits well with the guitar. it was not my first choice but it was the only one they had and it was on sale. set up was not too bad but need a little fixing. i cant find any flaws on it and it plays better than my strat does(the flater fingerboard radius makes bending a sinch)

Solid heavy ass guitar

i have been playing 6 years and am now 18. i cant find a problem with this guitar other than the color. if lost or stolen i probably wouldnt get another id get a G&L or a more up-scale guitar, but for now this suits me just fine.

Really nice heavy piece of alder with a maple neck and wide rosewood fingerboard. Mine is a 2002 Mexican deluxe model and is black (like all of my guitars, I guess it's a Johnny Cash thing)with tortoise shell pickguard. I won't describe what it looks like since you are more than likely either playing one already or currently thinking about playing one and have at least seen it. The guitar also has dual humbuckers and a bolt on neck. I don't know what the scale is since that involves math and I play for fun and math is not fun. Chrome hardware and String-thru-body Hard-tail Bridge.

The instrument sounds a lot different than other Fenders that I own ('62 Jaguar reissue MIJ and a '72 Custom Telecaster reissue MIM). My first impression is that the guitar is best suited for music that requires distortion. Whether it is crunchy riffs or loud leads, the bolt on neck and dual humbucker configuration compliment both. Since I write and play a variety of different types of rock, I can incorporate it into my music rather easily. The guitar appears to be designed for punk rock (or whatever it's being called these days) from a sound standpoint (However I could swear I saw a girl playing one on CMT the other night). Playing it through a clean channel does not produce a real full sound and this is pretty common for a bolt on solid body with dual humbuckers. The biggest thing I noticed about the sound was that the quality was completely different depending on which amp I played through (Really????). The point is that it sounds a lot better through my Fender M-80 than it does through my Carvin SX200. This is relatively common knowledge that Fender designs things this way and should be considered when purchasing this instrument.

Nothing to complain about

This guitar will last in all environments (studio\live). The instrument appears to be durable and dependable. I don't play too many gig's anymore, I'm into home recording. Regardless of that, I would never play a gig without a backup regardless of what guitar\amp I was using on stage.

N\A

I've been playing for about 15 years. I have about 10 guitars of various makes and models, a few bases, a few amps and some recording equipment. I played in bands for about 4 years but hate learning other bands' music so I dropped out of the cover band scene (back in the grunge era) and started writing and recording on my own. My music is based on simple rock, 60's psychadelic blues, merseybeat, punk roots (mod), types of music. I didn't compare the guitar to any others because upside some guitars, it is lacking. Upside other guitars it performs well. I rated it based upon what it really is, a cheaper alternative to high priced instruments and a higher quality alternative to cheaper instrument. It's just a tool for whatever you are trying to get accomplished. If you are going to play in a 10 piece Jazz ensemble, pass this up, wrong tool. If you consistently play and are looking to upgrade from your $150 strat copy that you got for xmas 2 years ago and learned on, this is a far more better purchase than a $2000 Les Paul

Features include 2 nickle or chrome covered humbuckers, a 3 way switch and a poplar body with a sunburst maple top. If you like sunbursts, this is one of the best I've seen and I was happy to pay the extra $40 for it. Otherwise, a simple guitar made in Mexico and with the exception of some sloppy knobs and a cheap jack, a pretty solid piece. Kind of heavy but no worse then some ash Teles I own.

When I tried this guitar out in the stores at low level, I really fell in love with the bridge pickup's clean sound. Very snappy and three dimensional. Almost like a Tele but with more girth. When turned up, it yields typical humbucking squawk but with a neat high end to it. I would definitly consider this pickup for modding a Strat or Tele in the bridge position. In my opinion the name "Atomic" is a misnomer in that this does not come off like some super distortion pickup. The neck pickup is equally articulate and offers fat bell-like sounds that morph into rich overdrive when pushed. The combined pickup setting is not a sound I use much so I'm not really going to say much about it. Having not tried out alot of the boutique humbuckers I'm not going to hand out any 10s here...I'm sure there are alot pickups out there that sound different and better to some ears. Humbuckers are not something I'm well versed in but if you are a single coil player looking for something a little fatter but still with some zing to them, this guitar is one you should look into. Plus, they look neat and are reasonably priced.

Finish: Gorgeous
Action: OK
Fit:?
Quality: needs some minor adjustments and wiring tweaks. My knobs were loose and the plug-in jack cuts in and out...simple stuff but annoying. I can fix it myself...no big deal in a $500 guitar. One thing that does bother me is the Gibson scale. I did not think this would bother me but I do find myself over bending. If you are used to Gibsons, this is no big deal.

I guess I should have left my quibbles for this section...wiring, loose knobs etc. Otherwise, typical Fender slab of wood that sounds real good.

I've not spoken to anyone about the guitar so I would not know how Fender is to deal with.

Good! I love the way it looks and sounds and with a little attention and tweaking, it would be just fine. If you have to have feather weight guitars, this may not be for you. While I prefer light guitars, some of my heavier ones sound real good, just different. Overall, a good guitar that allows a Fender player to wander into Humbuckerville without too much culture shock.

I bought my Toronado 8 months ago, it's grey pewter & i love the body shape, chrome everything, strings thru body (great thing if your used to your Floyde rose going horribly out of tune when you snap strings)nice neck & the tuners on mine seem to be ok,& damn these pickups are fantastic on this axe!!

This guitar sounds great considering the price, i wa looking for a humbucker equipped guitar & this thing has everything i need sound wise. I play mostly Rock, Blues, jazz & it does it great.

Heres where i was worried waiting for my guitar to come in (it was on order) But upon picking it up, i quickly pulled it out of the gig bag supplied and gave it a good looking over & was suprised to see everything was fine, action & setup was good & no marks or dents anywhere.

Been using it as one of my main two guitars whilst gigging & it has never let me down.

Fender have always returned my emails even when im asking pretty pointless questions so that goes for something.

i have a '99 mexican toronado. 22 frets, 2 humbuckers, 2 tone 2 volume controls. i dont know what kind of bridge, but it is alright. The neck is very wide, i like this but if you have small hands i would watch out for this. i would compare it maybe to a gibson firebird neck on the subject of wideness.

p.s. THIS GUITAR IS VERY HEAVY, LIKE A LES PAUL.

I play rock-blues-classic rock. I am using a Carvin 100watt solid state and a little vox 15 watt. The sound from the humbuckers are very fat. If you want something like sabbath this is a good guitar. it sounds alright when it is clean but is better for crunch.

this is kind of a problem for me. First, two of the tone knobs came off and i tried to use a little bit of glue on the screw but it came off again! next the switcher for pickups had a little washer/screw thing that fell off that i had to replace. lastly, the low E tuner has been bent and turns really weir. None of these affect the tone of the guitar but when you buy this guitar remember, it was built in mexico.

I have been playing for over 3 years and this guitar has been good. I prefer my '70 SG over it but it is a good guitar to play around with. Its got a good tone, especially with heavier strings - i prefer GHS boomers .11's these work very well

Mine's a stock 1998, Candy Apple Red, Mexican-made model which is so ultra-cool I decided to give it a self-indulgent "10" rating in this category.

I would like to take this opportunity to retract a remark I made in a previous review.

At one point I made a comment stating that the Toronado "wouldn't be well suited for anything considered clean" but have since discovered this not to be the case while using my Toronado in a dual purpose role lately...

Of course the bridge pickup is predictably fantastic for an all-out rocking tone and for this it continues to perform exceptionally well. The only problem was that I also needed a usable clean sound. I turned to the neck pickup for this and discovered that it also worked great for phenomenally clean rhythm playing!

Backing off the volume on the neck pickup sweetens it up remarkably well... and I'm not just talkin "good enough" here, but rather that it has impressed me as being "excellent"! Rhythm playing is a delight and chords ring out with pleasantly smooth texture.

Sure, you can always crank the volume back up for that fat powerful tone, but if you need a tone that will allow you to play with a little more "finesse", then I can vouch for the Toronado's ability to get that too!

I would like to point out one problem I've had with the Toronado: It's size!

The Toronado does not fit in any standard Fender hardshell case (it's much wider than most other Fender guitars), but hopefully this will soon change with the all new "American Special" Toronado. I suspect that they will have a case available to fit that guitar.

In the meantime I have discovered an good alternative...

Musician's Friend (www.musiciansfriend.com) sells a hardshell case that works pretty good. It's not perfect, but with a little padding it works out well with the Toronado.(much better than a gig bag anyway)!

As I briefly noted in my first review...

I must reiterate that a high quality amp is a must for getting the best results. I mainly use this guitar with two of my amps: a Mesa/Boogie Rect-O-Verb and a Carvin X-60A. For all out rocking the ROV works great, but for my "dual purpose" role I prefer the Carvin.

I also own several other guitars. You can see a pict of them at: http://members.aol.com/danzprod/MyGuitars.jpg

As you can see I have several guitars to choose from, so I can pick and choose what I want to play at any given time. Still, when I need a good all-around player I know I can count on my Toronado to fit the bill.

Anyway, I can truly say that I have nothing but good things to say about my Toronado and I still love it!

It is a brand new (not sure of the year, and Fender's website doesn't have a serial number lookup that I can find) Fender Toronado, made in Mexico. In my opinion, the extra money you would pay to get any Fender product made in the US is a waste, they sound practically the same. All the features can be found on Fender's site, so just go there if you want anything more specific that what I type. It has dual Atomic Humbuckers, a volume and tone control for each, and a 3-way pickup selector. I believe the body is Poplar, and the fretboard is Rosewood. It has a solid black finish, and a red speckled 3-ply pickguard. It has the same style body as a Jazzmaster and a Jaguar with a string thru body, non-tremolo bridge. It has Fender vintage tuners (stays is tune quite well) and came with a Deluxe gig bag. It has all the exact features I was looking for in a guitar (dual humbuckers, dual vol. and tone controls, 3-way selector, and non-tremolo bridge). The only thing that would have been cool are pickup taps, but I really don't need those at all.

My style ranges from classic rock, to metal, and to punk. The Toronado works great for all of those. I've used it through my Fender Princeton 65, my friend's Peavy 2x8, and my friend's Marshall valvestate half-stack. I only use 1 effect, distotion, and my amp and the Marshall have footswitches, so I use those when playing through them. When I'm on the Peavy, I use a DOD grunge distortion pedal (also my friend's). Personally I just like the built in distortion better. It is not noisy at all, on any setting, and I have trouble getting feedback from it. It has a very rich and full sound when on the neck pickup or both. The bridge pickup sounds okay when the tone is not all the way up, somewhere are 3 or 4 sounds good (hard to tell what it's at with tele knobs), but the bridge pickup sounds not very good when you play stuff on lower strings... don't use the bridge pickup for power chords, it'll just sound like crap. The neck pickup sounds great, no matter where you're playing on the neck. I usually play with both pickups selected to get a fuller sound. I absolutely love the sound of this guitar.

I think the place where I bought the guitar adjusts the action, setup, and pickups, but it's all done excelently, no fret buzz, and the strings are quite close to the neck. No flaws in the wood. The frets could have been cut shorter, but they feel better than other Fenders I've played

The thing's built like a tank. I can't think of anything that would fail, the finish looks solid, and the pickup selector doesn't feel or look like it would break. The strap button are very solid. I don't have another electric so I kinda have to gig w/o a backup, but I have to qualms about that.

never dealt with them, but I heard they're good. It comes with a lifetime warranty.

I've been playing for about 4 years, and own a Martin DM with an under the bridge pickup, and a Fender Princeton 65 amp. If it were stolen, I'd hunt down and rip the theif apart piece by piece with my bare hands, and then dump him/her in the Ohio river, but that's just because they had stolen something expensive from me. I'd definitely get aother one though, it's a great deal for a guitar that sounds so great. The only think I don't like is the sound of the bridge pickup when playing power chords, or anything low... it sounds like a muffled strat (and I hate strats). I love having a tone and volume control for each pickup. It sounds pretty good compared to other guitars with dual humuckers, dual vol & tone controls, and a non-tremolo bridge. Other guitars like that that I can think of are SG's and Les Paul's. The Les Paul is too heavy, so the Toronado wins by default. The Toronado doesn't sound as good as the SG in my opinion, but it is a few hundred dollars cheaper, and a few hundred dollars is a lot for a 17 year old.

Well, this is either an early 2002 or one of the last 2001's sold. I think it's probably a 2001, I got it around the turn of the year. So yeah, not that it makes a huge difference. 22 frets. It has a decently wide neck, (which is a good thing) it's wide enough to easily be able to be sure you're where you wanna be without interfering with the other strings and still thin enough that you don't murder your wrist hitting some weird chord that requires your fingers to be in four very different spots at once (ya gotta love those :) ) There are two pickups describes as "atomic" pickups, i'm not really sure what that's supposed to mean. I'm not even which fender-owned company makes these beasts, especially since there really isn't anything else like it used in the fender guitars that I'm familiar with. (They're both covered humbuckers) The knobs are set up like a les paul's, two tone/two volume, but the knobs are solid metal, not the weird plastic ones they use in les pauls or the crappy strat ones. That's definitely a plus. (I keep reffering to les pauls because the Tornado seems to be fenders attempt to blend the strat and les paul into one superguitar) There's no numbers, but you don't really need those anyway. It's got an interesting bridge design. It's a string thru-body, but it's shaped a little different. The strings load pretty much like a lot of schecter guitars I've seen. It's really easy to mess with your configuration on this bridge, which helps. The tuners are good, I've seen better. They aren't very accurate tuning, so it might take a while to get it perfect (as in it's hard to get it in just the right spot) but once it's in tune it holds it really well. Those really aren't a problem. The body is one of the main reasons I got this guitar. My ideal guitar would be a Jazzmaster with good humbuckers replacing the fat single coils that it comes with, and this guitar is the next best thing (for 1/4 of the cost) It's shape is very similar, yet the Tornado is different enough to be it's own guitar and a refreshingly different guitar that stands out from the overly made and copied "big two."

I'm running this through a crate gfx212. The amps clean tone is pretty nice, so I use that and leave the distortion channels alone. (the distortion on that amp is pretty much like a mediocre emulation of a hot rodded head, it's not that impressive at all) So I got a Marshall Jackhammer (great pedal, by the way) and that gets my distortion sounds. This guitar is great! I've noticed the neck pickups tends to be a bit strong on the bass end, but that's mostly my amp's fault (the clean channel is naturally a little bass heavy, but that's nothing that a little eq won't fix) The wide variety of tones available with this guitar are stunning. If you put all the knobs to ten and put on your bridge pickup you can get anything from a harsh heavy metal to a sweet crunch and even some more smooth or mellow "alternative" rock sounds. (Those usually would be better off in the center position) The neck pickup alone gets a really dark sound to it and amazingly smooth buttery sounding leads. Turn down the tone on the neck and leave it on by itself and you get this awesome ringing out sustain. (If you've ever heard the Pearl Jam song "Immortality," this can do that perfectly) Feedback is usually minimum (except when you want it...hehe...I've had some fun with that) and pretty easily controlled. Clean it can get that twangy funk sound (especially with wah) all the way to the opposite end of the spectrum with mellow bass heavy sounds. Great range, I've found it very difficult the make this guitars tone bad. Beautiful.

Factory setup pretty much sucked. But hey, what can you expect? I had to lower the action and restring it. I put on some Ernie Ball power slinkys on it recently and those got a great tone, but they're a bit heavy to do much with em, so I'd suggest something lighter. I usually use Hybrid Slinky's on my Les Paul, so I'm gonna try those next. I'm guessing I'm finally gonna settle on something in between. With this guitar, I'd pretty much suggest getting as heavy strings as you can without cramping your style. (I use altered tunings alot, so heavy strings make it difficult to tune up, plus heavy strings are easy to break doing lead if they get too much pressure) The intonation was a tad off too, so I had to fix that. If you get one of these (or any non-american made guitar, really) you should expect to have to do the set up yourself, but when you get it just right, you'll find it's well worth the effort. I've got mine playing like a dream now, and it only took an hour, maybe 2, to get it the way I like it. I've got a few minor problems with the finish. (Mines arctic white, by the way, I don't think I mentioned that) It came with a few flaws on the back, but not on the front. There's a couple little spots where it looks like the paint was scratched off or maybe was never even there. These are only small and thin spot/marks/lines and they're on the back, though, so it wasn't a major problem. I ordered mine from the factory through guitar center, so I didn't have much choice anyway. But really, everywhere else the finish is really great. With a white finish you've gotta be careful to keep it clean, but that's a given with any white guitar. I'll give it an 8, because it can be a ten with proper maintenance work, but it comes as about a 6.5 or 7 from the store.

This guitar seems really solidly built. Like I mentioned earlier, the knobs are made of a good quality metal instead of cheap plastic. The pickups don't move at all, even if you press on em a bit, they're in snug. It's a nice weight, pretty heavy and solid yet not so much so that it's uncomfortable and would do great damage to itself if dropped. It's around the weight of some of the higher line PRS guitars that I've played. I don't know how the strap buttons were, because I replaced them with strap lacks before I even set up my intonation/action/etc. Note to everyone: If a guitar is worth having, then it's worth the twelve bucks for a strap lock set. Get one. I have used this without a backup, but it's not a good idea in any case. Accidents happen and no guitar is invincible. So i'd bring a backup, but it would probably not be necessary even with a large gig schedule. The neck's maintained it's color really well, if not even better (with good oils/cleaners, I've found that pine sol does the trick just fine, just don't get it on the rest of the guitar)

Never had to contact them yet. Most minor repairs I can do myself, and I probably wouldn't bother going to fender for anything else, cuz then you'd probably have to mail it to them or some other crap like that's probably not really worth the time it takes.

If this guitar were stolen, I would cry. My band would cry. It would be a sad day in the history of man kind. I'd probably get a new one about as soon as I could. It's got a very wide range of sounds, and is really pretty much like a fender/gibson blend. It's not even really that. It's distinclty fender, which is why I use it alongside my les paul as my main guitars, yet different (and better in my opinion) than any other fender I've played save the 63 Jazzmaster that I played once (and drooled for several hours :) ) This is like the fender guitar for non-fender players (I never really like them before this guitar)

Orange. Pretty. Made in Mexico. Inclueds a crappy gig bag in which the zipper will surely grab the fabric and rip to shit-I have three other great gig bags like this. The guitar-Nice I guess. I dont want to judge the guitar truly till I can get it set up correctly-it seems that the people at fender really know a whole lot about setup-not. I bought this guitar to get kinda a sharper rock sound(foo fighters, weezer, american hi-fi) but still a fender feel-it seems to do this well-the pickups sound ok-the jury is out on weather they will be replaced. The knobs look alright, the tuners seem fine to me-dunno why everyone dislikes them. The neck is real thin, plays real nice, but the rosewood looks awfully light-but this is how my mexico strat looked 5 years ago, and if you play it alot and oil the neck, it will darken and sound better by the years-thats my intetion for this gutiar.

Im using this through a fender de ville 2x12, dunlop wah, and tech 21 snansamp. It sounds pretty good, but again, it needs a setup. The treble pickup seems a bit to bright, but that might just be me. Truthfully, all 3 of them I played in the store played differently-and I dont think thats a good thing-they all sounded very different, and this one sounded the best. Besides, who in the hell wants a canary yellow guitar? But it does sound pretty good distorted so far(havnt played it to much yet), and it WAILS for leads-I was blown away by this.

Hah, set up at the factory, thats hiliaroius. It came with 9's. Honestly, dont expect much out of any guitar outside of a metal machine (jacksons, esp, etc.) if your going to throw 9's on it-wimpy strings, wimpy tone. The action therefore sucks, the neck is all goofy-it needs work. Honestly, I realize Im bitching about this alot, but honest to god fender, how do you expect to sell a guitar if the dam thing dosnt hit full notes in the store? Honestly, if you want to get one of these, try, if it all possible to play a couple of them-they seem to vary alot from guitar to guitar in tone. Finish is dam good, very even. Neck joint has a gap on the top sde thats about big enough to fit a thin pick into. I guess those ruler in the mexico shop dont go down to 16ths.

Eh. It feels solid enough, but not bullet proof. Fenders are usually built well, and honestly, you have to be pretty stupid to break a guitar-scratches happen, but I dont you will be playing one day and the neck will just explode to shreds-on that note, the thin neck does make me a tad nervous, but it feels pretty solid.

The salesguy was a dam moron. He told me that the yellow one and orange one were more expensive because they had differnt pickups then the silver one. Yes you jackass, thats why they are all the same price in muscians friend. I havnt dealt with fender, but Id love to call them and listen to thier answering machine sometime.

Ive been playing for 6 years now. Ive had strats, mustangs, jaguars, cyclones, and generally alot of crap that wasted my money. When I buy stuff now, I buy it to keep it. Im sure this guitar is good enough for alot of people out there, but im might put new pickups in it becasue I am indeed that anal retentive. In all honesty, I dont want to judge this guitar to deeply until its gets a pro setup and strings that dont cost 2 cents to make. Bottom line-a great guitar, funky vibe, but try it before you buy it-they seem really inconsistent. This looks like a keeper, which is saying a lot for me-ill post another review several months down the line

made in mexico
adler dody
decent black paint
offset waist
string through body bridge
nice neck
big frets

I play a mix of metal, country, blues, and punk... all mixed together
she fits that style perfetly.
it has the richest fullest sound on anything shory of a 2400$ paul.
the frets are huge, so i can bend strings and chords to infinity.
she is rude but refined; relaxed but angry.
perfect for a combo of blues and punk.
i solo up and down the neck with love.
she is perfect; i can connect fully withn her; love her; talk to her; caress her.
she rewards me with a perfect solo.
the pickups scream but moan also.
they cut through distortion perfectly.

everything was perfect but the action
i fixed it myself

everything but the tuners shall hold up well

never talked to them
never will have to

i connected with it too well
u should definatly check it out
i touched her once and fell in love

The toro is 2001, made in Mexico and part of the Fender Deluxe range. It has 22 frets, made of poplar, but, as mine is sunburst it has an alder veneer on the back and front. mIts got a LP-like 3 way switch, and a volume and tone control for each of the two "atomic" humbuckers. The neck is maple with a skunk stripe, and the fingerboard in rosewood. Body is a very nice poly gloss and the neck an equally nice stain finish. Of course, it has the Jaguar/jazzmaster body shape...i forget the correct name. makes it very comfortable anyway (however, it doesnt fit in any cases so i had to buy a bass case)..
String thru hardtail bride with kluson style deluxe tuners. i suppose they are med jumbo frets. Came with 2 hex keys and a gigbag.
I would give it a 10 if it had a coil tap for the bridge P/U, but i have a strat for that sort of thing anyway.

I play rock, alternative...anything really, and so i can appriaciated the clean and distorted tone. Im using a small, cheap amp at the moment, but that doesnt stop the toro getting a wide vareity of tones from it. I have a marshall chorus pedal and a Boss DS-1 distortion pedal, both work very well, although the chorus is thin..but thats the pedals fault. My amps grounding is non-existant, so it sometimes buzzes horribly, however, touching the strings rectifies the problem. The guitar is the neck P/U is full and very loud. When i first used it, the difference in the depth and strength of the sound, compared to my strat is amazing (the two cater for different purposes however). Generally, it can give a smooth, bluesy clean sound, a very wiry, aggressive distorted "Nirvana" sound, and can do all sound in between. The only bad point really is that it is impossible to get a treblly sound without increasing the volume to near full...

The action, fit and finish were generally very good. The action is very low, but there is no bizzing unless you pluck and a near vertical angle. The pickups were quite even in their output, and are balanced across the sonic spectrum. Very nice and shiny with no marks or things like that. The fingerboard has a small scuffing like mark on the side of two of the higher frets..these disapeared with the application of 600 grit sandpaper and some lemon oil.

Not played live in a proper sense yet, but i would use a backup for two reasons...
one, i hate the fintage tuners, as the slot rather than hole in which to thread the string is at odds with by lack of tuning ability....at the moment i am re-tuning often..this is due to my lack of skill however.
Two, the pots crackle...there is a dry joint, possibly in the pits. The aplication of some electrosound cleaning spray every month sorts this problem out, but it sometimes rears its ugly head and cuts the sound from the bridge P/U altogether...

The guitar is built solid (and is very heavy compaed to the strat) and i wouldnt expect it to break at any point in the forseable future.

only dealt with UK distributor - very helpful

I own a Taylor 810, plywood acoustic, Fender MIM strat and, as i mentioned a small amp. Only been playing a year. I would have asked if i could have got some replacement tuners thrown in..but my fault.
I would buy again if stolen...although i may go with a fat strat (for ease of gaining parts, etc) in the unlikely event that it gets taken. I love the rich distorted sound and the wiry ness of the bridge pickup. Its also built very well.
Brought singht unseen, so no sound comparison..but i chose the features and design of this over other fender guitars, suitable for more distorted sounds. A coil tap and a pre fitted case are the only things i retrospectivly would like to have been included.

1998 toronado MIM candy apple red you know the rest

I was simply blown over when I first saw the toronado I thought finally a guitar by fender that has a good design and idea I liked that whole gibsonesque thing. I also like the fact that its a sort of hybrid design; jaguar body, jazzmaster/gibson scale neck, gibson electical layout and tele string thru body and jack socket

straight away it sounded great the pickups are hot!! they are very dynamic you can go from blues to full on filth easily it is also very unique without sounding c**p! I really love the sound it is my favourite guitar right now.

if you're an effects freak you will love this guitar it seems to go with any effect perfectly...well better then other guitars anyway

surprisingly for a mexi this was pretty well set up I just changed the action a bit which is understandable considerin' it traveled half way round the world. The finish is beautiful its a silver under coated candy apple red this is a really cool colour.

the guitar seems rock solid it will definatly be used on stage. My only concern is the chrome...

I have only been playing for a year but I know a lot about guitars and this is great even thru a practice amp it even better on my princeton 65 amp. compared to strats and teles I prefered this enough said.

Mexican made, 22 frets, Atomic HBs... ya' know. I like the body shape. I have the black with the almost nice tortoise pickguard. I did replace the tuners with Sperzels. Standards were ok, but I think changing strings with the Sperzels is so much easier.

People get it right when they say great for OD/Distortion, ok clean. Basically a bright HB sound. Like a Strat on steroids. Really, the bridge sounds ok clean, but is missing a little something. Neck is good clean and both together sound very good. But, flip on the OD and this piece rocks. Good definition and string clarity and the neck feels nice in your hand. I use this guitar a backup for my Peavey EVH because it is a rock tone monster.

Fender factory setup? Are you kidding? This ain't no PRS or even a Peavey EVH. You better bring your tool kit or take it to someone who knows what to do or you won't be a happy camper. Setup was just pittyful! Stamped saddles with way too high set screws, String ferules falling out on string change. Pickups need tweeking for height. And the neck felt like it was shifting in the pocket on demand! After a few hours of work, nice playing piece. Paint was very good. Frets a bit sharp on the ends, but not too bad. On the good side, the guitar was easy to tweak to my liking.

Tuning machines aside, the guitar seems well made. Strap buttons are normal, so be aware. I would gig without a backup, but that would be stupid, wouldn't it?

Next!!

I have been playing for almost 20 years. I have a lot of higher end gear, but I am always on the prowl for a diamond in the rough. This be it... Perfect rehearsal and bar gig guitar. For your $$ you get a well thought out rock machine. It can do blues very well too. Anything else will take a some big tweaking. OK for jazz, but I roll down the neck tone. Guy before me didn't have the guitar set up at all. Probably why he sold it. I would buy it again in a minute. A bit higher quality on the hardware and this guitar smokes anything in its price range. As is, a very good affordable guitar.

This is a brand new Fender Toronado shipped to me directly from Fender's Mexico shop I believe in Baja. I bought a black one with the nice red and black pick guard. I like the features for the most part on this guitar. Separate volume and tone pots for each of the two atomic humbucker pickups as well as a toggle switch between the three positions which are bridge, bridge-neck, and neck pickup. The finish was nice on the guitar. Great looking but funky piece. The tuners are terrible in fact worse than a standard tele or strat. The gig bag that came with mine had a ripped zipper and came off.

I know I'm going to cause some contention here with the rest of my review among Toronado fans, but in honesty, I was not at all in impressed. However, stupidly (and never again) I bought it online without having played it. I was not happy with this guitar when I first unpacked it and plugged it in. I could tell right away that neither of the pickups had been grounded at all with the enormous hum I got with this thing. I could tell it was the ground because it went away when I pressed on the pickups. Even despite the noise, the pickups were lifeless, muddy, and definitely not balanced. I guess I read the other reviews on the Toronado and assumed I had found a cheap sleeper. Nope, just cheap. I switched the cheap strings to Diadario 10's without a whole lot of improvement. By the way, I'm playing through a fender vibroking with effects in front (comp,wah,od,distortion,flange,delay). I have to admit, however, that it was just a touch above the Hamer Korean models that I had played just recently.

Suprisingly, the action was not at all bad. The neck needed some adjustment but everything else seemed ok. The neck was not aligned horizontally (more space towards the high E down the neck). The pickup adjustment was ok but needed to be raised a bit. Oh ya, the jack plate came off straight away as wood screws were too small to keep it on. Easily fixable. I took a peek in the pot cavity in the back of the guitar ... rats nest city. I could also tell that there wasn't even an attempt at providing a ground wire to either pickups.

I'm sure this guitar would survive a long time with cheap parts and features and all. The finish was nice. I would only possibly consider this as a backup.

Fender is hard to get a hold of. How about an email address or something?

I have been playing for 14 years and am currently in a band. I own a Fender Tele standard with Harmonic Designs pickups (very nice) and a strat. The first thing I would tell someone looking to buy this is do not buy it without first playing it. This was my first mistake. Secondly, if you are looking for a professional instrument, I would look elsewhere unless you are planning to spend a little extra money to upgrade pickups, do some setup, and change out the tuners. My luthier was disappointed that I sent this back but he did quote me $500 which isn't bad except to say that I wasn't excited about this guitar. My tele outshines this in every possible way. I may look into spending a little more on a Gretch.

Bought new in '99. Mexican "Deluxe Series". 2 Fender 'Atomic' humbuckers with 3-way switch and 2 volume and 2 tone controls as per Les Paul/SG set up. Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard (or rosewood effect?). Black with red shell effect scratchplate. Came with gig bag & allen keys for adjustments.

This guitar rocks. I play mostly indie rock, power pop and punk but also country, blues and even thrash metal (when on my own!).It never lacked anyhting soundwise in any of these styles. I was using it with a Peavey Bandit and a Zoom 505 pedal and from clean straight through to death metal sounds it just kept giving and giving. The neck pickup is warm and full and the bridge pickup is great for shredding.

Factory set-up sucked. The action was very poor and the strings weren't sitting right on the saddles. I have read in other reviews here that people did surgery on theirs, i.e. cutting screws etc. but I got mine into good shape after a couple hours of adjustments (bridge and saddle heights etc.)The 3-way toggle switch was loose and needed tightening, and the socket wasn't holding the jackplug snugly, in fact the lead was practically falling out of the guitar at every available oppurtunity. All of this was very shoddy in my opinion, but admittedly easy enough to correct. I'd recommend checking all these things before leaving the store and getting the dealer to sort them for you.The body finish was fine. The bridge is simple and unspectacular, a tremelo/bridge similar to a jazzmaster would have made this guitar special. This is a very light guitar (poplar body)and both it's weight and the neck/fingerboard(doesn't seem like real rosewood) are typically Mexican Fender.

This guitar is pretty solid and benefits from a fairly simple, straightforward setup. I've had no problems from normal wear and tear. I could maybe foresee the toggle switch packing up if you are gigging constantly with it and I'm not sure the tuning machines would last long either if you play this guitar hard (which it screams out for you to do!)

N/A

I've been plaing for 15 years and have played many guitars that feel better but few that sound better(if that makes any sense).The Toronado feels and plays like a typical Mexican Fender, but what sets it apart is the sweet sweet sound you can get from those humbuckers. I recently traded up to a Gibson SG standard and soundwise there's nothing between them (how about that, a $450 Fender sounding as good as a $1400 Gibson). It seems to be the perfect answer for people who prefer the Fender neck/body but want to sound like they are playing an LP or SG. The jaguar/jazzmaster-type looks are pretty cool too. Overall, very good value for money.

2001 model
made in mexico
22 frets
everything everyone else says

THESE PICKUPS WERE DESIGNED BY GOD!!!!!!!!
the rating was an average of the sound
12 with distortion
8 when clean
the sound is powerful enough to turn your brain to liquid and let it flow out of your ears!!!!!!
you can get an infinite number of tones from it

the action stunk from the factory
i fixed the action myself without knowing what i was doing with a allen wrench.
fit and finish were areat

everything but the tuners were great.
Buddy rogers refuses to sell the guitar because of the tuners!!
I'll replace them in a month or 2

lifetime warrenty on guitar
1 year on electronics and tuners(kinda tells you how good the tuners are)

been playing for 8 months.
if'in ya'll are looking at it online you should play it
if it is right fou you it will just click and you'll say "i gotsta get this"
some guys hate it
I love it!(is it legal to marry a Fender)
The whole package just fits together well!
except the tuners

Mexican made which like other things isn't so bad in this case. For some reason a couple of people have said it has 24 frets, well go back to school cause it has 22, count em!! Rosewood neck which feels so much better than maple to me, ,gig bag from fender, al that good stuff.

Its perfect, humbuckers sound great. I play a strat and this so i can get any tone possible. Love the pickups, sounds like a telecaster when on the bridge pickup and neck sounds like a les paul without the feel of a les paul (which is bad)

A beautiful guitar, couldn't ask for a prettier one. Love the tortoise shell pick guard and black finish. Awesome.

that's a dumb question.

I've heard stuff about fender quality and support going down hill and i think it's a bunch of crap. of course the quality is bad, if you buy a cheap guitar like a squier jagmaster. come on if you want a good guitar, you have to pay good money. Don't complain.

Just a great guitar. It's no paul reed but i like it this way. Not too elegant but not a grunge death guitar like a bc rich or something. It's got style and sounds like a dream. Been playing for almost 4 years and that's enough to know whats' good. Toronado=good, epiphone les paul=gibson squiers!!

Mine is a 1998 Candy Apple Red model; poplar body, maple neck and what seems to be a rosewood fingerboard (although mine *looks* more like pao ferro...)

I'll forgo listing all the features (since they are well documented in other posts), instead I decided to mention a couple things of interest I've discovered about about the little ol' Toronado:

Of course everybody knows that the Toronado comes with a pair of infamous "Atomic" humbuckers, but in typical fashion Fender doesn't care to divulge anymore info about their pickups than that. Anyway, I had to take the pickguard off to do some minor repairs (more on this later) and noticed something interesting about these pickups...

First, I need to mention that I recently bought a set of DeArmond "GoldTone" pickups (in case you didn't already know, Fender happens to own Guild, which in turn owns DeArmond).

Anyway, the design of these two pickup is remarkably similar when compared side by side. Of course there are notable differences; For one thing, the Atomic HB has a wider string spacing than the GoldTones (besides having totally different cover designs). They also use a slightly different colored wiring scheme. Both have wax all over them, so I can only assume that they've been wax potted.

No doubt they are quite different tone-wise. I haven't mounted the DeArmond PUs on anything yet but I'm sure the Atomic HBs are most likely considerably hotter. My guess is that Fender uses their DeArmond division to perhaps manufacture some of the pickups on a select few Fender guitars. This is fine with me since DeArmond has been making excellent replacement pickups for many years (long before Seymour Duncan was a glimmer in his daddy's eye anyway...)

The reason I looked under there in the first place was due to a slightly "microphonic" pickup cover on my Toronado's bridge pickup - it would squeal when I cranked the distortion on my amp. *This was definitely a loose pickup *cover* BTW - not to be confused with loose wires in the coil.

To fix the problem I had to remove the cover and in doing so I discovered another interesting little tidbit: The pickup coils are "zebra" colored (one black and one white), just like the ones used on the Toronado's cousin, the "Cyclone", which utilizes the open coil version of the Atomic HB. Not sure if the neck pickup is the same (I didn't remove its cover).

Another useless bit of trivia about the Toronado is the headstock. In case you didn't notice, it is bigger than the classic Fender Strat style, but not quite as large as the big 70's style. It's somewhere in-between. The Cyclone blurb at www.fender.com claims it has the original JazzMaster headstock, so me-thinks the Toronado has the same thing.

Besides the initial microphonic pickup cover problem (see more on my solution below), in my opinion the sound of this guitar is nothing short of awesome!

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of the Toronado is "sustain". There's definitely no lack of smooth, flowing sustain surging out of this guitar. I should also mention that I play though a Mesa/Boogie Rect-O-Verb, which is a sustain monster! But, I've also tried it through my little solid state Vox Pathfinder and it still displayed remarkable sustain characteristics, which is a true testament to the excellent design of this guitar... (of course results may vary).

The next thing that comes to mind is "harmonics". There is a superb balance of harmonics and sustain on this axe. It is very lively and responsive. The neck pickup is fat and smooth, while the bridge pickup really roars when you drive it hard! Hot, but not sterile or cold sounding. The tone is actually pretty warm even at full throttle(it's not easy to get high output and warm tone in the same package).

Also, back the volume off and the bridge pickup cleans up rather nicely. Don't get me wrong, this is no doubt a total rock guitar and wouldn't be well suited for anything considered "clean" (I'd say blues is as clean as it gets), but it can remain fairly articulate even with the distortion cranked (depending on your technique and the quality of your amp of course).

Power chords sound rich and "brownish" through my Rect-O-Verb, very smooth with a wonderful sheen to it. I dare say that an "early Eddie Van Halen tone" comes to mind when I use my Toronado/Rect-O-Verb combo.

Solos are the funnest part for me though; I can just sit around playing minor pentatonic rock scales and Santana riffs all day long and never grow tired of it. The neck pickup in particular gets me that Santana-like sustain everyone always talks about. Sure I'd like to get a PRS someday but, until then, I'd say the Toronado can handle the job well enough (and, at a fraction of the cost)!

Just keep in mind that a high quality amp is required to get most desireable results (I don't think a second-hand Squier Champ will do the "trick")... just food for thought...

A couple problems...

First, I'd like to point out that my Toronado was the display model at a Guitar Center in Las Vegas (I got it while on vacation)... so give it a little leeway will ya?

The first problem (which I already mentioned) was the pickup cover squealing thingy...

This was easily fixed; All I had to do was break the solder loose (which secured the cover to the base), then I took a piece of double sided mounting tape (the stuff that's about 1/16" thick) and postioned it between the bottom of the cover and the top of the coils for a tight seal. All that remained was resoldering the cover down and voila!... problem solved. Now I can literally have the pickup sitting two inches from my cranked amp with no fear of a squawk or squeal or anything! excellent...

The next problem I had was the 3-way toggle switch: It would never stay on the up (neck) position, popping back to the middle all the time. This was also easily fixed; After taking the pickguard off, all I had to do was pry one of the connectors back in place.

Lastly, there was a chip taken out of the finish, probably by some inconsiderate klutz at Guitar Center. On the upside, I got the guitar for only $200 bucks! The chip was near the top strap button, (towards the back of the body) and since no one can see it anyway, I didn't really care. I found some matching touch-up paint and dabbed a little in there. Otherwise the finish is actually very hard and durable and the rest of it is absolutely beautiful (I highly recommend the Candy Apple Red finish BTW).

The setup wasn't great but, like I said, this was the display model and was sold "as is". After getting a complete setup by my own very talented guitar tech, it now plays like a dream!

Points were docked for the first couple problems, and, even though they weren't that big a deal, I still had to take the time to render them harmless...

Since I got it back in tip-top shape, I feel confident that it can endure the usual abuse (especially considering it survived being the display model at Guitar Center)!

I bought this thing in May of 2000, so I've had it a little over a year now. In that time I've run it through its paces and can say it impresses me as being a very serious guitar...

When the Toronado was first released I thought it was the best design that Fender has put out in years (and they've put out some real stinkers in the past).

Although it obviously takes its styling cues from the Jaguar/Jazzmaster models, it is just different enough that you don't automatically make that distinction right away. Compared to its cousin, the Cyclone, it looks handsome and balanced (frankly, to me the Cyclone looks like it was made from spare parts just lying around).

I WAS considering getting a Toronado when they first came out, but didn't think it was worth the $500 asking price. Now that I have one I can truly say that it's worth every penny! I know that's easy for me to say now, since I only paid $200 for mine (and I'm fairly sure I would have never gotten one at the full retail price), but if you need a true honest-to-goodness rock machine, the Toronado definitely does the job!

I also own several other quality guitars, including a Les Paul Studio, a Fender Tele, a Carvin DC200, a Fender 50's reissue Strat, an Epiphone Casino, a Danelectro Mod 6, a Fender lead-I and a Fender acoustic DG22CE. My amps include the Mesa/Boogie ROV, a cool little Carvin X-60 tube combo, a vintage Ampeg SB-12 Portaflex (circa 1965) and the Vox Pathfinder (also a cool little amp).

I love all my guitars, so I can't really say whether I'd only own a Toronado as my "main" guitar, but if you mostly play heavy rock I'd say it makes a very good choice. It can also do the blues, but doesn't really "look" like a blues guitar (if you know what I mean...)

I recommend this guitar for anybody looking for something a little different (ie: other than the "big three"... Strat, Tele, Les Paul styles), while still remaining conventional and affordable.

My final thought is this: "I LOVE MY TORONADO"!

Good Luck!

1999, Mexico. 22 frets.
2 tone/ 2 volume knobs. 3-way selector.
Humbucker/Humbucker setup.
Fender "Atomic" humbuckers.
The body is a light and cheap poplar; the neck is sort of a maple and walnut mix.
Transparent top with a sunburst finish.
String through body.
the tuners are nice and thick.
Medium jumbo frets--great for bending: jazz, BLUES.
The gig bag didn't show up, so I got a hardshell for $15.

Sound upon sound!!!
It sounds like a cross between a Gibson flying V and a Telecaster.
Bright sound...but only to a certain extent. Without a single coil in the mix, there is a mild lack in bight. The thud is very heavy though. It has sounds ranging from an antique bass to modern $1000+ humbucker-based guitars.
Much love for the off-set waist. Makes all 22 frets useful to the end. The only bad thing is the neck--it keeps saying "replace me with an actual rosewood fingerboard". But the frets do kick much ass.

Good setup for the price. String/bridge changes were needed, along with a dramatic change in the truss rod's bend. The pickups are set perfectly. It's just the damn 3-way switch. Sometimes it needs an extra jiggle...almost like the wire is barely clinging to electricity. I think Fender knew about that one but let it slide. Excellent over-sized tuners!
The body's wood is light, but it's good to have a light body in the arsenal with the strat(with an ash body), or Les Paul.

Live playing=yes.
The hardware will last but will need to be upgraded probably every 5 years or so--wire connections, etc.
The finish is good and strong. That's surprising because the body is so light.
Solid strap buttons. I've depended on the Toronado for 2 years and haven't been let down yet.
It is a great guitar, but I would never go gigging without a backup.

Fender is good. Reliable with their guarantees. Information about their products are abundant.
NEVER BUY A FENDER WITHOUT PLAYING IT FIRST.
Having said that, feel comfortable paying 4-500 for a Toronado.
Warranty...what's a warranty?

I've only been playing five years, but I've played many types/brands on the market, both popular and nearly unheard of. I reccommend that buyers ask about a warranty before buying just to be sure.
If it was stolen I'd buy a used model for no more than $2-250; yeah, I'd buy another.
I love the off-set waist, it makes thudding lows and screeching highs possible. I dislike the fingerboard's wood--it feels like it doesn't have a finishing coat or something.
I like the body shape. It seems to cross a Jaguar with a Telecaster with a Strat: completely impossible until now.
I wish the 3-way switch was more reliable and the body was ash, but if that were true it would probably be another one of Fender's $1000 whoop-dee-doo's.

Buy it if you like strats, les pauls, or want something new. It's worth the money but no more than $600 tops(retail value).

This guitar was made at Fender's Plant in Baja Mexico
22 frets (med Jumbos), Solid Top poplar, 2 volume, 2 tone, dual humbuckers(Fender Atomics SWEET!!). Maple Neck with rosewood fingerboard.

The Body is an offset waist.
The features for This price range are what I expected.

no surprises there.

AMAZING Sound... one hears that alot but think about the meaning
of that superlative while I say it again...Listen! here it comes
A FUKIN MAZING fat sweet tone, Squawky harmonics in overdrive.

The front humbucker would make muddy or BB cry like a baby.

I am simply thrilled. To get this sound out of any other fender
you will have to find a Robben Ford sig from the custom shop for
3500.00 smaks...

I play through a 1977 fender tube princeton reverb II
Sweet.

The setup was done by folks at guitarstop.com

They do an excellent Job, but I had read these reviews on it before
I bought, so I was prepared to destroy their setup and intonation.

I cut the 9's that came on it off with pruning shears, replaced the
saddles with some highly polished ones from the custom shop.

Removed the light vintage machines and replaced them with
Sperzel locking ones, threw on some tens and reintonated it.

Has not given me any problems at all...

I am only giving it a six here though now with my hardware setup it
is a 10. But to be fair at 499.00 I was expecting to tweak and replace anyway.

I am only using this guitar on stage now..
I never use a backup.
Strap buttons are fine.
If you pull a lot of stunts while strapped though you will
want locking ones.

Very durable guitar...

Never Dealt with fender directly,

Never had to as Jeanne at www.guitarstop.com
Provides fantastic service... Their selection on hand
is limited but They probably could get you anything you
wanted.

I have owned about 17 guitars,

I have a couple of very expensive, so called "classics"
That blow chunks compared to this hunk of poplar.
Now I am a big fan of cheap guitars...

Fuck all those boutique handmade snobs...
Overbuilt, overpriced and anemic sounding crap..

I give the Toronado a 9 only because of the hardware
I had to replace, and the setup I had to do.

Bought this guitar new in 1999. Vintage white with a brown pick guard. kinda looks like a jazz master. very cool looking. Atomic humbucker pickups. it's like what other reviewers are saying a cross between a les paul and a strat. would suit players that favor playing fenders but would like a fatter tone than a single coil strat has to offer. rose wood finger board, threeway pickup selector (like a les paul) two volume and two tone controls. came with a gig bag. I give this a ten because it had everything that sparked my interest to buy it in the first place.

simply put......this guitar sounds beautiful. I love playing fenders and gigged with my strat quite often and thought this would be a cool second guitar to bring along as well. when i plugged in and started playing it i ended up gigging with this one more than my strat! this guitar feels real light and balanced when strapped on. It's lighter than my 79 strat. I play chicago blues, delta blues, and west coast jump styles. When i first got this i was playing through a fender hot rod deluxe i picked up doing a stint with a blues rock band. thought this guitar sounded great through this amp. then i bought a victoria 4-10 bassman and plugged in.........THIS GUITAR'S TONE BLEW ME AWAY! I've been playing for over 20 years now and have not been moved by a guitar's tone like this in a long time. I'm not exaggerating. this guitar sounded so fat, clean and smooth that you'd swear it was an old jazz fatbox guitar! when cranked up the natural overdrive tone of the guitar and my vic is undescribeable. i was so blown away i called a friend of mine and played it over the phone and he too could not believe it! When playing through my victoria i get so many little subtle tones that it's like strapping on a strap, les paul, and my silvertone 50's fatbox all at the same time.

now........the down side. I put 11's on it when i got it and proceeded to set the intonation. much to my dismay i had to remove a couple springs to get the saddles where they needed to be and on two other strings had to remove the actual saddle adjusting screws and cut them down to get the intonation set on THOSE strings! i tried to set the action on how fender recommends the string heights and there was know way possible. i like my action a little higher so all in all i got the intonation set and the guitar plays nicely. i've had a problem with the pickup selector. I've had it happen on a few instances when i go from the neck pickup to the bridge pickup it grounds out somehow and there is no sound! this is unnerving when playing live in a club. I've taken it apart and made sure the switch is getting a good connection when in either pickup position. i also sprayed some contact cleaner in it and so far it has functioned o.k. went to restring it the other day.........my D string tuning head out of the blue started to get real tight than suddenly acted as if it stripped out not allowing me to string it!!!!!! i took this apart which was damn near impossible and after thinking i ruined it(no big deal considering it wasn't going to serve it's purpose in the condition it was in anyway)i got this to work again as well.

I do LOVE THE SOUND of this guitar but due to the problems i've encountered could not possibly bring myself to using this one at a gig without a backup. I feel you get what you pay for and now realize why you pay the big bucks for the american made fenders! I bought my 1979 strat used 18yrs. ago and never had a problem with it yet! I own eight other guitars so hadn't played this one in a while. thought about selling it until i plugged it into my victoria and decided ain't no way i'm selling this one!

bought it through a mail order catalog so i chose to handle the things that went wrong myself. these little problems didn't occur all at once and happened after i owned it awhile.

Like i say i love the tone of this thing. after working on it and getting it to how i like it it plays very nice. i feel despite what i encountered it was worth the money.