I have a string question - I’m getting my first mustang bass next week and I’m on the hunt for strings. I like a lighter gauge, will probably put NPS rounds on. Question is, can I use long scale strings or do they have to be medium? The options seem to be considerably reduced if medium scale only! Thanks in advance
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Fender Mustang Club
- Thread starter FlyingPigSound
- Start date
If its a string through body you will need medium or long scale strings. If its a topload bridge you will need short scale strings
Which Mustang bass are you getting? The made in Mexico PJ Mustang has a top load bridge so uses short scale strings but the others (Vintera, JMJ Signature, American Performer and Squier CV) string through the body and use medium scale strings. You can sometimes get away with regular long scale stings on the through body models, the JMJ comes fitted with long scale flats but medium scale should work better.
It’s the Squier CV (wasn’t sure if that would be a rude word in here haha). Yeah the strings I’d like only come in long scale so I was hoping I could use them
And now for something completely different!
I have an honest question about adjusting pickup height on a Mustang bass (mine's a JMJ).
I've Googled, and can find no specific answer for the "classic" plastic-covered split single-coil Mustang pickup...
How do folks generally measure and set the distance from the string to pickup?
Here's the reference table from Fender:
Now I'm assuming the Mustang pickup should be set using the measurements for a Standard "J" or "P", as it's just pole pieces in a wire-wound bobbin. Not "Vintage style" or a humbucker.
BUT... what about the thickness of the solid plastic cover over the poles? The plastic cover is probably a little more than a mm thick.
Should I subtract the thickness of the plastic from the measurements in the table?
Has anyone had their Mustang set up by a pro, and can give their actual measurements?
And does anyone know the "real" thickness of the plastic cover?
Thanks! And please make a donation to the OCD-afflicted of America...
I have an honest question about adjusting pickup height on a Mustang bass (mine's a JMJ).
I've Googled, and can find no specific answer for the "classic" plastic-covered split single-coil Mustang pickup...
How do folks generally measure and set the distance from the string to pickup?
Here's the reference table from Fender:
Now I'm assuming the Mustang pickup should be set using the measurements for a Standard "J" or "P", as it's just pole pieces in a wire-wound bobbin. Not "Vintage style" or a humbucker.
BUT... what about the thickness of the solid plastic cover over the poles? The plastic cover is probably a little more than a mm thick.
Should I subtract the thickness of the plastic from the measurements in the table?
Has anyone had their Mustang set up by a pro, and can give their actual measurements?
And does anyone know the "real" thickness of the plastic cover?
Thanks! And please make a donation to the OCD-afflicted of America...
I've always viewed the recommended pickup height as a starting point, but certainly nothing to always adhere to. Playing style, desired sound, types of strings, those things can all effect where you should set your pickup height. Sorry I don't have a clear answer, but hopefully that gives you a little more freedom to experiment.
For myself, after setting each coil to spec I then play a bit and adjust from there to my preferred sound. As the previous individual stated there are a number of factors that come into play. There are no hard and fast rules. Go slow and be patient. Those are my recommendations and what works for me.
Bob
But that is just common sense!
Why would I ask a question on an internet forum if I wanted that?!?My question is regarding "setting each coil to spec".
As far as I can tell, there is no "spec" for Mustang pickups! The charts I've seen are for "normal" basses, Ps and Js, etc. They assume you can easily measure the distance from the string to the top of the pickup poles.
What about a baseline height setting for the plastic-covered Mustang pickups? Fender doesn't say.
Measure string to top of the plastic?
Or measure making allowances for the thickness of the plastic, and subtract a mm or so? (That's what I've assumed so far, because my JMJ came from the factory with the plastic tops of the pickups just a over a mm less than the chart specs from the strings.)
How do the "pros" do it?
As I said, OCD...
Last edited:
But that is just common sense!
My question is regarding "setting each coil to spec".
As far as I can tell, there is no "spec" for Mustang pickups! The charts I've seen are for "normal" basses, Ps and Js, etc. They assume you can easily measure the distance from the string to the top of the pickup poles.
What about a baseline height setting for the plastic-covered Mustang pickups? Fender doesn't say.
Measure string to top of the plastic?
Or measure making allowances for the thickness of the plastic, and subtract a mm or so? (That's what I've assumed so far, because my JMJ came from the factory with the plastic tops of the pickups just a over a mm less than the chart specs from the strings.)
How do the "pros" do it?
As I said, OCD...
Here try this a friend of mine wrote this out for me it might be of help. It contains the specs from Fender which are easily found at Basic Bass Setup on the Fender site.
Good luck
Bob
Here's a new creation I just finished. Special price for TalkBass members.
For Sale - Fender Mustang Bass Custom
For Sale - Fender Mustang Bass Custom
Just got tracking info emailed to me
*cabbagepatches furiously*
I think they saw me starting to read thru the Nordstrand Acinonyx shortscale bass thread out of impatience heh... & hopefully it means a lot of customers are getting new basses next week
*cabbagepatches furiously*
I think they saw me starting to read thru the Nordstrand Acinonyx shortscale bass thread out of impatience heh... & hopefully it means a lot of customers are getting new basses next week
Bit of a weird one, I'm probably posting in the wrong place here but are there any UK Mustang PJ owners who are looking to sell? I'm not a huge fan of the colours of the player series!
I will now submit for consideration my official application to this venerable club....
The brand new baby hanging out w/ the grandaddy '60 P
The brand new baby hanging out w/ the grandaddy '60 P
I've been industriously getting my setup taken care of since it arrived, with dinner, shower, & Duolingo Español breaks. Out of the box, I found that the body has a couple of very tiny "personal touches" added to the finish somewhere in production. Not noticeable unless you look very closely in the right place. No biggie, and maybe that technically makes it "road worn" haha... that and one pickguard screw is already stripped. I'll need to get some filler to put in and re-drill, I suppose.
The neck was actually a little low on relief, so I loosened the truss rod 1/8" turn, and expect it'll want a little more turning tomorrow. Action came down, just got intonation decent, and have concluded the frets are very well installed. So far, zero issues there or with the electronics as they are.
I like it! And I actually like the sound with the P & J pickups combined, though I'd like a little less J on average. I could lower it and maybe I'll try that. All until I get some new wiring in there, that is.
The shell-ish pink with mint pickguard & maple neck/fretboard looks fabulous in person, and the pickguard is well-cut and snug with the neck and the control plate. A white leather strap is almost overdoing it, but this is going to absolutely kill in the retro-pop outfit I'm in, visually.
As for hardware components....
The bridge: this may be the first badly unstable bridge I've played on. The adjustment screws move very easily and nicely, but the saddles have waaaaay too much play, and jostle sideways and twist and turn and do all sorts of unpredictable stuff when being adjusted...and if I bend a note with any vigor, I risk moving a bridge saddle out of place. That's gotta go.
The tuners: stiff and no fun, but seem functional. I'll know more once the strings are more settled in... but I'll admit, in person, they're big. Unless they're really flawless at doing their jobs, I might go ahead with some lollipops. (Why do Gotohs cost so much less than Hipshots? Getting what I pay for?)
The nut: seems to be cut off-center. The G-string nut slot is kissing the edge of the nut (and is cut obviously too widely, though it seems to be just cosmetic at this point), and the E-string slot is oddly far from its edge. All four slots are too far to the right, looking at it head-on. Even including the dings in a new instrument, this is definitely the most obvious QC issue.
Finally, the satin finish on the neck is weird to me, but that's just because I've never owned a bass sporting such a thing. I'll get used to it, and the neck is thick but easy to handle, so I'm good there.
Finally, while I was thinking before about going retro with the pickups, now that I'm looking at it, they only seem out-of-place large when sitting next to a Mustang with an o.g. tiny pickup in it. And someone posted a Mustang PJ with Nordstrand blade pickups that really captured the modern side of the instrument (and doubtless sound fantastic), leading me to rethink how I'm going to work the electronics.
Basically, my homework and expectations panned out: nice instrument with a great core build and pieces that need some upgrading, sort of like an entry-level bicycle with a carbon fiber fork but mid-grade gearing instead of Shimano 105s or some such. I'll holding on to this one.
The neck was actually a little low on relief, so I loosened the truss rod 1/8" turn, and expect it'll want a little more turning tomorrow. Action came down, just got intonation decent, and have concluded the frets are very well installed. So far, zero issues there or with the electronics as they are.
I like it! And I actually like the sound with the P & J pickups combined, though I'd like a little less J on average. I could lower it and maybe I'll try that. All until I get some new wiring in there, that is.
The shell-ish pink with mint pickguard & maple neck/fretboard looks fabulous in person, and the pickguard is well-cut and snug with the neck and the control plate. A white leather strap is almost overdoing it, but this is going to absolutely kill in the retro-pop outfit I'm in, visually.
As for hardware components....
The bridge: this may be the first badly unstable bridge I've played on. The adjustment screws move very easily and nicely, but the saddles have waaaaay too much play, and jostle sideways and twist and turn and do all sorts of unpredictable stuff when being adjusted...and if I bend a note with any vigor, I risk moving a bridge saddle out of place. That's gotta go.
The tuners: stiff and no fun, but seem functional. I'll know more once the strings are more settled in... but I'll admit, in person, they're big. Unless they're really flawless at doing their jobs, I might go ahead with some lollipops. (Why do Gotohs cost so much less than Hipshots? Getting what I pay for?)
The nut: seems to be cut off-center. The G-string nut slot is kissing the edge of the nut (and is cut obviously too widely, though it seems to be just cosmetic at this point), and the E-string slot is oddly far from its edge. All four slots are too far to the right, looking at it head-on. Even including the dings in a new instrument, this is definitely the most obvious QC issue.
Finally, the satin finish on the neck is weird to me, but that's just because I've never owned a bass sporting such a thing. I'll get used to it, and the neck is thick but easy to handle, so I'm good there.
Finally, while I was thinking before about going retro with the pickups, now that I'm looking at it, they only seem out-of-place large when sitting next to a Mustang with an o.g. tiny pickup in it. And someone posted a Mustang PJ with Nordstrand blade pickups that really captured the modern side of the instrument (and doubtless sound fantastic), leading me to rethink how I'm going to work the electronics.
Basically, my homework and expectations panned out: nice instrument with a great core build and pieces that need some upgrading, sort of like an entry-level bicycle with a carbon fiber fork but mid-grade gearing instead of Shimano 105s or some such. I'll holding on to this one.
Last edited:
Not sure if you are asking for a number, but I wouldn't presume to give you one if it's not wanted. Just let me know!
That said...
I love seeing your P and Mustang side by side! Since recovering from the left hand problem that prompted me to get my Mustang, I have reverted to my '73 P for most of my playing as it remains, for me, just the most comfortable in my hands and warmest to my ears after all these years. HOWEVER (brace yourselves - I'm bored, and rambled on for awhile below - apologies in advance)...
I still use both my Mustang and Ernie Ball MM Sterling for very specific circumstances:
- I use the Mustang when I want to travel light, or play standing up for an extended period. 8.5lb vs 11.5lb hanging on my 70-year-old shoulder for 2-3 hours is no contest. Plus, with its upgraded pups (fralin) and blend knob, I can make Mustang Molly produce very close to any sound achievable with passive electronics, including the P. It takes a lighter touch and some adjustment in the left hand, but I've found that about 10-15 minutes of warmup gets me scaled down to its size.
- I use the Sterling when I play with a big band (if that ever happens again! So tired of the covid-craziness). The flexibility of its active 3-band EQ, plus series/series single coil/"phantom coil"parallel switch gives me a quick, easy way to go from smooth mellow to aggressive to very aggressive when I need to make my presence known to a hard-blowing horn section, using tone rather than volume. I realize I might be able to do this with either the P or the Mustang, but I'm lazy, and besides, if the horns are blowing that inconsiderately, they don't deserve the subtle warmth of the P, or the sweet tone of the Mustang. The excellent drummer I play with in the big band prefers the Sterling - she calls it "the Enforcer."
I should also say that these days I play mostly just jazz - standards in small groups and big band stuff. Originally a string bass player, I picked up a BG in the army and later played rock and R&B for several years, but those days are behind me. I love reading TB and learning about all the stuff bassists are doing with BGs and uprights these days, and still try to listen to everything from metal to R&B to gypsy to street jazz and everything in between.
I especially love hearing all the women who've picked up the bass and learned to love it. In my early days there was only one (Carol Kaye, and the only way I knew she existed was because I bought her book with my first BG). Here's one I tripped over just the other day - Magalí Datzira is her name, I believe, playing the URB. It's a well-known jazz standard, so I apologize if it's not to everyone's taste, but I feel safe in directing the attention of any bass player to her playing - and especially to the JOY she brings to the instrument and group. Very inspiring, even for a jaded old geezer like me.
Lotta young folks in that band - they're from Barcelona. The BL is Joan Chamorro, well known in Europe with his work with young folks in the Sant Andreu Academy Band. He normally also plays URB, but is playing bari sax in this group. Well worth checking out their other recordings on YT.
Best to all you corral-bound Mustangers, and to the end of this covid-craziness. I miss playing with other people, and know many of you do too. This too shall pass.
Flo
Esta muy linda!
FWIW, I like the Hipshots (Ultralights) I recently put on my SG bass - they have a good gear ratio and a reassuringly solid feel to them, all while being very light.
Don’t take this as a fact (please double check for yourself), but my old notes say that Gotoh GB350 Res-O-Lites fit the Mustang (but not sure about your model! - there’s lots of different model Mustangs, and they are made in a variety of countries) and that they are even lighter than Hipshot Ultralights.
Enjoy that new bass
I've sent you a PM as I might be up for selling mine. Now that I have a JMJ it's all I'm really playing now. I'm in a 60s garage band, so having one that looks and feels like it could be from the 60s sealed the deal. I actually think the PJ is more versatile, but in this case the vintage accurate specs wins. And If I ever get another bass, it will be an actual 1960s one.
Just received this majestic piece of bassy goodness. My first "real" Fender, my first short scale and my first P-pickup only bass. Can I get a number?
