197X Fender Musicmaster "restoration"

[GroovyBaby]

I knew my neighbor had this old Fender Musicmaster in his basement. He has been carrying it around for decades and doesn't play. I was curious about the short-scale craze going on so I asked him if I could borrow it and...he gave it to me! Well, it needs some serious help. These aren't worth much, especially when the frets are shot (they are) and it is non-original (replacement bridge and pickup) but I thought it would be a fun project to try and get this playing and sounding nice so I can try the short scale thing out.

The biggest issues are that it plays and sounds like crap. The pickup is awful and the action is way too high because the frets are shot (worn way down) and it looks like someone filed the nut down at one point. So...
- I did my first refret (pictures and details to follow) and will replace the nut
- I spent a couple months coming EBay until I found a decent price on an original bridge
- I just received a custom made Aero pickup for it (only person who makes them as far as I could tell)

WARNING: If you care deeply about properly restoring a vintage instrument you probably don't want to look! I've got a little bit of knowledge, some tools, and I'm dangerous! Hence the quotes around "restoration." Luckily, I also have a friend who makes fine acoustic guitars who has been my "luthier coach" for a few years now.

Before pictures...newer ones will be added to update the project.

 

[Camaro69]

Curious on the Aero pickup! Can’t imagine that little EMG would be my favorite either

 

[rllefebv]

Better to be made playable than be "correct"! Great luck in having the original pickguard is unbroken condition. Good call on the bridge as well. Aero does a great Musicmaster pickup. Jerry Sentell also winds for Musicmaster's and has several different flavors.

A fair number of '78s have this problematic finish, but once you get a knife under it, (and it looks like there are already a few places that are down to the wood), it comes off okay with a good knife and a heat gun. That separation in the lower bout may or my not be problematic, but this looks like a super fun project. You'll have a nice player when you're done!!

-Robert

 

[Jefenator]

Thank you for doing this! (The post and the restoration.)
Good call on replacing the budget pickup - that Aero will roar like a lion! The original wiring had a capacitor bleeding off treble even with the tone knob all the way up. You might want to check for that when you perform the swap. (I prefer without - can wire up a new harness if you want to preserve the original.)
Subbed - can't wait to see how this turns out. (You might even inspire me to refinish my poor old '78.)

 

[OldFenderPlayer]

I started playing bass in 1975 on my junior high school’s Fender Musicmaster Bass and a Fender Bassman amp (50 watts and 2x15”). It didn’t have the stock pickup but what I was told was an upgraded Ovation pickup. I don’t know if this was a factory upgrade or one that the school had done. I’ve attached a picture of me playing the bass. It was taken a month before I stumbled on my 1965 Fender Jazz Bass, which I bought from a substitute at that same school.

 

[DavidBassista]

This bass is sick man. I recently picked up a '65 Mustang 6 string. They're fun guitars.

 

[J. Crawford]

PLEASE keep the finish like that, PLEASE.

 

[iiipopes]

Great project bass! I helped a friend restore a '70's MM Bass some years ago. I sent a PM with the pdf of the original wiring diagram.

The standard pickup upgrade is a rails-type Strat pickup, something along the lines of a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails neck if you want a little bit of mids; Hot Rails Bridge if you want a lot of mids and drive; Cool Rails bridge if you want a cleaner tone.

 

[iiipopes]

I started playing bass in 1975 on my junior high school’s Fender Musicmaster Bass and a Fender Bassman amp (50 watts and 2x15”). It didn’t have the stock pickup but what I was told was an upgraded Ovation pickup. I don’t know if this was a factory upgrade or one that the school had done. I’ve attached a picture of me playing the bass. It was taken a month before I stumbled on my 1965 Fender Jazz Bass, which I bought from a substitute at that same school. View attachment 4111934

HEY!!! We're about the same age and started the same way! I started in junior high jazz band camp summer of 1976 borrowing the school's bass - a Ventura P-bass copy - the same way!!! Great picture - Oh, God! I had a pair or two of almost identical plaid pants in the day also!

 

[GroovyBaby]

Curious on the Aero pickup! Can’t imagine that little EMG would be my favorite either

PLEASE keep the finish like that, PLEASE.

i

Thank you for doing this! (The post and the restoration.)
Good call on replacing the budget pickup - that Aero will roar like a lion! The original wiring had a capacitor bleeding off treble even with the tone knob all the way up. You might want to check for that when you perform the swap. (I prefer without - can wire up a new harness if you want to preserve the original.)
Subbed - can't wait to see how this turns out. (You might even inspire me to refinish my poor old '78.)

i have ordered parts for a new harness and will skip the extra cap so the pu is wide open with the tone knob opened up. As for the Aero, I’ve read great things! I called Larry and he talked to me for almost an hour. He could do single pole pieces either covered like the original or exposed. I told him I thought exposed pole pieces looked sexy and he agreed. Plus, I’ve been jonesing for a SCP so this fills that desire. Larry did warn me that the whole cut out would take some of the aero symbol with it. Still, those are some sexy pole pieces!

 

[GroovyBaby]

Better to be made playable than be "correct"! Great luck in having the original pickguard is unbroken condition. Good call on the bridge as well. Aero does a great Musicmaster pickup. Jerry Sentell also winds for Musicmaster's and has several different flavors.

A fair number of '78s have this problematic finish, but once you get a knife under it, (and it looks like there are already a few places that are down to the wood), it comes off okay with a good knife and a heat gun. That separation in the lower bout may or my not be problematic, but this looks like a super fun project. You'll have a nice player when you're done!!

-Robert

Maybe I didn’t keep the heat gun on it long enough but the paint wasn’t coming up that way when used with my putty knife. I then used a citrus paint remover which seemed to help the looser pieces but still left a lot on. I didn’t want to do a refin or a complete strip though. I know some say leave it as is BUT....

THE DAMN finish drives me crazy. First, every time a pick up the bass there is a trail of white crusty sh*t that causes marital disharmony and annoys me. Second, the texture. It’s like resting your forearm on a bed of crusty, itchy, dried pile of pointy paint knives. Not cool.

Anyway, after the citrus removal and scraping, I got most of the bad stuff off so now it doesn’t shed much and I can rest my forearm on the body without being attacked by dried paint. It also has that cool road worn look everyone wants! Here is the “finished” refinished body with the original bridge I was able to source on eBay after several months of looking.

And with cleaned original pick guard...

 

[Johnny Fingers]

I’m diggin’ the vintage vibe!
Anyone remember when Jeans West mall stores had those hip threads?

 

[Aidenn7]

why not just clear coat with nitro cellulous(SP).. and a white graphtech nut. or brass nut..

 

[GroovyBaby]

why not just clear coat with nitro cellulous(SP).. and a white graphtech nut. or brass nut..

You mean clear coat nitros before or after stripping? I’ve never used nitros so I don’t know how easy or hard that is but I don’t want to strip it down. Too much work and the road worn look is cool for now.
I’m replacing the nut with bone because I’m old school.

 

[Aidenn7]

You mean clear coat nitros before or after stripping? I’ve never used nitros so I don’t know how easy or hard that is but I don’t want to strip it down. Too much work and the road worn look is cool for now.
I’m replacing the nut with bone because I’m old school.

clear coat it As it is now

 

[Killing Floor]

Word of dumbness so take it or leave it. The Schaller bridge is a great design but the mount holes aren’t exact to Fender so if the last owner dropped it in the original fender drilled holes it may not intonate.
Have fun. That is a cool project. Happy 2021.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

If you hate the finish so much, send it to Pat Wilkins or MJT.
Linked below is a MJT sparkle finish on that other stringed instrument

 

[bassman10096]

That’s the coolest grain I’ve seen on an inexpensive body like a MMaster. It doesn’t look like you stabilized the crack in front. If it were mine I’d do that so moisture doesn’t widen it and risk your investment of time and $$. 5 min epoxy is really easy and effective for that. You can even match the color if you mix in some sanding dust from the body.
To each his own but I’d use a sander to clean off the rest of the paint and do a nitro clear coat with rattle can nitro from Reranch.com. Even if you use someone else’s products check out the refinishing tutorial on the Reranch site. I followed the instructions when I did my first rehab (ironically a Musicmaster with less potential than yours) and got such good results that years later I’ve finished/refinished at least 25 guitars using variations on their method. Have fun. Looks like a nice project.

 

[MakoMan]

You have good neighbors...

 

[matt-o-]

Great Project! Perfect "roadworn" look.
Happy 2021 to everybody!