{"product_id":"fender-competition-mustang-solid-body-electric-guitar-1971-10348","title":"Fender Competition Mustang Solid Body Electric Guitar (1971)","description":"Fender Competition Mustang Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1971), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 328976, Candy Apple Red with Racing Stripe finish, alder body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, original grey hard shell case. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a nicely original and lightly played in Competition Red Fender Mustang, showing some wear but remaining original and unaltered after 55 years. This guitar was built later in the run of 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis 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\".\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis guitar has a neck date stamp from October 1971, while the pots are coded to the 16th week of that year. 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 general fade giving it a more ambered patina. 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 around the mid-60s.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOriginally 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.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOverall 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.). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a played but not abused original guitar, showing some wear and tear but nothing to serious. The all-original finish has some general fade and shows scratches, dings and a few chips and dinks down to the wood but no heavy loss. There is some minor wear along the edges of the neck with some feelable dinks to the rear surface. The lower horn of the body has an old strap button hole indicating the guitar was once set up left handed, but there is no million-dollar Kurt provenance!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll hardware is original except for a repro trem arm, showing some light wear as well especially to the bridge saddles. The pickguard has some shrinkage but no cracked or popped corners. The frets have been polished out and show some minor divoting in the lower positions. The guitar still plays well and sounds fine, with a VERY out-of-phase sound when that switch setting is applied. Generally this is a nice giggable example of this whimsical classic complete in the original grey HSC, which is functional but a bit beat up with a couple of cracks to the sides and a large bash to the underside. Overall Very Good + Condition.","brand":"Fender","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51303685259404,"sku":"10348","price":3250.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/8702\/3756\/files\/01_cb0d4ee9-f29f-4680-9442-45bd09662d72.jpg?v=1783455972","url":"https:\/\/retrofret.com\/products\/fender-competition-mustang-solid-body-electric-guitar-1971-10348","provider":"RetroFret","version":"1.0","type":"link"}