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So I got this Mustang....

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 4:54 pm
by BartMan
About 5 months ago, I got this 1980s Made in Japan Fernandes Mustang for cheap. It was refinished rather poorly so I refinshed it in cream/white. Took me about 4 month of intermittent work. Far from being a perfect finish, but it worked out pretty well.
Aside from the pictures in the old Fernandes catalog in their site, I couldn't seem to get anymore info about this guitar. I know that the model is FMT-50, that's about it. Anybody here has one like this?

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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 4:55 pm
by Dave
Good job on the refinish dude! Am also liking that grain on the headstock too.

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:00 pm
by hotrodperlmutter
that is awesome. what's the neck like? any idea what it's modeled after?

really great refinish. +1 on the headstock grain, as well.

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:04 pm
by BartMan
Dave wrote:Good job on the refinish dude! Am also liking that grain on the headstock too.
Thanks. This was how it was refinished when I got. Image

Image

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:09 pm
by BartMan
hotrodperlmutter wrote:that is awesome. what's the neck like? any idea what it's modeled after?

really great refinish. +1 on the headstock grain, as well.
I think Fernandes was putting out a lot of Fender and Gibson copies during that era. I couldn't find any info as to what Mustang era this was based on.
The neck is very slim and comfortable to play. I think this was re-fretted at some point. It has some rough spots that needed re-dressing.

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:12 pm
by stewart
jesus christ, that comp stripe is wank.

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:14 pm
by BartMan
stewart wrote:jesus christ, that comp stripe is wank.
I think those are road markings rather than stripes. Reflective stickers coated with clear nitro, dude. :lol: I sure won't get hit in the dark.

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:24 pm
by Vis
You have made an estimated one million percent improvement to that guitar. Fernandes stuff rocks as a rule. For a while they were kinda out-Fendering Fender if you see what I mean.

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:28 pm
by Fran
stewart wrote:jesus christ, that comp stripe is wank.
:lol:
Looks like they put it on with 5" brush from Wickes.

That's one nice guitar now though, i bet it plays great too. Why dont we ever find stuff like cheap Fernandes Mustangs :x

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 6:09 pm
by BartMan
Fran wrote:
stewart wrote:jesus christ, that comp stripe is wank.
:lol:
Looks like they put it on with 5" brush from Wickes.

That's one nice guitar now though, i bet it plays great too. Why dont we ever find stuff like cheap Fernandes Mustangs :x
Worse, they're reflective stickers. :lol:
I feel for you guys. I've lived in Tunbridge Wells, Kent for 5 years and know first hand that you guys are being shafted in almost everything. Especially gear.

Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 5:24 am
by Phil O'Keefe
I'll bet you could have landed a jet on those stripes... :lol:

Very nice job on the refinish. It does look much better now!

Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 10:23 am
by SirAstatine
Amazing stripes!

Great job on the refin - looks classy. I'd love to find a fernandes over here too!

Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 4:19 pm
by cur
That looks real good.

Are the fernandes mustangs 25.5" or 24" scale?

Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 4:58 pm
by hotrodperlmutter
24" - 22 frets.

Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 5:02 pm
by BartMan
Thanks so much guys.
Full disclosure: I messed up the neck fit. Should have masked the neck pocket right from the beginning.
Also, there are numerous small shallow pits all over the clear coat visible upon closer look.

But, I've learned a lot from this first project.

cur wrote:That looks real good.

Are the fernandes mustangs 25.5" or 24" scale?

Thanks. It's a 24" scale. I think Fernandes produced some period-correct replicas during that time.

Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 5:58 pm
by cur
Didn't know that they made a 24" scale mustang. I got my daughter a Fernandes strat and the neck on it is terrific. Very thin D profile and large radius. Is the radius on your fretboard flat or curved?

Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 7:38 pm
by hotrodperlmutter
afaik, fernandes didn't make any other scale mustang replicas.

Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 8:13 pm
by cur
Thanks for the info. I think I ran across on once and assumed it was 25.5" for some reason. Worth looking into if I find one again.

Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:09 pm
by astro
Wow, gorgeous! Looks absolutely killer.

I take it that these Fernandez Mustangs are pretty rare? How long were these available for?

I often see on ebay cheap 70's Japanese Mustang knockoffs that don't look quite right. But accurate copies seem to be quite rare. Who else made accurate copies?

Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:21 pm
by Rox
Looks like a fun guitar. I'd love to get a close up on the vibrato and see how close it is to the Fender. Looks REAL close. Think I might look into getting one.