1995/2000/2020 Fender Duo Sonic (Long Scale) Partscaster Electric Guitar

My friend Steve bought this Mexican-made '95 Duo Sonic body (these were meant for a really-short-scale instrument) to mate with an old '60s Fender neck on a super-secret project, but wound-up finding an original Duo Sonic body to use instead. He traded it towards some work and it has just the right amount of finish grunge, finish cracking, and wear to give it a lived-in feel.

I found a 2000 Mexican Strat neck ('50s vintage-style) to use with it because I noted that the bridge location doesn't match-up with any normal Fender-style neck you'd expect to use on it (24" scale Mustang or Jaguar neck) but that it works "close enough" with 25 1/2" scale necks. Then I picked-up a WD repro pickguard for it in 1-ply black. Mix-in a good wiring harness, aluminum Tele-style saddles, and some '70s Fujigen Strat pickups (they're flush-poles so they're more like Mustang/Duo Sonic pickups), and this is what came out the other side.

This design, mixed with the lightweight basswood body, makes a really fun guitar. It's light and easy to handle yet has good sustain and snap because of the steep back-angle on the Tele saddles and the hardtail mounting. The two-pickup mount gives a bright, clean, clear sound reminiscent of a Strat but with a bit more chime and a simpler series of overtones. It sounds like a "grown-up" Duo Sonic, really. I like it a lot for chordal stuff. It also has the vibe of an earlier '50s Duo Sonic with its pre-offset body shape and 1-ply guard.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, fresh wiring harness, fitting of parts, minor bridge mods, setup. Harness has 500k pots and a 010 Mallory cap.

Setup notes: the neck is straight, the truss rod works, the frets have plenty of life in them, and action is spot-on at 1/16" overall at the 12th fret. Strings are 46w-10 lights.

Scale length: 25 1/2"

Nut width: 1 5/8"

String spacing at nut: 1 3/8"

String spacing at bridge: 2 1/16"

Body length: 18 3/4"

Lower bout width: 12 1/2"

Side depth at endpin: 1 1/2"

Body wood: basswood

Fretboard: maple (1-piece)

Bridge: Toronado/CBS Duo Sonic-style

Neck feel: medium C/soft V shape, ~9.5" radius board

Neck wood: maple

Weight: 6 lb 10 oz
Pickups: middle and bridge position from '70s Fujigen (Japan) Strat copy

Condition notes: body shows wear and tear and everything is non-original.