Just for the heck of it, heres a song I wrote and recorded with my friends
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Fender Mustang PJ upgrades
- Thread starter Pressman52
- Start date
Thought this might be of info also, this is the gig bag I got, works good, fits good, just have to remove the velcroed pad at the bottom. Gator G-PG ELECTRIC ProGo Ultimate Gig Bag for Electric Guitar
So received the black minime thumbrest from ZeroMod, works great attached is a pic also attached a pic of both mustangs, the playing positions match
Hi, I'm interested in modding my Mustang as well! Mine is a MIJ Hybrid Mustang Bass. I'm planning on replacing the P-Bass pickup with an actual Mustang split-coil neck pickup from Lollar, and the bridge for a split-coil jazz bass pickup from Lindy Fralin. The custom pickguard is already in the works, so until then, I'm working on getting the parts ready to mod the control plate.
I really like the look of the '62 Jazz stacked controls, but as you mentioned, I'm a little worried if everything will fit inside a small cavity. Did you purchase the stacked pots from Fender, or were they CTS/another brand? I heard from a lot of people that they had to drill out larger holes to fit CTS pots, and I'm trying to avoid that altogether. Also, which specific tone caps did you use? I was thinking of using orange drops, but I saw others using the ceramic discs and they look like they fit better.
Lastly, here's a pic for attention:
Had a Zero Mod rest on my Squier CV Mustang, Was way too far away from the strings for my comfort... Sold it and got the ThumbRocker instead. A little two-sided tape and this convenient rest mounts right up against (and slightly under) the E string!
~Much better for smaller hands IMO.
I'll be greatly interested to see what mods you do to your CV Stang when you post them...
Sure will going to go ahead put a Nordy NM4 in, and a emerson PBass prewired circuit with treble bleed in, will post results
Hi folks, time to customise the PJ. I'm looking to replace the toggle switch with a PU blend knob (250k from what I gather?). I've tried looking for some wiring diagrams but haven't been able to find one. It can't be hard, but want to make sure I get it right first time. Could someone point me in the right direction? Also looking to swap out the PUs to some EMG GZR, has anyone added a blend knob with this configuration? Cheers!
Responding to myself, I've managed to figure it out and changed to VTB, quite easily. Switch replaced with Blend knob (such a great change!) Master vol and Tone as is. LaBella 760FS and Hipshot tuners arrived today, all very lovely and beautiful upgrades. Pickups will have to come later after this gets a broken in.
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Do you have pics of the final product? Interested in doing a VTB setup myself!
Here she is with upgrades. Pickups come next, maybe the bridge and scratch plate too and that'll be a wrap for this one.
Attachments
Wow the natural and maple fb look is stunning!
When you said to shorten the intonation screws, did you mean replace them with shorter screws or actually cut them or something? Looking for a quick release bridge for my Mustang PJ and yours is the only I've seen so far with one like that
I cut mine. The best way I've found is to use a wiring crimping tool that I have to cut them. I removed the screws and threaded a couple of nuts on them close to the screw head and tightened one nut to the other. This allowed me to hold them safely after I threaded them into the crimping tool to cut them. This also allows you to "chase" the threads after cutting the screw when you're removing the nuts. Another option of course is to just hit your local hardware and buy new screws of the appropriate length!
Thanks for the answer. Also, would all dimensions (656, 687, 718, etc) of this particular bridge be appropriate for this bass without having to drill new holes on the bass? I’d like to get 17.5 string spacing.
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Great (if old) thread.
Here are my 'Stangs:
Bought the MIJ, Oly White one in 2013. Only mods are cavity shielding and Nordstrand NM4 pups swapped in. Noticeably, if not dramatically more articulate than the stockers: more of a nuanced rather than a "knock you down" difference, but worth doing. Strung with Chromes.
Just got the Sienna Burst "Player" recently and haven't yet modded anything, but am definitely going to do something about the annoyingly-located toggle which tends to throw itself on my thigh when I play seated (most of the time). Cavity shielding will also be on the agenda. I'll echo the complaint about poorly-balanced output between the "P" and "J" pups, but was pretty much expecting that going in. Have been considering either DiMarzio or Aguilar replacements, so am finding all the above discussion of other candidates to be of interest. So far, I've left the factory rounds onj, just because I have flats on all my other basses and am getting a kick out of the difference for the time being.
Really dig the satin finish on the back of the neck of the "Player", and prefer the 1-1/2"-wide nut to the 1-5/8" found on some Mustangs. Had another maple-necked shorty stolen awhile back, so this is going a long way towards filling that hole in my heart.
One last thing (maybe a "Hail Mary"): has anybody found a decent hard case (other than the Fender) that fits these basses well? After sales tax, the Fender Mustang case price is pushing $300 these days, which is highway robbery for what it is. When I bought my MIJ Mustang in 2013, that case was going for $135 and I thought that was overpricing it. I know about the "Douglas" HSC offered by Rondo/SX, but several reviewers say that's flimsy junk.
I used to have an ESP case that fit Mustangs like a glove, but have no idea what it was actually made to fit as the only marking on it was the "ESP" stenciled on the outside. At any rate, it was taken along with the stolen bass mentioned above.
Here are my 'Stangs:
Bought the MIJ, Oly White one in 2013. Only mods are cavity shielding and Nordstrand NM4 pups swapped in. Noticeably, if not dramatically more articulate than the stockers: more of a nuanced rather than a "knock you down" difference, but worth doing. Strung with Chromes.
Just got the Sienna Burst "Player" recently and haven't yet modded anything, but am definitely going to do something about the annoyingly-located toggle which tends to throw itself on my thigh when I play seated (most of the time). Cavity shielding will also be on the agenda. I'll echo the complaint about poorly-balanced output between the "P" and "J" pups, but was pretty much expecting that going in. Have been considering either DiMarzio or Aguilar replacements, so am finding all the above discussion of other candidates to be of interest. So far, I've left the factory rounds onj, just because I have flats on all my other basses and am getting a kick out of the difference for the time being.
Really dig the satin finish on the back of the neck of the "Player", and prefer the 1-1/2"-wide nut to the 1-5/8" found on some Mustangs. Had another maple-necked shorty stolen awhile back, so this is going a long way towards filling that hole in my heart.
One last thing (maybe a "Hail Mary"): has anybody found a decent hard case (other than the Fender) that fits these basses well? After sales tax, the Fender Mustang case price is pushing $300 these days, which is highway robbery for what it is. When I bought my MIJ Mustang in 2013, that case was going for $135 and I thought that was overpricing it. I know about the "Douglas" HSC offered by Rondo/SX, but several reviewers say that's flimsy junk.
I used to have an ESP case that fit Mustangs like a glove, but have no idea what it was actually made to fit as the only marking on it was the "ESP" stenciled on the outside. At any rate, it was taken along with the stolen bass mentioned above.
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I've been doing a mustang p/j upgrade project to mimic a 'stang played by Jason Isbell's Bass player Anna Butterss.
That mustang (and mine now) are this config:
BASE Stock MIM Sonic Blue (white/white) Mustang P/J with Original Neck & Tuners
1. Replaced Nut with bone nut
2. Replaced Round Wound Strings with LaBella Flat wound
3. Replaced Neck Pickups with Fender US Precision Pickup Set
4. Replaced Bridge Pickup with Nordstrand NJ4SV Humbucking Pickup
5. Replaced Bridge with Badass II Chrome Bridge
6. Replaced Pots with 250K CTS full size pots (had to mod the control plate for larger posts)
7. Replaced Wiring with Cloth covered wires.
8. Shielded all internal Cavities.
9. Did full setup tip to tail.
My opinion of it is OMG! It went from an OK sounding / playing bass -- probably the last in line of my 5 basses. To a fabulous sounding / playing bass. The only thing I'd do differently now is maybe replace the neck for a different wood. I'm not crazy about the Pau Ferro wood, and would prefer maple and I REALLY love the finish on my American Pro II bass neck. If it had that, I'd think hard about ever setting it down. Maybe later.
Investment wise:
Base Instrument: $580ish
Bone nut: $12
Strings: $48
Neck PU: $92
Bridge PU: $110
Bridge: $90
Pots/Wire: $15
Shielding: $3
TOTAL: $950 (imho very very reasonable)
That mustang (and mine now) are this config:
BASE Stock MIM Sonic Blue (white/white) Mustang P/J with Original Neck & Tuners
1. Replaced Nut with bone nut
2. Replaced Round Wound Strings with LaBella Flat wound
3. Replaced Neck Pickups with Fender US Precision Pickup Set
4. Replaced Bridge Pickup with Nordstrand NJ4SV Humbucking Pickup
5. Replaced Bridge with Badass II Chrome Bridge
6. Replaced Pots with 250K CTS full size pots (had to mod the control plate for larger posts)
7. Replaced Wiring with Cloth covered wires.
8. Shielded all internal Cavities.
9. Did full setup tip to tail.
My opinion of it is OMG! It went from an OK sounding / playing bass -- probably the last in line of my 5 basses. To a fabulous sounding / playing bass. The only thing I'd do differently now is maybe replace the neck for a different wood. I'm not crazy about the Pau Ferro wood, and would prefer maple and I REALLY love the finish on my American Pro II bass neck. If it had that, I'd think hard about ever setting it down. Maybe later.
Investment wise:
Base Instrument: $580ish
Bone nut: $12
Strings: $48
Neck PU: $92
Bridge PU: $110
Bridge: $90
Pots/Wire: $15
Shielding: $3
TOTAL: $950 (imho very very reasonable)
Anyone know what the stock pickups are on the offset PJ Mustangs? I need to replace the p pickup...always liked the stock p pickup sound
