Weird old Fenders

DannyP

Fender just posted about these on fb

http://www.fender.com/news/the-swinger-and-the-custom/?utm_content=sf20191643&utm_medium=spredfast&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=News&sf20191643=1

I think I might have seen the Swinger in a magazine, but never seen either in the flesh.

Anyone played or owned one?

OilCityPickups

Rare as politician's apologies those ... I wouldn't mind betting few if any have got this side of the pond.

dogload

I for one wouldn't object to a Custom/ Maverick re-issue. Those Fender XII split coils are amazing pickups too.

OilCityPickups

dogload said:

I for one wouldn't object to a Custom/ Maverick re-issue. Those Fender XII split coils are amazing pickups too.

Often thought of putting something like that in a P90 or mini humbucker case ... just so that people can experience the joy of a humbucker with a single coil response.

Richardj

I saw a swinger for sale over here a few years back, didn't pay much attention to it. There is a section in Bacon and Day's 'The Fender Book' all about these oddities. Lets be honest here though, they are the very worst of parts bin specials and really don't offer anything stylish or even especially playable.  Interesting note in the 'Down the drain with CBS' files but objects of desire, I don't think so.  IMHO of course.

And I love Fender me, right from my first Bronco when I was 12.

Neil

Hideous.

I've read about these before.

Chopped around bits of left over guitars .

That 12 string hockey stick headstock on the "Custom" with six tuners looks particularly vile IMO. 

OilCityPickups

The Fender Damp Squib ... er ... sorry 1984 Flame

dogload

No no NO! The Maverick/ Custom is great!

The Electric XII is a wonderful guitar and I'm sure it would make a lovely six-string. Where is the 'pet lip' emoticon?

freakboy1610

TheGuitarWeasel said:

The Fender Damp Squib ... er ... sorry 1984 Flame

I had a go of one of these when they had been discontinued and were being flogged off cheaply (1985 ish?). I think it was about £175. I thought it was very nice indeed but alas by the time I had some cash from stacking pet food at the Co-Op they were all gone.

ICBM

I've owned two Swingers. Both sadly hacked, I think from the nature of the damage by the same person, and having seen some similar butchery online, possibly by John Birch. (That doesn't make it cool.) P90s in the bridge position and a switch on the lower horn.

One was really good - badly refinished in black, and the hacking damage was quite bad anyway so I fitted it with a bridge humbucker. It was amazingly resonant as a feedback generator, but it had also had an appalling fret job so it wasn't really playable conventionally. The other one was stripped to the wood, hadn't been refretted and was more playable, but didn't sound anywhere near as good. I probably could have made one good one out of the two, but I'd already sold the first by the time I got the second. Both are now with the same hoarder though…

The lack of finish on the second one made it possible to see exactly how they were converted from 5-String Bass bodies, which was interesting.

I do genuinely think the Swinger is stylish and quite cool, although it only works if you're small. The Custom is just an abortion though - the cut-down headstock is the worst bit. You wonder why it was worth going to all that trouble to use up some scrap wood, even with the Swinger.

OilCityPickups

ICBM said:

I've owned two Swingers. Both sadly hacked, I think from the nature of the damage by the same person, and having seen some similar butchery online, possibly by John Birch. (That doesn't make it cool.) P90s in the bridge position and a switch on the lower horn.

One was really good - badly refinished in black, and the hacking damage was quite bad anyway so I fitted it with a bridge humbucker. It was amazingly resonant as a feedback generator, but it had also had an appalling fret job so it wasn't really playable conventionally. The other one was stripped to the wood, hadn't been refretted and was more playable, but didn't sound anywhere near as good. I probably could have made one good one out of the two, but I'd already sold the first by the time I got the second. Both are now with the same hoarder though…

The lack of finish on the second one made it possible to see exactly how they were converted from 5-String Bass bodies, which was interesting.

I do genuinely think the Swinger is stylish and quite cool, although it only works if you're small. The Custom is just an abortion though - the cut-down headstock is the worst bit. You wonder why it was worth going to all that trouble to use up some scrap wood, even with the Swinger.

I wonder if reps weren't using them as sweetners ... cheap and cheerful for their good customers.

WezV

here is an odd one i had completely forgotten about - the one that became the swinger....  the fender bass V.  the extra string came as a high C apparently

http://www.artichokeguitars.com/published/our_collection/dat/bass_v-snbst-front_b.jpg

http://www.gryphonstrings.com/instpix/37522/375221.jpg

weird elongated duo-sonic body and 15 fret neck???

OilCityPickups

And of course you have to be a sailor to enjoy the high Cs ....

Erk ... I think I've taken too much man flu medication :-S

Bucket

WezV said:

http://www.gryphonstrings.com/instpix/37522/375221.jpg

weird elongated duo-sonic body and 15 fret neck???

Oh god, you've reminded me those exist.

Horrific, ugly as sin. Actually, makes sin look quite attractive. Nice colour though.

bertie

TheGuitarWeasel said:

The Fender Damp Squib ... er ... sorry 1984 Flame

the only decent looking one in the whole thread

OilCityPickups

Trouble was ... at the time everyone went: 'errrrr a sort Fender Gibson copy'. it'd probably do quite well now ...
At it's full price it was trumped by Arias and Yammys at the time.

bertie

TheGuitarWeasel said:

At it's full price it was trumped by Arias and Yammys at the time.

there was an Ibby that looked similar about that time too

guitargeek62

WezV said:

here is an odd one i had completely forgotten about - the one that became the swinger....  the fender bass V.  the extra string came as a high C apparently

http://www.artichokeguitars.com/published/our_collection/dat/bass_v-snbst-front_b.jpg

weird elongated duo-sonic body and 15 fret neck???

JPJ is a known fan of those, so they're not entirely crap.

The colour scheme on that second one is lovely, although the body always looks like it's being viewed in perspective!

I quite like the Swinger shape, I wouldn't mind chucking one together some day for a bit of fun - might be nice and quirky to have in the rack.

http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Bodies/Modern/Musiclander.aspx

thermionic

Neil said:

Hideous.

I've read about these before.

Chopped around bits of left over guitars .

That 12 string hockey stick headstock on the "Custom" with six tuners looks particularly vile IMO. 

Are you thinking of Phillips Cleartone Conversions?

Bucket

bertie said:

Pic of Fender Flame

the only decent looking one in the whole thread

Agreed - isn't that the Robben Ford signature Fender "Esprit"? Or at least the basis of it?

koneguitarist

The Esprit and Ultra were nice guitars, well made and some good sounds. What I wanted which was Fender and Rare was this ! http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/1972_Fender_Montego_II