Squier Super-Sonic
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The Squier Super-Sonic is an
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 ...
manufactured by the
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation 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 ...
, originally marketed under their
Squier Squier is an American brand of electric guitars owned by Fender. The former manufacturing company, established as "V. C. Squier Company" was founded in 1890 by Victor Carroll Squier in Battle Creek, Michigan, producing strings for violins, banj ...
brand. The design, conceived by former Squier marketing manager
Joe Carducci Joe Carducci is an American writer, record producer, and former A&R executive, formerly most closely associated with the influential record label SST Records. Carducci lived for a time in Chicago before moving to Hollywood in 1976. From 1981 to 19 ...
, is said to have been inspired by a photograph in which
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
is pictured playing a
Fender Jazzmaster The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as a more expensive sibling of the Fender Stratocaster. First introduced at the 1958 NAMM Show, it was initially marketed to jazz guitarists, but found ...
upside down.


Design

The Super-Sonic features an offset body similar to an upside-down
Fender Jaguar The Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar by Fender Musical Instruments characterized by an offset-waist body, a relatively unusual switching system with two separate circuits for lead and rhythm, and a short-scale 24" neck. Owing some roots to th ...
or
Fender Jazzmaster The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as a more expensive sibling of the Fender Stratocaster. First introduced at the 1958 NAMM Show, it was initially marketed to jazz guitarists, but found ...
, but with two
humbucker A humbucking pickup, humbucker, or double coil, is a type of guitar pickup that uses two wire coils to cancel out the noisy interference picked up by coil pickups. In addition to electric guitar pickups, humbucking coils are sometimes used in d ...
pickups, a three-way pickup selector toggle switch, and a traditional
Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously ...
-style six-screw vibrato bridge. Unusually, the Super-Sonic has no tone control and instead has only a volume control for each pickup, wired in reverse with the control closest to the bridge controlling the bridge pickup, and the control farthest from the neck controlling the neck pickup. Like many other Fender offset designs, the Super-Sonic is a short-scale (24-inch) guitar, and also features a 22-fret bolt-on neck with a reversed
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
-style large headstock.


Variations


Squier Vista Series (1996—1998)

The Super-Sonic was originally a part of the
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese-manufactured Vista Series, and produced at the
FujiGen FujiGen Gakki (), also known as FGN, is a Japanese musical instrument manufacturing company based in Matsumoto, Nagano. The company is named after Japan's iconic Mount Fuji. "Gen" means stringed instruments and "Gakki" means musical instrument †...
factory between late 1996 and early 1998. The bodies were constructed from basswood and available in four different finishes, with a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. The ceramic pickups were manufactured in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, with the bridge pickup canted.


Fender Pawn Shop Series (2013—2014)

Fender reintroduced the Super-Sonic in January 2013 as part of the Fender-branded Pawn Shop Series. The reissued Super-Sonic was manufactured at the Fender factory in
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and featured an alder body available in three new finishes (Apple Red Flake, Dark Gun Metal Flake, Sunfire Orange Flake), a C-shaped maple neck, a rosewood fretboard with a 9.5 inch radius, and medium-jumbo frets. The South Korean-made pickups on the Vista Series models were replaced with Fender Atomic humbuckers, and both canted.


Squier Paranormal Series (2020—2021)

The Super-Sonic was once again reintroduced to the Fender catalogue in June 2020 as part of the Squier Paranormal Series. The revived model was made in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and featured a poplar body available initially in two different finishes (2020 Graphite Metallic, Ice Blue Metallic) with a further two finishes added in 2021 (Blue Sparkle, Shell Pink), a C-shaped maple neck, an Indian laurel fretboard with a 9.5 inch radius, and narrow-tall frets. Similarly to the Pawn Shop Series version, the Paranormal Series Super-Sonic features Squier Atomic humbuckers with the bridge pickup canted.


Fender Made In Japan Limited (2021—2022)

In July 2021, Fender released a Japan-exclusive, limited run Fender-branded Super-Sonic in a Silver Sparkle finish. It was largely a faithful reproduction of the original Vista Series models, and featured a basswood body, a U-shaped neck, a rosewood fretboard with a 9.5 inch radius, medium jumbo frets, and Fender Shawbucker humbuckers. The following month, the limited line was expanded with Black, Olympic White, and Blue Sparkle finishes, while replacing the pickups with Fender Dragster BB humbuckers. In March 2022, Fender Japan released a limited run Super-Sonic with a 3-Color Sunburst finish and an alder body.


Notable players

* Alex Fischel (Spoon) *
Omar Rodríguez-López Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López (born September 1, 1975) is an American guitarist and songwriter. He has formed or played in several bands, including the Mars Volta, At the Drive-In, Antemasque, and Bosnian Rainbows. He was the bassist for the ...
(
At the Drive-In At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (dru ...
,
The Mars Volta The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms ...
) * Leticia Wolf/Meta Dead (The Dead Deads) *
Charley Stone Charley Stone is an English multi-instrumentalist musician based in London, UK. She has been a notable part of the London indie music scene since the early 1990s. History Charley Stone first came to notice in short-lived riot grrrl band Frant ...
(
Gay Dad Gay Dad were an English rock band that formed in London in 1994 and broke up in 2002. The line-up of the band has included Cliff Jones (guitarist/vocalist), Nick "Baz" Crowe (drummer), James Riseboro (keyboardist), Nigel Hoyle (bassist) and ...
,
Salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed, mostly natural ingredients with at least one raw ingredient. They are typically served at room temperature or chilled, though some can be served warm. Condiments and salad dressings, which exist in a va ...
,
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) *
Nick Reinhart Tera Melos is an American math rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2004. They incorporate many styles of rock, ambient electronics and unconventional song structures. They are currently a three-piece, consisting of guitarist/keyboard ...
(
Tera Melos Tera Melos is an American math rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2004. They incorporate many styles of rock, ambient electronics and unconventional song structures. They are currently a three-piece, consisting of guitarist/keyboard ...
,
Death Grips Death Grips is an American experimental hip hop group formed in 2010 in Sacramento, California. The group consists of Stefan Burnett, also known as MC Ride (vocals, lyrics), Zach Hill (drums, production, lyrics), and Andy Morin (keyboards, produ ...
) * Cody Weissinger (The Funeral Portrait)


References

{{Fender guitars Fender electric guitars