I have ZERO knowledge of vintage guitars, specially obscure ones like the Swinger, but this caught my eye on reverb, just thought I'd throw this here for you vintage nerds to speculate on it.
https://reverb.com/item/6835208-fender- ... _BwE&pla=1
Does it look like it's indeed a prototype? Or more like a modded refinished swinger?
I'm just posting this out of curiosity, have no intention to buy it or anything.
Fender Swinger Prototype..?
-
leokula
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 1139
- Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2012 12:36 pm
- Location: Brazil
- Contact:
Fender Swinger Prototype..?
Jaguar > Jazzmaster :)
-
Embenny
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 10363
- Joined: Tue May 24, 2016 5:07 am
Re: Fender Swinger Prototype..?
100% fake. They claim it dates to '56.
Problems:
1) The Swinger was made from surplus re-cut Bass V bodies. The Bass V wasn't made until 9 years after that.
2) There was no MOP pickguard material in '56.
3) There were no maple-fingerboard Swingers, again because they weren't made until 1969 to dispose of those spare bass V bodies.
4) This "Prototype" has a full-fledged Mustang control. The Mustang wasn't designed until 8 years later, in '64.
There's more, but it all has to do with similar issues. This is a mishmash of late-'60s parts with a few 50's aesthetics (like the maple board) thrown in.
100%, completely fake.
Edit to add:
Just looked at the photos a tiny bit closer and have the following things to point out:
5) The "musiclander" name was NEVER applied to this guitar. They left the factory either with only "Fender" or "Fender Swinger" decals. Some of the "swinger" decals fell off with time, and there has been some dispute regarding whether ALL "swinger"-less guitars once started with them, but evidence suggests that there were guitars that left the factory without the "swinger" decal added. However, NONE of them ever said "Musiclander". That was a term that was applied to them much later. This decal NEVER EXISTED.
6) Again, skunk stripe maple necks were not a thing in '69 when these guitars were debuted.
7) The shaping of the upper bout treble side is rounded instead of angular.
8 ) This guitar has staggered magnets on the pickup. The Swinger used Mustang/Duo-Sonic pickups, which had flat poles flush with the top bobbin, designed to fit in the hole-less pickup cover.
Problems:
1) The Swinger was made from surplus re-cut Bass V bodies. The Bass V wasn't made until 9 years after that.
2) There was no MOP pickguard material in '56.
3) There were no maple-fingerboard Swingers, again because they weren't made until 1969 to dispose of those spare bass V bodies.
4) This "Prototype" has a full-fledged Mustang control. The Mustang wasn't designed until 8 years later, in '64.
There's more, but it all has to do with similar issues. This is a mishmash of late-'60s parts with a few 50's aesthetics (like the maple board) thrown in.
100%, completely fake.
Edit to add:
Just looked at the photos a tiny bit closer and have the following things to point out:
5) The "musiclander" name was NEVER applied to this guitar. They left the factory either with only "Fender" or "Fender Swinger" decals. Some of the "swinger" decals fell off with time, and there has been some dispute regarding whether ALL "swinger"-less guitars once started with them, but evidence suggests that there were guitars that left the factory without the "swinger" decal added. However, NONE of them ever said "Musiclander". That was a term that was applied to them much later. This decal NEVER EXISTED.
6) Again, skunk stripe maple necks were not a thing in '69 when these guitars were debuted.
7) The shaping of the upper bout treble side is rounded instead of angular.
8 ) This guitar has staggered magnets on the pickup. The Swinger used Mustang/Duo-Sonic pickups, which had flat poles flush with the top bobbin, designed to fit in the hole-less pickup cover.
The artist formerly known as mbene085.
-
BoringPostcards
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 7081
- Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 8:50 am
- Location: Newfoundland
Re: Fender Swinger Prototype..?
Why would there even be a prototype for an guitar that was not at all planned and made up of leftovers?
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.
-
Maulden7
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 288
- Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2010 12:17 pm
- Location: East Midlands, UK
Re: Fender Swinger Prototype..?
http://offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtop ... 1&t=106107
From the last time this instrument was discussed.
Dave M.
From the last time this instrument was discussed.
Dave M.
-
Squirrel
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 593
- Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2013 3:55 am
- Location: England
Re: Fender Swinger Prototype..?
Fucking hell, this guy's persistent. Has anyone reported it to Reverb (again) yet?
-
Embenny
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 10363
- Joined: Tue May 24, 2016 5:07 am
-
Mad-Mike
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 1619
- Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 1:04 pm
- Location: Somewhere
Re: Fender Swinger Prototype..?
Looks to me like someone tried to make use of a c hopped up vintage Musicmaster or Duo-Sonic. If you look at the body it's not offset, like a 1950's MusicMaster/Duo-Sonic body.
But it has a swimming pool route, which seems very unlikely, as well as the XXL stamp in the top of the route.
Some real dead-giveaways of it's fakeness is the tone capactor - caps never looked like that until the late sixties at the earliest. Before that they would have been disc capacitors or paper/oil.
But it has a swimming pool route, which seems very unlikely, as well as the XXL stamp in the top of the route.
Some real dead-giveaways of it's fakeness is the tone capactor - caps never looked like that until the late sixties at the earliest. Before that they would have been disc capacitors or paper/oil.