Members Armchair Bronco Posted April 28, 2012 Members Share Posted April 28, 2012 I'm considering making an offer on a Craig's List Fender Mustang finished in Olympic White. The seller claims that this guitar was Made in Japan in the mid-1990's according to the serial # on the neck and info he received from the previous owner. But some folks on another site said (based on older CL photos) that it was likely just a 2 or 3 year old '65RI. Today, I saw and played the guitar in person and I took these photos. What do you guys think? Is this a legit Made in Japan mid-1990's Fender Mustang? The serial # is: T070563. According to this site (linky), T+6 digits for a Japanese-made Fender translates to 1994-1995. For an allegedly 17-year old guitar, this thing is in amazing condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted April 28, 2012 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2012 Here's an interesting thread on this issue I just found on another site: http://www.jag-stang.com/forum/topic/6185-confused-about-my-mustangs-serial-number/ But I'm still confused. Not sure if Fender is re-cycling serial numbers or if a bunch of warehoused Mustangs from the 1990's are showing up all of a sudden. The article above was for an Olympic White Mustang with a "T" plus 6-digit serial number (just like the one I saw). WTF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted April 28, 2012 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2012 More info. Seems that Fender started re-labeling its basses back in 2007 as "Made in Japan" and with serial numbers that started with "T0...." Just like the Mustang I saw. So, I'm more convinced than ever that the 'Stang I played was tree back in 1994 or 1995. And the "Do Not Recycle" sticker on the neck plate is also very suspicious. Here's a shot of the MIJ bass serial number. Look familiar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted April 28, 2012 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2012 This chart tells the whole story (and now I promise to stop posting in my own thread!): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mhuxtable Posted April 28, 2012 Members Share Posted April 28, 2012 Ifyou like it, just buy it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted April 28, 2012 Members Share Posted April 28, 2012 I would bet that this is a 65 RI from the last few years. Tuners have been changed, it seems. For many, that would be an improvement, as F-tuners are more vintage correct. Amazing guitar, you will love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Angry Tele Posted April 28, 2012 Members Share Posted April 28, 2012 it would be worth more if it were a newer CIJ. why would he lie about that? whats the selling point, basswood body instead of alder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted April 28, 2012 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2012 At this point, I have my heart set on something older with a little more history. The guitar I really wanted to buy was a legit mid-1990's Fender Mustang in the same color scheme. I found one at a Vintage Shop in Seattle, really liked it, and then stupidly failed to put down some earnest money. Someone else bought it and I was pissed. Then I saw this listing for what appeared to be *another* mid-1990's Mustang. The 65RI I played was really nice and it sounded great. But all of my other guitars are new, and I want to own at least 1 guitar that's closer to 20 years old than 2. That's all. The new Dodge (Reissue) Challengers are a cool modern take on a classic muscle car, but a 2008 Challenger does not equal a 1970 Dodge Challenger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted April 28, 2012 Members Share Posted April 28, 2012 it would be worth more if it were a newer CIJ. why would he lie about that? whats the selling point, basswood body instead of alder? They're all poplar. It's not a matter of lying. People just get genuinely confused I think. p.s. dude guitars from the 90s don't have history. They have wear. Newer Mustangs are better than 90s Mustangs. Don't be silly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted April 28, 2012 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2012 p.s. dude guitars from the 90s don't have history. They have wear. Newer Mustangs are better than 90s Mustangs. Don't be silly. 17 != 2 A guitar from the mid 1990's has 15 more years of history. Math don't lie. By this reasoning, no one should ever buy anything but new guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted April 28, 2012 Members Share Posted April 28, 2012 90s Mustangs weren't exactly great guitars to begin with and they have almost no collectible value. Considering that newer Mustangs have superior hardware and these newest batch of guitars from Fuji-Gen are extremely high quality, I just don't even know why 15 years of passing around an inferior instrument makes it all of a sudden desirable now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted April 28, 2012 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2012 90s Mustangs weren't exactly great guitars to begin with and they have almost no collectible value. Considering that newer Mustangs have superior hardware and these newest batch of guitars from Fuji-Gen are extremely high quality, I just don't even know why 15 years of passing around an inferior instrument makes it all of a sudden desirable now. History is one thing, but quality is another, so this is a good point. Lots of folks on other forums are saying that the new MIJ Mustangs are very high quality guitars. I have a Made in Mexico Jaguar Classic Player Special HH from a few years ago. How would a MIJ Mustang stack up against a Mexican Jaguar or even a mid-1990's Mustang in terms of build quality and components? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted April 29, 2012 Members Share Posted April 29, 2012 I think that model, in particular, is one of the most flawless in the entire Fender catalog. I think anyone who was not made of nostalgia would say that many of these are even better than many vintage American-made Mustangs. I certainly compare it favorably to any American made Fender. Generally, the only real weak point of MIJ offsets of late is either the pickups (understandable) or basswood (I personally have no issue but...) if you have a problem with it, but the '65 RI model is poplar and the pickups are actually very nice. I changed the pickups on mine anyway, since I prefer noiseless, but I found the stock pickups to have very good tone. Since I loved contours at the time, I sold my '65 RI, but it's one of those guitars I would love to have again, especially since I already have two amazing contoured Mustangs right now. I'd probably even keep it stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Angry Grimace Posted April 29, 2012 Members Share Posted April 29, 2012 At this point, I have my heart set on something older with a little more history. The guitar I really wanted to buy was a legit mid-1990's Fender Mustang in the same color scheme. I found one at a Vintage Shop in Seattle, really liked it, and then stupidly failed to put down some earnest money. Someone else bought it and I was pissed. Then I saw this listing for what appeared to be *another* mid-1990's Mustang. The 65RI I played was really nice and it sounded great. But all of my other guitars are new, and I want to own at least 1 guitar that's closer to 20 years old than 2. That's all. The new Dodge (Reissue) Challengers are a cool modern take on a classic muscle car, but a 2008 Challenger does not equal a 1970 Dodge Challenger. 1970 Challengers were pieces of {censored} compared to modern ones. It's all nostalgia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted April 29, 2012 Author Members Share Posted April 29, 2012 Alright. I'm convinced. I just asked the seller if he could move on the $700 price a little. I have an online offer for a 65RI 'Stang in Daphne Blue, with a HSC, for $600 shipped. I prefer the Olympic White finish, and there's always a risk in buying something sight-unseen. But I think I'd be happy with either guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted April 29, 2012 Members Share Posted April 29, 2012 Yeah Olympic White is a great color, Daphne Blue is great, too. The Dakota Red is a grower, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mister Crow Posted April 29, 2012 Members Share Posted April 29, 2012 90s Mustangs weren't exactly great guitars to begin with and they have almost no collectible value. Considering that newer Mustangs have superior hardware and these newest batch of guitars from Fuji-Gen are extremely high quality, I just don't even know why 15 years of passing around an inferior instrument makes it all of a sudden desirable now. Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members citizens_X Posted April 29, 2012 Members Share Posted April 29, 2012 that's definitely a '65 reissue, i was going to suggest that in your last mustang thread... the '65 RI is a nicer guitar than the 90's Mustang, those tuners are stock and vintage correct.... there is a slight gap in between the pickguard and the metal control plate on a '65 RI not on the 1990's Mustang... i believe the body wood is different as well, and doesn't a 90's Mustang have a belly cut?... not sure.IMO the '65 is a better guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted April 29, 2012 Author Members Share Posted April 29, 2012 Is it crazy to buy an Olympic White Mustang when I already have an Olympic White Classic Player Jaguar Special HH? The thing is, I really like Oly White + a nice tort red pickguard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BB123 Posted April 29, 2012 Members Share Posted April 29, 2012 Not crazy, some people have whole collections of just one color. Personally if I got another non-tele Fender i'd like it to be some type of white too, like my CV Tele. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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