Tag Archives: Fender
Spotlight: 1978 Fender Mustang
1978 Fender Mustang
The Fender Mustang was created in 1964, produced until 1982 and reissued in 1990. It was released as an economy model, fit for advanced students. It features two single-coil pickups with a unique switching configuration, an unusual tremolo arm and was originally available in two scale lengths. The Mustang has an offset waist, similar to the Jazzmaster but was styled after the existing Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic.
In the 1960’s, the Mustang was extremely popular in Surf Rock. In the 1990’s it became associated with a number of alternative rock bands, gaining a ‘cult’ guitar reputation. It was discontinued in 1982 along with the Musicmaster II and replaced with the short-lived Fender Bullet line. However in 2011 Fender released a new Mustang model in the ‘Pawn Shop’ series- called the Mustang Special. It features an offset Mustang body shape and a 24″ scale neck but with humbucking pickups and a hard-tail Stratocaster bridge. Last year a Kurt Cobain Signature Mustang was announced, based on the In Utero tour.
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Spotlight: 1976 Fender Telecaster
1976 Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster (nicknamed “Tele”) is a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar. Commercial production can be traced back to March 1950 and hasn’t stopped since. The Tele was the first solid body design known to the masses and took several years to develop. This guitar has been known for use in the country and rock genres but has been present in the blues and jazz genres as well.
The design was geared for mass production and was constructed in such a way that would simplify the process of servicing them. The bodies were band-sawn from slabs, not hand-carved. The classic Telecaster neck was fashioned from a single piece of maple and the frets were slid directly into the side of it’s surface (highly untraditional at the time). Components were produced quickly in quantity and an assembly line would piece the guitar together, they were not individually constructed. The electronics were easily accessible on their removable/replaceable control plate- and proved to be a huge advantage over typical construction.
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Spotlight: 1961 Fender Jazzmaster
1961 Fender Jazzmaster – Lake Placid Blue
The Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as a sibling to the Fender Stratocaster. It was introduced at the 1958 NAMM Show. Though the Jazzmaster was intended for Jazz guitarists, the surf rock scene became known for favoring them in the early 1960s.
The guitar features a contoured “offset-waist” body which was designed for comfort while playing sitting down, as most Jazz artists often prefer. The solid body represents an alternative to the hollow body guitars that were so common among Jazz players. Other qualities of the Jazzmaster are a full 25½” scale length, lead and rhythm circuit switching the independent volume/tone controls, and a floating tremolo with a tremolo lock that can be manually activated to keep the guitar in tune should a string break. The construction of the bridge and tremolo is different from the Stratocaster and has a different resonance and less sustain (generally). This guitar has a larger body than other Fender guitars and requires a larger guitar case and was the first Fender to carry a rosewood fingerboard instead of a maple one. The Jazzmaster (along with all imitators) started to lose it’s ‘appeal’ in the 70’s due to its “old fashioned” appearance and was officially discontinued in September 1980. Fender reintroduced it in 1984 as a 1962 reissue model from Japan- followed by the American Vintage Series verion in 1999.
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