Review quickie: Fender Super Sonic

Background 

• The Super Sonic started off as a Squier. It was part of the Vista Series (1997, made in Japan) together with the Venus, Jagmaster & Musicmaster models. 
• The Super Sonic then became a member of the Pawn Shop series (Mexico) with both humbuckers slanted.
• The Super Sonic was re-introduced as a Squier model in 2020 as part of the Paranormal Series.
• The current limited edition Super Sonic (Japan) is a replication of the original Squier version with only the bridge pickup slanted. It features a basswood body, Dragster humbuckers, 2 volume controls & 24" scale length. The 75th Anniversary decal is printed on the headstock rear but the Super Sonic is not a commemorative model in conjunction with this anniversary.

Construction / fit / finish

• First class treatment from the Japanese factory, high standards all round
• Whammy felt a little stiff in use

Playability / tone

• C-profile neck has a chunky feel.
• Cutaways were designed for maximum upper fret access, will appease the shred camp
• Dragster pickups sound flat; neither excellent clean nor menacing under intense distortion. Lacks a tone control to provide tone variation but putting both humbuckers on simultaneously with differentiated volume levels for each pickups provide some consolation.

Conclusion

This is an identity crisis offset Fender guitar which is still a beloved model today. That quirky look is a visual escape from the usual Fender offerings & stamps a firm deviation identity on the user. Playability-wise, despite its mutant outline, is excellent. The chunky rounded neck profile would put both Fender & Gibson fans at home in terms of feel. It has a residual appeal to the shredders among us as upper fret access is superior to the average Strat / Tele. The potential deal-breaker here are the Dragster pickups which sounded flat from the get-go, compounded by the fact that no tone control exists to sculpt the sonic offerings. Remember, this is a 24" instrument & will never snap like a Strat / Tele. Personally, I find the price repulsive.

Final rating: 85%

Fender Super Sonic ($1,699)

• Availability: Swee Lee
• Bag included

Pic: Gearnews

Good for us

This one is supposed to be a Japan only, online exclusive deal. Thanks to Swee Lee, they are now available in store: $1,799 (list). However, only the black / white/ sparkle blue versions are available here. Maybe the online exclusive here refers to the sunburst finish. Hmm... 

Pic: Fender Japan

Fender 2013: Super-sonic

Flashback '90s- Squier has this Super-sonic model in the Vista Series of instruments. That's right, it's based on a reverse Jaguar model with a modified cutaway to ensure the upper frets are accessible at the treble side.

Some 20 years later, the Super-sonic reappears in Fender's Pawn Shop range (new 2013). Evidently, they dug up & re-hashed the Squier design with a significant slant for the neck humbucker. I actually want one :-)

Want: Super Sonic tone!

Since the Super Sonic amp made its debut, I gave the 100W version a go & really liked it. In fact, Andy Timmons was here for a clinic & he dropped by Swee Lee's showroom, they plugged him into this amp & he loved it. Due to Andy's affiliation with some other brand name amp, this remains to be a personal admiration. I had an opportunity to loop it up with a Tubescreamer (still remember it was a TS7) & it sounded... em... like MY kinda amp- lots of saturation, sensitive to the slightest pick. The Super Sonic was then made available in a 50W version- I waited for that one to make it here because I already own 2 100W amps so having a lower-powered head would be a good variation. Now that Fender has announced the fresh 20W version- I am still waiting.