Fender Mustang Club

[Lytepipe]

I did enjoy! Your Mustang is gorgeous, and regardless of what you're playing in the recording, your sound is great. (I've always had a secret lust for an LP bass, but never owned one. Don't tell anyone. (Fender fanboi since 1966)).

Thank you very much! I highly recommend the LP! AND I still love my Mustang. In this recording, I am playing straight into a GK Legacy 800 212 combo. DI from amp to board and mic’d 3” from the cone and slightly offset.

 

[CrimsonGhost]

My band just released a cover of The Chameleons song Don’t Fall. The video shows me playing my Fender Mustang Ebony LE, if anyone is interested. The recording though, is actually of me playing a Gibson Les Paul Jr DC Tribute as I wanted a more gritty sound. Anyways, enjoy!

The Les Paul Jr DC Tribute basses have a natural growl even unplugged and with a really deep low end. Such a great bass.

 

[Cran]

Just had a look at WD Pickguards for a single-ply tort pickguard for my american performer. Sadly, the price for shipping to New Zealand is ludicrous! $80 USD for a single pickguard? That almost makes it not worth it. I'll still consider my options but for the moment that aesthetic mod is staying on the shelf. That said, a set of lollipop ultralites with an xtender is being considered still.

That aside, I shot a quick video of me playing one of Joe Dart's solos from the MSG show on my american performer. It sounds absolutely stellar with the labella mustang flats. Have a look if you'd like!


As for the contour conversation you guys were having: I tried out a sterling short scale stingray, and the arm cut made a big difference to me. They were really really tempting, and if I had a chance to try an american made version (none in NZ afaik) I would've probably cried as soon as I played it. Those basses sounded great.

 

[BigAndyA]

Just had a look at WD Pickguards for a single-ply tort pickguard for my american performer. Sadly, the price for shipping to New Zealand is ludicrous! $80 USD for a single pickguard? That almost makes it not worth it. I'll still consider my options but for the moment that aesthetic mod is staying on the shelf. That said, a set of lollipop ultralites with an xtender is being considered still.

That aside, I shot a quick video of me playing one of Joe Dart's solos from the MSG show on my american performer. It sounds absolutely stellar with the labella mustang flats. Have a look if you'd like!


As for the contour conversation you guys were having: I tried out a sterling short scale stingray, and the arm cut made a big difference to me. They were really really tempting, and if I had a chance to try an american made version (none in NZ afaik) I would've probably cried as soon as I played it. Those basses sounded great.

We have friends over in Australia and the cost to send anything to them is outrageous. Not sure why.

 

[CPB2019]

As for the contour conversation you guys were having: I tried out a sterling short scale stingray, and the arm cut made a big difference to me. They were really really tempting, and if I had a chance to try an american made version (none in NZ afaik) I would've probably cried as soon as I played it. Those basses sounded great.

The contours on the stingray SS do make a difference to my kid:



So much so that I got the cheaper import version and painted it for him to leave at school:

He still loves his mustang, but for sitting down and playing (which he does most of the time as he’s small and basses are heavy), I find him using the stingrays.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

The contours on the stingray SS do make a difference to my kid:



So much so that I got the cheaper import version and painted it for him to leave at school:
View attachment 4518725

He still loves his mustang, but for sitting down and playing (which he does most of the time as he’s small and basses are heavy), I find him using the stingrays.

~
Wonderful colour !

I like the Maple fretboard and bridge design too.

And note that the reach will be short as well, due to the bridge being located close to the South end of the body.

Seems to me that these were on my radar earlier this year, but fell off due to the narrow nut width spec.

Shame too, as everything else about them seems to be a plus for me.

Some models of the G&L Fallout budget series caught my eye around the same time as these.

Those have the wider nut which I prefer, and some a Maple FB.

However they weigh more and have the bridge closer to the centre of the body, but then again so do Mustang basses, and I'm still considering one of those.
~

 

[DavesnothereCA]

We have friends over in Australia and the cost to send anything to them is outrageous. Not sure why.

~
Those long range carrier pigeons must only eat gold plated bird feed.
~

 

[CPB2019]

~
Wonderful colour !

I like the Maple fretboard and bridge design too.

And note that the reach will be short as well, due to the bridge being located close to the South end of the body.

Seems to me that these were on my radar earlier this year, but fell off due to the narrow nut width spec.

Shame too, as everything else about them seems to be a plus for me.

Some models of the G&L Fallout budget series caught my eye around the same time as these.

Those have the wider nut which I prefer, and some a Maple FB.

However they weigh more and have the bridge closer to the centre of the body, but then again so do Mustang basses.
~

Thanks. There are limited nitro colors to choose from and I wanted to try out nitro from a rattle can. It was originally daphne blue poly bought used.

The initial draw of the Stingray was weight as my kids will play 20 song shows and there’s no way he could handle that standing with the Mustang. He can’t do it yet with the stingray, but will do shorter shows standing.

The “reachability” and smaller neck ended up working out more for him as well. Note that the import version is ~ half a pound heavier than the US version.

 

[Cran]

The contours on the stingray SS do make a difference to my kid:



So much so that I got the cheaper import version and painted it for him to leave at school:
View attachment 4518725

He still loves his mustang, but for sitting down and playing (which he does most of the time as he’s small and basses are heavy), I find him using the stingrays.

That's a lovely looking bass! I thought that the necks felt a little... off, on the sterlings at least. Like a cheap squier, kinda? I guess it's the unfinished-feeling aspect, as opposed to a finished, then sanded neck. But otherwise they were great! I would love to get my hands on one and mod it a little (PMM Stingray, anyone?). Think like pic attached but with lollipops. The only thing is that they don't come all that cheap new, so it's not something I can really afford at the moment either.

 

[HelpImaRock]

Greetings Earthlings!

I'm getting ready to buy a Squier Mustang Bass and the first order of business will be to replace the stock rounds with LaBella flatwounds. I have LTFs on my top loading Reverend Watt and I'd like to use them on the Squier when I get it.

Tonight I emailed LaBella to see if I could use medium scale LTFs on the string thru Squier. Amazingly, they responded (I expected tomorrow at the earliest).

The standard Mustang DTF 43-104 set is 34" from ball end to silk
The medium scale LTF set is 34 1/4" from ball end to silk.

Has anyone used the medium LTF set on a Mustang?
If so, does the speaking length of the string wrap around the E tuner?
Does that extra 1/4" come into play?

Additionally, LaBella recommends "massaging" part of the string where it comes through the body and tuning up to pitch slowly.

 

[sleddogn]

I'm getting ready to buy a Squier Mustang Bass

you after the comp stripe at cme? i'm drooling

 

[HelpImaRock]

you after the comp stripe at cme? i'm drooling

Yes. The price is probably going up $20 by the time they arrive but I don't want to preorder either.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

DANG! MIM Player Mustangs now $850.00.

I paid $575 + tax for my shell pink one from CME in 2019.

 

[SoulReflection]

DANG! MIM Player Mustangs now $850.00.

I paid $575 + tax for my shell pink one from CME in 2019.

I paid less than that through Adorama. Guess I now could sell it for a profit .

 

[Doctor Morbius]

I paid less than that through Adorama. Guess I now could sell it for a profit .

I would have loved to have snagged one of their surf green ones on closeout.

 

[SoulReflection]

I would have loved to have snagged one of their surf green ones on closeout.

I did and promptly had it repainted .

 

[DavesnothereCA]

Greetings Earthlings!

I'm getting ready to buy a Squier Mustang Bass and the first order of business will be to replace the stock rounds with LaBella flatwounds. I have LTFs on my top loading Reverend Watt and I'd like to use them on the Squier when I get it.

Tonight I emailed LaBella to see if I could use medium scale LTFs on the string thru Squier. Amazingly, they responded (I expected tomorrow at the earliest).

The standard Mustang DTF 43-104 set is 34" from ball end to silk
The medium scale LTF set is 34 1/4" from ball end to silk.

Has anyone used the medium LTF set on a Mustang?
If so, does the speaking length of the string wrap around the E tuner?
Does that extra 1/4" come into play?

Additionally, LaBella recommends "massaging" part of the string where it comes through the body and tuning up to pitch slowly.

~
I cannot say to measure your bass before trying, as you do not yet have the bass, but that is exactly what you should do when you get it.

Also, I am surprised that LaBella did not say outright not to do it, as they are generally strict in their advice against these kinds of ideas.

Bottom line is that they will not likely back you if doing it does break any of the strings.

Also, a tip about round core strings such as the LaBella LTFs :

If you straighten out the bend from where they went through the old tuners, the wrap could separate from the core, ruining the string in an invisible manner, which is a further reason not to move them from bass to bass, even if you had 2 of the same basses - so leave the bend there, or make a new bend at a shorter location [if necessary at all], before re-cutting the string.

One vendor, 'Strings and Beyond', actually included a paper with them when I ordered some, cautioning us to make the bend before cutting the string to length, for the same reason.

BTW, I had ordered regular short [32.25"] scale LTFs for my Hofner Ignition Club bass, which is another bass for which Labella shorts in general are not recommended.

However, by measuring before I ordered, I determined that they would fit.

Other Hofner bass owners have since posted measurements suggesting that depending upon the length of the tailpiece, on some productions of Hofner basses, regular short scale Labella strings may NOT always fit.

Just another tidbit for those who are taking chances with alternate spec strings....
~

 

[HelpImaRock]

~
I cannot say to measure your bass before trying, as you do not yet have the bass, but that is exactly what you should do when you get it.

Also, I am surprised that they did not outright say not to do it, as they are generally strict in their advice against these kinds of ideas.

Bottom line is that they will not likely back you if doing it does break any of the strings.

Also, a tip about round core strings such as the LaBella LTFs :

If you straighten out the bend from where they went through the old tuners, the wrap could separate from the core, ruining the string in an invisible manner, which is a further reason not to move them from bass to bass, even if you had 2 of the same basses - so leave the bend there, or make a new bend at a shorter location [if necessary at all], before re-cutting the string.

One vendor, 'Strings and Beyond', actually included a paper with them when I ordered some, cautioning us to make the bend before cutting the string to length, for the same reason.

BTW, I had ordered regular short [32.25"] scale LTFs for my Hofner Ignition Club bass, which is another bass for which they are not recommended.

However, by measuring before I ordered, I determined that they would fit.

Other Hofner bass owners have since posted measurements suggesting that depending upon the length of the tailpiece, on some productions of Hofner basses, regular short scale Labella strings may NOT always fit.

Just another tidbit for those who are taking chances with alternate spec strings....
~

This was why I emailed them. Part of me still thinks I should stick with the Mustang DTFs and be done with it. There's one guy on here who strung them through a JMJ with no issue. I'm not sure if there are body thickness differences between the Squier and JMJ, so I'll definitely measure first.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

This was why I emailed them. Part of me still thinks I should stick with the Mustang DTFs and be done with it. There's one guy on here who strung them through a JMJ with no issue. I'm not sure if there are body thickness differences between the Squier and JMJ, so I'll definitely measure first.

~
That guy took his chances and got lucky, IMNSHO.

The special DTFs for string thru Mustangs only come in one gauge though, but fortunately for me, it is my favourite gauge of DTFs for shorter scale basses - so I'm good if I ever get such a Mustang model.

Also, IIRC, DTFs are hex core, which is less risky of unwrapping internally, if you ever moved them from one bass to another.
~

 

[HelpImaRock]

~
That guy took his chances and got lucky, IMNSHO.

The special DTFs for string thru Mustangs only come in one gauge though, but fortunately for me, it is my favourite gauge of DTFs for shorter scale basses - so I'm good if I ever get such a Mustang model.

Also, IIRC, DTFs are hex core, which is less risky of unwrapping internally, if you ever moved them from one bass to another.
~

I'm in no danger of moving from one bass to another. My only bass is a Reverend Watt prototype with a top loader bridge. I'm buying the Mustang as a backup. I really like how the LTFs have settled in on the Reverend and would like the same feel on the Mustang. The DTFs are only slightly thicker, but I do wonder about the differences between roundcore and hexcore for tension purposes. The gauges aren't that far off.