Ford Fender Mustang

[newey]

As a certified (and certifiable) car nut, I can't tear myself away from watching the Barrett-Jackson car auctions on TV. One can dream, after all.

But I saw this beauty get auctioned off for charity. Not the first time Ford and Fender have collaborated with Barrett-Jackson on a charity auction, and back in the day Fender issued a bunch of Ford Mustang-themed Telecasters as a limited edition. But this was the first time AFAIK when their collaboration reached this level:






www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/1969-FORD-MUSTANG-FENDER-CUSTOM-FASTBACK-244972

Note the Fender badging on the rear, the "Spaghetti F" on the grill, and note how the red HBs on the Custom Shop HHH Strat(which comes with the car) match the taillights on the Mustang. It also has a Fender Deluxe amp mounted in the trunk, apparently, although the text didn't mention a power converter.

It sold for $148,500 USD, but since it was an auction for charity, part of that probably represents an excess over the market value, for which the buyer can then claim a charitable donation.

I thought it was pretty cool, but I'm not clear on why the guitar isn't a Fender Mustang rather than a Strat.

And, of course, even a stock Ford Mustang comes from the factory with 4 fenders included.

[reTrEaD]

Mar 31, 2021 7:50:27 GMT -5 newey said:

And, of course, even a stock Ford Mustang comes from the factory with 4 fenders included.

There's a joke to be made there of course.

Mar 31, 2021 7:50:27 GMT -5 newey said:

I thought it was pretty cool, but I'm not clear on why the guitar isn't a Fender Mustang rather than a Strat.

I reckon the problem is, the classic Fender Mustang has two SC pickups, mounted diagonally.

The visual tie-in they're using this:



But yeah, my first reaction when seeing the pic was ... "Hey, that's not a Fender Mustang!"

[newey]

VW marketed a "Garagemaster" package a decade or so ago, but instead of a restored '69 'Stang with a Custom Shop axe and a Deluxe amp, you got a Jetta or Bug with a First Act guitar that plugged into the aux jack on the car stereo. Not quite at the same level- but not 150K either . . .

www.motortrend.com/news/first-act-vw-garagemaster-guitar/

I also don't recall ever seeing a HHH Strat before, I'm wondering what switching it has- hopefully something more versatile than the three-HB LPs

[reTrEaD]

Yeah, I remember those commercials well. They had John Mayer with a Bug ragtop.







And Slash with a couple of 'stacks'.

[newey]

Yeah, the Motor Trend review of the VW said that First Act put an active preamp/modeling circuit in the guitar, since the car stereo was obviously too "clean" for guitar use- so you can get both the John Mayer tones and the Slash crunchy stuff both, apparently.

Of course, Fender and Ford are both "American as Apple Pie"; I might have expected a German manufacturer like VW to use a Hofner or a Framus instead of a First Act.

[unreg]

Wow! Is that Mustang’s license plate actually “FENDER”?

[frets]

Hi Fellas🙀

I once worked on a Bolin Shelby Cobra and thought it was a beautiful guitar.  Off the topic but this Mustang thread made me think of it.

[reTrEaD]

Mar 31, 2021 17:02:08 GMT -5 unreg said:

Wow! Is that Mustang’s license plate actually “FENDER”?

That's what it says, but it isn't a legit license plate.

[newey]

Mar 31, 2021 17:48:14 GMT -5 frets said:

I once worked on a Bolin Shelby Cobra and thought it was a beautiful guitar.

That's a beautiful guitar, hadn't seen one before.

A few years back, PRS had a Corvette Commenmorative guitar, while we're on the subject of "Cars 'N Guitars":

[frets]

Wow, I love that yellow.

I’m happy to see Fender doing this Mustang themed guitar. With all the boutiqing of guitars, I’ve been surprised Fender has not been more aggressive in diversifying models. Hopefully, they’ll do more of it.

[newey]

Apr 1, 2021 8:23:45 GMT -5 frets said:

I’ve been surprised Fender has not been more aggressive in diversifying models. Hopefully, they’ll do more of it.

I think this was just a one-off from the Custom Shop for the charity. Fender has been pretty aggressive, not in putting out anything that is truly new, but in recycling their old ideas onto new permutations and combinations. So, now instead of being limited to a Jazzmaster if you wanted an offset body with a full-scale neck, you can now get a Jazzmaster with the Jaguar's switching scheme. Or a Tele with 2 humbuckers. Or a Jaguar with P-90s. I think the Cyclone was the last thing we could say was actually a new model of electric guitar, if you don't count things like the Stratocoustic or Telecoustic. And the Cyclone was 30 years ago anyway . . .

It's like they just reach into the parts bin, grab a handful of their NOS parts, throw them up in the air, and where they land, they make a "new model". Lather, rinse, and repeat.

I saw what I thought were new models from Fender, the "Lead II" and "Lead III" (one has 2 HBs, one has 2 SCs, otherwise identical) a while back, then I read the ad copy, which said:

"In response to high-quality, low-priced import guitars, Fender created the Lead Series in 1979, featuring a new solid-body design, hard-tail bridges and cool new wiring options*. Appealing to a wide variety of players, the sleek new Lead models kicked off a fresh creative era in Fender’s history."

Well, I was around in 1979 and playing guitar, and I don't ever recall seeing these models before, they must have exited Fender's lineup after a quick cup of coffee back then. So they couldn't have sold very many back then. And I don't recall the early 1980's as being a "fresh creative era" for Fender, particularly, so I'm unsure what these models "kicked off".

In any event, what I thought was new just turned out to be a reissue of an old model so obscure I didn't recall its ever being made in the first place.


*"cool new wiring options"- translation: It has a phase switch.

[gumbo]

Apr 1, 2021 14:56:11 GMT -5 newey said:

Apr 1, 2021 8:23:45 GMT -5 frets said:

I’ve been surprised Fender has not been more aggressive in diversifying models. Hopefully, they’ll do more of it.

I think this was just a one-off from the Custom Shop for the charity. Fender has been pretty aggressive, not in putting out anything that is truly new, but in recycling their old ideas onto new permutations and combinations. So, now instead of being limited to a Jazzmaster if you wanted an offset body with a full-scale neck, you can now get a Jazzmaster with the Jaguar's switching scheme. Or a Tele with 2 humbuckers. Or a Jaguar with P-90s. I think the Cyclone was the last thing we could say was actually a new model of electric guitar, if you don't count things like the Stratocoustic or Telecoustic. And the Cyclone was 30 years ago anyway . . .

It's like they just reach into the parts bin, grab a handful of their NOS parts, throw them up in the air, and where they land, they make a "new model". Lather, rinse, and repeat.

I saw what I thought were new models from Fender, the "Lead II" and "Lead III" (one has 2 HBs, one has 2 SCs, otherwise identical) a while back, then I read the ad copy, which said:

"In response to high-quality, low-priced import guitars, Fender created the Lead Series in 1979, featuring a new solid-body design, hard-tail bridges and cool new wiring options*. Appealing to a wide variety of players, the sleek new Lead models kicked off a fresh creative era in Fender’s history."

Well, I was around in 1979 and playing guitar, and I don't ever recall seeing these models before, they must have exited Fender's lineup after a quick cup of coffee back then. So they couldn't have sold very many back then. And I don't recall the early 1980's as being a "fresh creative era" for Fender, particularly, so I'm unsure what these models "kicked off".

In any event, what I thought was new just turned out to be a reissue of an old model so obscure I didn't recall its ever being made in the first place.


*"cool new wiring options"- translation: It has a phase switch.

...couldn't have said it better meself....

Just about on a weekly basis, something from Fender lobs into my Inbox...telling me all about their latest 'creation'....all too boring for words....

...seems more like this is happening to justify the ongoing existence of the Custom Shop than anything else...there's nothing really new, and hasn't been for years...

[roadtonever]

I think the more obvious tie in would look like this:

[newey]

Nice- '65 Ford and '65 Fender. But the "real Vintage" Fender seems to have lost its whammy bar somewhere during the past 50 years . . .