Squier Super-Sonic

The Squier Super-Sonic is an electric guitar manufactured by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, originally marketed under their Squier brand. The design, conceived by former Squier marketing manager Joe Carducci, is said to have been inspired by a photograph in which Jimi Hendrix is pictured playing a Fender Jaguar upside down.[1]

Squier Super-Sonic
ManufacturerSquier, Fender
Period1996—1998, 2013—2014, 2020—2023
Construction
Body typeSolid
Neck jointBolt-on
Scale24 in (610 mm)
Woods
BodyBasswood, alder, poplar
NeckMaple
FretboardRosewood, Indian laurel
Hardware
BridgeVintage Stratocater-style vibrato
Pickup(s)2 humbuckers
Colors available
Vista Series - Olympic White, Black, Blue Sparkle, Silver Sparkle
Pawn Shop Series - Apple Red Flake, Dark Gun Metal Flake, Sunfire Orange Flake
Paranormal Series - Blue Sparkle, Shell Pink, Graphite Metallic, Ice Blue Metallic
Made In Japan Limited - Olympic White, Black, Blue Sparkle, Silver Sparkle, 3-Color Sunburst

Design

The Super-Sonic features an offset body similar to an upside-down Fender Jaguar or Fender Jazzmaster, but with two humbucker pickups, a three-way pickup selector toggle switch, and a traditional Stratocaster-style six-screw vibrato bridge. Unusually, the Super-Sonic has no tone control and instead has only a volume control for each pickup, wired in reverse with the control closest to the bridge controlling the bridge pickup, and the control farthest from the neck controlling the neck pickup. Like many other Fender offset designs, the Super-Sonic is a short-scale (24-inch) guitar, and also features a 22-fret bolt-on neck with a reversed CBS-style large headstock.

Variations

Squier Vista Series

The Super-Sonic was originally a part of the Japanese-manufactured Vista Series, and produced at the FujiGen factory between late 1996 and early 1998. The bodies were constructed from basswood and available in four different finishes, with a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. The ceramic pickups were manufactured in South Korea, with the bridge pickup canted.

Fender Pawn Shop Series

Fender reintroduced the Super-Sonic in January 2013 as part of the Fender-branded Pawn Shop Series. The reissued Super-Sonic was manufactured at the Fender factory in Mexico and featured an alder body available in three new finishes, a C-shaped maple neck, a rosewood fretboard with a 9.5 inch radius, and medium-jumbo frets. The South Korean-made pickups on the Vista Series models were replaced with Fender Atomic humbuckers, and both canted.[2][3]

Squier Paranormal Series

The Super-Sonic was once again reintroduced to the Fender catalogue in June 2020 as part of the Squier Paranormal Series. The revived model was made in China and featured a poplar body available initially in two different finishes with a further two finishes added in 2021, a C-shaped maple neck, an Indian laurel fretboard with a 9.5 inch radius, and narrow-tall frets. Similarly to the Pawn Shop Series version, the Paranormal Series Super-Sonic features Squier Atomic humbuckers.[4]

Fender Made In Japan Limited

In July 2021, Fender released a Japan-exclusive, limited run Fender-branded Super-Sonic in a Silver Sparkle finish.[5] It was largely a faithful reproduction of the original Vista Series models, and featured a basswood body, a U-shaped neck, a rosewood fretboard with a 9.5 inch radius, medium jumbo frets, and Fender Shawbucker humbuckers. The following month, the limited line was expanded with Black, Olympic White, and Blue Sparkle finishes, while replacing the pickups with Fender Dragster BB humbuckers.[6][7] In March 2022, Fender Japan released a limited run Super-Sonic with a 3-Color Sunburst finish and an alder body.[8]

Notable players

References
  1. Bacon, Tony. "How hybrid designs defined Fender's search for the next great guitar". Reverb. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  2. "Fender Pawn Shop Series Super-Sonic". Fender. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  3. Graham, Rick. "Fender Pawn Shop Super-Sonic". Interactive Guitar Magazine. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  4. "Squier Paranormal Series Super-Sonic". Fender. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  5. "Fender Made in Japan Super-Sonic Limited Run Silver Sparkle". Fender. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  6. "Fender Made in Japan Limited Super-Sonic". Fender. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  7. Parker, Matt. "Fender Japan is reprising the Super-Sonic shape for a new limited-edition run". Guitar World. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  8. "Fender Made in Japan Super-Sonic Limited Run 3-Color Sunburst". Fender. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
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