Manufacturer Squier Body type Solid Body Basswood, Alder | Period 1996—1998, 2013 Neck joint Bolt-on Neck Maple | |
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The Squier Super-Sonic was a guitar manufactured and sold by Squier for two years in the 1990s as part of Fender's 1997 Vista series. The guitar was designed by Joe Carducci, who was Fender's electric guitar product manager at the time, and who may have been inspired by an image of Jimi Hendrix playing a Fender Jaguar 'upside-down', or left-handed.
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Specifications
The Super-Sonic came in 4 colours: Olympic White, Black, Sparkle Silver and Sparkle Blue. All Squier Super-Sonics came with a white/black/white sandwich pickguard and 24-inch scale, 22-fret rosewood fretboard and a 'skunk stripe' behind the maple neck. Like the Squier Jagmaster and Jaguar, the body was crafted from basswood in Japan. The guitar came with a reversed headstock and a Stratocaster-style bridge with hardened steel-pressed saddles and a screwed-in tremolo arm. Kluson-style tuners similar to those found on many Stratocasters were used on the headstock.
The Super-Sonic has two humbuckers. These pickups were produced in South Korea, and had wooden spacers, and ceramic magnets. The guitar had no tone control, but instead utilized two volume controls with pickup switching controlled by a 3-way toggle switch. The volume controls were wired reverse, with the volume control closest to the bridge controlling the bridge pickup, and the volume control closest to the input jack working the rhythm pickup.
Production and serial numbers
Production of the Vista series in Japan was halted in the late 1990s, making these guitars increasingly rare and collectable [1]. Production dates can be estimated using the serial number on the reverse of the guitar's headstock. It is generally accepted that guitars produced between late 1996 and during 1997 have serial numbers beginning with 'V + 6 digits'. These earlier guitars were sometimes sold with a 'Fender 50th Anniversary' sticker on the reverse of the headstock. Slightly later guitars produced between late 1997 and 1998 have serial numbers beginning with 'A + 6 digits'. A date stamp can often be found when removing the neck of the guitar.
Fender Pawn Shop Super-Sonic
In 2012 Fender reintroduced the Super-Sonic as a part of their Pawn Shop series. This guitar features two canted Fender Atomic humbucking pickups as opposed to the Korean pickups of the original Squier models. Other features include a solid alder body, a "C"-shaped maple neck with "bullet"-style truss rod, 9.5"-radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets, three-way toggle pickup switching and dual Jazz Bass control knobs, three-ply parchment pickguard, vintage-style synchronized tremolo bridge, vintage-style tuners and a new Super-Sonic four-bolt neck plate. Available in Apple Red Flake, Dark Gun Metal Flake and Sunfire Orange Flake finishes.