Unlucky Guitar - Fender Bullet
By Dennis David
An article from the Fender Japan website. Due to being written in Japanese, spelling and grammar updates were required.
In the early 1980s, Fender was in a serious financial downturn, at one point even trying to discontinue production of regular
Stratocaster and Telecaster models. As a new product, we developed a new "Bullet" with reduced cost.
John Page, who later became the general manager of the custom shop, joined the company in 1977, and he was assigned to the R & D
department during this period and participated in the design of musical instruments. One of the guitars he created was the Bullet
guitar.
The Bullet was not a short-scale model for children such as Mustang, Duo-Sonic, and Music Master released in the past, but was
sold as an entry-level model for adults. While the Fender Lead was made by using a Strat neck, the Bullet (1980-) seems to have
used a Telecaster neck. (The processing shape of the neck end is the same)
The first Bullet released in the USA in 1981 was available in two types, a standard model, and a deluxe model. When I saw the
catalog (1981-82 edition), I thought, "What is this awkwardness ..."
Before I knew it, I thought it was "cute" and "cool" (disease onset).
The structure was simpler than the Telecaster and should have been easy and speedy to assemble. The body is a single cutaway body
reminiscent of Telecaster. There were only two colors, ivory, and red. The big pickguard was impressive. The fretboard seems to
have been from the Telecaster's rosewood fingerboard, but for some reason there is no position marker on the 21st fret. Was it
made at the same time on the Telecaster neckline so that you could tell the difference between the two necks immediately?
The tuners were lightweight Kluson tuners when it was first released, but it was changed to a Schaller F-style in the middle of
production (because Kluson stopped supplying due to the bankruptcy), and the two single coil PUs attached to the pickguard are
poles. There was an invisible cover on the piece, but the contents were the same as the Stratocaster. There is one control for
both volume and tone. The output jack is also on the pickguard.
The Bullet was available in two models, a standard model, and a deluxe model. The low-priced standard model had a pickguard with
an integrated bridge (a patent application was filed at the time when a part of the metal pickguard baked and painted in white or
black was bent and integrated with the bridge).
Since the strings were also top loading, all the electrical parts (PU, SW, control, jack) were wired to the pickguard on a
separate line, and the rest was screwed to the body to complete! It had a remarkably simple structure. There are also metal
pickguards painted black. On the other hand, the high-end model Bullet Deluxe had a hardtail bridge (strings are strung through
the body), and a 3-ply pickguard was attached.
At that time, I do not remember early Bullets being in musical instrument stores in Shibuya and Ochanomizu. The fender catalog
(1982 version) published by Yamano Music Co., Ltd. is listed, but it was a strange phenomenon because the original early model
Bullets were only available second-hand.
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