1968 Fender Mustang, Olympic White + OHSC
Plenty of vintage Fender vibe from this 68 Mustang. Great tones to be had from this cool Fender offset.
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Originally introduced in 1964 as a part of Fender’s redesign of it’s student models, the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic, the Fender Mustang has gone on the earn a solid cult following especially amongst indie or alternative musicians.
Everything is as it should be with all original parts and finish. There is moderate playing wear on the back of the neck and a number of small dings, nicks and scratches on the body along with some light lacquer checking which gives the guitar a natural ‘relic’ look. Nothing out of the ordinary though and fairy typical of a well played, but looked after 54 year instrument.
Beneath the covers the two pick ups are essentially flat pole peice Stratocaster pick ups with the typical grey bobbins of the era. These are dated to August 1968. Each pick up on its own has a quintessential 60’s Fender tone – somewhere between a Strat and a Tele. The switching comprises of two On-Off-On switches, one for each pick up. There are four different tone combinations that can be selected using these switches. Aside from the bridge and neck pick ups on their own both pick ups can be selected together either in or out of phase. This gives the Mustang a surprisingly wide range of useable tones. The in phase position is a very useful full, chimey tone and the out of phase position (achieved by having the two switches in opposite positions) gives an interesting hollow quack which is quite unique.
All electrics are original with no signs of broken solder. Both pots date to the 18th week of 1966, which is typical on Fenders from 66 through to the early 70’s as CBS bought a huge supply of pots in 1966. This example benefits from featuring a set of the more desirable, earlier double line Kluson tuners. By 1968 most Fenders had the post CBS ‘F’ stamped tuners but this guitar appears to have left the factory with the earlier Klusons.
The neck has a nice comfortable medium C profile and the original frets have plenty of life left in them. The rosewood board has a nice played in feel and has the dark and waxy look of the best vintage Fender boards.
Overall a very cool vintage Fender offset. Prices on original mid to late 60’s Mustangs have been rising recently but they are still one of the biggest bang for your buck vintage guitars right now and something of an unsung hero in the vintage guitar world. When you consider the kind of money their bigger offset relatives of similar vintage now fetch, these are an absolute steal.
Comes with the original hard shell case, which is in overall good condition. The middle clasp is broken but the two end latches are both solid.
