The Fender Musicmaster is a
solid body electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...
produced by
Fender. It was the first 3/4
scale student-model guitar Fender produced.
A
Musicmaster Bass model was also put on the market. Musicians such as David Byrne and Liz Phair used a Fender Musicmaster.
History
1955–1963
Design work on the Musicmaster-and its two-pickup variant
Duo-Sonic-began in late 1955 following a request from Fender Sales. Prototypes were made in early 1956, followed by sales literature announcing both models. Production of the Musicmaster began in late April of that year, using a body routed for two pickups to be common to the Duo-Sonic, which followed a little more than two months later. The Duo-Sonic and Musicmaster also shared a single-piece maple neck and fingerboard, with a 22.5 inch
scale length and 21 frets.
There was one major redesign of these two Musicmaster-bodied guitars, in 1959 when the entire Fender catalog was updated. At this time, the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic both received a plastic pickguard in place of the previous anodized aluminum one, and a two-piece maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard.
1964–1982
In 1964, following the release of the
Fender Mustang
The Fender Mustang is a solid body electric guitar produced by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. It was introduced in 1964 as the basis of a major redesign of Fender's student models, the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic. It was produced ...
, both the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic were redesigned using Mustang neck and body blanks. The Mustang body was larger and slightly offset, and was fitted with a plastic pickguard but with the volume and tone controls mounted on a separate metal plate. The headstock was also enlarged. All three models were offered with the option of a 24-inch scale and 22-fret neck or a 22.5-inch scale and 21-fret neck; the 24-inch scale proved to be the most popular of these options. The redesigned ''Musicmaster II'' alongside its stablemate the ''Duo-Sonic II'' lasted through 1969 before both models were dropped from production in favor of the more deluxe Mustang and new
Fender Bronco
The Fender Bronco was an electric guitar model produced by the Fender company from mid 1967 until 1981. It used the body and neck from the Fender Mustang, but had only one pickup and a different tremolo arm mechanism. Unlike the other Mustang ...
.
The Musicmaster in its second incarnation was still sold well into the 1970s however, using leftover parts until supplies ran out. In 1969, the
Fender Swinger
The Fender Swinger (also known as the Fender Musiclander and Fender Arrow – as the "Swinger" emblem is usually missing from the headstock) was a short-lived electric guitar model released by Fender in 1969 and reissued by Fender Japan in 2019 a ...
, a particularly interesting byproduct of this surplus was produced using the Musicmaster hardware, electrics, scratchplate, and the seldom ordered 22.5-inch necks, but with a modified
Fender Bass V
The Fender Bass V was a model of electric bass guitar produced by Fender between 1965 and 1971. It was the world's first five-string bass guitar.
At the time the electric bass guitar was still a relatively new instrument, and some manufacture ...
body. Around this same time the
Fender Maverick
The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC, or simply Fender) is an American manufacturer of instruments and amplifiers. Fender produces acoustic guitars, bass amplifiers and public address equipment, however it is best known for its ...
was introduced using similar practices but with leftover
Electric XII bodies and necks with Mustang bridges.
Later in the 70s the Musicmaster in its third incarnation was redesigned using the Bronco body and pickguard shapes. These larger pickguards encompassed the entire control cavity which saved production costs for Fender. Certain models of the Musicmaster, especially from between 1978 and 1980, were finished with a coat that reacted negatively with the base coat. This causes many modern surviving Musicmasters from this period to suffer from paint flaking off the body.
The Musicmaster was produced until 1982 when it, the Bronco and the Mustang were dropped in favor of the newer
Fender Bullet
The Fender Bullet was an electric guitar originally designed by John Page and manufactured and marketed by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. It was first introduced as a line of "student" guitars to replace the outgoing Mustang and Mu ...
models.
In 2020, Fender released a special version of the Musicmaster for the Shawn Mendes Music Foundation. It features 2 pickups, a single coil and a humbucker, and is the same as the 2020 Duo-Sonic other than the pickup configuration. Unlike the Duo Sonic, the neck pickup is a humbucker and the single coil is the bridge pickup.
See also
*
Fender Duo-Sonic
The Fender Duo-Sonic is an electric guitar launched by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation as a student model guitar, an inexpensive model aimed at amateur musicians. It was referred to as a "3/4 size" Fender guitar.
The original "Duo-Sonic" ...
*
Fender Mustang
The Fender Mustang is a solid body electric guitar produced by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. It was introduced in 1964 as the basis of a major redesign of Fender's student models, the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic. It was produced ...
*
Fender Bronco
The Fender Bronco was an electric guitar model produced by the Fender company from mid 1967 until 1981. It used the body and neck from the Fender Mustang, but had only one pickup and a different tremolo arm mechanism. Unlike the other Mustang ...
*
Fender Swinger
The Fender Swinger (also known as the Fender Musiclander and Fender Arrow – as the "Swinger" emblem is usually missing from the headstock) was a short-lived electric guitar model released by Fender in 1969 and reissued by Fender Japan in 2019 a ...
References
* "Fender's 3/4 Scale Guitars", a two-part article by Tim Pershing in ''
20th Century Guitar'', December 1996 and January 1997.
* "Little Brothers Turn 50", an article by Terry Foster and Tim Pershing in ''
Vintage Guitar
A vintage guitar is an older guitar usually sought after and maintained by avid collectors or musicians. The term may indicate either that an instrument is merely old, or that is sought after for its tonal quality, cosmetic appearance, or hist ...
'', July 2006.
* ''Fender: The Golden Age, 1946–1970'', a book by Martin Kelly, Terry Foster, Paul Kelly. London & New York: Cassell
External links
Inside a pre-production 1956 Fender MusicmasterLittle Brothers Turn 50
{{Fender guitars
Musicmaster
Musical instruments invented in the 1950s