Fender Duo Sonic ?

[SnidelyWhiplash]

There is a Fender Duo Sonic for sale close to me. 2019 MIM. I have played the Squier RI & it didn't appeal to me, but I really like the recent MIM Fenders that I've played.

Any pros/cons???

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[johnny k]

I love the shape, never played one. I have played mustangs and cyclones. Give it a try and maybe buy it ? And post a pic please.

 

[bgmacaw]

The older, 90's, Squier and Fender reissues were 22.5" scale so that might be too short for some people. Plus, setting it up is a bit more tricky. The new Player Duo Sonics are 24" which might be more comfortable for you.

 

[gitold]

I had a 2017 MIM and the fit and finish were fine as were the pickups. I just don’t like the 24” scale so it never got played. I sold it to a small 13 year old rocker and he loved it. The quality of the guitar itself was great but I don’t miss it.

 

[loopfinding]

Probably less to do with it being squier and more to do with it being short scale. Short scale isn’t for everyone (myself included).

The 24” scale duo sonic is basically just like a hard tail mustang without the phase switches and no angle on the bridge pickup.

The new player mustangs are all hard tail and don’t have the phase switches, so I don’t really understand why they’re making the same guitar with different pickguards.

If you’re interested, they did make the 22” scale duo sonic as a MIM reissue in the 90s. That’s definitely a substantially different thing in sound and feel.

 

[sloppychops]

There is a Fender Duo Sonic for sale close to me. 2019 MIM. I have played the Squier RI & it didn't appeal to me, but I really like the recent MIM Fenders that I've played.

Any pros/cons???

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I'm going to assume the 2019 Duo Sonic is the Player series Duo Sonic, with the 24" scale.

I have one with the two single coil pickups and love it. The shorter scale is really fun. It inspires some pretty cool chord extensions and scales.

I had a humbucker/single version before the one I have now. I won it in a raffle and sold it because I wanted the one with two single coils. Some people like the hum bucker version, but in my opinion the guitar sounds sooo much better in all 3 positions with the two single coils...and it looks better!

Workmanship on mine is flawless. The pickup selector switch is a little sketchy, though. Sometimes it just won't engage a pickup and I have to flip it back and forth to engage it. After a recent pickguard change it hasn't been doing that, so maybe moving the switch around a little somehow helped. Fingers crossed!

The neck is borderline chunky. I like fat necks, and this definitely isn't fat. But it's not one of those thin "Modern C" shapes either. I have no complaints about the neck. It actually feels great. I string mine with Ernie Ball Power Slinky .11 strings and it's pretty easy to bend strings on it.

My only gripe is that the rounded edges of the body make the guitar want to slide away from me when I play sitting down, which is pretty much how I always play.

This is after I replaced the anodized pickguard with a cream plastic one:

 

[kinkstah]

I like the looks and, most of all, the layout/simple design (1 switch / 2 PUs / 2 controls)... but unfortunately didn't bond with the short scale when I tried one (CV Squier in Desert Sand: I would have liked to like it).

 

[Boreas]

I like mine, but I like short scale guitars. It started life as the SC/HB model with coil split. I didn't care for the combo. Went for SC/P90 style. Much better. Ended up with two Strat-style P90 pickups. Also added a wiggle stick.

 

[ReverendRevolver]

I have an orange one. Replaced the barely mint green guard with a semi translucent white one. Pickups got replaced with hotter ones from Buddha.

I like it alot. Keep in mind, I'm 5'3" and have small hands. I've played teles for ages, but my main guitar early on was a toronado (so LP scale). Also, I always liked playing my grandfathers 70s mustang.
If you don't like 24" scale guitars, you don't like 24" scale guitars. I run 10-48s on my 3 guitars that are 24" scale. The ergonomics work better for me.
I'm in fact done buying full fender scale guitars for the foreseeable future.
My duosonic feels more substantial than my Japanese pawn shop series mustang. I might still swap the bridge (the hardtail strat rectangle works, but it doesn't mesh with the curves like a vintage looking duosonic 3 barrel bridge or a toronado bridge would.) The neck is good. Got "comfortable thickness" as opposed to too thin where it fatigues your wrist.
Modern C shape, not really much shoulder to it.


I only "need" about 1 more electric, and it'll be a jag. But how cheap are you talking?

The squier DS's I tried were hit and miss, 1 in 4 or 5 were ok. Necks sucked, frets stabby, pickups less useable than the stock mim ones (which I already said I swapped anyway).
Only 1 was ok.
The mim ones were pretty much all ok I tried.

 

[howlin]

I've been sitting on the fence as to whether or not to get one of these guitars. I like the asthetic of both the Duo-Sonic & the Mustang. I've tried a few in a shop and thought they were okay as I found the volume pot to be right where my strumming hand goes when I play. So, like with many Fenders & Squiers, the first thing I'd have to do is "fix it" before I could use it and, after all these years of modding stuff, it's just a big put off for me. Sad too as I think they're cool & definitely can serve a purpose. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow I'll buy one.

 

[JIMMY JAZZMAN]

Had one (short scale). Purchase a capo to go with it, as you can get some nice, exotic chord sounds high on the neck. It's rather
limited but different. Say what?

 

[1 21 gigawatts]

I'd love an HS Duo Sonic with a standard scale length.

 

[jrblue]

I had a beautiful vintage Duo-Sonic which I got for a song. It sucked. I know what I'm doing with scale lengths, string gauges, setups, pickup height, etc. and IMO the Duo-Sonic is a failed design, appropriate as a beginner instrument, which is why it exists to begin with, but crappy in terms of playability and tone for even half-assed garage band antics. I thought it looked great, minimalist, and cool, and maybe it does, but I sold mine within 2 months and was glad to see it gone. I know a few people like 'em, but a few people like anything.

 

[sloppychops]

Just going to leave this here for anyone thinking about one of the newer Duo Sonics:

 

[sloppychops]

 

[ahiddentableau]

I like mine, but I like short scale guitars. It started life as the SC/HB model with coil split. I didn't care for the combo. Went for SC/P90 style. Much better. Ended up with two Strat-style P90 pickups. Also added a wiggle stick.

View attachment 1026955

I like the look of your duo. What's the deal with the vibrato? Looks like a JM/Jag type bridge and kind-sorta bigsby bar. What is that, anyway?

 

[Beebe]

Pros:
Feels good if you like 24" scale, 9.5" radius necks and thin offset bodies.

Great for writing, couch playing, leaving out, etc.

Fun to play.

Cons:
The switch was bad on both of mine (arctic white and capri orange from the late teens).

They do sound a little bit like toys (this could also be a pro).

 

[robinn]

I like mine, but I like short scale guitars. It started life as the SC/HB model with coil split. I didn't care for the combo. Went for SC/P90 style. Much better. Ended up with two Strat-style P90 pickups. Also added a wiggle stick.

Nice! What's that vibrato-model?

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

sound a little bit like toys

I disagree. Bloomfield, Jimi, Johnny Winter & a few other notable
players used DSs to great effect.

 

[Beebe]

I disagree. Bloomfield, Jimi, Johnny Winter & a few other notable
players used DSs to great effect.

I don't think it's a bad thing to sound a bit like a toy. I think all Fenders have a fun, less serious sound than other brands.