Cheerful, snappy and full of detail, these pickups are sure to cover a lot of musical ground. Whether it’s clean chords or aggressive fuzzed-out solos, this Mustang takes it all in its stride.
Pros
+
Impeccable build.
+
Very cool style and vintage vibe.
+
Approachable playability.
+
Top sounds.
Cons
–
Nothing much but a short-scale isn’t for everyone.
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Starting life as a budget-friendly student model, the Mustang galloped out of the classroom and straight into the hands of ’90s alt-rock heroes, cementing itself as the poster child of the grunge movement.
Turning our attention to the latest Mustang offering from Fender, and we are greeted with a guitar that looks like it arrived here in a DeLorean.
Fender has again nailed the ’70s aesthetic here – the vintage patina of the neck, the retro ‘F’-stamped machine heads with aged white buttons, and the period-correct black and gold decal all lead to a rather authentic-looking electric guitar indeed.
Much like the Jaguar in the Vintera II series, this model features a 24” maple neck with C profile – although this time, it’s based on earlier examples – as well as the familiar 7.25” radius fingerboard and vintage-tall frets.
(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)
(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)
If you’ve never had the joy of playing a short-scale Fender, we’d highly recommend seeking one out, as they are a lot of fun – and this one is no different. The shorter nature of the neck results in a much more elastic feel to the strings and once-impossible bends are now a total breeze.
Again, like the Jag, the build quality here is top-notch. The hardware feels robust, the tremolo unit is as smooth as you like and the machine heads are perfectly responsive.
(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)
The tonal heart of this miniature offset is a set of vintage-inspired ’70s single-coil pickups and they sound fantastic.
Cheerful, snappy and full of detail, these pickups are sure to cover a lot of musical ground. Whether it’s clean chords or aggressive fuzzed-out solos, this Mustang takes it all in its stride.
Specs
(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)PRICE: $1,149 / £1,049BODY: Alder BODY FINISH: Gloss Polyester NECK: Maple NECK SHAPE: Early ‘70s C FINGERBOARD: Rosewood PICKUPS: Vintage-Style ‘70s Single-Coil MustangCONTROLS: Master Volume, Master Tone, 2-On/Off Slide Switches
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First and foremost, I’m a guitar enthusiast – a fanatic, some might say. I’m a firm believer that most of the world’s problems can be solved with a Gibson SG and a catastrophically loud amp. As a Senior Deals Writer on Guitar World, I write about guitars for a living, but in a past life, I worked in music retail for 7 years, advising customers on the right guitars, basses, drums, pianos, and PA systems for their needs. I also have a passion for live sound; I’m a fully qualified sound engineer with experience working in various venues in Scotland, where I live with my wife and dog.
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