Fender guitars have certain general characteristics that were later adopted by other electric guitar manufacturers. These standard features are:
- Body made of alder or ash wood, although some models now feature pine wood.
- Maple wood neck for the vast majority of models.
- Neck bolt-on to the body on a metal plate.
- Maple or rosewood fingerboard.
- Low or medium output pickups, usually single coil.
- Traditional style fixed or floating bridge.
If these characteristics are standard for Fender guitars, the main differences between the various models would be the design and qualities of their electromagnetic pickups and their scale length.
Differences Between Fender Guitars
Fender Telecaster
The first mass-produced electric guitar, in production from 1951 to the present day. The Telecaster’s sound is clear, defined, and bell-like. Fender’s signature twang is appreciated by rhythm and lead guitarists alike.
The main feature that makes the Telecaster guitar unique from other Fender models is the design and qualities of its electromagnetic pickups.
The Telecaster’s Classic Pickups feature alnico magnets, and the bridge pickup features a metal base on the underside, known as the Base Plate. This defines the Telecaster’s distinctive sound.
Fender Stratocaster
Fender’s most successful and popular model. The Stratocaster’s main feature, aside from its defined and crystalline sound, is its versatility, thanks to its SSS pickup configuration.
Although the Stratocaster’s pickups may look similar to the Telecaster’s bridge pickup, their design is clearly different. The Stratocaster pickups do not have the characteristic base plate found on the Telecaster.
The Fender Stratocaster offers generous versatility, managed by its pickup selector, which gives us five different sounds.
If we select the pickups separately, we can get three clearly differentiated sounds. From the warmest sound generated by its neck pickup, through a mid-range sound from its middle pickup, to the penetrating sounds from its bridge pickup.
When we combine the middle pickup with some of the other pickups, we get the characteristic “quack” sound of this guitar model. It’s such a distinctive sound that just by hearing it, we can be sure that it comes from a Stratocaster, without fear of being wrong.
Fender Jazzmaster
This guitar was originally developed for jazz musicians, hence the name Jazzmaster. However, this guitar has been used mainly by alternative rock bands such as The Cure or Radiohead.
One of the Fender Jazzmaster’s features is its Dual Circuit system. One circuit is for rhythm styles, and the other for lead styles.
As can be seen at a glance, another distinctive feature of the Fender Jazzmaster is its pickups, aesthetically similar to the P90s developed by Gibson. Nevertheless, the design of the Jazzmaster’s pickups is clearly different, maintaining the bright and crystalline tone characteristic of Fender, although with a higher output level than a traditional single coil Fender pickup.
24-inch Short Scale Fender Guitars
Fender Duo-Sonic and Mustang Guitars
In 1956, Fender introduced the Duo-Sonic, a sort of refined version of the Fender Telecaster. This model featured the simplicity of the Telecaster, with a fixed bridge and a pair of pickups.
But it obviously has its own characteristics, such as a short scale length of only 24 inches and a different pickup design. Furthermore, the pickups are arranged in the opposite direction to the Telecaster, with the bridge pickup perpendicular to the strings and the neck pickup in an oblique position.
The Fender Mustang was introduced 10 years after the launch of the Duo-Sonic, as an improved model to potentially replace the Duo-Sonic. However, both models remain in production today.
In this model, the simplicity of the Duo-Sonic was set aside to incorporate a tremolo bridge and controls to activate the pickups in phase and out of phase. Otherwise, the Fender Mustang is identical to the Duo-Sonic, except for the bridge pickup being positioned at an angle.
Fender Jaguar
The Fender Jaguar has a similar appearance to the Jazzmaster, and also maintains its dual-circuit design. But as expected, the Fender Jaguar has its own unique features, as can be seen at first glance.
One of these features is the individual selector switch for each pickup. These switches are located just below the neck pickup. There is also a third control in the same area, which activates a capacitor that provides a characteristic high-pitched sound, known as the Strangle.
The classic Jaguar pickups may look like Stratocaster pickups at first glance, but these pickups have a higher output than those on the Strat. Nevertheless, they maintain the bright tone and characteristic Fender twang.
Another difference between the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster is its short 24-inch scale. This undoubtedly affects the instrument’s comfort and sound.
These three short-scale Fender models were geared toward young people, adults with small hands, and women. However, these three models have been used by the general public and by musicians eager to break established norms or seek unique sounds.
For this reason, these models have been widely used in independent music and alternative rock.