The Fender Mustang: A Short History; featuring Eric Haugen and Mike Adams

this video is sponsored by truefire over 2 million guitarists around the world improve their playing using truefire's online lesson systems learn to practice and play with truefire hi, i'm keith williams welcome to 5 watt world words that me they help get the most music out of the least equipment possible I did my research for the

history

of the Mustang t-shirt. I was struck by the fact that this student guitar, something of the middle of the line from Fender at best, became the tool of choice for arguably the most influential songwriter of his decade, Kirk Cobain. I've lost track of the number of times Rick Beatto has spoken to me about the sophistication of Cobain's harmony, the perfection of his melodic writing, all of which underpin his generation's poetic volley that was captured in his lyrical writing in his final interview for Guitar World magazine.

Cobain told the

mustang

I don't like them, I can afford them, it's never very easy to find high quality left handed guitars at reasonable prices, but of all the guitars in the world, the

fender

mustang

is my favorite, which really sums up the old saying of that the best guitar to play is the one you have and what's more five-watt world than that idea that cobain showed us that mustangs and jaguars, a pair of misfits in almost any retelling of guitar

history

, were the tools available and for that reason they turned out to be more than enough at the time, so If you've always wondered why a guitar can elude any sense of genius in one generation only to find it a decade later, stay tuned because this is the brief world history of the 5 watt

fender

mustang.

If you enjoy our videos, please take a minute to Subscribe and hit the bell icon to get notified when we post new videos, and if you've already subscribed, stop by the store to purchase a t-shirt or hoodie to support us. what we are doing here and, if you don't need it. another hoodie, but I want to be a bigger part of the five watt world. Consider becoming friends with five watts. The links are in the description and in response to requests I also added a tip jar as well as the mid 50's fender. which should offer student level instruments for stores that offered in-store lessons.

The idea was that if someone started with a Fender student model they would eventually move up and become a customer of a Telecaster or Stratocaster, so in 1956 they released the Fender's first two entry-level solid-body guitars, the single pickup. Music Master and the Dual Pickup Duo Sonic, were

short

scale guitars at just 22.5 inches compared to the standard 25.5 Fender scale of their older sister guitars, which sold for 119.50 and 149.50 cents respectively. . As we move further into context, let's remember that the fender was in Southern California. This was an area deeply embedded in US car culture in the early 1960s.

Ford Motor Company was working to improve its image as a performance car company and were involved in racing at different levels at the time. when the Ford Mustang was introduced at the New York World's Fair on April 17, 1964. Ford hoped to sell 100,000 Mustangs, but actually sold more than 400,000 the first year and surpassed one million Mustangs in just the second year production Following the wave of this unprecedented success, Fender would introduce its new student guitar model, which in August it also called the Mustang in 1964, Fender revamped its student line and began offering each of the guitars in both the

short

model of 22.5 inches as in the medium 24 inches. scale, this change would include the new mustang, you know, when it comes to these details of offset history, it's good to know what you don't know, so I always turn to Mike Adams from Mike and Mike's Guitar Bar and now from the Youtube, Cuishin fame no.

It's just that Mike knows a lot more about the history of offset than I do, unlike me, he's a true child of the '90s, so he can legitimately claim influences I can only read about. Mike will be participating throughout the video to share his hands-on experience with hundreds of mustangs over the years Hi Keith, I'm your old friend Mike. I hope you're happy, healthy, and safe, and I'll check back periodically to discuss some of my favorite features of the Fender Mustang. One of those features is the optional 22.5-inch. scale length which may seem a little short for those of you who are used to playing, say a Stratocaster or a Telecaster, you know, the full scale length of the fender extending from one fret to the next is much simpler than on the Full scale length of the fender, so if you're looking for an easy play experience, do yourself a favor and look into that short, short Mustang.

Oh, and for those of you looking for something different, do me a favor, take a 22 and a half inch mustang and put a set of 13 gauge flats on it and tell me it's not one of the crappiest guitars you've ever played on this one. new guitar fender had decided to use the slightly offset waste they developed in the jazzmaster and jaguar at the top end of this beginner range with a moderate price of 189.50, it was a 22 fret guitar with a 24 inch medium scale and double pickup, although Some 21-fret instruments were also built, guitars could be ordered with a neck width a of 1.5 inches or a neck width b of 1.65 inches.

This is something to keep in mind if you are looking for an early mustang, the mustang was the first student model to feature a vibrato system, the floating bridge and dynamic vibrato tailpiece on the fender resembled those of the jazz master at first glance, although the Mustang's bridge saddles had only a string slot, while other fender models had saddles. with multiple slots to allow a small range of spacing adjustment the dynamic vibrato is one of my favorite vibrato units ever created it's an incredible playing experience it's smoother than a stratocaster but a little more immediate than the compensated vibrato you see before me In design it has a little more in common with the Stratocaster, but like its offset sisters, it has earned a wholly undeserved reputation for tunability and stability.

All you need to do to make sure your Mustang performs as intended is to set it up correctly, which means a wedged mast that leans back slightly, a raised floating bridge, and you need to maintain the rope anchor, also known as the cigar, you have to keep it low in the body, you do everything it will retune beautifully, the mustang was equipped with two slanted single coil pickups connected with unusual wiring for a fender, each pickup had its own three-way position slide switch , all three positions were in-phase and out-of-phase, producing eight different tone combinations. It also didn't have a dedicated pickup selector switch separate from those on the second one. position reverses the phase of the selected pickup, allowing the pickups to be in or out of phase when used in parallel, although the pickups are essentially starting coils with flat pieces and a solid cover, the mere fact of that there are only two instead of the three found on the stratocaster, giving the mustang a unique voice, a voice that suits those of us who perhaps don't use the squawking positions two and four on the stratocaster particularly well. stratocaster, so it's also worth noting that the fender mustang is the first guitar in the catalog to feature a built-in faceshift, at least intentionally, that is, a thinned-out notched sound that's basically created by two frequency-canceling pickups shared between them and, although it can only be useful in certain situations for most guitarists. in certain musical circles it is an absolutely essential sound, of course it was the 60s and the sliders could be reused to suit the player.

Older mustangs often have modified pickups and wiring. The control knobs were mounted on a chrome control plate, like those recently issued. jazz and jaguar base in '64 there was a slab body a single string tree on a headstock a maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard with white dot markers klusen tuners with matching oval knobs and a white tip for the tremolo was initially released in three colors red white and blue, the red and blue came with three-ply white pearlescent pick guards, solid black pickup covers and black switches, the white came with three-ply synthetic tortoise pickguard, covers of solid white pickups and white switches, the following year saw changes, the main of which was the news of the larger CBS acquisition headstock, an additional patent number was added to the headstock and f-key tuners with knobs of white plastic 66 are the introduction of the mustang base and in 6768 the headstock decal was modified losing the offset outline body wording and a patent number was added added to the tailpiece which previously had the patent pending 67 stamp, also saw the launch of the Fender Bronco, a guitar that shared the body and neck of the Mustang and had only one pickup and a different tremolo system.

These guitars were marketed under a similar brand. Bronco amplifier which, according to schematics and the Fender manual, was identical to the Silverface Fiber Champ amplifiers from the same years the Broncos were produced until 1981. In '69 body and forearm contours were added and saw the release of all three finishes of competition that dates back to connections with automobile culture, of course, these guitars had racing stripes very similar to the Shelby Mustangs of the time along the contour of the forearm. They came in red with cream blue with light blue and orange with dark orange stripes. They were occasionally produced with matching colored tuners.

Well Keith, don't forget Purpleburst, some of the earliest examples of competition. Burgundy, also known as the blue, I don't know why they called it, had a pop of purple around the edge of the body, making them some of the coolest guitars ever produced in the world. After the leo fender era, at least IMHO, competition mustangs replaced the usual colors around 1970, but were discontinued in 1973. Also in 73 the mustangs were available in three colors, natural walnut, black, white and blond, in 74 they added a second chain. The tree and tuners were changed to chrome knobs in '76, the control knobs were changed to Stratocaster style, and they started using black three-ply pick guards and tremolo arm tips.

They added the option to order a one-piece maple neck and the stock model. The number was moved from the neck plate to the headstock in '77, also in '77, Antigua became a color option. Okay, I'm going to say it straight. I love '70s fenders. I think they are incredibly cool instruments. If you find a good one. Oh, that's a keeper, I promise you one of my favorite guitars, in fact, was a Fender Mustang and Mocha from the '70s. I think it was like a 75 and it's one of the most authoritative sounding guitars I've ever played. .

Now it needed a complete overhaul. I regret that it wasn't in good shape playability-wise, I admit, but I desperately wanted to take it home, name it a wicket after one of my most beloved Star Wars characters, and write the album that would define my entire career, but, Unfortunately, that never happens. so wicket wherever you are I miss you buddy but bottom line I love 1970s fenders that would be a mic drop if I had a mic I was comfortable dropping uh I had this screwdriver bam he did it did what and in that form the mustang was produced until 1982, when Fender discontinued it.

It was the last of the floating bridge guitars to be produced in its original version, like much of the guitar world. The life of the Mustang as a reissue guitar far exceeds its original version as the Jazz Master. Because the guitars had been adopted by grunge and punk bands at the time as inexpensive vintage alternatives, Fender reissued the Mustang in 1990. The reissued Mustangs were manufactured in Japan with a 24-inch scale neck, while the bodies of the original mustangs were mostly popular with some rare mahogany instruments the japanese made the mg 72 mustangs were made from a very similar basswood, while the later mg65 reissue guitars reverted to using poplar, the mg-77 guitars They were reissued on Fresno and this seems like the perfect place to mention the Jagstang as Cobain designed the guitar by cutting and pasting two polaroid photographs of a jaguar and a mustang.

Two left-handed prototypes were built by the builder ofLarry Brooks stores, but only one would end up being played by Cobain. In the end, he would only play the guitar live a handful of times. The Jagstang production had a 24-inch scale neck, a vintage-style single coil in the neck, and a designer humbucker. Special in the bridge position after Cobain's death in 1994 Jag Spot production occurred from 1985 to 2001 and then again from 2003 to 2006, due to popular demand, another offshoot of the Mustang was the Cyclone, introduced to late 1997. The guitar came with a body very similar to that of a Mustang, but was equipped with a neck with a 24 and three-quarter inch scale, very similar to a Gibson.

The guitar would have featured a Stratocaster-style tremolo bridge, a bowed single coil on the neck, and a humbucker on the bridge. The guitar was originally produced in Japan and later became an Am

eric

an-made Cyclone and was issued in a variety of pickup configurations. including two hh version humbuckers and the cyclone 2 with three angled jaguar pickups with individual on and off switches for each pickup, all were discontinued in 2007, but in 2020 squire released a cyclone 2 as part of their paranormal series in 2011 fender released A Mustang in their pawn shop series called the Mustang Special, the model featured the traditional offset Mustang body with a 24-inch scale neck but with humbucking pickups and a hardtail strat-style bridge. 2012 saw the release of Kurt Cobain's inevitable signature Mustang based on the modified Mustangs that Cobain played on tour in utero, it is loaded with a Seymour Dunkin JB humbucker in the bridge and a Mustang single coil in the neck.

It also featured an adjustable bridge with angled fenders. They are originally available in Fiesta Red, Sonic Blue, and Dark Blue Lake Placid with Competition Stripes was the first Mustang to be sold in Europe in both right- and left-handed versions. Squire joined the party in earnest in 2012 with a series of modified vintage Mustangs with similar specifications to the originals but with modern materials, there was also a double humbucker version. Back in the day as the 2013 bullet model we saw more import mustangs with the modern player mustang, this version of the older model featured two mp90 pickups, had a 9.5 inch fingerboard and was offered in daphne blue and honeyburst and then in 2013 the The first US-built mustangs that had been manufactured since they were discontinued in '82 came with the Am

eric

an Special Mustang that shared only body shape and scale length with the original.

These guitars featured Fender Atomic humbucking pickups with conventional three-way switching, a fixed tailpiece, and the O-matic adjustable bridge. In 2016, Fender released a new Mustang standard style the Mustang P90 and the Mustang PJ base. The latter Mustang had a maple neck. 24-inch scale with 22 medium jumbo frets, two single-coil pickups, one master volume and one master tone, and a three-way selector switch, unsurprisingly, the Mustang P90 trades in the single coils in favor of a pair of MP90 pickups. and is available in Silver Torino Red and Olympic White. The Mustang PJ Bass has a short 30-inch scale with 19 jumbo frets and the combination of hybrid precision bass and jazz bass pickups that is so popular in modern instruments.

The Mustang is One of the most popular foundations among guitarists due to its small, lightweight, short scale body and wonderful deep tone. Current fender offerings include the 60-series ventera mustang with vintage-style accents in three color bursts, placid lake blue and seafoam green. There's a '60s Ventera mustang base too and while I'm on the bases, there's an American artist with PJ pickups, a player-based PJ, and Justin Melville Johnson's signature Warm Mustang road bass to choose from. There is also a Mustang Squier Classic Vibe, as well as an additional Squier Vibe base. Fender offers the mustang player a scene on the miniature with a Stratocaster-style bridge and three-way selector switch.

There's also the American mustang with vintage-looking details but with a 9.5-inch radius fingerboard and a redesigned tremolo system and the Yosemite-style pickups still in the line is the Player P90 with a Strat-style hardtail bridge and fenders that end to announce a signature Ben Gibbard mustang with a chambered ash body designed to increase resonance and reduce weight, a modern one-piece C-shaped neck, 22 frets, a 9.5-inch radius fingerboard, and medium jumbo frets. and I like to think it's in keeping with the student-driven mustang's original goal of having a squire bullet hh mustang style guitar with two humbucking pickups, a three-way selector switch, a 24-inch scale length, and a price tiny 179.99 It's ready to sign up a whole new generation of Mustang players.

I've partnered with Truefire because I've used them for over a decade and my playing always improves when I spend time with their lessons, whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or professional. The Truefire level player has lessons to inspire and improve your game, as you know I always promote spending money on lessons before using new equipment. I really like Truefire and I think if you give them a chance, you'll like them too. Get 25 off courses using the promotion. code 5w 25 or as I have signed up for many years to get the all access pass to use the entire Truefire catalog.

You can try anything in the catalog with the All Access Pass and see where Muse takes you. I love their tagline learn to practice and play with truefire i would like to thank truefire for collaborating with me to sponsor this video famous mustangs players include the above mention kirk cobain from nirvana adrian baloo from frank zappa's band king crimson and david bowie liz fair belinda butcher from my bloody valentine blixa ganga from nick cave and the bad seeds john mclaughlin with tony williams and then miles davis rory gallagher mack demarco john frusciante teresa weyman from warpaint thurston moore from sonic youth lee ronaldo from sonic youth and ben gibbard from the death taxi for cutie all the players above made all that music on a guitar originally designed for beginners hence the whole wonderful world of five watts and i love it.

If I missed your favorite part of fender mustang history, please post in the comments for everyone to enjoy. I know from experience who I can count on. First, I have to thank well-known Mustang wielding Eric Hoggin for playing his original 1966 guitar for this video. If you're not watching his YouTube channel, you should be. I also have to thank Mike Adams for collaborating with me on this last of the fender offset guitars in the short history series I can't tell you how much I enjoy

mike

's youtube channel and I hope you'll join me in watching it there, links for both channels they are in the description, I need to thank you all You sent me information about Mustang history after my community posts and live streams.

Five Art World members teach me things every day. I have to thank Michael Wright of Vintage Guitar magazine for his article on the Fender Mustang guitar competition, and finally, I have to thank Jeff. Gibbert of Guitar World magazine for the interview with Kurt Cobain from the February 1992 issue. I must thank everyone who stopped by the store to purchase a hoodie or the Stomp preset pack in particular. I must thank the friends of five. Watt, a growing group of guitar obsessives. I thank you for joining me and supporting Five World and everything we do. If you enjoyed this brief history of the Fender Mustang, hit the like button and if you haven't subscribed yet, continue. click on that too thanks for watching until next time thanks for being part of the world 5y that