Fender USA VINTAGE Mustang ’68 Red/R

Introduced in 1964, the Mustang remains incredibly popular today. While positioned as a student model, it boasts wood materials and parts comparable to regular models, making it a popular choice for those who want to easily enjoy the Fender tone.

This particular guitar was shipped around 1968. It features the popular combination of a red body and a rosewood fingerboard.

body
The total weight is approximately 3.3kg. The vibrant red, the original color from the early days of the model, is a nice touch. There is some weather checking commensurate with its age, paint peeling around the elbow and outer edge of the body, stand burn marks on the lower part of the body, dents, and slight tarnishing of the metal parts, giving it a good vintage feel and condition. The tremolo arm is missing.

neck
The neck is made of maple, and the fingerboard is made of rosewood. It features a 24-inch scale length, shorter than that of a Stratocaster. This guitar is from a period before the “OFFSET Contour Body” decal was applied. Weather checking is visible on the headstock top and back, paint is worn on the back of the neck, and the metal parts are tarnished, giving it a vintage feel, similar to the body. The tuners were once replaced with aftermarket ones, but have now been restored to the original F-key tuners. The tuning peg bushings have been replaced. There is some slight variation in the tightness of the winding, but they function properly. The frets and nut have been replaced once, and playability is good. The headstock thickness is 15.6mm. The nut width is 41.0mm. It features a relatively solid neck shape with a comfortable thickness.

[Electrical System]
The Mustang’s familiar controls consist of a master volume, master tone, and individual pickup selector switches. The familiar pickup selector switches allow you to create a mix of in-phase and out-of-phase sounds. It features two black bobbin pickups, commonly seen during this period. The pickups and control components are in their original condition.

Combined with the soft tension unique to its small scale, it delivers a crisp, light attack and a midrange with a hint of sweetness. The front pickup provides a rounded, warm tone, while the rear pickup produces a bright, edgy sound. Mixing the two in phase creates a sparkling tone perfect for sharp cutting, while out-of-phase produces a unique, slim, and funky texture with reduced midrange. Its appeal lies not only in its clean sound but also in the pleasant texture it produces when lightly overdriven.

Accessories: Fender silver hard case

Weight: 3.3kg
Neck Material/Scale Length: Maple 1 piece/609.0mm (24inch)
Fingerboard/Fret Marker/Radius: Rosewood round laminate/Pearoid dot, 22 Fret/184.15mm (7.25inch)
Nut Width/Fret Size (width): 41.0mm (replaced)/2.1mm (replaced)
Neck Thickness (1F/7F/12F): 21.5mm/22.8mm/23.7mm
Capacitor: Dielectron CircleD 50V
Pickup (Neck/Bridge): Fender Mustang Black Bobbin Singlecoil (5.75k/5.6k)
*The DC resistance value of the pickup is measured through the control section.

Heartman Vintage Guitars is a specialty store for vintage guitars and basses operated by Ikebe Musical Instruments.