Play like a Pro: A Breakdown of the Most Popular Fender Mustang Models (2024)

If the Fender Mustang was a car, it would be the tenacious old convertible you keep in the garage solely to drive around a racetrack every weekend - and no one else is permitted to drive it. You cherish it simply because it's simple to use, looks and sounds amazing, and offers something for everyone's taste.

Embraced by the likes of Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), John McLaughlin (Miles Davis), Damon Albarn (Blur), David Byrne (Talking Heads), and many, many more, the Fender Mustang is renowned for its tones that respond well to muted picking, chorus-drenched chords, and numerous strumming techniques.

If you're in the market for a new guitar and have your heart set on a Mustang, there are a few things to consider. For novices, the smaller size means it costs less than some of its Fender counterparts, yet still retains all of the Fender quality. Second, it should not be viewed solely as an affordable substitute for a Strat or Telecaster; it is a distinct instrument in its own right. For that reason, we are breaking down the most popular models of this cult classic instrument.

The Vintera, like the Player Mustang, attempts to include as much original 1960s look and sound as possible, bringing you back in time. So, add a vintage yet unique edge to your sound with the still hard-to-beat Ventera 60s electric guitar Mustang. It boasts all the excellent features you'd expect from a Fender guitar, including an alder body and a maple neck.

These tonewoods provide a broad sonic palette for the guitar, with warmth and brightness that bounce off one another. The Pau Ferro fingerboard is enjoyable to play with, and the neck, like the rest of the Mustang line, is somewhat shorter, allowing for more comfortable playability.

Particularly, the Vintera 60s line has all of the attributes of the vintage Mustang electric guitar, including a classic-style tremolo bridge that provides smooth action while remaining true to the visual look with the plastic tip tremolo arms. Single coil bridge and neck pickups with Alnico V magnets offer an excellent harmonic balance of warm and clear, thin and thick. If you want the classic Mustang experience, this could be the one for you.

The Vintera Mustang's unusual pickup switch system is located on top of the pickguard. One switch for each pickup provides four distinct tone options. Master volume and tone are then used to tailor the sound even further. These Mustang electric guitars are simple, and elegant, and provide all you need without trying too hard - or charging an arm and leg.

The Player model is the original Mustang recipe and provides a little bit of everything, making it an excellent starting point for anyone wishing to join the party. Since 1964, the Player model has delivered high-quality Fender sound to studios and stages, striking the ideal blend between classic elegance and modern technology. It delivers a performance worthy of any professional musician, is extremely playable, and serves as the trigger for the Mustang's long-term popularity.

Mustangs aren't known for their forceful or passionate lead playing, but when served with chorus and open chords, they sound amazing. The Player 90 has two P90 pickups, which is the biggest difference between them. When used with an overdrive effect, P90s provide mid-rich tones, clean ringing sustains, and a surprising amount of distorted aggression, giving you the best of both worlds.

The Fender American Performer Mustang, maybe the most sumptuous of the three, is unquestionably a high-end instrument. It's on the pricier side of the range, but it has all of the benefits of a modern electric guitar Mustang dressed in historical clothing.

The American Performer, made with an offset alder body, has a comfortable 'Modern C' neck shape and a polyurethane finish - gloss on the body, and satin on the neck. The scale length is somewhat shorter at 24 inches, as is the case with all Mustang models, and the board has 22 frets. All of these elements work together to produce a smooth sound and an enjoyable playing experience.

So, what distinguishes this model from the others? The Performer Mustang features the same Marmite 'Dynamic' vibrato featured on late-'60s and early-'70s models. Not everyone's cup of tea, mostly because it can destabilise the guitar's tuning, but it does have advantages. Although Kurt Cobain converted it to a hardtail bridge, the tremolo shimmer contributed to the guitar's tone is one of the reasons why this model became so famous among punk and grunge guitarists in the 1990s.

The KC Mustang, Kurt Cobain's follow-up custom Fender to the enormously successful Kurt Cobain trademark Jaguar, has a wide range of tones, and this is where it truly shines. With a Seymour Duncan humbucker at the bridge and a traditional Mustang single coil on the neck, this variant offers a little more tonal variation.

The neck pickup ensures full-bodied lows and a well-rounded midrange. The humbucker on the bridge, however, is the guitar's true highlight. This pickup retains a beautiful amount of tonal clarity and richness regardless of the amount of amplification applied, making it ideal for bluesy rock tones and gritty power chords.

Because of the Mustang's tiny design, no matter how much force you put through the humbucker, it will never truly cross into metal territory, but it will contentedly exist within the garage punk rock spectrum.