Fender Mustang Club

[DavesnothereCA]

Sorry to be such a bother, but have you needed to tweak the nut to accommodate the heavier gauges?

~
No problemo.

Not due to the strings themselves, but my Gibson needed the nut grooves to be a bit deeper anyway, even with the lighter roundwounds which were on it when I bought it.

I still would have had to do that regardless of which new strings I chose.
~

 

[dave84]

Love it! I'm a big fan of Joy Division and New Order. Great stuff!

Thanks man!

 

[DavesnothereCA]

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Apologies if this has already been asked and answered upthread [my onsite searches suggest not], but please would someone feel sufficiently kind as to take and post a few measurements of their Mustang bass for me ?

What I'm looking to learn are these :

Fingerboard length - that's from the edge of the nut facing the frets, all the way to the end of the wood past the final fret.

Please confirm that you have 19 frets [I think that they all do though].

Neck pocket - If you do not have a Mustang bass apart, then the next best would be to measure the width of the fingerboard at the last fret, which might still tell me enough.

If by chance you DO have one apart, then what would be more complete would be the above, plus the width and length of the neck pocket on the body, as well as the thickness of the neck at the heel end.

Also please post whether the heel is completely even at the end, or does the fretboard overhang the part which touches the body [so far, IIRC, other folks have said that they are even].

And please mention the model and year of your Mustang, if you know it.

I am planning to figure out what other necks might fit a Mustang bass, in case anyone is wondering why all of the questions.

Many Thanks !
~

 

[Bassiclees]

Gotta come clean on my MustangPJ.. despite lots of work on it.. I'm just not connecting with it.
Might it be strings? Maybe Convert the switch to a knob for gradients across pickups? I dunno, there are just other axes I grab instead despite trying to love it. Currently wears D'Addario tapes, maybe a total flip to a growly roundwound will help. The struggle is real. It's GORGEOUS but for a PJ, despite the desirable scale, I have a Squier Affinity PJ with D'Marzios that feels amazing and I'll take 8 days a week over the Mustang.

 

[Florinda4]

Gotta come clean on my MustangPJ.. despite lots of work on it.. I'm just not connecting with it.
Might it be strings? Maybe Convert the switch to a knob for gradients across pickups? I dunno, there are just other axes I grab instead despite trying to love it. Currently wears D'Addario tapes, maybe a total flip to a growly roundwound will help. The struggle is real. It's GORGEOUS but for a PJ, despite the desirable scale, I have a Squier Affinity PJ with D'Marzios that feels amazing and I'll take 8 days a week over the Mustang.

No need to apologize... there's little left in my 2018 MIM (and many others in the remuda) that is original, because stock - it just wasn't what I wanted, except for its scale. Only the neck, tuners and body (under new paint) remain. Switch is long gone, new bridge, control plate and knobs (including pup blend), pick guard, pups, wiring and shielding.

I got it because I was developing a serious problem with my left hand (DeQuervain's syndrome - I'm 71), and it served me well for the year it took me to work through that painful problem (surgery). But now, all healed, I'm back to my primary (34") basses - a 2006 EBMM Sterling H4 and a 1973 P bass.

Mustang Molly is still a beauty, and plays like a dream (the Fralin custom PJ pups are vastly superior to the originals), but I use it primarily for practicing, or when I travel. When I get together tomorrow with my socially-distanced jazz quartet, I'll be playing the Sterling. And if covid19 every lets my Motown-loving group recoagulate, the P Bass will be back in service.

And if my aging hands ever act up again, Molly Mustang will be ready to ride (that's her in my avatar pic).

I'm not a bass collector, but I believe in the having right tool for the job.

Flo

 

[CPB2019]

~
Apologies if this has already been asked and answered upthread [my onsite searches suggest not], but please would someone feel sufficiently kind as to take and post a few measurements of their Mustang bass for me ?

What I'm looking to learn are these :

Fingerboard length - that's from the edge of the nut facing the frets, all the way to the end of the wood past the final fret.

Please confirm that you have 19 frets [I think that they all do though].

Neck pocket - If you do not have a Mustang bass apart, then the next best would be to measure the width of the fingerboard at the last fret, which might still tell me enough.

If by chance you DO have one apart, then what would be more complete would be the above, plus the width and length of the neck pocket on the body, as well as the thickness of the neck at the heel end.

Also please post whether the heel is completely even at the end, or does the fretboard overhang the part which touches the body [so far, IIRC, other folks have said that they are even].

And please mention the model and year of your Mustang, if you know it.

I am planning to figure out what other necks might fit a Mustang bass, in case anyone is wondering why all of the questions.

Many Thanks !
~

Measurements are with neck installed. 2019 vintera. Fingerboard length (no overhang), 20-5/16” at side, 20-7/16” at center (it is rounded at the pocket). 19 frets. Neck width, 2-1/4” (I don’t have my calipers handy, but pretty close). Those were quick measurements as my son took it away to go practice. I can double check if necessary.

 

[PotsdamBass8]

Gotta come clean on my MustangPJ.. despite lots of work on it.. I'm just not connecting with it.
Might it be strings? Maybe Convert the switch to a knob for gradients across pickups? I dunno, there are just other axes I grab instead despite trying to love it. Currently wears D'Addario tapes, maybe a total flip to a growly roundwound will help. The struggle is real. It's GORGEOUS but for a PJ, despite the desirable scale, I have a Squier Affinity PJ with D'Marzios that feels amazing and I'll take 8 days a week over the Mustang.

Depending on the sound you’re looking for, the short scale might make it harder to find your sound. A lot of people use them out of necessity and work to get them to sound closer to a long scale, or embrace the inherent qualities. But if you’re getting the sound you want out of your squier PJ AND you have no problem playing the full scale, there’s no reason to feel weird about that.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

Gotta come clean on my Mustang PJ.. despite lots of work on it.. I'm just not connecting with it.
Might it be strings? Maybe Convert the switch to a knob for gradients across pickups? I dunno, there are just other axes I grab instead despite trying to love it. Currently wears D'Addario tapes, maybe a total flip to a growly roundwound will help. The struggle is real. It's GORGEOUS, but for a PJ, despite the desirable scale, I have a Squier Affinity PJ with DiMarzios that feels amazing and I'll take 8 days a week over the Mustang.

~
Possibly, and strings are one of the less expensive things to consider changing.

D'Addario tapes ?

I've never tried those.

Do your strings go thru the body at the bridge?
~

 

[DavesnothereCA]

Measurements are with neck installed. 2019 vintera. Fingerboard length (no overhang), 20-5/16” at side, 20-7/16” at center (it is rounded at the pocket). 19 frets. Neck width, 2-1/4” (I don’t have my calipers handy, but pretty close). Those were quick measurements as my son took it away to go practice. I can double check if necessary.

~
Thanks kindly !

That fills in several important blanks in a table of info which I'm compiling about short scale Fender basses.
~

 

[Bassiclees]

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Do your strings go thru the body at the bridge?
~

No, bridge termination. I've some rounds around I'm gonna string it up with and see how that impacts overall feel.
If I fall in love with the Sire U5 my amazing Mustang PJ with epic upgrades might be available soon, stay tuned.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

No, bridge termination. I've some rounds around I'm gonna string it up with and see how that impacts overall feel.
If I fall in love with the Sire U5 my amazing Mustang PJ with epic upgrades might be available soon, stay tuned.

~
Your bridge design will allow you plenty of string choices.

However, those Sire basses sure look nice , but not a single one of them [I ogled them all] has a Precision width nut [41.3mm or wider] - Even the ones which LOOK like a P have the narrower Jazz width of 38mm.

Deal breaker !
~

 

[dave84]

Happy New Year everyone with the bass cover of one of the most beautiful dark ballads ever

played with my Fender Mustang PJ total black limited edition

 

[mongo2]

Gotta come clean on my MustangPJ.. despite lots of work on it.. I'm just not connecting with it.

When I was looking for a Mustang PJ I found I had to try quite a few over about a year to find any I really liked. In that time I owned two not so bad PJs the second being better than the first but neither was "it". Then one day I wandered into the local GC and saw a limited edition black version the sales person said they had just put out on the floor a half hour before I spotted it, tried it, liked it and bought it. It was "it". A couple of months later I tried another LE in the same shop thinking having one as a backup would be nice but it didn't have the same "it" to it.

A few weeks later I found a barely used early PJ (oly white) with the rosewood fingerboard that has "it" so I bought that one too. The LE is still my #1 PJ but I like having a backup that's up to the task.

I figure I tried about 15 PJs during that little adventure...

Then covid restrictions hit and I haven't been to a shop since.

 

[CPB2019]

Forgive us Fender Mustang Club, we have sinned, but we decided to have a second instrument strung up with rounds. Worry not, as the Mustang will still continue to get plenty of love and play-time.

 

[HotelX]

Forgive us Fender Mustang Club, we have sinned, but we decided to have a second instrument strung up with rounds. Worry not, as the Mustang will still continue to get plenty of love and play-time. View attachment 4110878

I like that pick guard on the mustang. Where did you get it? How do you like the MM?

 

[Sean Brookes]

Forgive us Fender Mustang Club, we have sinned, but we decided to have a second instrument strung up with rounds. Worry not, as the Mustang will still continue to get plenty of love and play-time. View attachment 4110878

Oooh. I’ve got a little GAS for one of those MM basses. How’s it sounding compared to the Mustang

 

[CPB2019]

Oooh. I’ve got a little GAS for one of those MM basses. How’s it sounding compared to the Mustang

Given that it is strung with rounds, it is hard to compare. But given that the humbucker can be switched between parallel, single and series, there is a fair bit of versatility. My son likes the amount of room between the pickup and fingerboard for slapping.

 

[CPB2019]

I like that pick guard on the mustang. Where did you get it? How do you like the MM?

The pick guard was from “Quick Guards”. I sent him a tracing and it was a perfect fit. He was easy to deal with and responsive.

My son is the bass player. He’s given a thumbs up on the MM so far. But his tiny/soft fingers have to work up to rounds.

 

[Real Soon]

Well, with a certain Direct Deposit thing happening, I've got a little extra, and it just went to a set of nickel lollipop Hipshots. About time!

Also, it looks like a shop on reverb that does relic'ing of chrome parts might be able to take a stock chome control plate and refinish it in nickel (non-relic). If that pans out, things will be awesome around here.

 

[G-Dog]

Well I went ahead and bit the bullet and bought a Fender Player Mustang PJ neck. It is from Stratosphere as they were the only one that had any. It will be here next week. So that issue is resolved. Still working on the control plate. An interesting thing occurred during my searches for a control plate. I was scanning through Google Images and what picture do I come across, but My Mustang PJ that I donated to a charity here called Girls Rock Reno. I not only found it once but twice. Not quite sure how it got there but it was a proud 5 seconds. I will go ahead and post the picture but keep in mind it now belongs to a sweet 12 year old girl who's in heaven. How do I know? The charity helped her call me so she could personally give her thanks. (Kinda choked up this crusty old sailor.)
More info as it develops on the build.
;[)
Bob
View attachment 4008608

I'm shocked and saddened at the news of the passing of this fine man. Mustang Club member #42. Bob, you will be sorely missed by all those you've served, and touched by your service, throughout your life. Thank you for your service, your enthusiasm and your dedication to the ideals you so exemplified.

In memoriam, Bobhmcs.

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