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Fender Mustang Club
- Thread starter FlyingPigSound
- Start date
That looks like an amazing bass! Well i see you are Dutch as well so we might as well do that sometime;-)
The Golden Mustang PJ build is now complete and it is even better than I thought it could be.
Mods: Dimarzio Relentless + Model J pickups, Hipshot Tuners + Kickass Bridge, Switchcraft switch and jack, custom Couch strap, cream knobs, D'Addario tapewounds and elliptical strap buttons, gold string retainer, gold screws, homemade gold sparkle pickguard and custom gold control plate courtesy of my incredible luthier Seth Mayer. It's a great day in bassville.
Mods: Dimarzio Relentless + Model J pickups, Hipshot Tuners + Kickass Bridge, Switchcraft switch and jack, custom Couch strap, cream knobs, D'Addario tapewounds and elliptical strap buttons, gold string retainer, gold screws, homemade gold sparkle pickguard and custom gold control plate courtesy of my incredible luthier Seth Mayer. It's a great day in bassville.
A song that needs no introduction: this is my tribute to one of the best new wave songs of all time and to Peter Hook's most iconic bass line. And obviously a tribute to Joy Division and its unforgotten frontman.
Played with Fender Mustang PJ Black EB Limited Edition
Merry Christmas
Played with Fender Mustang PJ Black EB Limited Edition
Merry Christmas
My thoughts on the JMJ, Vintera and American Performer Mustangs....now that I've recently owned all 3 (and now only have the Vintera.....but that's on the way out as well).
The JMJ is super beefy. I honestly couldn't bond with the neck. Just too big for my liking. Also didn't dig the relic job. Other niggles are the fact it comes with long scale gig bag (why?? the American Performer comes with a short scale gig bag)? And the strings are long scale? Again why? The American Performer strings were medium scale. These niggles combined with the close to $1000 price tag for a MIM was a deal breaker.
The Vintera I got for a deal I couldn't pass up....even though I knew I was going to keep my Ric 4003 as my go to bass. For the price of the Vintera it was worth trying. It's an OK bass. but the neck feels more sharp on the edges and slower to play (than the American Performer) maybe because of the glossy finish?
The American Performer is hands down the best of the three, and in my opinion worth the dough. For whatever reason, the whole set up just feels fast and comfortable to me. Maybe it's the light satin finish on the neck? Rolled edges? I don't know....but it's one of the best MIA Fender's I've tried in ages. The tuners are suberb and I really had a good tone out of it and got to play it out with a band rehearsal next to my Ric recently and It was a real toss up as to which bass I would keep. I ended up staying with the Ric as it fits better for the UK band I'm in, but I know I'll keep my eye out for another American Performer Mustang if one comes around for the right price.
The JMJ is super beefy. I honestly couldn't bond with the neck. Just too big for my liking. Also didn't dig the relic job. Other niggles are the fact it comes with long scale gig bag (why?? the American Performer comes with a short scale gig bag)? And the strings are long scale? Again why? The American Performer strings were medium scale. These niggles combined with the close to $1000 price tag for a MIM was a deal breaker.
The Vintera I got for a deal I couldn't pass up....even though I knew I was going to keep my Ric 4003 as my go to bass. For the price of the Vintera it was worth trying. It's an OK bass. but the neck feels more sharp on the edges and slower to play (than the American Performer) maybe because of the glossy finish?
The American Performer is hands down the best of the three, and in my opinion worth the dough. For whatever reason, the whole set up just feels fast and comfortable to me. Maybe it's the light satin finish on the neck? Rolled edges? I don't know....but it's one of the best MIA Fender's I've tried in ages. The tuners are suberb and I really had a good tone out of it and got to play it out with a band rehearsal next to my Ric recently and It was a real toss up as to which bass I would keep. I ended up staying with the Ric as it fits better for the UK band I'm in, but I know I'll keep my eye out for another American Performer Mustang if one comes around for the right price.
Hi all. Happy holidays! My little guy has discovered Flea of RHCP and has started a bit of slapping with his mustang. While he’s having some success (see below), he’s not getting the tone he’s looking for. After some research as I’m not a bassist, I’ve come to the conclusion that it is likely because he uses flats, which he loves. Is that likely the case and what is one to do if they like flats but also want to slap? Have a second bass strung up with rounds? Thanks!
Cool. You’re a great Dad! Could try EB Cobalt Flats. Or just get him a Flea sig bass and be done with it. They’re nice basses.
half-rounds may be a good compromise to consider if he doesn't want to have another instrument strung up with rounds. They will definitely be brighter than flats
I was unaware of such an animal. Are they easy on the fingers like flats? That’s one of the reasons that he prefers flats, is that they don’t chew his fingers up when he goes up and down the fretboard.
they are not as "slick" as flats or tapewounds, but definitely easier on the fingers than full rounds. They do make them in medium scale which fit the mustang. XL Half Rounds | Bass Strings | D'Addario
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YES !
And the other common brand of 'half-rounds' is GHS Brite Flats.
I've used them for decades, first long scale light gauge on my Ric when GHS allegedly made them for Dean Markley as their 'Ground Round Wounds', and more recently a short scale set on a USA Gibson SG bass.
Nice thing [IMO] about the short [and medium] scale edition of the GHS Brite Flats is that the gauges are not as light as most other brands and models of short scale bass strings in general, so that you actually have a string which feels like you actually have a string in your hands when playing it, with no warble and no false sharpness gradually falling into pitch as they settle after plucking.
And their sound is a nice compromise between that of rounds and flats, as one might expect.
They are not as bright as rounds when new, and do not change as much as they age.
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Thanks for continuing to update us about these 3 basses.
I had not been following your posts until recently, and so this was the first I read of you owning a Ric [so do I, a now heavily electronics modded 4001 bought new in 1974].
So would it be safe to say that if you did not already own your Ric, that you might have kept the MIA Mustang ?
Also, I forget whether you already posted this, but did you WEIGH any of these Mustangs, and if so, what were the numbers ?
Obviously lighter than a Ric, but how much so ?
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Sorry to be such a bother, but have you needed to tweak the nut to accommodate the heavier gauges?
No bother...yes you might depending upon the guage you are currently using. Just google nut files or check out YouTube.
I didn't weigh them, but the JMJ seemed the heaviest of them all. The Vintera more neck dive....the Am. Perf. the least neck dive....even though the Am. Perf. has a thicker headstock. Maybe it's the lighter tuners on the Am. Perf.~
Thanks for continuing to update us about these 3 basses.
I had not been following your posts until recently, and so this was the first I read of you owning a Ric [so do I, a now heavily electronics modded 4001 bought new in 1974].
So would it be safe to say that if you did not already own your Ric, that you might have kept the MIA Mustang ?
Also, I forget whether you already posted this, but did you WEIGH any of these Mustangs, and if so, what were the numbers ?
Obviously lighter than a Ric, but how much so ?
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I would without doubt have kept the Am. Perf. if I didn't bond so much with the Ric. It's very comfortable and versatile instrument, but we do theatre shows and the Ric will have a better visual effect, especially for the Mod shows we do.
