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Fender Mustang Club

Wow! Yes, please do! I wonder if the round wounds grip the tuner posts better and if we'd have the same situation on our hands no matter which tuners we used. I'll stay tuned for your response after you talk to your guy! [See what I did there...? ;-)]

I got it immediately and liked it alot! Dain Brammage ain't that bad. ;€)
Glad to help. Should be a report, if all goes well, on Monday or Tuesday at the latest since the machine heads have been ordered.
More info to follow.
Bob
 
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Looking forward to it!

Being a former RN and Navy Corpsman I speak Medical fluently and got a response from the Doc quickly. My bass teacher got back to me quickly as well but per his admission business is slow at his store right now.

Let me start with, these thoughts are keeping in mind MY physical issues but do contain info for all within them.

The Doc said, in english, his feeling is that it could be due to the level of tremor I have coupled with the loss of feeling in my left hand. Since I don't know how much pressure I am putting on the strings and with the shaking I could be causing the strings to loosen or tighten when playing especially on the songs I know all the way through. So I could be causing the strings to ride up or down on the post either sharpening or flattening the string tune. By virtue of the flatwound smoothness that as well could add to the mix. That is in a nutshell.

Now my bass teacher looked at it more from the technical side. Since I am restarting from ground zero I maybe installing the strings incorrectly at string change and they are not locking effectively but we won't know that until he watches me. Or it could be the nut height is too high or low or the string height is improper as well as the saddle adjustment and the neck relief all attributed to lack of knowledge and experience that was lost due to my stroke 5 years ago. I am essentially a FNG (newbie). With ALL that said they ended with same comment:

"Or it could be just Crap tuners"!

I figure all will be answered right after the new tuners arrive and are installed.

Yes it's been a long post but I won't have to include it in the next one.

Btw they agreed that since I have had such a positive experience with the grovers that is what we are going with. I realize that this does not answer what you initially asked but I am sure I will have it in the next post.

Bob
 
Being a former RN and Navy Corpsman I speak Medical fluently and got a response from the Doc quickly. My bass teacher got back to me quickly as well but per his admission business is slow at his store right now.

Let me start with, these thoughts are keeping in mind MY physical issues but do contain info for all within them.

The Doc said, in english, his feeling is that it could be due to the level of tremor I have coupled with the loss of feeling in my left hand. Since I don't know how much pressure I am putting on the strings and with the shaking I could be causing the strings to loosen or tighten when playing especially on the songs I know all the way through. So I could be causing the strings to ride up or down on the post either sharpening or flattening the string tune. By virtue of the flatwound smoothness that as well could add to the mix. That is in a nutshell.

Now my bass teacher looked at it more from the technical side. Since I am restarting from ground zero I maybe installing the strings incorrectly at string change and they are not locking effectively but we won't know that until he watches me. Or it could be the nut height is too high or low or the string height is improper as well as the saddle adjustment and the neck relief all attributed to lack of knowledge and experience that was lost due to my stroke 5 years ago. I am essentially a FNG (newbie). With ALL that said they ended with same comment:

"Or it could be just Crap tuners"!

I figure all will be answered right after the new tuners arrive and are installed.

Yes it's been a long post but I won't have to include it in the next one.

Btw they agreed that since I have had such a positive experience with the grovers that is what we are going with. I realize that this does not answer what you initially asked but I am sure I will have it in the next post.

Bob
Sounds good — cheers, Bob! In the case of my bass, I had it set up professionally after I got it, I've never had this issue before, and I made sure to cut the strings to a length where I had at least three wraps on each post, so this is a strange predicament I'm finding myself in. The only other thing I can think of is that since these are lighter strings, there's not as much tension and thus the tuners aren't gripping as well....
 
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Not a big fan of these newer PJ Mustangs after owning one, but Im really GAS'ing over these two colors! Really interested to play a maple board Mustang too. I think Fender only made maple board Mustangs for a few years back in the mid 70s.

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This has just popped up in the UK as a ltd edition. For an extra £130 here could get the new Seafoam Green Vintera Mustang. You wait years for a green Mustang, then two come along at once. Just like busses.
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That’s like $160 US dollars! The Vintera series Mustang is only $160 more than the PJ Mustangs here? I’d be all over that, they are twice the price here and a ripoff IMO in the US unfortunately
 
That’s like $160 US dollars! The Vintera series Mustang is only $160 more than the PJ Mustangs here? I’d be all over that, they are twice the price here and a ripoff IMO in the US unfortunately
This limited green one is £589, which is about £60 more than they usually go for. And Andertons is selling the Vintera ones for £719. £799 on the Fender site. I don't understand why the price difference is so much bigger in the US. Usually we're the ones who get ripped off.
 
This limited green one is £589, which is about £60 more than they usually go for. And Andertons is selling the Vintera ones for £719. £799 on the Fender site. I don't understand why the price difference is so much bigger in the US. Usually we're the ones who get ripped off.

Well you are getting ripped off on the PJ Mustang. That’s $747 US and they are $575 for the special edition colors here. The Vintera is only another $165 there though which is awesome for you guys. They are an additional $415 here, so not quite double the price but close enough to make it not worth it IMO. $950 is far too expensive for a MIM Fender anything. They are both overpriced IMO. The PJ Mustang should be around $499 with the Vintera around $699
 
Vintera Series? WT...? This is the best Fender can come up with for a new Mustang? Frankly, I'm seriously underwhelmed and utterly disappointed. There are so many possibilities. For one, maple fingerboards should be a standard option. True vintage still rules IMHO.
 
Vintera Series? WT...? This is the best Fender can come up with for a new Mustang? Frankly, I'm seriously underwhelmed and utterly disappointed. There are so many possibilities. For one, maple fingerboards should be a standard option. True vintage still rules IMHO.

That´s a honest opinion, but there aren’t that bad for those who can afford a vintage one, specially with prices going 2K and up...

I agree with the maple fingerboards
 
Vintera Series? WT...? This is the best Fender can come up with for a new Mustang? Frankly, I'm seriously underwhelmed and utterly disappointed. There are so many possibilities. For one, maple fingerboards should be a standard option. True vintage still rules IMHO.

David I am beyond underwhelmed. I am dissappointed and angry. IMHO this instrument is exactly MY 2016 Mustang PJ with slightly improved pickups and every other component that came stock on my Mustang PJ. The only difference I see other than those pickups is extra color scheme and $400 more. Same bridge same crappy machineheads same ugly pickgaurd same fretboard material same blooming frets. How can I say this? I just put one down at our local GC. Shame on you Fender! This smacks of the Gibson Melody Maker fiasco of 30 years ago. And to have the guts to tack on $400 just because it resembles a performer. I really feel for our friends across the pond.
Ok soap box is put away.
Bob
 
David I am beyond underwhelmed. I am dissappointed and angry. IMHO this instrument is exactly MY 2016 Mustang PJ with slightly improved pickups and every other component that came stock on my Mustang PJ.

You're joking right? I will agree that the Vintera Mustang is about $200 overpriced, but unlike your PJ bass with everything wrong on it, this is a REAL Mustang. Mustangs don't have jazz pickups, hardtail bridges, 9.5" radius with modern C necks, pickup switch etc....its also not a string thru body like an actual Mustang and the Vintera are. That thing should have never been called a Mustang in the first place because aside from the body shape, there is nothing remotely close to a real Mustang about it. Its just a standard PJ bass with a Mustang body shape. Heck, the Squier VM Mustang was much closer to a real Mustang. At least it has the correct pickups, bridge and its string thru body.
 
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Not a big fan of these newer PJ Mustangs after owning one, but Im really GAS'ing over these two colors! Really interested to play a maple board Mustang too. I think Fender only made maple board Mustangs for a few years back in the mid 70s.

Okay I guess it's about time to share mine!

I got it in the early 2000s after really enjoying my Squier Vista Series Musicmaster. At the time short scales really weren't in vogue and I had never seen a Mustang with a maple fretboard! It's a '76.
 

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David I am beyond underwhelmed. I am dissappointed and angry. IMHO this instrument is exactly MY 2016 Mustang PJ with slightly improved pickups and every other component that came stock on my Mustang PJ. The only difference I see other than those pickups is extra color scheme and $400 more. Same bridge same crappy machineheads same ugly pickgaurd same fretboard material same blooming frets. How can I say this? I just put one down at our local GC. Shame on you Fender! This smacks of the Gibson Melody Maker fiasco of 30 years ago. And to have the guts to tack on $400 just because it resembles a performer. I really feel for our friends across the pond.
Ok soap box is put away.
Bob
I'm really confused by this post. Are you saying you played a Vintera Mustang bass in GC yesterday? You say it has the exact same bridge and tuners as your PJ Mustang? The Vintera has Hipshot Lollipop tuners and a string through traditional Mustang bridge. And the neck is a different radius and shape. I have no idea what the quality is like, but going by the specs the only thing the same as the PJ is the body shape.

Again, just going by the specs, it feels the comparison to make is to the JMJ Mustang. With that one seems the difference is the finish, the neck and possibly a different voiced pickup. Over here the Vintera is about $200-250 less than the JMJ.

I'd love a Vintage Mustang but they go for around £1,500 for a 70s one to £2,500 for a 60s on over here. Japanese ones pop up now and then but mostly the white ones for not much less than the Vintera is selling for. So for me, if it feels good and plays well, it's ticking all the boxes I'm looking for.
 
You're joking right? I will agree that the Vintera Mustang is about $200 overpriced, but unlike your PJ bass with everything wrong on it, this is a REAL Mustang. Mustangs don't have jazz pickups, hardtail bridges, 9.5" radius with modern C necks, pickup switch etc....its also not a string thru body like an actual Mustang and the Vintera are. That thing should have never been called a Mustang in the first place because aside from the body shape, there is nothing remotely close to a real Mustang about it. Its just a standard PJ bass with a Mustang body shape. Heck, the Squier VM Mustang was much closer to a real Mustang. At least it has the correct pickups, bridge and its string thru body.

Fortunately I wanted a P bass sounding shortscale with a smaller slab body and easier playablilty. My Mustang PJ fits that criteria perfectly.
 
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You're joking right? I will agree that the Vintera Mustang is about $200 overpriced, but unlike your PJ bass with everything wrong on it, this is a REAL Mustang. Mustangs don't have jazz pickups, hardtail bridges, 9.5" radius with modern C necks, pickup switch etc....its also not a string thru body like an actual Mustang and the Vintera are. That thing should have never been called a Mustang in the first place because aside from the body shape, there is nothing remotely close to a real Mustang about it. Its just a standard PJ bass with a Mustang body shape. Heck, the Squier VM Mustang was much closer to a real Mustang. At least it has the correct pickups, bridge and its string thru body.

I think a lot of people aren’t too wedded to the vintage specs; they just want a fun bass to play. It’s not as if a ‘66 (let alone ‘70 or whatever) Mustang bass is like a holy "1959 Les Paul" or something. It was the student model back in the day, and a lot of us have never even played a vintage one to know what we might be missing.

Personally, I like the vintage specs except I’d take a 9.5" radius fretboard and a C neck if spec-ing out my dream Mustang, and I wouldn’t blink a second to apologize for the non-vintage correct neck.

I’m not saying you’re "wrong", btw, just saying that people do dream of different pickup setups and I’m glad Fender’s finally having some fun with that with the Mustang and its recent Pawnshop, PJ and now American Performer variants. And now, with the Vintera (plus the JMJ), you have the classic Mustang too, for those who want the real deal vintage spec, whether pre-aged or just like new. So now, pretty much every Mustang lover or Mustang-curious or "I’d like a Mustang but I wish it had _______" bassist can be pretty happy.

But I do think, like you mention, the non-string thru option on the PJ was a poor choice and the pickup selector switch was, well, a somewhat odd choice, especially with it compounded by poor execution (a wonky stock switch, ***). Nevertheless, the PJ’s kinda cool. Price is right, classic pickup config., good platform for a little modding, fun like a Mustang should be, etc
 
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I think a lot of people aren’t too wedded to the vintage specs; they just want a fun bass to play. It’s not like a ‘66 (let alone ‘70 or whatever) Mustang bass is like a holy "1959 Les Paul" or something. It was the student model back in the day, and a lot of us have never even played a vintage one to know what we might be missing.

Personally, I like the vintage specs except I’d take a 9.5" radius fretboard and a C neck if spec-ing out my dream Mustang, and I wouldn’t blink a second to apologize for the non-vintage correct neck.

I’m not saying you’re "wrong", btw, just saying that people do dream of different pickup setups and I’m glad Fender’s finally having some fun with that with the Mustang and its recent Pawnshop, PJ and now American Performer variants. And now, with the Vintera (plus the JMJ), you have the classic Mustang too, for those who want the real deal vintage spec, whether pre-aged or just like new. So now, pretty much every Mustang lover or Mustang-curious or "I’d like a Mustang but I wish it had _______" bassist can be pretty happy.

But I do think, like you mention, the non-string thru option on the PJ was a poor choice and the pickup selector switch was, well, a somewhat odd choice, especially with it compounded by poor execution (a wonky stock switch, ***). Nevertheless, the PJ’s kinda cool. Price is right, classic pickup config., good platform for a little modding, fun like a Mustang should be, etc

That’s all fine and good but I just don’t see how any Mustang fan can be underwhelmed, disappointed and angry that Fender has FINALLY made a proper Mustang. If someone just wants a random Fender PJ, there are a ton to choose from in every price range. The only thing I’m not happy with is the price for it as it’s MIM. At $949, it should be US made with a better neck IMO.