1969 Fender Mustang
By the early 20th
century, most professional-grade guitars had a scale length of at least 24.5”;
anything below this was typically marketed toward students or players whose
small hands had difficulty with full-scale necks. Although this idea persisted
through the 1960s, most of the major guitar manufacturers offered short-scale
models. Guild, Gibson, Rickenbacker, Martin and Fender all sold models with
necks under 24”, and in substantial numbers. Some of these were quite expensive
guitars, such as the Gibson Byrdland or the top-of-the-line Fender Jaguar. They
appeared in the hands of a number of famous musicians; George Barnes played his
signature Guild Guitar in F, while John Lennon and John Fogerty could be seen
playing a Rickenbacker 325.
Fender’s first short-scale models, the Duo-Sonic and
Musicmaster, appeared in 1956 with 22.5” necks; both were given optional 24”
necks in 1965. They were joined in 1964 by the Mustang, which featured a number
of upgrades including a vibrato tailpiece, more complex wiring and a slightly
different body shape. Most had a 24” neck, though a 22.5” neck was available as
an option. While it used the same pickups as other short-scale Fenders, the
Mustang’s pickups were both slanted. Each pickup had its own three-way switch:
on, off, and reverse-phase. This allowed both pickups to be played either in or
out of phase, which gave the Mustang a wider range of sounds than the simpler
two-pickup Duo-Sonic.
Although the Mustang’s pickups are similar to those in a
Stratocaster, but with the magnets lowered beneath the plastic cover, the sound
of this guitar is substantially different to either a Strat or a Telecaster.
Between the shorter scale and the positioning of both pickups, the Mustang has
retains much of the classic Fender twang but does not have the shrill high-end
that plagues some longer-scale Fenders. The out-of-phase sound, while thin and
odd, has a more usable sound with less of a volume drop than many other guitars
with similar wiring.
This Mustang listed for $199.50
plus $35 for a case when it was built in early 1969, compared with $164.50 for a
Duo-Sonic and $229.50 for a blonde Telecaster. The vibrato tailpiece was a major
reason for the relatively high price; a totally different design than anything
Fender had previously produced, it was not as smooth as the vibrato on a Strat
but allowed for a substantial bend in pitch. The two-piece pickguard was another
nod to Fender’s more expensive offsets, with the volume and tone knobs fixed to
a chromed plate. By the time this guitar was made, all Mustang finishes except
sunburst featured “competition” racing stripes and matching headstocks. Whether
or not they made the guitars sound
faster, these cosmetic features are sought by collectors today.
This particular guitar has been refretted, but otherwise
it is all original. It is missing the bridge cover, a largely pointless piece of
hardware which has frequently disappeared from old guitars. There is scattered
finish wear, but otherwise the guitar has survived in excellent condition.
