With the Fender Player Series Mustang PF Firemist Gold the Fender Player Series is extended by the iconic offset design of 1964. The student model, which became famous in the hands of Kurt Cobain, with double single coil equipment and a shortened scale of 24 inches delivers both the sounds and the feel of classic Mustang guitars, while the straightforward electronics and a fixed 6-saddle hardtail bridge make the Fender Player Series PF Firemist Gold a reliable companion for the stage and the studio. In addition to a solid hardware configuration with six Fender Standard Cast/Sealed tuners, the Fender Player Series Mustang offers coherent looks and combines classic Fender paintwork with three-layer pickguards and the original Fender Mustang headstock logo.
This is a great entry to the Fender lineup and a step up from Squier quality. The craftsmanship is far from perfect however. Nut slots not quite cut deep enough, fret slots cut a little too deep in places and sharp fretboard edges. That's about it as far as shortcomings though. The guitar looks killer in Burgandy Mist and it sounds just a good with the P90 pickups. The Pau Ferro fretboard compliments the looks and mine almost has a tiger's eye 3D effect going on which is an unexpected bonus. The 24' scale, modern C neck profile with satin finish on the back, combined with the medium jumbo frets and a 9.5 inch radius all contribute to an almost effortless playing experience. My one has a slightly heavier body that others I've tried which I'm very glad of as it eliminates any sign of neck dive that can plague these guitars (probably not helped by the oversize headstock). The guitar sounds fantastic clean with the P90s sitting somewhere between a single coil and humbucker and just as good with overdrive. The pickups are also not as noisy as I'd feared so you need not dread the hum. Overall, I'm extremely pleased with this guitar and since I'm happy to file my own nuts, as it were, a little tweaking to ensure perfect playability doesn't worry me in the slightest. It's a keeper for sure.