March 1985 Mastercaster advertisement
Hondo introduced the Fame Mastercaster Series in mid-late 1984 to expand their Fender-style lineup to a higher range and bolster the brand's image. The main upgrades over a regular Fame model are a solid wood body, unique headstock designs and standard Kahler tremolos on the 001 and 003. They were discontinued by the end of 1985 or early 1986.
Contrary to some rumors, the Mastercaster models were not made in Japan.
All Mastercaster models were made in Incheon, Korea by Samick.
Related:
MC-001[]
1984 MC-001 CF
The MC-001 is the only unique design in the Mastercaster lineup; a mix between Strat and Tele styles. It could be found with either Tele or Strat headstock style.
Two decades later, Fender built an almost identical Custom Shop model. In 1995, Samick built a similar model; the Ranger.
- $333.95 Street (1984)
- $499.95 MSRP (1984)
Body:
- Kiln-dried, solid Ash body
Neck:
- Bolt-on Rock Maple neck
- Rosewood fretboard with dot inlays
- Color-matching Mastercaster headstock
- Color-matching Mastercaster Tele headstock
- Silk-screened Fame Spaghetti logo
- 21 frets
- 25.5" scale
Electronics:
- Three X-13 single coil pickups
- 5-way switch
- 1 Vol, 1 Tone
Metallic Lime Green
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Bullet style truss rod
- 14:1 ratio Grover Rotomatic machine heads
- Kahler Flyer tremolo w/ locking nut
Finishes:
- Black (B)
- Transparent Black (TB)
- Charcoal Fire (CF)
- Metallic Red/Silver Burst (MRS)
- Metallic Lime Green (MLG)
MC-002[]
1984 MC-002 HG
- $249.95 Street (1984)
- $374.95 MSRP (1984)
Body:
- Kiln-dried, solid Ash body
Neck:
- Bolt-on Rock Maple neck
- Maple fretboard with dot inlays
- Color-matching Mastercaster Tele headstock
- Silk-screened Fame Spaghetti logo
- Silk-screened Fame Broadway logo
- 21 frets
- 25.5" scale
Binding:
- Single-ply body (front)
Electronics:
- X-13 single coil (bridge), X-14 humbucker (neck)
- 3-way switch
- 1 Vol, 1 Tone
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Bullet style truss rod
- 14:1 ratio Grover Rotomatic machine heads
- Roller string tree
- Hardtail bridge
Finishes:
- Transparent Black w/ Black hardware (TB/B)
- Red w/ Black hardware, Rosewood fretboard (R/BR)
- Carrera Midnight Blue w/ Rosewood fretboard (CMB/R)
- Metallic Mink (MMK)
- Honey Glow (HG)
- Melt Down Red (MDR)
- Paisley 2 (PA-II)
MC-003[]
1984 MC-003 CAR
- $333.95 Street (1984)
- $499.95 MSRP (1984)
Body:
- Kiln-dried, solid Ash body
- Arm contour
- Belly carve
Neck:
- Bolt-on Rock Maple neck
- Rosewood "skunk stripe"
- Maple fretboard with dot inlays
- Color-matching Mastercaster headstock
- Silk-screened Fame Spaghetti logo
- 21 frets
- 25.5" scale
1985 MC-003 YN
Electronics:
- X-13 single coil pickups
- 5-way switch
- 1 Vol, 2 Tone
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Black hardware (B/B, TB/B)
- Gold hardware (YN)
- 14:1 ratio Grover Rotomatic machine heads
- Bullet style truss rod
- Three-ply, 8-screw pickguard
- Kahler Flyer tremolo w/ locking nut
Finishes:
- Black (B)
- Black w/ Black hardware (B/B)
- Transparent Black w/ Black hardware (TB/B)
- Carrera Midnight Blue (CMB)
- Yellowed Natural w/ Gold Hardware (YN)
- Candy Apple Red (CAR)
- Melt Down Red (MDR)
- Purple Haze (PHZ)
BMT-001 (Bassmaster)[]
1984 BMT-001 TT
- $449.95 Street (1984)
- $674.95 MSRP (1984)
Body:
- Kiln-dried, solid Ash body
- 1/16" "Tiger Tail" flame Maple veneer (TB, TT)
- Arm contour
- Belly carve
Neck:
- Bolt-on Rock Maple neck
- Rosewood skunk stripe
- Maple fretboard with dot inlays
- Color-matched Mastercaster headstock
- Silk-screened Fame Spaghetti logo
- Bullet style truss rod
- Fender style nut
- 20 frets
- 34" scale
1985 BMT-001 TB
Electronics:
- One X-15 split pickup
- Foil shielded control cavity
- 1 Vol, 2 Tone
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Gold hardware (TT)
- Grover TitanTM machine heads
- Metal knobs
- Kahler Bass Tremolo System
Finishes:
- Translucent Black (TB)
- Candy Apple Red w/ chrome hardware (CAR)
- Tobacco Tint Sunburst (TT)