Fender Bronco

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The Fender Bronco was an electric guitar model produced by the Fender company from mid 1967 until 1981. It used the body and neck from the Fender Mustang, but had only one pickup and a different tremolo arm mechanism. Unlike the other Mustang variants, it was offered only with a 24" scale length.

The Bronco was like the rest of the Mustang family intended as a student model. Its shortish scale length also suited players with smaller hands.

Its single pickup was mounted in the bridge position, unlike the Musicmaster which had a neck pickup only and the Mustang and Duo-Sonic which both had two pickups.

The unique tremolo arm was Leo Fender's fourth and least successful design, and appeared only on the Bronco. It is sometimes unoficially known as the Fender steel vibrato, and colloquially as the Bronco trem. It has its admirers, but no famous guitarist has gone on record as preferring it, unlike the previous three designs.

It was a low budget student guitar that they stopped making in 1980. The last colours that they made were black to black, white to black, and wine red.

The Bronco was usually produced with a rosewood fingerboard and the standard finish. Unlike its older cousin the Mustang, as of 2006 it has not seen a re-issue. The Bronco name is continued only in the Squier-branded Bronco Bass.

The Bronco itself was never particularly popular and is now quite rare.

[edit] Sightings

Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor is seen strumming a Bronco for their promotional video for "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)".
James Iha guitarist for The Smashing Pumpkins plays a Fender Bronco in the video for "Rocket"
Andy Partridge guitarist and vocalist for XTC plays a Fender Bronco in the promotional videos for "Making Plans For Nigel" and "Life Begins At The Hop".
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, guitarist for The Mars Volta and guitarist of former band At The Drive-In, was spotted with a Bronco on the front cover of the At The Drive-In CD Acrobatic Tenement.