Anybody remember the Fender acoustic with the strat style head stock?

[KATMAN]

Man,they were some ugly guitars! I just couldn't get over the strat style headstock. I never played one,but I see them played in old country videos. I guess they were good for something. I never liked the looks of them. Has anybody ever played one? How did they feel? And does anyone still have one?

[Treborklow]

Originally posted by KATMAN
Man,they were some ugly guitars! I just couldn't get over the strat style headstock. I never played one,but I see them played in old country videos. I guess they were good for something. I never liked the looks of them. Has anybody ever played one? How did they feel? And does anyone still have one?

They still make them... I saw one at GC just the other day. I don't bother playing them, I suspect they are average for a guitar in that price range.

[Hudman]

They still make them. In fact, they are featured in the current MF sales catalog. They get good reviews.

[KATMAN]

I had no idea they still made them. The two music stores that carry Fender products haven't had them in years.It must've been at least twenty years since I'd seen them. I had seen a old Fender twelve string with a sound hole pickup on it,it had a slimmer version of the same neck.An older gentleman had it. It sounded pretty good thru a tube amp.

[KarlG]

I have a friend who has a Capistrano model that he has had since the 1980's. Itis a nice playing and nice sounding guitar. Not outstanding, but nice. I have also played a 1990's Redondo model that was not as impressive. The necks on both guitars were very nice.

[Tony Burns]

a few of friends back in the early seventies had them , always thought as guitars they sucked - it was a poor atempt at a guitar that was sopose to play like a electric and sound like a acoustic - never really liked they way they played - think Johnny Cash played a version of one think it had the bigsby name on it ( looked like a fender thou )

[recordingtrack1]

I know this is a cheap shot because I never played one, but I always thought they looked stupid. I never understood it. My opinion was that Fender had a WHOLE BUNCH of Strat necks laying around that they needed to do something with and this was the answer they came up with. I know that is not true but it was the only logical explanation I could come up with on my own.

RT1

[knockwood]

Didn't Owen Wilson have one of those things in "Starsky & Hutch"?

[exploradorable]

i like em

[0rbitz9]

I bought a Fender Malibu acoustic back
in 1984 from the military PX in Wiesbadden
Germany. I paid $220 for it, plus $80 for
the hardshell case. I think the guitar with
the case sold for around $400 in most
American stores.

The guitar played great when I first bought
it. The instrument didn't settle in very well,
and after two years the action wasn't as
low as before, making it a real beast to
play. For the next 20 years it sat in it's
case, and hardly ever got played. A few
months ago, I decided that I either needed
to get it playing properly, or else get rid
of it. It turned out that it just needed the
saddle shaved down a bit. I felt kind of
stupid for not taking the time to do that
a long time ago. Hanging out on the
Acoustic Forum perhaps may have motivated me
a little.

So, I sanded down the saddle, and now
it plays and sounds just like new again.
The guitar has a unique sound that
really rings out. It has a sycamore top,
and flamed sycamore on the back and
sides. I've never come across any other
sycamore bodied guitars before, but
would certainly want to try another.

The neck on this guitar is not like a
Fender electric. It's a little thicker and
wider, but still has a well rounded fret
radius that's typical of Fenders. I find
it very effective for fast lead picking, but
only average for chording. The guitar
was made in Japan, and part of Fender's
newly launched California series. So I
guess it should really be called a
"Nippofornian" guitar or something like
that.

At that time, it seemed like Fender had
a nice sounding lineup of acoustics. The
latest acoustics I've played from Fender
seem rather plinkey. I've also seen
some older Fender acoustics on eBay
that have the scrolled headstock, and
a bolt-on neck. Scarry concept to me.
About two years ago Fender came out
with a thinline acoustic/electric stratocaster,
and telecaster. I tried them at my local
guitar shop, and thought they were
total El-Kabongs.

Here's some Pics of the Malibu:

[Treborklow]

Lot's of people don't like the Fender electric headstock on an acoustic. Gibson had an advantage that their headstock went well with both their electrics and acoustics. Fender's looked odd. I think it affected the sales of their acoustic models. Perhaps that is why they bought Guild.

[TheBurninator]

I have one.

it was my only acoustic for about 3 years. Bought it in nearly new condition at a Goodwill for 25 bucks when i was working there in high school (2000). It doesn't get as much play these days, but the neck feels great and I've written a lot of songs on it. It's one of the few pieces of gear that I have true sentimental attachment with, but my Dean Dao is starting to go down that road.

[kwakatak]

I've tried a few Fender acoustics but never one with the Strat-type headstock. OTOH, I do own a Strat and it's a bitch to keep in tune because of the lack of a break angle over the nut and those crappy stock string trees. That's mostly when I bend the strings or use the t-bar though.

I wonder: is this a problem on the acoustic versions?

[DonK]

As others have noted, they've reissued under the line of "Malibu". The original '70's models were junk (I made the mistake of buying one back when they first came out). Here's one of the original ads:

[recordingtrack1]

Thanks for the visual! It helps to satisfy my original opinion. I don't mean to offend anybody, but they just look . . . well, . . .weird.

RT1

[DonK]

Originally posted by recordingtrack1
Thanks for the visual! It helps to satisfy my original opinion. I don't mean to offend anybody, but they just look . . . well, . . .weird.

RT1

The headstocks on the 12-strings are particularly, uh...vulgar!

[KATMAN]

I went to MF's website and sure enough there they are.But it said that they were reissued or somethong of that nature. I was never a big fan of them myself.I thought Fender was doing a pretty good job of re-interducing themeslves to the acoustic market. They have several acoustics that are nice and honorable guitars to play and to own. But they only have the one with the ugly headstock on it. I remember when they ALL had them.

[angus_old]

they just got reissued. they're damn cool

[Michael Martin]

Played one just the other day at the local music store. Was not impressed, but then again it wasn't too pricey. But the similarly-priced G series Takamines were definitely better-sounding and better-playing.

The headstock does look weird, but of course weird can be a GOOD thing, ja?

[pez1963]

I bought 1969 Fender Malibu. This was a made in USA guitar. This model was used Johnny Cash and Ray Davies from the Kinks

Sound Sample

I found some clips with them and found they had impressive tone.
Jimmie Newman, Buck Owens and Johnny Cash.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feGgrTX1l48

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DaeC...eature=related

[pez1963]

not an issue on the one I just got.

[pez1963]

They are making the USA select models which are really really sweet guitars. The made at New Hartford Ct factory that makes Ovation, Adamas, Hamer and Guild.

[Gary Blanchard]

I have owned two of them, both in black. The first was bought in the 70's and was totally acoustic, though I later had a pickup installed. The other I bought in the 80's; it was acoustic/electric and had a cutaway. I enjoyed them when I had them, but got rid of both when I went back to more traditional music and felt they didn't fit the music. I have toyed with getting one of the reissues.

All a matter of taste. I must admit that the fact that Johnny Cash was playing one influenced my purchase.

[Opa John]

I'm with the OP on this one. Those things are just butt ugly, IMO. I've never picked one up because I was afraid someone I knew would see me holding it!

I have, however, owned a Fender acoustic guitar. Had an '81 Fender F-65, all laminate, that was my only guitar for about 25 years. Wasn't a bad guitar at all. In fact, I just sold it earlier this year since I hardly ever played it anymore. I've moved on to what I consider to be better guitars. That old F-65 was OK, but I don't think I'd buy another Fender acoustic these days.

[Ricochet]

The one I've seen is called the Sonoran, comes in a variety of solid colors that look fine on a strat, but not so good on an acoustic...just like the headstock. Saw a guy who is a music teacher buy a red one with pearl PG last week just because he liked how it looked.

For whatever reason, I find I'm more open to unusual designs on an electric guitar than on an acoustic.