Here's a vintage Fender Mustang guitar that has witnessed a LOT of belt and strap-buckle wear. The guitar was made at the original Fender factory in Fullerton California U.S.A. in early 1979. There are numerous date codes as well as employee inspection marks and name stamps. The serial number on the headstock matches the serial number underneath the pickguard. The guitar is 100% original and has been professionally set up so it is ready to go and needs nothing.
The body is ash with high contrast woodgrain. The offset body design features contours on the front and back side. The translucent red finish has been worn away in the arm wear area on the front and the belt-buckle area on the backside. There is also evidence of wear and tear all over the front sides and back. Let's call it: "well broken-in" The neck joint is solid. Inside the neck slot-on the body, there are employee inspection and name stamps in ink.
The neck is also ink stamped "mustang" on the end and has more employee names stamped on the backside-see photos. The neck itself is straight and the truss rod functions smoothly. The nut width is 1.58" wide. The neck has a vintage-C profile and measures .905" at the 1st fret and .960" at the 12th fret. That is rather beefy-especially for a Mustang. The neck is maple and the fingerboard is rosewood. This is a rare feature for a 1970's Fender guitar-as most all of them were using maple fingerboards at that time. The backside of the neck has a small area of wear from the previous owner's strap buckle. It is close to the body and has been smoothed out in order to not interfere with comfortability. The neck feels nice and smooth. The F-key tuners all function and the guitar stays in tune well. The headstock and logo display lots of patina and really give off the mojo-vibes. The rosewood fingerboard is clean and has a nice soft, smooth feel. The frets have been professionally leveled, crowned and polished and they have a nice height. The action is set low for a fast and easy playing experience. Currently the string height is .010" at the 1st fret and .050" at the 12th fret. The guitar plays great up and down the fingerboard with no dead spots.
The pickups both have an excellent signal and the classic vintage Fender brilliance and chime. The signature "bell" tone is clear. The neck pickup measures 5.75 ohms and the bridge pickup measures 5.69 ohms. The volume and tone controls function smoothly. The wiring harness is in excellent original condition. The volume pot dates to the 49th week of 1978 and the tone pot dates to the 1st week of 1979. The bridge is fully adjustable and functions as designed. The vibrato functions smoothly and the original vibrato arm is present (yay!).
The guitar has an excellent weight-it tips the scales at 8.40 lbs. The offset body offers a very comfortable playing position and feel. This guitar is not afraid of rocking out. just look at it!
A Fender hardcase is included. It is era-correct and may be the original-I am not for sure. I am sure that it has seen better days-the top panel has some separation. It does the job of protection at least.
This is a great vintage Fender guitar that is a lot of fun to play. It is perfect for someone that wants to play a Mustang in a band without worrying about getting a little scratch. You know who you are.
