1978 Fender Mustang: The Short Scale Fender That Refuses To Die

BLAST FROM THE PAST. A guitar that came through our shop at 316 E 84th St, sold, and moved on. This instrument is no longer available.

Fender built the Mustang to sell to students. It has spent sixty years being played by people who could afford anything.

That is the whole story of this guitar. It was designed as an entry point and it turned into a permanent fixture, because the short scale, the offset body and those two single coils with the slide switches add up to something no full size Fender does.

What it was

A 1978 Fender Mustang, listed at $1,900.

• Condition: good
• Originality: all original
• Case: original hardshell, included

Why the Mustang keeps coming back

The short scale is the first thing you notice. Less tension, easier bends, and a slightly softer attack that suits fuzz and reverb better than a full scale guitar does. That is why it kept surfacing in surf, in indie rock, in nineties alternative, and in every garage band that ever found one cheap.

The second thing is the switching. Each pickup has its own slide switch with three positions, off and two phases. That gives you an out of phase setting a Strat or a Tele simply cannot produce, thin and hollow and instantly recognisable once you have heard it.

The third thing is the vibrato. The Mustang unit is a floating bridge with a long arm, and it does a shimmer rather than a dive. Set up properly it stays in tune far better than its reputation suggests.

Common questions about the Fender Mustang

What did this 1978 Fender Mustang sell for?
It was listed at $1,900 at Bros Guitar Shop in New York City. For a figure on your own guitar, ask us for an appraisal.

What scale length is a Fender Mustang?
24 inches on most, with some early examples offered in 22.5 inch. Either way it is noticeably shorter than a Stratocaster at 25.5 inches, which is what gives it the slinkier feel.

Is a Fender Mustang a beginner guitar?
It was sold as one. It is not one. The short scale makes it friendly for smaller hands and new players, and the switching and vibrato make it a genuinely distinctive instrument that plenty of professionals have chosen on purpose.

Do Mustang vibratos stay in tune?
Better than people say, if the bridge and nut are right. Most tuning complaints trace back to a bridge that is not seated properly or a nut that binds. It is a setup problem, not a design problem.

What are the slide switches on a Mustang for?
Each pickup gets a three position switch: off, in phase, out of phase. Combining them gives you the thin out of phase sound the Mustang is known for.

Does Bros Guitar Shop buy vintage Fenders?
Yes. We buy outright, take trades, and take consignments. Details below.

Where it went

Sold. In the original case it came in.

Come see us at Bros Guitar Shop

We are a family owned guitar shop on the Upper East Side, and we do more than sell instruments:

• Buying, trades and consignment on used and vintage gear
• Repairs and setups at our bench
• Appraisals. Bring it in or send photos and we will tell you what you have
• Guitar lessons in the studio downstairs
• Pickup and delivery available for a fee. Give us a call and we will sort it out

Bros Guitar Shop
316 E 84th St, New York, NY 10028
646-559-8771 and brosguitarshop@gmail.com
Mon to Fri 12 to 8, Sat 10 to 8, closed Sunday

Got something in a case under the bed? That is usually how the good ones turn up.