To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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JSett
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To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by JSett » Sun May 09, 2021 10:03 pm

Seriously considering picking up a 60s Coronado II this month. Having not played one - and there not being any nearby for me to try so I'd have to pick up from Reverb - what are the pros and cons of these and is there anything I should be looking for in particular?

I know id prefer one with a vibrato but, if I buy one without, what are the chances of finding a vibrato unit to install? (and I know I wouldn't put a Bigsby on even if my life depended on it). Missing pickguards don't really bother me as I prefer them without

Prices are all over the place. There's a couple of CAR ones online atm, an Antigua one and there's a LPB one that I'm deeply in love with - but it's hardtail and £1k more than the others 😐

Input greatly appreciated.

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Embenny
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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by Embenny » Sun May 09, 2021 10:58 pm

There were two eras with a major change to the pickup wind, which I believe coincides with the black/chrome cover change. Someone who likes one pickup might not like the other.

They're fully hollow and extremely quirky. Everything bad that has ever been said about a Jaguar or Mustang - stupid bridge, thin tone, impractical for most styles - can easily be said about the Coronado.

But just like those guitars, they can also be perfect for someone who embraces the quirks.

Just hope you don't need to play too loud or distorted. Between the body and the pickups, they're microphonic as heck and prone to feedback.
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JSett
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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by JSett » Sun May 09, 2021 11:22 pm

mbene085 wrote:
Sun May 09, 2021 10:58 pm
There were two eras with a major change to the pickup wind, which I believe coincides with the black/chrome cover change. Someone who likes one pickup might not like the other.

They're fully hollow and extremely quirky. Everything bad that has ever been said about a Jaguar or Mustang - stupid bridge, thin tone, impractical for most styles - can easily be said about the Coronado.

But just like those guitars, they can also be perfect for someone who embraces the quirks.

Just hope you don't need to play too loud or distorted. Between the body and the pickups, they're microphonic as heck and prone to feedback.
Hah! You're really selling them to me 🤣

To be honest one of the reasons I fancy one is that it'll be wildly different to what I tend to go for. I've recently moved away from big loud angry music and wanted something unusual for the dreamy, jangly stuff I'm making at home.

I've watched a whole boat load of videos on YouTube and I definitely dig the sound these make from the neck position through a nice Fender amp.

Food for thought for sure. Thank you
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Lost In Autumn
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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by Lost In Autumn » Wed May 12, 2021 1:34 am

I had a coronado XII in the 90's, but traded or sold it for some reason. I regret that, it was a brilliant guitar.

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Pacafeliz
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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by Pacafeliz » Wed May 12, 2021 2:49 am

I sorely missed my orange '67 after selling it. The neck was KILLER, well actually everything about it.

Highly recommend!!!
i love delay SO much ...that i procrastinate all the time.

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SignoftheDragon
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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by SignoftheDragon » Thu May 13, 2021 9:03 am

The only thing I would change on ANY of the guitars in the OP would be to add 6 more strings.

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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Thu May 13, 2021 9:08 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Sun May 09, 2021 10:03 pm
Seriously considering picking up a 60s Coronado II...

...Input greatly appreciated.
The blue one! Do it!!

* EDIT *

On second thoughts, particularly after hearing other opinions on the vibrato, go for the red one!
It actually looks less flashy & obviously has the specs you want the most. I just wish the pickguard wasn't so big & gonky.
Last edited by PorkyPrimeCut on Thu May 13, 2021 10:08 am, edited 3 times in total.
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FrankRay
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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by FrankRay » Thu May 13, 2021 9:44 am

My inner chills fan suddenly desperately wanted to buy the LPB one; an awesome looking example. That's the one I'd go for.

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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by Jazzmastervsjaguar » Thu May 13, 2021 10:00 am

I own a 1966 in CAR. I love it. I think these things fly under the radar as far as vintage Fenders go. I got mine with the neck, body and electronics. Had to buy vintage parts to put it together and I was lucky enough to get a vibrato from a gutted '66. I would hold out for one with the vibrato unit. The vibrato sort of ties everything together IMHO. Plus the gold pickguard against any of the custom colors just looks really cool.

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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by Gavanti » Thu May 13, 2021 10:53 am

I think once you have the Coro bug, it's hard to shake until you try one. I had a superbly greened-out IBM '67 for about a year after going through several bouts of really wanting one. I was happy I got it. They're definitely one of the few semi-affordable Fenders left, particularly in custom colors, and they have a kind of unique feel and sound to them. I really liked how the trem system handled, and the neck was nice. Obviously, if you look around YouTube, not a few folks have been able to make them sound amazing. Ultimately, though, I decided that I could get more range out of another guitar, and also control feedback a little more, so I moved mine on, but it might turn out to be exactly what you're looking for.

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JSett
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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by JSett » Thu May 13, 2021 11:20 am

The more I've sat on the idea I do feel the vibrato is a must-have for me.

I use them all the time on my Jazzmasters now, and today I was playing one without and found myself reaching for it very often and being disappointed that it wasnt :D

I'm going to hold out until one pops up in the UK at a reasonable price that speaks to me. No rush
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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by marqueemoon » Thu May 13, 2021 1:05 pm

It’s a guitar you should try in person in my opinion. The few I’ve played in shops have varied a lot, and it’s definitely an outlier in Fender’s lineup.

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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by AMILCAR » Thu May 13, 2021 3:07 pm

no surprisingly ,you got the features of a hollow guitar ,like a Casino ,and those of a Fender guitar ( killer necks usually ,the sound and articulation of a bolted on neck ,and offset bridge ,wich in this case it has zero issues because the break angle is pronounced ) ... sonically it has the air ,lows and mids of a semi acoustic ... sure ,it tends to feedback ,wich is very nice and useful sometimes ... the pickups sounds more like Dynasonics than tipical Fenders ... i actually prefer the non tremolo version ,i picked up my 66 because of that over another example with wiggle system ... you may bond with one ,or not ,but they are great ,underrrated guitars ,i enjoyed them a lot more than ,say ,a Gibson 330 ... you can always try fot a few months and see if its worth keeping ...

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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by hansbrinker » Fri May 14, 2021 8:28 pm

We must be on some kind of mind-meld telepathic thing...

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=119404

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kapepper
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Re: To Coronado or Not To Coronado...

Post by kapepper » Mon May 24, 2021 9:57 am

Well, I had one, a 66 and sold it. Never regretted it :)
Neck feels great, and the build quality is great but sound wise we are not getting there.....
But if you can buy at a god price, why not I guess

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