So, here's another one that's in my hire section. It's a "bitsa" Fender but a great little Mustang, which in my opinion is one of the real "hit and miss" Fenders. They can be GREAT, they can be bad, and when they're bad, well ..........
The Mustang was a "upper market" student model from Fender and was basically a two pick version of the Musicmaster/Duosonic with a vibrato.
They came out in '64 and hit the spot for lots of young guitarists, and still do today.
This one, like a few of my other good Fenders is made form bits and pieces from here and there. The neck has a stamp date of '65. The headstock decal has been messed with and at first I thought it was a Musicman/Duosonic neck with a "Mustang" decal applied, but the "Fender" part has been re-done at some stage, probably because it fell off, like lots of them do ?
Fender sprayed their necks and then applied the logo on top of the finish in this period and the decals can fall off with age or if they get wet or polished.
The body is from around '69 but I can't get an exact date on it. It has contours which makes it after '68 or so. It was stripped and finished in a thin nitro coat before I got it and the markings in the neck pocket (if there were any) are long gone.
The pick ups are grey bottoms with a '68 date, which is why I think the body might be '69.
The pots date '69 but all the other electrics are newer replacements. The scrathplate is a re-issue too but these don't effect the tone at all.
The vibrato is vintage Fender and probably original with the body as is the chrome control plate, neck plate and knobs.
This is the more common 24" scale version and hes a great maple neck with big headstock. Some Mustangs feel and sound like toys and some are real little guitars. This is a great sounding and playing guitar. The short scale always makes them a little "plonky" but when set up right and with heavier strings, they work well and are easy to play.
It's not the best looking Fender on the block but it's not the worst either and it's a great little guitar so for now it's a keeper and gets hired out.