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MGR/M.C. Miranda « Fender Prodigy »
Published on 04/23/02 at 15:00I bought my Fender Prodigy new at Modern Music in Lisle, IL [suburb west of Chicago] for around $300 - I don't quite remember as it was ten years ago this month. Well, April being the guitar month, the Prodigy was reasonably priced I thought. So, not knowing any better I took one look at the "Made in U.S.A." print on the headstock, and based on its looks I bought it.
My Prodigy was the only one in the store, and it was gorgeous. The body style was distinguishable from a Strat as it's lines weren't as soft. Beautiful metallic blue finish with black pickguard and black pickups configured with a humbucker at the bridge with two single coils at mid and neck position. 5 way selector switch gave it versatility. This guitar was made for punk, alternative rock, country or blues.
It's got a great raunchy overdrive and a good clean sound.
As for cosmetics, nice chrome hardware, the maple neck/rosewood fretboard felt comfortable and its three-ply black/white/black pickguard is a nice touch. The tuners are stable, simply awesome.
As fun as the guitar is to play, it does have its problems. The whammy bar is placed badly to where it will get in the way of your playing. It rests between the volume and tone knobs when it hangs, so I don't even use it. I leave mine off.
The front-located input jack goes straight in instead of at an angle, and it can cause forseeable problems - one clumsy incident and you'll know what I'm talking about. Too easy to trip over the cables the way it plugs in. The most common problems I've had with it over the years are that the selector switch needs constant maintenance. It doesn't take a lot of dirt getting in to cause volume dropouts, so keep a can of WD-40 handy.
While the body was made in Mexico, it's still very sturdy, very well made. The neck and electronics are U.S.A. though, so as far as a hybrid goes, the guitar will last you.
It's a shame that federal regulations shut down this line of guitars before its potential was realized, before the Prodigy line was given a chance to improve. Modern applications to a classic design were the Prodigy's strongest points. It's a highly versatile guitar, and still a favorite choice among all the guitars I own.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
My Prodigy was the only one in the store, and it was gorgeous. The body style was distinguishable from a Strat as it's lines weren't as soft. Beautiful metallic blue finish with black pickguard and black pickups configured with a humbucker at the bridge with two single coils at mid and neck position. 5 way selector switch gave it versatility. This guitar was made for punk, alternative rock, country or blues.
It's got a great raunchy overdrive and a good clean sound.
As for cosmetics, nice chrome hardware, the maple neck/rosewood fretboard felt comfortable and its three-ply black/white/black pickguard is a nice touch. The tuners are stable, simply awesome.
As fun as the guitar is to play, it does have its problems. The whammy bar is placed badly to where it will get in the way of your playing. It rests between the volume and tone knobs when it hangs, so I don't even use it. I leave mine off.
The front-located input jack goes straight in instead of at an angle, and it can cause forseeable problems - one clumsy incident and you'll know what I'm talking about. Too easy to trip over the cables the way it plugs in. The most common problems I've had with it over the years are that the selector switch needs constant maintenance. It doesn't take a lot of dirt getting in to cause volume dropouts, so keep a can of WD-40 handy.
While the body was made in Mexico, it's still very sturdy, very well made. The neck and electronics are U.S.A. though, so as far as a hybrid goes, the guitar will last you.
It's a shame that federal regulations shut down this line of guitars before its potential was realized, before the Prodigy line was given a chance to improve. Modern applications to a classic design were the Prodigy's strongest points. It's a highly versatile guitar, and still a favorite choice among all the guitars I own.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com