The no-nonsense Classic Vibe Duo-Sonic.
In my younger days, I had
a sweet late-’50s Fender
Duo-Sonic, and recently—in
an effort to try to buy back
every model of guitar I sold in
my youthful folly—I decided I
needed this baby once again. So
it was off to eBay to see what
was available. The older Duo-
Sonics seemed pretty pricey,
but it turns out Fender offers a
Duo-Sonic as one of the models
in its Squier Classic Vibe series.
All right! I was on it.
Fender puts more attention
to detail into its Classic Vibe
models than its typical Squiers,
and as a result the Vibes cost a
little more. These Duo-Sonics
are closely based on the old ’50s
model and sport a 24"-scale
maple neck, a gold anodized
aluminum pickguard, and an
appealing Desert Sand finish.
When I started my search,
these new Duo-Sonics had a list
price of $529, and Musician’s
Friend was selling them for $329,
so that gave me a starting point
on eBay. I found very few preowned
models around the ’Bay,
but after several weeks of bottom
feeding, I finally found a nice used
one for $220, plus $25 shipping.
When you catch the light just so, it’s hard to top a gold anodized aluminum pickguard. Note the 3-saddle bridge
and “top loader” stringing system. INSET: Posing with a Duo-Sonic on her 2003 self-titled album, Liz Phair has
long been associated with this short-scale Fender. Other players known to embrace the model—though perhaps
not quite as evocatively—include Jimi Hendrix in his “Jimmy James” Isley Brothers days, Johnny Winter in
the late ’60s, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, and Television’s Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd.
It may have been listed as
used, but when the Duo-Sonic
arrived it looked brand-spanking
new, as if the original owner
unpacked it, strummed a few
chords and then stuck it under
his bed. I was knocked out by
the looks—the paint and the
gold pickguard together were
very classy! Sporting medium
jumbo frets, the shorter-scale
maple fretboard—1 1/2" shorter
than a Strat or Tele—makes
bending pretty easy. Normally
I’m more of a rosewood fretboard
guy, but in recent years
I’ve been warming up to maple
’boards. I also dig the 3-way
Telecaster-style barrel saddles.
It’s easy for a Tele player to
make the transition here.
So how do I like it? I only
have two complaints about
these new Duo-Sonics: The
single-coil pickups are a little
weenie-sounding compared to,
say, a Tele or a Strat. Why not
use standard Strat pickups to
make it compete with other
guitars in volume? And I’m still
trying to like maple fretboards,
but the heavy gloss that’s usually
applied on them seems to
slow down my playing when
my fingers get sweaty. I think
leaving the gloss off would
make these a little more retro
and easy on the fingers.
That said, I’m quite pleased
That said, I’m quite pleased
overall with my Duo-Sonic and
will probably keep it. But you
know how that goes.
Will Ray
is a founding
member of the
Hellecasters guitar-twang
trio. He also does guitar
clinics promoting his
namesake G&L signature
model 6-string, and produces
artists and bands at his studio in
Asheville, North Carolina. You can contact
Will on Facebook and at
willray.biz.