The Fender Mustang was introduced in 1964 although one of it's most popular configurations wasn't released until 1969. This configuration was the competition version. The competition version of the Mustang featured a new racing stripe paint job and forearm and back contours just like the Stratocaster.
The Fender Competition Mustang colors replaced the patriotic red, white and blue scheme that was originally used on the Mustang and it's siblings, the Musicmaster and Duosonic. The competition colors were:
- Red Competition with Cream Stripes
- Blue Competition with Light Blue Stripes
- Orange Competition with Dark Orange Stripes
The stripes ran around the forearm contour along the front of the guitar. The stripes consisted of 2 thin stripes on either side with a thick center stripe. The base body color was between the stripes. The stripes did not extend to the back of the guitar, they only appeared on the front.
Another feature of these guitars was that the headstock color matched the body color. However, this feature was discontinued after a few years and the Mustang went back to a standard lacquered headstock. Another bit of trivia is that the matching headstock versions got a cream colored label while the non-matching ones received a plain black label.
Another thing that happened during this time was that the 22.5 scale version of the Mustang was quietly discontinued. While this shorter scale length was listed in Fender literature, few, if any, examples of a 22.5 scale version of a Fender Competition Mustang exist.
This version of the Mustang has proven to be quite popular with collectors and people seeking reissue versions. The reissue version has quite a following in Japan and "Made in Japan" (MIJ), or alternatively, "Crafted in Japan" (CIJ) versions are popular in the US and Europe. There has also been a Mexican made version (MIM) as well.
The snazzy looks of the 1969 Fender Competition Mustang has made it one of the most popular of the Fender short scale guitars that was ever issued.
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