I used to read all the latest guitar magazines, Guitar Player, Guitarist, Vintage Guitar, and others. I can still remember the old advertisements in those publications.
One that stood out was from a company called Micro Frets. This was a guitar that appeared to be cross between a Gibson and a Fender. What stood out was the adjustable nut. The bridge on these guitars had six adjustable saddles that were like a Tune-O-Matic bridge, but the guitar nut also could be moved enabling fine tuning. This feature was known as the Micro-Nut. Although this may be a redundant feature, I found it impressive.
In the late 1960’s one Micro Frets guitars was even designed with a built-in wireless transmitter that broadcast the signal on a standard FM frequency which was tunable via a variable capacitor. Of course similar technology is used exclusively today, but in 1967 this was an amazing feature.
The Micro Tech Company was started in 1967 by a guitar builder named Ralph Jones and his business partner Francis Marion Huggins. The partners set up a 15,000 square foot factory in Frederick, Maryland, where they were joined by a small group of guitar builders. Jones concentrated on innovation and creating parts while leaving the woodworking chores to the other craftsmen.
In the shop they were cutting the bodies and necks as well as machining the metallic components. Jones invented the unique parts, such as the Micro Tech nut, that set Micro Frets up as distinct from their competition.
The company was renamed Micro Frets. Initially Micro-Frets offered four models – the Plainsman, the Covington, the Huntington, and the Orbiter. These instruments came to be known as Stage 1.
The instruments bodies were built by using two slabs of wood, usually poplar or maple, that were sandwiched together. On early models the bodies were secured by clips and held together by screws in the neck plate and bridge. (See the last video)
A Masonite trim gasket surrounded the two body sections. This unique method allowed access and instillation of the guitar’s electronics. Some of the guitars had front facing “F” holes. This construction method also allowed instillation of grill cloth material that covered the sound hole from inside.
Instead of the usual potentiometers, Jones fashioned thumbwheel controls on the edge of the guitars bi-level pickguards. This was eventually rejected as cumbersome for players and replaced by the usual volume and tone pots along with a pickup selector switch.
The pickups on the first Micro Frets guitars were initially made by DeArmond, but later models used a design created by Bill Lawrence. These pickups were wound and assembled in the plant by Jones’ wife Hazel and production manager Gary Free.
The following year brought changes in production. The guitars in this group are known as Stage 2.
The Masonite gasket was eliminated as were the thumbwheel controls in favor of a simple volume and tone control. This changed allowed the bi-level pickguards to be simplified. The grill cloth behind the sound holes was gone.
By the next year, 1971, the two body sections were glued together eliminating the need for metal clips and screw joining them. The guitars made at this time are noted as Stage 3.
Sadly in April of 1972 Ralph Jones died of a sudden heart attack. His widow, Hazel, and plant manager Gary Free kept the business in operation for the next four years allowing the company to continue employment of workers and utilize existing inventory. By 1975 the building and inventory were auctioned off.
Approximately 3000 Micro Frets guitars were built and sold during the companies tenure. These guitars were truly unique creations and were ahead of their time.
In 2004 Will Meadors and Paul Rose purchased the Micro Frets brand name and he built a limited run of about two dozen guitars based on Ralph Jones’ design. After that production ended.
Then in 2017, 50 years after the company was created, Micro Frets went back into production, with an initial launch of three models: Signature, Spacetone, and Orbiter.
Fender designer John Page put together the original instrument design for these guitars. The first models were to be made in Korea and shipped un-assembled to the US.
But Fender did not think the Asian work was up to par, so Fender U.S.A. in Fullerton, California produced the original 1981 guitars by putting to use left over parts from other guitars.
The original bodies were designed to resemble a smaller and thinner version of the Telecaster. In fact the necks on the first models were actual Telecaster necks. The dual pickups were left over Mustang pickups which were positioned like those on the Duo Sonic.
That is the neck pickup was angled on the treble side and the bridge pickup was parallel to the bridge. The switch was a three position Stratocaster Switchcraft version. The two potentiometer knobs for volume and tone were black Stratocaster knobs.
The guitars came in two colors and two versions. The colors were either red or cream. Pickguards were either white or black.
The Bullet Standard(see the first picture) had an anodized steel pickguard with the distal lip behind the bridge raised at a 90% angle to anchor the strings. Page stated that he got the idea for the "star" on the logo from the record industry charts. "This song is #2 with a star" meant the record was moving up. Fender management nixed the idea, but never changed the logo. The star remained on all of the Bullet series instruments.
The Bullet Deluxe had a plastic pickguard and the strings went through the body. The bridge assembly was a barrel type and was adjusted by screws for intonation and an Allen wrench for height. The headstock decal had a 5 point star with a number 1 in the center.
I've seen them with both rosewood and maple necks.
By 1982 through 1983 the American made Bullet guitar was redesigned to look like a slightly smaller version of the Stratocaster. The guitar came in several versions. These were made in the U.S.A through 1983. Subsequent models were made by Fender Japan.
The Fender Bullet S-3 had 3 Mustang pickups with white covers positioned in the normal Strat fashion and a five way blade switch. It had a single volume and a single tone control. Fender now offered four colours; black, sunburst, red, and cream. The pickguard on these was plastic, and the bridge/saddle with nickel chrome. Strings went through the body and were anchored with ferrules on the back.
Fender also produced the American made S-2, which was very similar to the original Bullet, but this time with a Stratocaster style body. This guitar came with the anodized metal pickguard with the bridge/saddles attached to a lip at the end of the body. It had volume and tone controls and a three way selector switch. Fender came out with two other model Bullet guitars.
The Bullet H-1 featured a single Humbucking pickup in the bridge position. This guitar came with a volume and tone control and a pushbutton switch to change from humbucking to single coil mode. It too came with the anodized aircraft metal pickguard, with the lip on the end where the strings attached.
The Bullet H-2 had 2 Fender humbuckers (that were actually Mustang pickups side to side. Alongside the 3 way blade switch were two pushbutton switches that enable coil tapping.
An American made Fender Bullet Basswas also produced from 1981 through 1983. It was a smaller bodied version of a Precision bass with Mustang bass pickups.
All of the original 1982-83 Bullet guitars came in black, white, red or cream. The controls were volume and tone. The input was on the top where the second tone control would be found on a Stratocaster. These were hard tail instruments.
The price for the instruments in 1981 was $199 which included a molded Fender case. During this time there was also a set sold at a slightly higher price that included a Fender Bullet guitar and a Fender Harvard Reverb solid state amplifier.
By 1984 Fender Bullets were produced in Japan under the Squire Bullet label. These came in several versions including style similar to the late 1981- 83.
This change came at a time when Fender management was changing from CBS to FMIC. These instruments came with plastic pickguards, and chromed metal bridges. The anodized aluminum pickguard were no longer offered. Fender contracted with the Fujigen company.
Some of the key differences were these were no longer labeled as Fender guitars, but now known as Squier Bullet guitars. The pickups on most had enclosed covers, and most were bridge saddle assemblies were hardtails. However some came with tremolos. The MIJ Bullet Series maintained the Telecaster style headstock. Tuners were stamped "Fender Japan".
The serial number on the Squier Bullet neck plate began with "SQ", though the first models were stamped "JV". While the neckplates on the 1981 - 1983 American made Fender Bullet guitars were just stamped with the stylized Fender "F" and no serial number.
Although they were originally made as student instruments, in my opinion they are still great players. I owned one for a few years and I hated to part with it. The resale prices for these guitars are skyrocketing.
Through the years Fender has come up with some guitars that were interesting concepts. Though the designers were thinking mostly about the professional market, they also had their eye on the beginners and students. They designed instruments to meet a beginning player's needs, including their budgets.
As far back as 1956 Fender offered a student model called the Musicmaster. This was a short scale, 22 ½” neck length instrument with just a single pickup on it anodized pickguard.
In 1956 Fender offered a two pickup version with the same attributes called The Duo-Sonic. At that time it came in one color, “Desert Sand”, and had a gold-colored anodized pickguard. Later models had a plastic pickguard and came in different colors. The neck pickup had a slight slant.
Both of these models started with a maple fingerboard until 1964 when a rosewood board was standard. This guitar also had the short 22½ " scale.
The Duo Sonic sported a three-way pickup selector switch on its lower horn. Both the Musicmaster and the Duo Sonic came with a three-section bridge/saddle unit that originally had a chrome cover.
By mid year of 1964 the two pickup versions were redesigned and updated to the Duo Sonic II. There were had a lot of changes. The neck scale was increased to 24”, though it was still available with a short 22 ½ " scale neck. The plastic pickguard was now offered with Olympic white or tortoise shell.
The two single coil pickups were now both slanted and had individual slider switches for each one. These switches could change polarity for some cool sounds. The volume and tone pots were housed under a chromed plate.
The three section bridge/saddle was update with chrome unit that had a lip where the strings attached. This guitar was the precursor to The Fender Mustang.
The Fender Mustang was essentially a Duo Sonic II with a vibrato added. The unique vibrato unit was a spring-loaded contraption with the springs beneath its rocking bridge.
This guitar had six individual brass adjustable saddles. A chromed bridge cover was original equipment. This guitar was designed to be a more affordable option for players.
In 1966 the Fender Mustang Bass was the last guitar that Leo Fender designed before leaving the company following the sale to CBS. This short scale bass guitar used the same body as the Mustang guitar.
This bass, designed as a student instrument, had a short 30" neck scale length. The maple neck was topped with a 19 fret rosewood fingerboard. The headstock had four Fender open back bass tuners.
The instrument strings were held in place with a uniquely designed bridge/saddle unit that was mounted on a chromed plate. Each of the four strings had it's own adjustment for length and height on the through-the-body unit.
The bass originally came with a foam rubber mute strip that was adjustable with two screws. On most surviving examples the mute has been removed.
The split pickups were similar to Precision Bass pickups of this era. The plastic pickguard came in white, pearl-white, or tortoise shell. The electronic controls and jack were housed under a chrome plate. A pull-bar finger rest was on the treble side of the pickguard.
The standard finishes were red, white, and blue, although many blue examples have faded to more of a green color. Originally this bass had a nitrocellulose lacquer, but in 1968 it was changed to polyester. (Back finish has faded to green on this example).
In 1969 the Mustang Guitar and Bass were made with "Competition" finishes; Orange, Red, and Burgundy, and the "Racing Stripes" were added to the bodies.
In 1967 Fender designed a budget single pickup version it called The Bronco for beginning players. This guitar had a pickup in the bridge position and a unique tremolo unit, "The Bronc Trem" or "Steel Trem" that came to be Fender's least popular design.
This guitar had a 24" scale with a rosewood fretboard on it's maple neck. Fender packaged this with a "Bronco" amp, which was actually a silver face Vibro Champ amplifier with a red label that said Bronco. In 1967 the guitar with the amplifier was priced at $150.
In 1965 CBS purchased the Fender Guitar Company. At the time it seemed that everybody and their brother wanted to be a rock star. CBS was there to cash in on the craze. It did not take long after the acquisition for the company to begin making changes.
In my opinion some of the changes were just a little odd. For instance, CBS/Fender decided it was a great idea to go into the banjo business. To accomplish this the company acquired the Stafstrom Banjo Company, which was a manufacturer based in Oregon, Illinois.
This venture into banjo production was relatively short-lived. However the original 1960 models were high-quality instruments, particularly the early, American-made "Concert Tone" models.
In later years Fender also produced banjos in Japan during the 1980s. However, I mostly recall those models from 1967 and 1968.
The Concert Tone Banjo was Fender's top-of-the line. It was an exquisite instrument with a carved back and neck heel. After that came the Artist model, which was essentially the same instrument but with different inlay and no gold plating.
The next model was the Encore. The workmanship on all of these models was high quality. The neck is slender; the wood is walnut. Most of them came from the California factory with sliding 5th string capo and Keith D-tuners .
The least expensive model offered was called the Allegro which featured maple frame and neck with simple round wire tone ring. Within two years Fender dropped the USA made banjo line.
Fender began making its version of a mandolin early on. The Fender Electric Mandolin looked like a miniature Stratocaster. It was introduced in 1956 and was offered until 1976. As Leo Fender was very fond of Country and Country Swing music I can bet this was an instrument that he believed would be popular and it came to be known as The Fender Mandocaster.
Unlike traditional mandolins which have four courses of double strings (8 strings), to create their distinctive sound, The Mandocaster only had four strings giving it a sound more like a guitar than a mandolin.
As an instrument, it had limited usability due to the limitations of four strings and a solid body.
This tiny instrument came with a single oblong pickup that had a reddish brown cover and no visible poles, "Fender" decal with no other markings.
The Mandocaster were probably made in small batches, so often the body and neck dates can be up to a year or more apart. Initially it featured like an Ash body can be seen as late as 1959, though in 1958 Fender stopped using Ash and switched to Alder wood.
The first years of Fender Electric Mandolin production (1956 and 1957) used a slab body style, much like a Telecaster. This changed in 1958 to a more Stratocaster style body with contours. Sunburst was the standard finish, though Blond is also seen. Custom color Fender Mandocasters also exist.
The initial Mandocaster also used a metal anodized gold pickguard until mid-1959, like the pre-1959 Precision Bass. Usually they are strung with .008, .012, .019w and .028w strings, and tuned like a mandolin.
The 1956 models had a slab body. This was changed the following year to a contoured Stratocaster type body. By this year a 3-color sunburst finish was offered. In 1959 a tortoise shell style celluloid pickguard was added.
By 1976 the Mandocaster was removed from production. In later years an eight string Fender Mandolin was offered but was manufactured offshore.
From 1965 through 1971 Fender offered a short scale five string bass guitar known as The Bass V. This instrument had only 15 frets. The modern five string bass has a low b string. The first string on the Bass V was a high C. This was supposed to allow bass players to reach high notes on the instrument more easily. So the top note on the instrument is still the same E♭ as on a standard 20-fret 4 string Jazz or Precision Bass,
These basses did not sell well. Whether it was their smaller nature, only having 15 frets, narrow string spacing, or the oddity of a five string bass in the 60s, they were discontinued in 1971. Only about 200 instruments were produced. The surplus bodies were used in the construction of the Fender Swinger.
I recall going to a guitar show and someone thrusting a guitar in my hand and said, "Check this out. You really need to buy this." It was a sweet instrument, but at the time I did not have the money or the need for another guitar. The guitar put into my hands was a Fender D'Aquisto Deluxe or Standard model. This guitar was designed by John D’Aquisto (the successor to James D’Angelico).
Jimmy was a first class luthier. He had inked a deal with Fender to design three models of these Jazz style guitars. To accomplish this D'Aquisto trained luthier Stephen Stern of the Fender Custom Shop in Corona California on the build. He inurn coordinated the 3 models: Ultra, Elite & Deluxe.
Ultra models were made in very few numbers. These guitars all had a carved solid spruce top, with solid flame maple solid back and sides. This guitar came in sunburst and natural finishes. All were built under the direction of the Fender Custom Shop.
Fender D'Aquisto Elite
The D'Aquisto Elite models were also built under the direction of the custom shop. The tops were laminate maple, normally using 2-piece book matched laminates for the front and back.
Some of the Deluxe/Standard models were signed by Stephen Stern and were made with a one piece laminate tops and backs but solid sides denoting that these guitars are master built.
By far the most beautiful Fender ever offered for sale was Fender’s LTD. These guitars were limited production models which were briefly offered for a couple of years. Each guitar was hand-crafted by Fender’s Research & Development Head, Roger Rossmeisl, assisted by Phil Kubicki.
Just 36 LTDs were ever made, completed in batches of 6 at a time. Though a Natural finish was offered in the catalog, none were ever created.
The LTD's top is custom hand-carved spruce, with curly maple on the back and sides. The top and back carving was uniquely Rossmeisl’s and done in the German style.
The detachable maple neck matches the body and is topped with an ebony fingerboard. The highest quality European wood possible was used to build these guitars, allowing for a better sound and lighter grain color.
A custom ebony bridge was hand-fitted to the body, feeding into a gold-plated tailpiece with two ebony inserts. One proudly wears Fender’s signature “F.” This highly flamed pickguard is made of celluloid imported from Italy, carefully cut and bound by Rossmeisl. The custom ebony bridge was hand-fitted to the body, feeding into a gold-plated tailpiece with two ebony inserts.
The tailpiece proudly wears Fender’s signature “F.” The highly flamed pickguard is made of celluloid imported from Italy, carefully cut and bound by Rossmeisl.
The LTD came with multiple binding layers around the body, neck, and headstock. All of the gold plating on this model was 24-karat. The single pickup was a specialty humbucker, completely shielded and grounded, designed with a jazz sound in mind. It was designed by Fender great, Freddie Tavares. The pickup is fitted with 6 individually adjustable pole pieces and, of course, 24 karat gold plating.
Mounted just under the neck for the best possible jazz tone, this humbucker is accompanied by Master volume and Master tone controls in the form of two small, black knobs mounted to the pickguard. The ¼” jack sits just below the knobs underneath the pickguard.
The Montego II was a similar instrument with two humbucking pickups. Only a small number of these guitars were made between 1968 and 1972 which numbered less than 100.
Text from the 1972 catalog states, “the Montego’s specs included an “elegantly contoured spruce top, specially designed pickups with hand wound hum-cancelling coils— totally shielded from outside interference, genuine hand-cut Australian mother-of-pearl decorative inlays, and the finest materials and workmanship employed throughout.”
The Montego’s detachable neck is made of hard-rock maple topped with a curved ebony fretboard, and its body boasts an arched spruce top with flamed maple back and sides. The 1972 Fender price list shows a Montego II Sunburst at $850, plus $95 .
It was in 1966 that I recall receiving a Fender catalog and marveling at their latest guitar: The Fender Marauder. The model 1 was a prototype created in 1963. The body shape resembled a Fender Jaguar but with a Stratocaster tremolo and no visible pickups. Looking closely, one of the prototypes is a hardtail.
I have read that Fender produced only 8 Marauder prototypes and all were given away to shops around Fullerton California. The four pickup design was apparently too costly to license.
The text in the catalog stated that it had four pickups that were hidden under the pickguard. Wow!
Later on I read about the Marauder 2, a second version, which now had a slightly different offset body, three single coils ala a Strat, and a plethora of switches with chrome covers ala a Jaguar.
Unlike the short scale Jaguar, the Marauder had a 25 1/4 scale neck, unlike a Strat which is 25 1/2 inches. I have read that in 1967 four Marauders were made with slanted frets.
The electronics layout is complicated. Neither version was ever put into production. Over the years hobbyists and folks at The Fender Custom Shop have created Marauders.
In 2011 Fender finally created the Fender Marauder Pawn Shop Prize guitar. This unusual instrument came with an offset body .
It had a large headstock and a rosewood fretboard. A Jazzmaster pickup was in the neck position, while the bridge pickup was a Fender Triplebucker. The Marauder and the entire Modern Player series were made in China.
