Musikmesse 2011: Fender announces Pawn Shop Series

Ahead of Frankfurt Musikmesse 2011, Fender has announced a brand new range of electric guitars inspired by some of its more leftfield instruments from the mid-1960s to the mid-'70s, and also the more recent Squier Vintage Modified '51 model. The Pawn Shop Series comprises the Fender '51, '72 and Mustang Special and looks set to inspire indie kids everywhere to reach for their wallets.

According to Fender, "These instruments draw inspiration from the eccentric and sometimes wildly innovative Fender creations of the mid-’60s to mid-’70s era that sometimes found their way to the outside world and into the more esoteric pages of Fender history.

"With this adventurous spirit in mind, Pawn Shop Series instruments emerge as all-new Fender guitars with a boldly creative alchemy of diverse Fender components. And while they are brand-new members of the Fender family crafted with thoroughly modern sound and quality, Pawn Shop Series instruments now take the stage with a remarkable new identity as "guitars that never were but should have been."

Click onwards to check out each of the new models in detail...

Fender says:

"The Pawn Shop Mustang Special is a classic in everything from a venerable Fender model name to its sleek amalgam of design elements and matchless tonal versatility. Its modified offset Mustang body imparts a sleek 1960s vibe, and its 24-inch short-scale maple neck with a '60s-era C shape is comfortable for those accustomed to vintage-style instruments.

"Other features include a rosewood fretboard with modern 9.5-inch radius and medium jumbo frets, dual Fender Enforcer humbucking pickups with '70s-style covers, pickup toggle switch, three-way coil selector slide switch for each humbucking pickup (enabling 18 different tonal options), mint green pickguard, '70s-style hardtail Stratocaster bridge, vintage-style tuners and strap buttons, and deluxe gig bag."

Fender says:

"The Pawn Shop Fender ’51 melds Fender elements from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s into one truly distinctive-looking, dynamic-sounding guitar. It has a Stratocasterbody and a C-shaped Telecasterneck, with a single-coil Texas Specialneck pickup, Fender Enforcerhumbucking bridge pickup and an early-'50s Precision Bass-style dual-knob chrome control plate.

"Other features include a maple fretboard with modern 9.5-inch radius and medium jumbo frets, master volume control with push-pull coil split function to get single-coil tone from the humbucking bridge pickup, three-position rotary pickup selector knob, ’70s-style hard-tail Stratocaster bridge, vintage-style tuners and strap buttons, and deluxe gig bag."

Fender says:

"The Pawn Shop Fender ’72 presents an unusual combination of classic Fender design elements, not the least of which is its semi-hollow Stratocaster body with an f-hole. The result is a truly distinctive instrument with a huge sound.

"Other features include a U-shaped Telecaster neck, rosewood fretboard with modern 9.5-inch radius and 6105 frets, Fender Wide Range humbucking neck pickup and Fender Enforcer humbucking bridge pickup, early-’50s Precision Bass-style dual-knob chrome control plate with master volume and centre-detented pickup blend controls, ’70s-style hardtail Stratocaster bridge, ’70s-style Fender 'F' tuners, mint green pickguard, bullet truss rod, three-bolt neck attachment and deluxe gig bag."