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Average Price: $809
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Description
Step into the world of musical innovation with the Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special, a guitar that blends the best of vintage charm and modern versatility. This isn't just any electric guitar; it's a nod to the unorthodox designs of the '60s and '70s, reimagined for today's discerning musician. With its dual Enforcer humbucking pickups, this guitar offers a wealth of tonal possibilities, thanks to a unique 3-way coil selector slide switch for each pickup. This means you can explore up to 18 different sound configurations, from rich humbuckers to snappy single-coil tones, all with the flick of a switch.
The Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special has an offset body that not only looks sleek but also feels comfortable during long sessions. Its short 24" scale neck with a '60s C-shape provides a fast, smooth playing experience, while the rosewood fretboard with a modern 9.5" radius and medium-jumbo frets ensures easy playability. Add to this the '70s-style hardtail Stratocaster bridge, which provides rock-solid tuning stability and perfect intonation, and you've got a guitar that's as reliable as it is stylish.
Whether you're chasing the vibe of a bygone era or forging new musical paths, the Pawn Shop Mustang Special is your perfect partner in creativity.
Key Features:
- Modified offset Mustang body for a retro aesthetic
- 3-way coil selector slide switch for each pickup, offering 18 tonal options
- Dual Enforcer humbucking pickups for versatile sound
- '60s C-shaped 24" short-scale maple neck for comfortable play
- 9.5" radius rosewood fretboard with medium-jumbo frets
- '70s-style hardtail Stratocaster bridge for stable tuning
- Vintage-style tuners and strap buttons
- Comes with a deluxe gig bag for easy transport
Product specs
| Brand | Fender |
| Model | Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special |
| Finish | 3-Color Sunburst, Candy Apple Red, Lake Placid Blue |
| Year | 2012 - 2013 |
| Made In | Japan |
| Categories | Solid Body Electric Guitars |
| Body Shape | Double Cutaway |
| Body Type | Solid Body |
| Bridge/Tailpiece Type | String-Through |
| Color Family | Blue, Brown, Red |
| Finish Pattern | Sunburst |
| Finish Style | Gloss, Metallic |
| 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 | HH |
| Right / Left Handed | Right Handed |
| Series | Fender Pawn Shop |
| Wood Top Style | Plain |
FAQs
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What kind of pickups does the Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special feature?
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The Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special is equipped with Enforcer "Wide Range" humbucking pickups, providing a versatile range of tones suitable for various music genres.
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Is the Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special suitable for players with smaller hands?
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Yes, the 24-inch scale length of the Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special makes it more comfortable for players with smaller hands, offering easier playability.
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How does the pickup switching work on the Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special?
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The guitar features a 3-position toggle switch for selecting between bridge, middle, and neck pickups, along with coil selector switches for each humbucker, providing 18 unique tonal options.
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What is the neck profile of the Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special?
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The neck of the Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special features a 60s "C" shape, providing a comfortable grip and smooth playability for various playing styles.
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Does the Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special have a string-through body design?
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Yes, the Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special features a 70's-style hard-tail Stratocaster bridge with a string-through body design, enhancing sustain and tuning stability.
Videos
Fender
Fender 2012 Pawn Shop Mustang Special Demo | Fender
Fender 2012 Pawn Shop Mustang Special Demo | Fender
Fender
Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special Rosewood Neck (Lake Placid Blue)
N Stuff Music
![Video thumbnail for FENDER PAWN SHOP MUSTANG SPECIAL video demo [Musikmesse 2011] by Audiofanzine in English](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gwIxJaIwR_c/mqdefault.jpg)
FENDER PAWN SHOP MUSTANG SPECIAL video demo [Musikmesse 2011]
Audiofanzine in English
Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special Rosewood Neck (Candy Apple Red)
N Stuff Music
Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special MIJ 2010 Candy Apple Red Japan
NOIZEMAKER GUITARS
Fender Mustang Pawn Shop Special Lake Placid Blue #T011153 Quick 'n' Dirty
soundpurestudios
Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special 2012 Demo
Jerry’s Guitar Shop
Reviews
PROS
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Versatile with 15 different tone positions for diverse sound options
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Lightweight and well-balanced for comfortable play
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Short scale neck ideal for players with smaller hands
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Unique coil-tapping wide range humbuckers
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High-quality build with excellent craftsmanship
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String-through body enhances sustain
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Compact size ideal for smaller living spaces
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Excellent for overdrive, distortion, and fuzz effects
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Suitable for both beginners and seasoned players
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Attractive Lake Placid Blue finish
CONS
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Stock pickups may not satisfy all purists
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High E string can slip off fretboard if bridge alignment is off
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Relatively scarce, leading to inflated prices
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special.
Build quality
Mods and upgrades
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Some owners suggest replacing the existing bridge with a Toronado bridge for improved aesthetics and potential tonal benefits, though some worry about sonic changes.
Source
Features and functionality
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The guitar features a hardtail bridge, which some users find more comfortable due to the slimmer body compared to typical Mustangs.
Source -
The guitar features Wide Range Enforcer humbuckers, which are praised for their exceptional tone, outperforming similar pickups in other models like the Classic Player Jag HH.
Source -
The guitar is appreciated for its pristine condition, with only typical pickguard swirls noted despite years of use.
Source
User experience
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Owners highlight the exceptional resonance and light weight of the Lake Placid Blue model, enhancing playability.
Source -
Some users find the guitar's smaller size and 24" scale particularly comfortable, enhancing playability for those who prefer lightweight instruments.
Source -
Owners frequently find the guitar so desirable that they quickly sell out once listed, indicating strong demand and satisfaction.
Source
Comparisons
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The MIJ version is preferred over MIM versions for its unique attributes, particularly the neck quality.
Source -
Owners note that the Pawn Shop Mustang Special feels significantly lighter and smaller compared to the Cobain Mustang, with some preferring the heavier feel of the latter.
Source -
Some owners consider adding a Mustang vibrato, suggesting potential compatibility and interest in expanding its playability.
Source
4.5 out of 5
Based on 1 Review and 16 Ratings
2829
A Compact Little Swiss Army Knife of Tone
I saw this as the perfect upgrade from my first electric guitar an aged hand-me-down Stagg strat copy. The fellow I got it from brought it back from the US for use as a backup gig guitar; a role for which it's perfectly suited. The specs certainly suggested it could be my One Axe To Rule Them All! Its special sauce is its two high output ceramic Fender Enforcer humbucker pickups. The Pawn Shop Special's trick is in the three-position switches offering the option to split each humbucker and use either the forward or rear half of it as a 'single coil' This, in combination with the pickup selector by the horn, multiplies up to a mind boggling 15 selectable tone configurations!
Economically this was a wise purchase too, saving me hundreds of £€$ I might have otherwise been tempted to squander on a proper Strat, Les Paul and/or Tele. For me this fills all those niches. As an intermediate player who is still on the learning journey this versatility is a godsend. For example with a flick of the switches I can put a single coil at the bridge and a humbucker at the neck and with eye's closed and a little imagination (all right a lot) have Keef's Micawber tele in my hands; switch off the neck entirely for some country twang; have just a single coil on the neck for wholesome cleans or else double down on both buckers for full bodied filth. The wide range pickups are hot but clean up very nicely too with the volume rolled off. The Pawn Shop Mustang Special delivers it all.
All this tonal capability belies the fact that this is a tidy little guitar. Its mustang body is slightly shorter than the standard and has a thinner profile. That along with its short scale neck would make it a more comfortable fit for someone of smaller stature. If you're a big fella already used to wielding a mighty axe this might look and feel almost toylike in your hands; it's the lightest most compact electric guitar I've used.
I would give this guitar five stars as it meets practically all my needs. However, while I like to imagine it can substitute for a tele, strat or SG, in reality it only gets about 4/5ths of the way there. Ultimately it's its own thing, a versatile workhorse perhaps but not the thoroughbred instrument a more discerning guitarist might desire.
Artist usage
Add artist
Fender: You added a Pawn Shop Mustang Special to your arsenal, as well. What do you dig about that guitar?
Van Leeuwen: Like the Blacktop Jag, it’s a really light guitar and really helped me be able to play with a broken collarbone, so we have a connection. I just like it because it’s kind of funky; kind of goes along with the philosophy of the Excelsior amp. It’s funky and looks vintage but it’s new, so it works. I like things that work. Plus, it doesn’t have the single coils. It’s got humbuckers but you can split the coils so you can make it sound like any single coil guitar. I used it on a couple of new Queens songs in the studio. It just does that thing. I clean up my amp and it just has this great pluck to it. It sounds killer. I love it.
According to the Sonic Youth illustrated equipment guide Lee Ranaldo used this model at two shows in South America in 2011, including the final show in Sao Paulo
The guitar can be seen at 25:05 in this video:
Brendon Urie can be seen using a Fender Pawn Shop Mustang at 1:43 in this video.
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In This Post Chappers shows off his fender pawnshop mustang. he states that he has wanted one ever since he demoed the guitar.
Here he gushes over his gifted Candy Apple Red Fender Pawnshop Mustang Special for a full 10+ minutes - https://youtu.be/qeM6P0eqeXo
In this photo, which comes from Fender Showroom, Skiba is seen with Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special.
"He uses a number of other Strats, Teles, and two Fender Pawn Shop Series Mustang Specials." - Premier Guitar.
At 3:56 of this "Rig Rundown" with Premier Guitar, Brad says about this guitar "It has a little bit of a fatter tone. It's warm."
Throughout the video, this guitar can be seen providing etherial drones and texture for the melody.
In the photo from Asset-cache, Kenneth Harris is seen playing a Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special in Lake Placid Blue.
Mustang-shaped alder body with a maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and two Enforcer wide-range humbucking pickups.
Debuted at the first stop of the SCANDAL LIVE TOUR 2013 "SCA wa Mada Honki Dashitenai Dake" in Sapporo. -SCANDAL HEAVEN
In this Fender interview with the Cribs, brothers Ryan and Gary Jarman talk about some of the Fender guitars the use and love:
Ryan: “I use a pawnshop Mustang, exactly like this actually, Lake Placid Blue, I have the Pawn Shop Mustang and the Venus are the two guitars that I use mainly. When The Cribs first started I use to use vintage Mustangs, 70s ones. Because of the amount of touring we do…”
Gary: “We’re pretty hard on our guitars, so we’ve stopped taking vintage stuff out. So it was really cool, Ryan got the Pawn Shop Mustang, it became like a workhorse guitar…”
Ryan: “If there’s one thing I can say about this guitar is that it’s super reliable, really hard wiring.”
Album Usage
The Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special has been featured on the following albums:
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 Pawn Shop Mustang Special, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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Community setups
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Add recommendation2 alternative and related items for Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special, curated by the Equipboard community.
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The size and versatility of the Mustang Pawn Shop Special makes it the perfect guitar to keep in your living space and the retro style 2 watt Greta tube amp complements it nicely without occupying an unsightly space.
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The 3 Colour Sunburst Mustang Special is the 2nd edition of the Fender Pawnshop Series Mustang Special produced and was produced from late 2012 onwards. It differs from the earlier Japanese manufactured 1st edition in that they were subsequently Made In Mexico and were improved by having the truss rod adjustment nut made more accessible at the headstock rather than beneath the pick guard at the neck heel.
The Mustang Specials in 3 colour Sunburst finish were produced only in Mexico and seem a little harder to find.
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