By: FDP Member Bluesmama

Date: Dec 31st, 1999

Preface:

I purchased a new Fender Toronado from Guitar Center this week. The one I brought home had been at this Guitar Center for at least a month, as it caught my eye the end of November, and unfortunately, bears the scratches of being displayed and played for that time on the back of the guitar and the pickguard. As I've played four or five Toronados in mint condition in other music stores (there are not many out there!), but the one I took home, scratches and all, is by far the best of the lot.

Basic information:

Fender introduced the Toronado at NAMM in 1998, as a part of the "Deluxe Series" of MIM guitars. It has a poplar body with an offset waist design, reminiscent of a Jag or Jazzmaster, but comfortably cut away like a Strat, and hugs the body nicely. It's one piece maple neck with rosewood fretboard carries medium jumbo frets, and vintage tuners. Neck radius is 9.5"/241mm. Two Fender "atomic" humbuckers with nickel covers are controlled by two volume and two-tone knobs (a volume and a tone control for each bucker). A 3-way toggle switch allows for neck, bridge, and both buckers to be utilized, a la Les Pauls (this is no Les Paul!) The buckers have in-line polepieces. The bridge is a string through the body hard tail, similar to the bridge of the 12-string Fender electric, with strat style saddles. The Toronado comes with a three-ply, tortoise shell/brown shell pickguard, and comes in black, artic white, candy apple red, and brown sunburst. Scale length is 24.75"/627mm., with a neck width of 1.650"/42mm. And if you are fortunate enough not to buy it at Guitar Center (!), it will come with a deluxe Fender gig bag.

Review:

The sunburst finish on my Toronado is exquisite, with a large area of orange/gold melding into burnt sienna and dark brown edging. The wood on the guitar's face is nicely figured, with an almost flame like quality, especially beneath the tone/volume knobs. The figuration of wood on the back is unremarkable, though the finish on the entire body is even and flawless.

The poplar body is a bit heavier than some Strats I’ve played. The satin finish on the maple neck makes for a fast neck, and the skunk stripe is in an unusual lighter shade of wood (wood type?). The headstock is a large, Jazzmaster style headstock with vintage tuners, which after some vigorous playing, seem to stay in tune quite well, despite the ubiquitous string tree on the “b” and “e” strings. The rosewood board is nicely figured, though was quite dry when purchased and needed a lemon oiling, and appears to have clay dot fret markers.

The neck is fairly narrow and comfortable for those of us with smaller hands. The medium jumbo frets are nicely crowned on one side, but need buffing on the other, as some have rough edges. This was the only real "defect" in the construction of this guitar. All the joints are tightly constructed and the guitar was well set up at purchase. The only other "glitch" was a furled tone knob, which needed to be tightened, which was not a problem, especially for any Tele players out there who've had to make that adjustment. The string holders on the back of the guitar were not permanently set in; it's a matter of choice, but I had my tech set those.

Now for the good part! The real joy of this guitar, other than its comfortable feel and playability, is the amazing versatility of tones it can produce. Unplugged, it is acoustically live and vibrant; plugged in, the body feels alive. I'm normally a Strat player, so it has taken me some time to begin to familiarize myself with the variety of combinations available from toggle switch settings combined with nuances of tone knob controls for each pup. The neck pup can be as spanky and twangy as a Tele, but with the tone rolled off a bit, gets a duskier, jazzy tone. The bridge pup is live and very Fenderesque, the bucker doesn't loose the Fender "quack", but again, with the tone rolled off a bit, a darker, bluesier tone rolls out without loosing any of the bite or articulation. The two pups combined can ring form an interesting mix of a traditional Fender tone, with its brightness and ring, and a darker and rounder tone.

A nice, jazz box feel is possible, and plugged into my TS9, this thing is a beast! I would imagine with an overdriven Marshall, you could work up a hefty crunch. I play mainly blues and jazz, so I really like the variety of tonal nuance and the tons of sustain possible with this guitar. Only having it a week, I still feel as if there are many more tonal possibilities I've only begun to tap. I've heard this guitar called a "hybrid" Fender/Les Paul, but its NOT a Les Paul...doesn't sound like one, or feel like one. It's a Fender all the way. This guitar is a gem: well-made, easy to play, versatile and "tone-full". I would imagine one could take it on a gig and cover everything from country and blues to hard rock/metal. And while I play it from a Blues Jr. at reasonably low volumes, I am certain that this puppy can crank it at the higher volumes and find even more versatility with a variety of amp sounds. Kudos to Fender for introducing what I think will become a Fender classic. This is my call to all of you Fender traditionalists (Strat and Tele players as I myself am): Get out there and try this guitar! Yes, it's non-traditional, but it's a great guitar for under $500, and in the best of the Fender tradition, a tone monster that is fun to play.

I'd be interested in hearing from those of you who do go out and play a Toronado. I think right now the 'Toro's' are a well-kept secret...I hope we can change that!