Fender Mustang

The Fender Mustang is an electric guitar by the Fender Musical Instruments Company, introduced in 1964 as the basis of a major redesign of Fender's student models then consisting of the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic. It was produced until 1982 and reissued in 1990.It attained cult status largely as a result of its use by Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. Early examples are generally seen as the most collectable of all the short-scale Fender guitars.The Mustang features two single coil pickups with an unusual switching configuration, and a unique tremolo arm shared with only its derivative the Jag-Stang. It was originally available in two scale lengths:* 22.5 inches (3/4 length), the same as the existing student models.* 24 inches (confusingly known as full scale but still shorter than Fender's 25.5 inch standard scale).These were made available by having two different necks, the 22.5 inch scale with 21 frets and the 24 inch scale with 22 frets, both matched to the same body. The reissue is only available with the 24 inch neck.HistoryIn August 1964, Fender released a new guitar called the Mustang, an economy model intended for more advanced students and featuring a new, original Leo Fender-designed tremolo arm. The few surviving examples in original trim are now worth a hearty $5,000 each. Profiles of a 1956 Musicmaster (left) and a Mustang, both with 22.5" necks and Musicmaster headstocks. Enlarge Profiles of a 1956 Musicmaster (left) and a Mustang, both with 22.5" necks and Musicmaster headstocks.The Mustang has an offset waist, reminiscent of the Jazzmaster, but its overall styling closely followed the existing student models the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic, the slight waist offset being the main change. After the release of the Mustang, the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic were redesigned using the Mustang body; These were branded the Musicmaster II and Duo-Sonic II but the decals were not consistently applied.All three Mustang-bodied models (Mustang, Musicmaster II and Duo-Sonic II) were offered with optionally the 21 fret 22.5-inch (or 3/4 scale) neck, or a 22 fret 24-inch neck, but the 24-inch was overwhelmingly more popular and 3/4 scale examples are rare. 24 inches is still relatively short, the same as the Fender Jaguar but a full inch and a half shorter than the Stratocaster and three-quarters of an inch shorter than the Gibson Les Paul. The short scale neck makes this guitar perfect for people with small hands, and also enhances the ability to use the tremolo arm for upbends.This short scale, combined with a unique and extremely direct tremolo arm and the use made of it by Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, would make the Mustang a cult guitar in the 1990s. Before that, its relatively low cost and marketing as a student guitar made it an obvious candidate for aftermarket upgrades, particularly pickup changes and also amateur finishes. Its wiring with the original pickups also led itself to custom modifications.In 1964 Fender also issued the Fender Mustang Bass. A new bass body was designed for this with a similar offset body style to the Mustang guitar, and a short (30-inch) scale was used. A Fender Musicmaster Bass and Fender Bronco Bass also exist using the Mustang Bass body and neck.In 1967, a fourth variant, the Fender Bronco, was added to the Mustang-bodied range. The Bronco had a single pickup, like the Musicmaster, but in the bridge rather than the neck position, and yet another Leo Fender designed tremolo arm. As well as the Mustang body it used the 24-inch 22 fret Mustang neck.In 1968 Fender released the "Competition" Mustang with "racing stripe" paint and painted headstocks. After mid '71 matching headstocks were no longer applied.In 1969 Fender discontinued the Duo-Sonic II. Since the model was only produced for five years, it is a rare Fender that has growing collector value. Many players prefer the Duo-Sonic II to the Mustang because they regard the Mustang tremolo bridge as impractical. See Fender Duo-Sonic.In 1982 Fender discontinued both the Mustang and the Musicmaster II. These were the last Mustang-bodied models, as the Bronco had been discontinued in 1981. The Mustang Bass had also been discontinued in 1981.In 1990 Fender re-issued the Mustang, largely as a result of the vintage movement prevalent at the time. Among grunge and punk rock guitarists, Fender's discontinued models (budget models such as the Duo-Sonic and high-end models such as the Jazzmaster and Jaguar) had become extremely popular; Such models had Fender quality, but were less expensive secondhand than vintage Stratocasters and Telecasters.The reissued Mustang is made in Japan and available in only the 24-inch scale. As of 2006, the only current Fender guitar with a 22.75 inch (approximate) scale was the 22.72 inch Stratocaster Junior. Other Fender student guitars included the Fender Cyclone at 24.75 inches (Gibson Les Paul length), and the Squier-branded Bullet Mini, a hard-tailed Stratocaster lookalike with a very short scale of 20.75 inches. While original Mustangs used mostly poplar wood for the body (with some rarely documented cases of mahogany, [1] the reissued Mustang uses only basswood as players expressed concerns over the instrument's weight. (from wikipedia.org/)