Why did the Toronado outlast most other post-1964 Fender solidbodies in terms of lifespan?

[s_mcsleazy]

p.s. there was one picture i always remember that used to get shared around OSG like 10 years ago that made me want a toro even more. it was the toro with the jazzmaster trem being played by a dude with curly hair. people used to think it was me for a bit.

I'm very slowly working on one!

dude, i'd get that finished, mainly because it's right down my ally...... BECAUSE IT'S BROWN

[Veitchy]

Yeah, I reckon it is this. It was a Gibsony enough Fender for the people who preferred the Fender aesthetic but wanted the GIbson sound and feel. By now you can get dual humbucker Strats, dual PAF Teles, Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Mustangs et cetera.

Dual humbuckers, sure, But I wouldn't underestimate the desire by some for the independent vol/tone for each pickup - something often missing from Fender HH offerings. If you're somewhat Les Paul inclined, and especially if you like to get your tones mostly from the guitar, the ability to switch between different voicings or blend them together is indispensable IMO.

[Larry Mal]

Right. Fender should actually try and do two things, make great Fender guitars that already exist, and design new great Fender guitars.

What they should not do is make worse Gibson guitars. The Toronado, like a lot of recent Fenders, has the inexcusable flaw of being fucking ugly.

How you make an electric guitar be ugly, I dunno. Yet Fender does it over and over and over.

[CivoLee]

Right. Fender should actually try and do two things, make great Fender guitars that already exist, and design new great Fender guitars.

What they should not do is make worse Gibson guitars. The Toronado, like a lot of recent Fenders, has the inexcusable flaw of being fucking ugly.

How you make an electric guitar be ugly, I dunno. Yet Fender does it over and over and over.

I never thought the Toronado was "ugly" per se, but in those days I thought of HH guitars as "generic"; so in my mind it wasn't a "real" offset. I did kind of like the Black Dove P90 version of the American Special Toros, but I couldn't afford one at the time.

In reality, an HH Toronado would've probably suited me better for the band I would eventually play in better than the guitars I did have, though at that time the only Toro you could buy new was the Competition model, which wouldn't have suited the band's aesthetic at all...

[Sauerkraut]

The Toronado, like a lot of recent Fenders, has the inexcusable flaw of being fucking ugly.

Agreed. It looks like a Jazzmaster's obese uncle.

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

I always liked the big guard toronado models (competition stripe models were never my thing and the small guard model also looked lame in comparison) - and yes „Can‘t Stop“ was also one of my favorite songs back then...
but I wanted the yellow one (but couldn‘t afford it at 16 and was even more into my black Epiphone Les Paul) back then... (did you know that Squier offered a Les Paul shaped guitar somewhen between 2005 and 2008?
And does anyone know where to get all those old Fender Frontline magazines as a pdf? I‘ve thrown mine away after they were almost ripped apart by browsing through them so many times...)

I wish the Toronado came with an offset vibrato and I like the recreations of it I see here among the OSG crowd.

As it was unavailable for such a long time I was really thrilled when I saw the Squier announcement. And as Squier impressed me quite some times before (J Mascis, VM Jag - and even straighr out of the box: Bullet Mustang and CV Jag ) I was really disappointed when I grabbed and played the Squier Toronado at my local guitar store... the pots were loose, the fret-ends were sharp, the pickups sounded unbalanced - basically a really shitty guitar!

I still like the look of them. And I like the attributes (would put some P90s or Surf 90s in there probably) - I also like the body and pickup shape of the powercaster (I just really dislike the control positioning and would love to see a trem version too), I also really liked the Sixty-Six except the Strat Trem... so there are some really good ideas - but probably a secret council of osg-ers should be hired by Fender!

[blunderbuss]

I always liked the Toro but never got one. I remember many times nearly buying one online. But I could never find them in stock in a store. Back then the scale, humbuckers, and hardtail were all big pluses for me. May still get one someday.

I also really like SGs but could never fathom giving Gibson money.

[Fiddy]

The Toronado is my least favorite Fender guitar... They're kinda ugly.. They're not a monstrosity but, not really a classy looking guitar Imo.

[seenoevil II]

Because the density of cultural production and decision making slowed way down between the 60's and the 2000's. Fender became a staid, ossified unwieldy large organization.

Culturally, things became pretty samey between the late 90's and 2010. We've only recently become unstuck such that the youths are aping the early 90s for inspiration.

But I'm getting mad nostalgic for the 2000s and the toronado is part of that. Back when they roamed the earth, fender made only one, totally vintage correct jazzmaster, and it came in all the custom colors and only cost $1400. A decade defined by wearing T shirts and not- tight jeans.

[Larry Mal]

I don't think it's that, I think that guitar culture became insular and weirdly focused on the past, and guitarists punish innovation to a degree not seen in any other industry I can think of. Maybe the whale oil lamp industry is more devoted to the past, or the butter churn boys, maybe the hand-smithed pennyfarthing lead bicycle industry.

I can't imagine it's fun being a guitar company these days, I still have to wonder what kind of depression would lead someone to design something like the Toronado. I mean, the basics of making a great design are universal, and the Toronado ignores all of them. It's God-awful.

[Larry Mal]

A decade defined by wearing T shirts and not- tight jeans.

I get what you are saying... the Toronado is the "loose fit" in the guitar world.

Makes sense. I hated the "loose fit" era and it was ugly and awful.

[Sauerkraut]

Toronados are Fender‘s Poochie

[Embenny]

Toronados are Fender‘s Poochie

This is so spot-on in so many ways that I'm dying. 10/10.

[andy_tchp]

...Poochie

Outstanding.

[rank]

The Toronado is actually the first guitar that was designed & produced by Fender Mexico (or whatever it is called) in their Ensenada plant. In an interesting turn of events, Fender USA paid quite a compliment by developing a US made version (the small pick guard one). While it may not be for everyone, the Toronado holds a significant place in Fender's history.