• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Fender Mustang/MusicMaster questions

Mental Octopus

Mental Octopus

May 24, 2003
1,559
4
#1
I am rebuilding one of these cool short scales...

The body is a Mustang, but original Mustang bridges seem costly. What spacing does the Mustang have? Could I get something like the Hipshot A bridge (I am aware that some drilling will be involved)? Will bridges like a badass or gotoh work ok?

Will a Japanese Mustang Re-Issue neck fit on a 70's body?
 
#3
I found a "bastardized" Mustang Bass at Norm's rare Guitars here in LA.

Mustang body finished in natural, Mustang neck, and a '7-'s P-Bass pup! Except for the depth lost due to the short scale, the bass sounds GREAT and is a blast to play.

I had the bridge replaced with a BadAssII; works fine.
 
#4
How about a Link Removed? This one is a through the body style so you will have to drill holes through the body.
005-1803-000.jpg
 
#5
Except for the depth lost due to the short scale, the bass sounds GREAT and is a blast to play.
Click to expand...
Mustangs and Musicmasters are great players. I owned a Musicmaster a few years ago and replaced the (lousy) original single coil with a DiMarzio Fast Track Strat replacement humbucker. Fantastic improvement in the tone and the depth on the E string. As a fan of short scales, I can tell you the deep lows sound different than a on a long scale, but a good short scale is not lacking in lows at all. Frankly, the low range tone of my short scale Alembic Brown Bass kicks the sh*%t out of most long scale basses and holds its own with the rest. Fender shorties do benefit from heavier bridges and even addition of a brass nut to get the best tone. A Hipshot A in the narrow spacing (check the options on Hipshot's site) should adjust to just what you need. I recommend the slightly more expensive brass version of the A. A reissue MIJ neck should fit a MIA 70s body but I've never tried it (the reissues are pretty faithful).
 
#6
bassman10096 said:
Mustangs and Musicmasters are great players. I owned a Musicmaster a few years ago and replaced the (lousy) original single coil with a DiMarzio Fast Track Strat replacement humbucker. Fantastic improvement in the tone and the depth on the E string. As a fan of short scales, I can tell you the deep lows sound different than a on a long scale, but a good short scale is not lacking in lows at all. Frankly, the low range tone of my short scale Alembic Brown Bass kicks the sh*%t out of most long scale basses and holds its own with the rest. Fender shorties do benefit from heavier bridges and even addition of a brass nut to get the best tone. A Hipshot A in the narrow spacing (check the options on Hipshot's site) should adjust to just what you need. I recommend the slightly more expensive brass version of the A. A reissue MIJ neck should fit a MIA 70s body but I've never tried it (the reissues are pretty faithful).
Click to expand...

would you happen to have a soundclip of your MusicMaster with the fast track pickup? i've been doing some research and it seems like a popular choice....

and yeah I think a hipshot would be a good choice...right now it's between that and the Schaller Roller bridge...but the hipshot seems more solid. I don't really want to string thru the body so I don't think that MusicMaster bridge would work for me as well as a Hipshot would.

this should be a cool project, thanks for the responses!
 
#7
by the way, after looking around for musicmaster bass clips, the sound in this song is definitely what i'm going for. been thinking about putting 2 pickups in it as well, one in the traditional position and one close to the bridge.

 
#9
realdeal said:
Except for the depth lost due to the short scale
Click to expand...

I have quite a few short scale basses including a Mustang RI, 2 Squier Sroncos and this mutt I cobbled together from parts:

Link Removed

None of them have any idea that they're supposed lose depth due to the short scale and I'm not going to tell them.

The strings on my Mustang RI measure E/G 2-1/16" ctc at the saddles.
 
#11
I don't have any clips of the Fast Track in my Musicmaster, but it increased the range to something like a very smooth thump with the treble rolled all the way off. Midway, it sounded like a P and with the treble full on it had a bit of snarl. I was using Deep Talkin flats if I recall.

I think a hipshot would be a good choice...right now it's between that and the Schaller Roller bridge...but the hipshot seems more solid.
Click to expand...
I wasn't wild about the Roller Bridge when I had it on the Musicmaster. It isn't high mass enough to provide the anchor you need to get the most out of a short scale. I've used Hipshot A on other basses with great results.
 
#16
I'm doing this from memory as I sold off my mustang a while back, but I am pretty sure that the string spacing is 18mm from string core to string core on them. I recall thinking that it was the one bass on which the tighter spacing didn't immediately send me running for the hills. Dunno if that's the spec you are looking for, but just in case it is, I thought I'd throw it out there since no one else had mentioned it yet.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back