With the lights out, it's less dangerous. Everyone knows that. But did you know how awesome Competition Blue Mustangs are? Yeah, you probably know that too. This one is no exception. This vintage 1972 Fender Mustang is an early one, still has only one factory string tree! It was produced at the original Fender factory in Fullerton, California U.S.A. The latest date I can find is the ink stamp on the neck, April 1972. This guitar is all original with the exception that the switches were swapped out with identical but later production year "switchcraft" switches; and it may or may not have been re-fretted. It has handling wear all over it, including line checking, chips, dents, dings etc. The guitar is solid and feels awesome. It is set up and ready to go-it needs nothing.
The body is the familiar double cutaway Mustang silhouette with super-smooth contours front and rear. The original Competition Blue presents great and the clear coat finish has toned slightly over the years to the hue you see here. Some people refer to this tone as "turquoise" but this one hasn't turned green really. It has that perfect aged look-just like Kurt Cobain's Mustang in the Smells like teen spirit video. There are dings, scratches, line checks, dimples, chips etc. all over the guitar-see photos. The neck slot has the typical stress lines coming out of each side of the pocket-just a cosmetic, it is solid and stable. The finish looks awesome-especially if you like that relic-look or 'vintage vibe' or whatever you want to call it. If there's one thing Ive learned over the 35+ years of doing vintage guitars; it's this mantra: Not all great guitars are great player guitars, but ALL played guitars are great guitars. It just makes sense. The neck slot has the familiar Fender employee "T. Chambers" ink inspection stamp. There is a factory neck shim along with another paper one.
The neck itself is straight and smooth. The bottom of the neck has a Fender employee "X. Armenta" ink inspection stamp. The neck stamp dates to April 1972. The neck has the classic Fender vintage-C profile. The nut has the standard B-width: 1 5/8". The neck depth measures .910" at the 1st fret and .981" at the 12th fret. The original "F-key" tuners function smoothly and the guitar stays in tune. The headstock and logo display excellent with a touch of patina including the low-E cigarette burn. The rosewood fingerboard is clean and smooth with a soft feel. The frets are in unbelievably nice condition-making me wonder if they have been replaced at some point...there is zero evidence of this-the frets sit perfectly and the tangs are a clean fit with no issues. The frets themselves are nice and tall with a crisp edge and zero flat spots or divots.. The action is low and the guitar plays really good. The string height measures .010" at the 1st fret and .050" at the 12th fret. It can easily be raised or lowered with the adjustable bridge. The guitar plays easily up and down the fingerboard with no dead spots and it really has a great feel.
The pickups both have an excellent signal and balance. The neck position measures 5.49 ohms and the bridge position measures 5.52 ohms. The guitar delivers that quintessential Fender Mustang chime as well as the vintage "bell" tone. The original controls function smoothly and quietly. The volume potentiometer dates to the 5th week of 1972, the tone potentiometer appears to be the same-but the factory soldered right over the date code. The solder joints between the potentiometers all match and look to be un touched original. The pickgurad shows a bit of patina, shrinkage/toning and its in good condition. The bridge and tailpiece both show patina and wear but do function as designed. The vibrato arm is missing.
The guitar is super-comfortable and fun to play. It only weighs 7.08 lbs so it is indeed very lightweight. You can forget all about any shoulder fatigue with this one. It feels amazing on a strap or in your lap. You swill want to play it for hours either way. It is awesome for gigging, recording, songwriting etc. Comes complete with a nice mid-1970's Fender hardcase.
