Fender
Bronco
position, however, unlike
the Musicmaster’s neck-
position transducer.
Fender really was the king
of student model guitars,
releasing a series of
stripped-down, short scale
rockers over the years. The
last one was the Bronco,
and it entered the lineup
in 1967, having some
curious attributes. It was
based around the body
and neck of the Mustang,
which had been released
several years earlier, but
it had a different vibrato
system (a rather unpopular
Leo-designed contraption
that never graced any
other model before or
since), and a single pickup
like the Musicmaster. This
pickup was in the bridge
20
TONE TALK //
Despite shipping with
a cool matching amp
(basically a “silverface”
Vibro Champ), The Bronco
never did as commercially
well as any of its brethren.
This may have been due
to its lackluster vibrato
system or its distinctly
treble-oriented tone, which
was cool for leads but not
so great for old-school
rhythm playing styles. It
remained in the Fender
lineup until 1981, however,
and fine vintage examples
can be had today for 1000
bucks or less, making it an
attractive and accessible
entry point to vintage
guitar collecting.
The 5 Finest Student Guitars Ever Made