The Fender Musicmaster guitars were the first of the 3/4 scale electric guitars manufactured by Fender beginning in 1956. Below is the general specification for this later 50’s Musicmaster;
Model: Musicmaster
Completion: 1959-1960 (Est.)
S/N: None
Features:
Body Wood:1 pc Maple
Body Style:Slightly offset body (contour introduced in 1964)
Finish:Sunburst
Neck Wood:2 pc Maple
Fretboard:Rosewood (veneered) with wooden inlay fret markers
Neck Profile/Scale:22.5” Scale with 21 Medium Frets
Headstock Finish:None
Bridge Style:Fender
Tuners:Kluson, Chrome
Binding:None
Nut:Plastic
PUP:Fender single coil with flush pole pieces and a black cover
Controls:1-Volume, 1-Tone, all passive
This guitar is owned by my brother-in-law Rob Weis, a 60’s rocker and surfer dude! Rob bought this guitar when he was a kid and has held on to it ever since. His daughter Christa now uses this guitar in her adventure as a player. It’s always amazing to me to see the same guitar inspire generation after generation.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a nice little guitar with a wonderful history for beginning guitarists. With a little work, this guitar could be fine tuned. Maybe one day they will let me rebuild it and work some magic. I would love to hot-rod it a bit too! I think the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic set the stage for many new innovations by Fender. Production of the Musicmaster model continued until 1982.
Musicmaster & Duo-Sonic History - A very nice historical review of these guitars.
Musicmaster Review by Gear-Review - Here is a very short but nice review.
Musicmaster II Hot Rod - Here is another cool article on a modified Musicmaster guitar call the Musicmaster II Hot Rod.
Perfect Condition - Here is a beautiful Musicmaster Guitar in pristine condition!
History
The design of the Fender Musicmaster guitar began in 1955 at the direct request of the sales department and was offered in the Fender catalog in 1956. The original single pickup version was designed as a smaller (3/4 scale) student model. However the guitar quickly caught on with both beginners and professional players. A two pickup sister model was also offered called the Duo-Sonic. Both guitars were introduced as “student models” and were the inspiration for the forthcoming Mustang model introduced in 1964.
The Musicmaster guitar was known for its easily playable neck and comfortable sized body. Players such as Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Rory Gallagher were all seen playing a Musicmaster at one time or another.
The body style was slightly offset with a flat top. However, in 1964, a contour was added to bring it in line with the popular Mustang model
Build
The build quality of this guitar is amazingly simple and of good quality. It feels like a Strat but slightly lighter and smaller. The neck has a comfortable thin contour and the frets, although worn down a bit, are medium which allow for an easy play. The action on this guitar is set low so there are a few buzzes but nothing that can’t be adjusted and fix.
The neck on this guitar is 22.5” in scale with a veneered rosewood fingerboard. The headstock includes the Musicmaster “decal” logo. It also includes a chrome Kluson tuner set with the “F” logo stamped on the back
Electronics are simple, one pickup, one volume and one tone control. The knobs are typical Stratocaster style and the pickup has flush pole pieces and a black cover.
Sound
The sound of this guitar is surprisingly pleasing. I was impressed by the clarity of the pickup. It reveals that classic “Fender” tone with a warmer color than a Strat or Mustang. In a distortion/gain channel, the guitar takes on a darker sound but not a whole lot of sustain. It is good for a warm, crunchy rhythm but gets a little lost in single-note phrasing. The sustain is a bit short for my taste but the overall tone is very nice.
3/4 Scale Musicmaster Guitar
