Fender Cyclone II (it exists today as a Squier)

Time for a trip back to the early 2000s when this almost-short-scale guitar existed in a Fender flavor.

In the Fender range there were 3 models of the Cyclone guitar. Cyclone, Cyclone HH and Cyclone II. All the II models appear to have competition stripe graphics on them.

Squier also did have Cyclone models back in the '00s as well as Vintage Modified Series Cyclone guitars. As far as I'm aware, two models existed from this era. One was S/S an the other H/S, with the vast majority being H/S versions.

"Almost short scale?"

The Cyclone is technically not short scale, although it looks like it. The scale is 24.75". Yes, like a Gibson.

The Cyclone II is actually amazing

With the II, you get an alder body, vintage style tuning machines, maple neck with satin urethane finish on the rear, rosewood fingerboard with 9.5" radius on top with 22 medium jumbo frets. But where the magic happens is with the pickups. They are Fender "Special Design" American Vintage Jaguar pickups. All three of them.

And while there's a Cyclone decal at the end of the neck, the headstock is in fact a Jazzmaster shape.

Summed up: What you get with the Cyclone II is, more or less, a Mustang body, Jaguar electronics with a THIRD pickup in the middle like a Stratocaster, Jaguar knobs, Stratocaster bridge/tremolo, on a 24.75" scale neck with a Jazzmaster headstock on it...

...which is nuts, but it all works.

Is the modern Squier Paranomal Cyclone the same thing as the Fender Cyclone II?

Almost.

On the modern Squier Paranormal Cyclone, the body is poplar, the fingerboard Indian Laurel, the rear neck finishing is gloss polyurethane, frets are narrow/tall style, pickups are alnico single-coils...

...but I totally understand why Squier chose to pattern after the Cyclone II and not another version of it. The II is the best one, so it's nice to see that Squier released what is unquestionably the top Cyclone model.

My only knock against the Squier? They should have put the competition stripe on it like the Fender had. That stripe just totally works on this guitar.

Even so, given the Fender Cyclone II is tough to come by, the modern Squier flavor is no slouch. Still a great guitar.

Published 2022 Jul 14