Fender Mustangs of all stripes are cool, but the ones with racing stripes really break out from the pack.
The original Fender Mustangs arrived in August 1964, just months after the Ford Mustang muscle car was unveiled. In 1969, after the supercharged, Shelby-modified Ford Mustangs began sporting racing stripes, Fender launched the Competition Mustang guitars and basses with racing stripes of their own.
Since then, they've been available in different forms, either as original vintage pieces or various reissues. Let's take a look at some prime examples.
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Selling for more than $5,000 earlier this year, this Competition Mustang Bass set one of the highwater marks for a vintage sale of this model on Reverb (alongside this 1969 Competition Mustang Bass).
In all-original condition, this 1972 Competition Mustang Bass features orange racing stripes on an orange finish, which has aged to more of a yellow over time. It has a 30" scale-length and one split single-coil pickup.
Find all 1969–'73 Competition Mustang Basses currently for sale, or take a look at more vintage Competition Mustang Basses that have sold on Reverb.
As with other vintage models, the finish of this 1970 Competition Mustang has faded, and in this case, it's faded to more of a solid blue. Fender's official term for the color at the time of release was Burgundy, because of a purple burst effect within the mostly blue finish. How these finishes age varies widely, with some fading to blue, teal, or even shades of green.
Because Nirvana's Kurt Cobain loved Mustangs and played a faded '69 Burgundy Competition Mustang in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video, this is the most desired of all vintage Mustang variants. (Cobain's own just sold at auction for $4.5 million.)
Find all 1969–'73 Competition Mustang guitars currently for sale, or take a look at more vintage Competition Mustangs that have sold on Reverb.
Based on one of Cobain's modded Mustangs, this Kurt Cobain Mustang was a made-in-Japan limited-edition model, built between 2021 and 2014. The bridge pickup is a Seymour Duncan humbucker, and the guitar was available in multiple finishes that matched Cobain's own. But this Lake Placid Blue with Stripe is the only Competition-style variant.
Find all MIJ Kurt Cobain Mustangs currently for sale.
Fender Japan's reissues in the 2000s were some of the best (and only) Competition Mustangs available. While original US guitars were available in red, orange, and the "burgundy" blue, Fender Japan released more variations of these and other hues, included the Cobain-style Sonic Blue. The MG-73 pictured here is a Fiesta Red model with white stripes.
Find all MG-73 Mustang Reissues currently for sale.
Another striking example from Fender Japan, this MG-69 is a Competition Mustang with a Capri Orange finish and red racing stripes.
Find all MG-69 Mustang Reissues currently for sale.
Fender once again revived the Competition Mustang Bass in its Pawn Shop series, and this time with a twist. Only made from 2013–'14, there were two racing strike variations: Olympic White with blue (as pictured here) or Candy Apple Red with white.
But while a split single-coil is the norm on most Mustang Basses, this Pawn Shop model has a chunky humbucker instead.
Find all Pawn Shop Mustang Basses currently for sale.
One of the most recent reincarnations of the Competition Mustang comes from Squier, which created a limited-edition FSR run of the guitar in a double-humbucker format, with brand new colors.
These finishes include the Graffiti Yellow with black stripes, as pictured above, and a Daphne Blue with orange stripes.
Find all Squier FSR Competition Bullet Mustang HH guitars currently for sale.
A Glance at the Market for Competition Mustangs
Because of their relative rarity and the mojo bestowed on them by grunge, punk, and rock icons—including not just Cobain but, for Competition Basses, Talking Heads' Tina Weymouth too—the Mustang family has grown in stature from Fender's inexpensive student model to desirable vintage items.
Especially in the wake of Cobain's "Teen Spirit" guitar selling for millions in May 2022, some asking prices for vintage "burgundy" blue Competition Mustangs have reached incredible, five-figure heights, but it should be known that final sale prices have yet to reach anywhere near those asking prices.
Check out the growth in value in our Price Guide graphs below, which show the average monthly sale price for select models, like the original Competition Mustangs from 1969-1973 and a few reissues.
