Fender Competition Mustang Solid Body Electric Guitar (1971)
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Fender Competition Mustang Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1971), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 306296, Candy Apple Red with Racing Stripe finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original grey hard shell case.
This is a nicely original and generally well preserved Competition Red Fender Mustang, showing some wear but remaining original and unaltered after 50+ years. This guitar was built around the middle of the run for the rather whimsical "competition" version of the model, with the Candy Apple Red metallic "car" finish with a "racing" stripe on the body but a natural headstock.
This new version of Fender's classiest student guitar was introduced in the May 1969 issue of FENDER FACTS as an attempt to freshen up the model's appeal, incorporating "added features and all new styling". The finish on the body was meant to evoke the car culture "The kids" were thought to be digging at the time. "Competition Mustangs hit the line" was the headline "three diagonal competition stripes race across the body -- big, bold, bright".
One oddity of this guitar is the neck has a date stamp from 1966 but carries a decal and finish correct for 1971, with every indication of being original to this guitar. Some parts must have been laying around the factory for a while! The pots are coded to the 7th week of 1971. Apart from the headstock no longer being finished to match the body the features are nearly identical to first 1969 models. The body on this example sports a lovely metallic red finish with some dings and dents but little yellowing or fade. The pickguard is laminated plastic with a flashy white pearloid top layer. The switches mounted above the two pickups offer interesting in/out of phase sonic options, something Leo was interested in by the mid-60s.
Originally introduced in mid-1964, the Mustang series was one of Leo Fender's last major original designs for the company that bore his name. Although intended as a student model, the easy handling 24" scale guitar with vibrato has been used by many professionals over the decades since and endured as a classic in its own right. The Mustang has proved a timeless favorite of countless garage and pro bands from the 1960s and '70s until today, easily exceeding Leo's original intentions as a simple but effective student instrument.
Overall length is 39 3/4 in. (101 cm.), 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 in. (610 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a generally clean and original guitar, played but not abused. The all-original finish shows scratches, dings and some general wear overall, with a few chips and dinks down to the wood and a couple of minor touch ups. There is one small spot of disturbance on the upper horn of the face where a round sticker looks to have been removed. All hardware is original and complete, with some light wear as well. The neck finish is very clean with very little wear, the frets show some minor divoting as does the fingerboard in the lower positions. The guitar still plays well and sounds fine, a generally very nice example of this whimsical classic complete in the original grey HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a nicely original and generally well preserved Competition Red Fender Mustang, showing some wear but remaining original and unaltered after 50+ years. This guitar was built around the middle of the run for the rather whimsical "competition" version of the model, with the Candy Apple Red metallic "car" finish with a "racing" stripe on the body but a natural headstock.
This new version of Fender's classiest student guitar was introduced in the May 1969 issue of FENDER FACTS as an attempt to freshen up the model's appeal, incorporating "added features and all new styling". The finish on the body was meant to evoke the car culture "The kids" were thought to be digging at the time. "Competition Mustangs hit the line" was the headline "three diagonal competition stripes race across the body -- big, bold, bright".
One oddity of this guitar is the neck has a date stamp from 1966 but carries a decal and finish correct for 1971, with every indication of being original to this guitar. Some parts must have been laying around the factory for a while! The pots are coded to the 7th week of 1971. Apart from the headstock no longer being finished to match the body the features are nearly identical to first 1969 models. The body on this example sports a lovely metallic red finish with some dings and dents but little yellowing or fade. The pickguard is laminated plastic with a flashy white pearloid top layer. The switches mounted above the two pickups offer interesting in/out of phase sonic options, something Leo was interested in by the mid-60s.
Originally introduced in mid-1964, the Mustang series was one of Leo Fender's last major original designs for the company that bore his name. Although intended as a student model, the easy handling 24" scale guitar with vibrato has been used by many professionals over the decades since and endured as a classic in its own right. The Mustang has proved a timeless favorite of countless garage and pro bands from the 1960s and '70s until today, easily exceeding Leo's original intentions as a simple but effective student instrument.
Overall length is 39 3/4 in. (101 cm.), 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 in. (610 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a generally clean and original guitar, played but not abused. The all-original finish shows scratches, dings and some general wear overall, with a few chips and dinks down to the wood and a couple of minor touch ups. There is one small spot of disturbance on the upper horn of the face where a round sticker looks to have been removed. All hardware is original and complete, with some light wear as well. The neck finish is very clean with very little wear, the frets show some minor divoting as does the fingerboard in the lower positions. The guitar still plays well and sounds fine, a generally very nice example of this whimsical classic complete in the original grey HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.