FACTOIDS & TRIVIA

The Fender Bronco was introduced in mid-1967 as a new student model. According to Dale Hyatt, Leo Fender began working on the Bronco in 1964 as a replacement for the Musicmaster. The design was put on hiatus by CBS in 1965 and it was put in production in 1967 after many requests by Fender Sales. Interestingly, the Musicmaster was not dropped from the lineup after the introduction of the Bronco. The Bronco used the same body (though routed differently), pickup, and electronics as the Musicmaster, except the pickup was placed in the bridge position. Leo designed a simple, yet very useable vibrato tail for the budget Bronco. Fender Sales insisted that the guitar be given a bright red finish for marketing purposes and the factory obliged with a color similar to, if not the same as, Fiesta Red. In 1976, red was dropped and the Bronco was offered in white or black until its discontinuation in 1981.

 Body: Solid, alder

 Finish: Fiesta Red, polyester lacquer

 Neck: 1-piece maple, bolt-on

 Fingerboard: Indian rosewood; pearloid dot markers

 Number of Frets: 22

 Pickguard: White pearloid/black/white plastic laminate

 Bridge: Fender steel vibrato tailpiece, chrome

 Nut: Plastic

 Tuners: Fender, enclosed, chrome

 Pickups: One, Fender single coil

 Controls: Master tone, master volume

 Scale Length: 24 inches

 Neck Width at Nut: 1 5/8 inches

 Body Width at Lower Bout: 12 inches

 Body Depth: 1 1/2 inches

 Weight: 7.6 lb