The Blue Fender Bronco 1968
| Blue Fender Bronco 1968 | Cream Gibson SG | Fuzz Tone | Jackson C. Frank | Jimi Hendrix Flying V | Jimmy Page Dragon Telecaster | Jo Ann Kelly | Kahvas Jute & Chariot | Music | MC5 | Nick Drake Guitars | Peter Green | Shocking Blue | The Leftards - Gong punk 2017+ | The Vamps 1965-77 | Yardbirds |
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| A blue Fender Bronco, circa 1968 (over-painted?). |
Contents
- True Blue?
- Bronco Guitarists
- A Jimi Hendrix Bronco
- Videos
- References
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1. True Blue?
The author recently had a conversation with a friend who, in the dim distant past, had purchased an original, 1968, blue Fender Bronco from a second-hand dealer in Wollongong, Australia. It possessed a single bridge pickup and unique Fender tremelo setup. The dealer was not able to provide any provenance information on the guitar at the time of purchase. Since then the friend had sought to confirm some of the its history and, most importantly, prove that the cracked blue nitrocellulose paint was original.
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| Original 1968 pale blue Fender Bronco with Fender amp. |
The Bronco had been produced by Fender between December 1967 - 1980. An Insounder article on the Fender Bronco, includes a picture of a blue version at its head, though within it states that the standard colours for the model were: Dakota Red, Olympic White and Midnight Wine (Zdeněk 2022). Black was added during the 1970s. The most common colour seen is the Dakota Red, as in the following image from a 1970 Status Quo studio gig wherein rhythm guitarist Rick Parfitt is using a Bronco throughout an extended jam. The full video is linked below.
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| Rick Parfitt with a red Bronco and Francis Rossi with a green Telecaster, Status Quo, 1970. |
The Guitar-List description of the Bronco included the same list of three colours, with no mention of the blue (Guitar-List 2024). The introduction to that listing outlines the history of the guitar as follows:
The Fender Bronco was introduced in 1967 as a student level electric guitar. Fender made the Bronco using a Mustang body and neck, [with] a single pickup in the bridge position and a different tremolo arm mechanism (the Fender steel vibrato unique to the Bronco). The Bronco had a longer 24" scale length unlike other Fender Mustang variations which had 22.5" scale length. The neck was maple with a 22 fret round laminated rosewood fingerboard and dot inlays. The Bronco was usually produced with a rosewood fingerboard and standard Fiesta Red finish, but later during its production run Fender offered Dakota Red, Black, Olympic White and Midnight Wine. The Bronco was discontinued in 1981 and replaced by the Fender Lead series. Fender has not yet reissued the Bronco guitar, although they have reissued the Bronco amplifier, a small amplifier also made for students which was initially sold as a package with the Fender Bronco guitar.
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| Original advertisement, November 1967. |
The blue variety as originally available in 1968 is supported by a Facebook comment which notes that different colours to the three initial standard colours could be special ordered from Fender during the production run. The number of such colours produced is not known at this stage. The Insounder article also includes a photograph of a green Bronco leaning against a yellow background (illustrated below). Whether that was one of the original 1960s paint options, as was the blue, is unclear.
The Bronco was originally promoted as a student model and sold with a Fender Bronco Amp. It was a 5 watt tube amplifier with a 10 inch speaker and the first Fender to feature the now-famous Silverface design.
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| 1968 Fender Bronco 5Watt amplifier. |
A later 1990s Fender Bronco amplifier was of an entirely different design to its 1960s antecedent, with mustard and brown tweed trim and a rectangular box shape. A Fender Bronco Bass was also released, also known as the Squier by Fender Bronco. The Fender Bronco has never been re-released.
The Bronco owned by the friend mentioned above appeared to be an original, unrestored version from circa 1968. The following photographs reveal aspects of the aging of the nitrocellulose paint used by Fender prior to 1969. The actual colour of the guitar is not seen in the following photographs, as it is more of a cream and turquoise colour, masking the original pale blue. The paint is also subject to cracking and wear in sections, as is normal with nitrocellulose over time.
Wear on the rear edge of the 1968 guitar, revealing the clear blue paint underneath the aged, dark cream blue of the present guitar.
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| Original serial number 146578 on neck plate. |
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| Original Fender tuning pegs. |
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| Blue Fender Bronco 1968 plus Fender amp in turquoise. |
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2. Bronco Guitarists
Some guitarists who have used the Fender Bronco include the following, with most identified on the Equipboard website:
* Beaux.
* Colin Caulfield. Uses a red Bronco.
* Jimi Hendrix - see discussion below.
* James Iha of Gish and Siamese Dream.
* Alan Lancaster of Status Quo. The band's bass player, he used the Bronco in live performance on Gerdundula and for writing songs. See also band mate Rick Parfitt below.
* Courtney Love, with her band Hole. She has used various guitars in live performance, including a red Bronco.
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| Courtney Love with red Fender Bronco. Photo: Honey Salvadori. |
* Rick Parfitt (1948-2016) of Status Quo. Parfitt was the rhythm guitarist in the band, and also one of the three singers. He can be seen playing a red Bronco in the following live TV studio clip from 1970.
Is it really me? / Gotta go home, Status Quo, 1970, YouTube, duration: 12.18 minutes.
* Brooks Neilsen.
* Jock Norton.
* Lockett Pundt (aka Lotus Plaza) and of Deerhunter.
* Mick Taylor, former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones. He is seen playing a red Bronco in the 1974 studio promotional video of It's Only Rock and Rock (But I Like It).
The Rolling Stones - It's only rock and roll (but I like it), 1974, YouTube, 22 November 2011, duration: 4.51 minutes.
* Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys.
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3. A Jimi Hendrix Bronco?
During 2012 and 2016 a Fender Bronco was offered for sale on eBay and Reverb for US$20,000, with the assertion that it belonged to, and was played by, Jimi Hendrix. That assertion is open to question. There are no known photographs of Hendrix with the guitar. When first offered for sale in 2012 the seller Fenderkustom stated that it was signed over to him whilst Hendrix was filming Rainbow Bridge in Hawaii in 1970. He offered a picture of himself with Hendrix, but not with the guitar.
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| Jimi Hendrix Bronco. Source: Whatgear. |
It is noted on the Musiclipse site that a Fender Bronco was used by Jimi for one night in the late ’60s, given to Brian Levine. Brian Levine was the son of Robert Levine, Jimi Hendrix's US tour manager, and step-son of Kathy Eberth Levine, his personal assistant (PA). A photograph exists of Brian Levine and his son Andrew with a red Fender Mustang also said to have been owned by Hendrix, along with another from 3 August 1970 of Kathy Eberth, Jimi, the young Brian Levine, and Eric Barrett who managed Hendrix's guitars and equipment. A 2016 discussion on the MandolinCafe list, and an earlier 2012 discussion on the Strat-Talk list, questioned the provenance of this guitar. Hendrix did make use of a 1966 red Fender Mustang during his early years in England, and also at one stage during 1967 had a Fender Jaguar. Both guitars had multiple pickups, unlike the Bronco.
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4. Videos
The following videos describe the guitar in regard to its history and playability. In one instance a blue Bronco is the subject of the discussion.
* 1972 Fender Bronco and 1972 Marshall Super Lead, Guitar Media, 15 November 2020, YouTube, duration: 3.33 minutes. A simple, awesome, instrumental exposition of the rhythm and lead capabilities of a 1972 red Bronco, including utilization of tremelo and wah. No commentary necessary.
* 1978 Fender Bronco, Normans Rare Guitars, 20 December 2023, YouTube, duration: 4.59 minutes. Physical and musical review of a 1978 black Bronco, with original case and tremelo, run through a Fender Super Reverb amp. Summary: "Really, really cool guitar."
* Fender Bronco guitar review, Aambulance Studio, 1 July 2017, YouTube, duration: 5.49 minutes. A rather naive, critical review of a "mid' sixties" white (aged to cream) Bronco, without tremelo. The guitar eventually wins the reviewer over following a comprehensive play.....
* Fender Bronco Guitar 1970s demo, miamistomp, 8 November 2011, YouTube, duration: 3.50 minutes. Original white aged to cream; serial number on neck plate, rosewood, F stop tuners, no tremelo and replacement pickup.
* 1968 Fender Bronco amp demo, Dustin Altick, 5 January 2019, YouTube, duration: 3.01 minutes. Demo on reverb with unknown guitar.
* The Fender Bronco Vibrato: How Does It Work?, Puisheen, 21 May 2022, YouTube, duration: 16.05 minutes. Utilizes a 1977 Bronco refinished in Lake Placid Blue.
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5. References
Equipboard, Fender Bronco, Equipboard [website], accessed 21 April 2024.
Fender Bronco, fenderbronco.com, accessed 22 April 2024.
Guitar-List, Fender Bronco, Guitar-List [website], accessed 21 April 2024.
Lev, Zdeněk, Under the hood #31: The Almost Forgotten Fender Bronco, Insounder, 27 December 2022.
Vintage Guitar & Bass, Fender Bronco electric guitar, Vintage Guitar & Bass [website], accessed 21 April 2024.
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| Blue Fender Bronco 1968 | Cream Gibson SG | Fuzz Tone | Jackson C. Frank | Jimi Hendrix Flying V | Jimmy Page Dragon Telecaster | Jo Ann Kelly | Kahvas Jute & Chariot | Music | MC5 | Nick Drake Guitars | Peter Green | Shocking Blue | The Leftards - Gong punk 2017+ | The Vamps 1965-77 | Yardbirds |
Last updated: 12 May 2024
Michael Organ, Australia (Home)
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