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Description
Unleash your inner rockstar with the Fender Kurt Cobain Signature Mustang, a guitar that pays homage to the grunge legend himself. This electrifying instrument captures the raw essence of Kurt Cobain's iconic sound with a remarkable balance of vintage vibe and modern playability. Designed to mirror Cobain's own personalized Mustangs, this guitar is perfect for those who crave a touch of rebellion in their music.
Equipped with a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker at the bridge, this Mustang delivers the powerful, gritty tones that defined an era. The single-coil neck pickup provides a contrasting clear, bright sound, allowing for a versatile range of sonic possibilities. The Adjusto-Matic bridge ensures solid tuning stability and precise intonation, making it ideal for those heavy riffs and intense performances. With its comfortable short scale, this guitar is tailored for easy playability, whether you're ripping through power chords or delivering haunting melodies.
Join a community of musicians who appreciate the artistry and innovation behind this signature model, and feel the inspiration flow through every note. Whether you're a lefty or righty, this guitar is available to fit your style, giving you the tools you need to express your unique musical vision.
Key Features:
- Seymour Duncan JB humbucker bridge pickup
- Single-coil neck pickup for tonal versatility
- Adjusto-Matic bridge for improved tuning stability
- Short scale for comfortable playability
- Available in left-handed and right-handed configurations
Product specs
| Brand | Fender |
| Model | Kurt Cobain Mustang |
| Finish | Dark Lake Placid Blue with Stripe, Fiesta Red, Sonic Blue |
| Year | 2012 - 2014 |
| Made In | Japan |
| Categories | Solid Body Electric Guitars |
| Artist | Kurt Cobain |
| Body Material | Alder |
| Body Shape | Double Cutaway |
| Body Type | Solid Body |
| Bridge/Tailpiece Type | Tremolo Tailpiece |
| Color Family | Blue, Red |
| Finish Style | Gloss |
| Fretboard Material | Rosewood |
| Model Family | Fender Mustang |
| Neck Construction | Bolt-On |
| Neck Material | Maple |
| Number of Frets | 22 |
| Number of Strings | 6-String |
| Offset Body | Offset Body |
| Pickup Configuration | HS |
| Right / Left Handed | Right Handed |
| Series | Fender Artist Series |
FAQs
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What makes the Fender Kurt Cobain Signature Mustang unique compared to other Mustangs?
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This model features a Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker and a Mustang single-coil neck pickup, offering versatile tonal options. It also includes dual on/off phase switches and an Adjusto-Matic bridge, all tailored to Kurt Cobain's specifications for a distinctive sound.
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Is the Fender Kurt Cobain Signature Mustang suitable for beginners?
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While it can be used by beginners, its unique features like the dual on/off phase switches and dynamic vibrato tailpiece may require some understanding of guitar electronics and setup, making it more suitable for intermediate to advanced players.
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What type of music is the Fender Kurt Cobain Signature Mustang best suited for?
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The versatile pickup configuration and tonal options make it well-suited for grunge, alternative, and rock music, reflecting Kurt Cobain's iconic sound.
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Does the Fender Kurt Cobain Signature Mustang have a tremolo system?
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Yes, it features a dynamic vibrato tailpiece, allowing for expressive pitch modulation and tremolo effects.
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What is the neck profile of the Fender Kurt Cobain Signature Mustang?
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The guitar features a 24" scale C-shape maple neck, providing a comfortable grip and playability for most hand sizes.
Videos
Tommaso Manfredi
My new guitar! Fender Mustang Kurt Cobain Fiesta Red 2012
My new guitar! Fender Mustang Kurt Cobain Fiesta Red 2012
Tommaso Manfredi
Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang Review Nirvana
The Guitar Manifesto
The Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang
Coleman's Music
New Kurt Cobain Fender Mustang Guitars at Andertons
Andertons Music Co
Sweetwater at Winter NAMM 2012 - Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang Overview
Sweetwater
Review Fender mustang kurt cobain lake placid blue 2011 Japan By Fusionmusic
Fusionmusic Studio
KURT COBAIN Fender Mustang Fiesta Red | Review Demo
The Guitar Manifesto
Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang Electric Guitar - Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang
American Musical Supply
![Video thumbnail for Fender Kurt Cobain Signature Mustang Fiesta Red Demo 2011 [NIRVANA RIFFS] by jq](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2UBsPkXNHKU/mqdefault.jpg)
Fender Kurt Cobain Signature Mustang Fiesta Red Demo 2011 [NIRVANA RIFFS]
jq
Snacks 067: 2012 Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang, Fiesta Red
Russo Music
Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang Fiesta Red Nirvana Guitar
guitarsmith
Reviews
PROS
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Excellent Japanese construction quality, known for attention to detail and durability
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Comfortable for smaller hands and those with carpal tunnel issues
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Versatile pickup switches for a range of tones and internal fuzz
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Authentic Nirvana sound and aesthetic appeal for fans
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Lightweight and easy to handle, especially for long sessions
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Great short-scale guitar, offers a unique playing experience
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Strong sustain and perfect intonation for a CIJ Mustang
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High-quality left-handed option in a market with limited choices
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Eye-catching design with cool paint job and color options
CONS
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Unpredictable pickup switches can make dialing in tones challenging
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High and variable resale prices, often perceived as inflated
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Tuning stability issues, especially during live performances
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Stock bridge pickup may require replacement for optimal sound quality
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Fender Kurt Cobain Signature Mustang.
User experience
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Owners note that the Kurt Cobain Mustang plays surprisingly well compared to other Japanese Mustangs, providing an authentic sound reminiscent of the In Utero tour.
Source -
Owners report that the tremolo system isn't particularly smooth, with some opting for rolling bridges for better performance.
Source
Value and pricing
Comparisons
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One owner expressed a preference for this Mustang over other Japanese models, noting superior playability and sound quality.
Source
Setup and maintenance
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Flipping the tailpiece and hardtailing the tremolo requires a neck shim and truss rod adjustment to avoid stiff tuning and high action.
Source
Mods and upgrades
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Some owners recommend installing a tune-o-matic bridge to adjust height without needing neck shims after flipping the tailpiece.
Source -
Consider adding a tortoise red pickguard and DiMarzio neck pickup for aesthetic and tonal enhancements.
Source -
Non-drill sized locking tuners can improve tuning stability, especially when paired with a tremolo system.
Source
5.0 out of 5
Based on 2 Reviews and 8 Ratings
201
A highly versatile main axe
One guitar to rule them all.
I've had my mustang since new, bought it in 2012. It did grunge, metal and rock, and lived exclusively on the beefy bridge humbucker.
When I moved to playing pop, blues and indie, the soft neck pickup provided a wonderful companion, and produced a spectacular clean tone, no "twang" or "chime" like on other Fender guitars.
My personal guitar has a few upgrades - jumbo frets as opposed to the stock vintage frets, which helps with sustain. The volume and tone knobs were changed to a 72' Tele style for comfort, and I've painted it in the desert sand finish that one would find on old Duo Sonics, with a black pickguard.
If you can only have one guitar, I highly suggest this one. Short scale guitars have a unique quirkiness to them, it's a love-it or hate-it thing.
210
Kurt Cobain Mustang
When Kurt Cobain hit the stage, it was very often with a Mustang® guitar”an enigmatic anti-hero figure with an esoteric anti-hero instrument. It' with great pride then that Fender introduces the Kurt Cobain Mustang, which evokes the man, the band, the sound and the times, and gives an authentically crafted nod to one of the most unlikely guitars to ever find itself at the center of a musical maelstrom.
See for yourself”go back and watch the famous 1991 video for œSmells Like Teen Spirit, and there he is with it is slung over his shoulder. Or think back to when you saw them on the ™93-™94 In Utero tour, when he seldom went onstage with anything but a Mustang. Quite often and especially later on, Mustangs were a big influence on Kurt Cobain's distinctive sound.
Inspired by his arsenal of modded guitars, the new Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang boasts highly distinctive features including an angled single-coil Mustang neck pickup and ferocious Seymour Duncan® JB humbucking bridge pickup mounted directly to the body, dual on-off/phase in-out switches for each pickup, a polyester-finished alder body and an Adjusto-Matic„¢ bridge with dynamic vibrato tailpiece.
Other features include the classic 24 Mustang scale length, C-shaped maple neck with urethane finish, 7.25 radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 vintage-style frets and vintage-style ivory dot inlays, four-ply pickguard, master volume and tone controls, vintage-style tuners, and chrome hardware. Available in right- and left-handed models.
Artist usage
Add artist
In 1993 Fender Japan made Kurt six Fender 69' Reissue Made in Japan Mustangs at the Fuji Gen Factory, This guitar was one of the four Fender Mustangs that Kurt acquired prior to the ‘In Utero’ tour, with three of them being finished in Sonic Blue. All of them allegedly had nicknames, with this one being called ‘Oranj-Stang’, while the other three were all ‘Sky-Stangs’. It is unknown at this time whether these names were given by Kurt himself, or by his guitar tech.
Kurt received the Sonic Blue Mustang and the Fiesta Red Mustang in June 1993, This guitar was first seen on July 23, 1993, at Roseland Ballroom, NYC. At that point, the guitar was mostly stock, and it featured a fiesta red finish and had a red tortoise shell pickguard with two white single pickups, one of them being a Seymour Duncan JB Jr. (due to his liking after first using the JB Humbucker in his 1968 Univox Custom Phase 1 Hi-Flier back in October 1992).
Sometime between July and October – when the Mustang was next seen, the guitar was extensively modified (as is the case with the other three Mustangs, Kurt's guitar technician, Ernie Bailey, replaced the pickguard which was replaced with a White Mother O'Pearl Pearloid one, and the white neck pickup was replaced with a black one (could’ve been just the plastic cover that was changed), The body was routed out to fit a full-sized humbucker in the bridge position, and the choice fell on the Seymour Duncan JB – which Kurt was already familiar with from his Univox Custom.
The other modifications included the stock bridge piece was replaced with a Gotoh Tune-O-Matic.
Kurt used The Fiesta Red Mustang occasionally throughout the In Utero tour in 1993 and 1994, although far less than his 1993 Fender Sonic Blue Mustang "Sky-Stang I" which had the Red Tortoise Shell Pickguard and was also routes out for a Humbucker which Kurt had a White Seymour Duncan JB Humbucker in the bridge. The Second Fender Sonic Blue Mustang "Sky-Stang II" had a Black Seymour Duncan JB Humbucker in the bridge.
By 1994 Kurt also started using his Jag-Stang, and the Fiesta Red Mustang was used even less from that point on, and eventually had its last appearance on February 24, 1994, in Milan, Italy.
Although, These are the Kurt Cobain signature guitars made in 2012, but Kurt played his original 93 mustangs, so technically he did not play them, but they were made very similar by Fender looking at his original guitars.
Vic shows off his orange Kurt Cobin Mustang in this snazzy photo he posted on twitter.
In a photo shared by Basement on Facebook, Ronan Crix is seen with a Fender Kurt Cobain Signature Mustang in Fiesta Red.
In his GQ magazine photoshoot, Zayn an be seen playing a Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang Electric Guitar.
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Fender Kurt Cobain Signature Mustang, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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