Fender Mustang Club

[Real Soon]

While onstage between songs during a blues gig at a brewery in Ellijay, GA this past weekend, the bandleader:

"Man that thing sounds shaging phenomenal!"

I was going traditional, had the J pickup down to about 50%, tone rolled down to about 60%. This is with the EMG GZR & J-HZ set and V/V/T setup on me shell pink Mustang PJ...going through a couple helpers, the Barber Linden and Sushi Box Particle Accelerator.

I didn't argue.

 

[Real Soon]

Also I love my lil looker of a 'stang, but some of these photos are making me really a tad bit envious. Y'all have some gorgeous instruments out there.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

My sonic blue (almost olympic white) MIM Mustang PJ is currently in the shop, also known as my spare bedroom, for a little makeover.

I tried to get a few good clear shots of the frets and fret ends, but my lack of photography skills combined with a point and shoot weren't going to have it. So I posted the best of what I have.

Today I wasn't up for any tedious soldering due to having a headache all day, but I did manage to polish the frets and tame the fret ends a bit on the underside of the neck. No need to do so on the top of the neck as my hand never touches it. To tame the fret ends I carefully used a file. To polish the frets I used 400 grit emery cloth followed by 1200 grit. Then I finished up with 0000 steel wool. The fretboard was taped off with painter's tape while doing all of this. Then the fretboard was treated with Dunlop lemon oil.

The goal is to have a VVT configuration with DiMarzio DP251BK Area PJ pickups, new CTS pots, a CTS no-load tone control, Sprague .047uF orange drop cap, a Switchcraft jack, copper shielding in the control cavity and a buff and polish. I may also get some dice knobs or something a little snazzy. The wire I'm using is military grade, Teflon coated, silver plated copper. Good stuff from Area 51!

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Well, I'm livid! I finished up the sonic blue 'Stang this evening, went to plug it in and ... dead silence!

I've double check the wiring and everything looks just as in the diagram that came with the Area pickups. I even soldered the tone cap to the middle connector of the pot, just as the diagram states, even though I've never seen that before.

I'm too mad to deal with it right now so I'm going to put it away for a few days.

 

[Real Soon]

Well, I'm livid! I finished up the sonic blue 'Stang this evening, went to plug it in and ... dead silence!

I've double check the wiring and everything looks just as in the diagram that came with the Area pickups. I even soldered the tone cap to the middle connector of the pot, just as the diagram states, even though I've never seen that before.

I'm too mad to deal with it right now so I'm going to put it away for a few days.

I feel you! That said... capacitor to tone pot middle connector to where? I see on The Googz that there are "reverse" tone pots, i.e. bass cut setups, that involve middle connector to cap, and some other more complex tone control configurations... so it's not unheard of, but I think unusual for bass.

So I wonder if a misprint could result in a total loss of signal throughput. Seeing as you're VVT as my EMG kit is, I could open mine up to do some comparison shots if you want. Or at least crack open the wiring diagram, since theoretically they should be identical.

I have limited experience with DiMarzio pickups aside from a pair of Model J ones I put in a Washburn jazz-style bass to great success, and they were wired normally. Idunno

 

[Doctor Morbius]

I feel you! That said... capacitor to tone pot middle connector to where? I see on The Googz that there are "reverse" tone pots, i.e. bass cut setups, that involve middle connector to cap, and some other more complex tone control configurations... so it's not unheard of, but I think unusual for bass.

So I wonder if a misprint could result in a total loss of signal throughput. Seeing as you're VVT as my EMG kit is, I could open mine up to do some comparison shots if you want. Or at least crack open the wiring diagram, since theoretically they should be identical.

I have limited experience with DiMarzio pickups aside from a pair of Model J ones I put in a Washburn jazz-style bass to great success, and they were wired normally. Idunno

Thank you, but don't go to any trouble. I'll get out my trusty Rat Shack tester and try to find out what's going on.

I just took the control plate and pickguard out and away from the body as I had shielded the cavity. I was hoping it was just a matter of something touching the shielding tape, but alas, the problem still exists. DRAT!

UPDATE: I've scoured the web for the wiring diagram that came with the pickups and I cannot find it, not even on DiMarzio's site. Ergo, it's probably an abomination of some type. I've already snipped all of the wires and am going to start over with fresh new pots, a new Switchcraft jack, new Orange drop cap ... AND A NEW WIRING DIAGRAM, probably from Seymour Duncan.

I think this will be my last set of DiMarzio pickups! A company that is supposed to be so "dedicated" to musician's shouldn't have allowed that to get out. There's no excuse for it.

 

[mongo2]

Thank you, but don't go to any trouble. I'll get out my trusty Rat Shack tester and try to find out what's going on.

I just took the control plate and pickguard out and away from the body as I had shielded the cavity. I was hoping it was just a matter of something touching the shielding tape, but alas, the problem still exists. DRAT!

UPDATE: I've scoured the web for the wiring diagram that came with the pickups and I cannot find it, not even on DiMarzio's site. Ergo, it's probably an abomination of some type. I've already snipped all of the wires and am going to start over with fresh new pots, a new Switchcraft jack, new Orange drop cap ... AND A NEW WIRING DIAGRAM, probably from Seymour Duncan.

I think this will be my last set of DiMarzio pickups! A company that is supposed to be so "dedicated" to musician's shouldn't have allowed that to get out. There's no excuse for it.

At the very least, it looks to me like your volume control is wired incorrectly.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

At the very least, it looks to me like your volume control is wired incorrectly.

That's how the diagram shows it for the J pickup.

 

[mongo2]

That's how the diagram shows it for the J pickup.

There needs to be 3 wires connected to the volume control, one from the switch, one leading to the tone control and the third leading from the same tab of the volume control as the wire leading to the tone control to the output jack.

Look at the third page of the Fender PDF I linked below for the wiring diagram of the Mustang PJ.

https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10001/Fender Mustang Bass PJ 0144053XXX SM REV A 5-23-2016.pdf

 

[Doctor Morbius]

There needs to be 2 wires connected to the volume control, one from the switch and one leading to the tone control.

Look at the third page of the Fender PDF I linked below for the wiring diagram of the Mustang PJ.

https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10001/Fender Mustang Bass PJ 0144053XXX SM REV A 5-23-2016.pdf

I removed the switch in favor of VVT.

 

[mongo2]

I removed the switch in favor of VVT.

Even for that the volume control you show is wired wrong. For VVT a VVT Jazz bass wiring diagram can be used by substituting the P pickup for the J neck pickup.

 

[Shorty3]

And "Away we go"!
Excuse my workbench.
;[)
Bob
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Is that a Gibson SG short scale on the background?
If so may I ask you how does it compare to the Mustang PJ in terms of playability, tone, weight and balance? Does the body tend to lean out when you are wearing it with a strap?

I would like to add a Gibson short scale to my arsenal but cannot find a shop that has it where I live and I am a bit afraid buying on line. The upper strap button on the back of the body looks weird to me, that's why I would like to know if the body tends to lean out while playing standing.

Thanks!

 

[SVTII]

Is that a Gibson SG short scale on the background?
If so may I ask you how does it compare to the Mustang PJ in terms of playability, tone, weight and balance? Does the body tend to lean out when you are wearing it with a strap?

I would like to add a Gibson short scale to my arsenal but cannot find a shop that has it where I live and I am a bit afraid buying on line. The upper strap button on the back of the body looks weird to me, that's why I would like to know if the body tends to lean out while playing standing.

Thanks!

I've got a Musicmaster (heavy), a PJ Mustang (light) and a EB0 with slotted headstock.

(Edit: EB0 is lighter than both Fenders)

The EB0 is more of a neckdiver than an outleaner compared to my two Fenders. The newer SG basses seem a bit heavier on the body side than my vintage EB0, which has a little bit of a thinner body I guess.

 

[Shorty3]

I've got a Musicmaster (heavy), a PJ Mustang (light) and a EB0 with slotted headstock.

(Edit: EB0 is lighter than both Fenders)

The EB0 is more of a neckdiver than an outleaner compared to my two Fenders. The newer SG basses seem a bit heavier on the body side than my vintage EB0, which has a little bit of a thinner body I guess.

Thanks!
It is good to know that the EB0 is lighter as I assumed mahogany was heavier than alder.
I currently have a light Mustang PJ and a Squier Bronco which I modded that is also quite light. The Bronco does not neckdive at all while the Mustang PJ tends to dive "horizontally" a bit but then it stops, maybe because I use a good padded Mono strap.

I have always been a Fender/Squier fan and at the same time have always been curious about Gibson and Epiphone basses so I might consider buying one.

 

[Bobhmcs]

Is that a Gibson SG short scale on the background?
If so may I ask you how does it compare to the Mustang PJ in terms of playability, tone, weight and balance? Does the body tend to lean out when you are wearing it with a strap?

I would like to add a Gibson short scale to my arsenal but cannot find a shop that has it where I live and I am a bit afraid buying on line. The upper strap button on the back of the body looks weird to me, that's why I would like to know if the body tends to lean out while playing standing.

Thanks!

Yes that is a 2019 Gibson SG Standard bass. It is just slightly lighter than the Mustang and I had upgraded the strap buttons to schaller strap locks and have not noticed it sticking out at all. The Mustang PJ I previously had was a bit better playing sitting or standing. I feel it was the body shape. This one I am building has absolutely no neck drop as I used Gotoh GB707 tuners which are lighter than the stock tuners that came with the Fender neck. They are easy to install but need to be aligned and a single set screw installed. Be aware that there are mounting holes that need filling. But if anything it has a bit of a Butt drop due to the Hipshot high mass bridge. I am changing that out to a Babicz Full Contact bridge as it is quite a bit lighter as well. The SG had a significant neck drop until I chaned the tuners with Grover Titan and installed the Hipshot Gibson bridge. I bought the Gibson from American Music Supply on line and it went off without a hitch. Sound wise they are unique to themselves and I love them both for their specific tone and sound.
Finally on the Mustang I used a V-Mod from a American Professional P-bass after upgrading to a Bartolini and a American Standard bridge jazz pickup.
So the PJ Thunders.
I hope I answered your questions.
;[)
Bob

 

[Robot.G]

I got DiMarzio DP 126 Model PJ Pick-ups for my Mustang. I'll try to record some before and after clips if anyone is interested. It might take a bit for me to get them installed though. I'm also waiting on a Hipshot KickAss Bass Bridge, but my Mustang PJ came setup so well from Sweetwater that I'm not sure if I'm going to mess with that right away!

 

[Shorty3]

Yes that is a 2019 Gibson SG Standard bass. It is just slightly lighter than the Mustang and I had upgraded the strap buttons to schaller strap locks and have not noticed it sticking out at all. The Mustang PJ I previously had was a bit better playing sitting or standing. I feel it was the body shape. This one I am building has absolutely no neck drop as I used Gotoh GB707 tuners which are lighter than the stock tuners that came with the Fender neck. They are easy to install but need to be aligned and a single set screw installed. Be aware that there are mounting holes that need filling. But if anything it has a bit of a Butt drop due to the Hipshot high mass bridge. I am changing that out to a Babicz Full Contact bridge as it is quite a bit lighter as well. The SG had a significant neck drop until I chaned the tuners with Grover Titan and installed the Hipshot Gibson bridge. I bought the Gibson from American Music Supply on line and it went off without a hitch. Sound wise they are unique to themselves and I love them both for their specific tone and sound.
Finally on the Mustang I used a V-Mod from a American Professional P-bass after upgrading to a Bartolini and a American Standard bridge jazz pickup.
So the PJ Thunders.
I hope I answered your questions.
;[)
Bob

Thanks very much!

 

[mongo2]

I got DiMarzio DP 126 Model PJ Pick-ups for my Mustang. I'll try to record some before and after clips if anyone is interested. It might take a bit for me to get them installed though. I'm also waiting on a Hipshot KickAss Bass Bridge, but my Mustang PJ came setup so well from Sweetwater that I'm not sure if I'm going to mess with that right away!

I'd be interested in the pickup comparison. Thanks for asking.

 

[SoulReflection]

I'd be interested in the pickup comparison. Thanks for asking.

Me too, @Robot.G !

 

[halfwound121]

I got DiMarzio DP 126 Model PJ Pick-ups for my Mustang. I'll try to record some before and after clips if anyone is interested. It might take a bit for me to get them installed though. I'm also waiting on a Hipshot KickAss Bass Bridge, but my Mustang PJ came setup so well from Sweetwater that I'm not sure if I'm going to mess with that right away!

I put those in my Squier SS Jaguar. They made a tremendous difference.

 

[felis]

I put the DP 126's in a P/J Mustang. Made a difference - a bit beefier with more low end. But I don't have the stock ones anymore for a comparison.