Hey, that looks my old bass! Well without the ageing. My first real bass was a blue mustang just like that.
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By all means get it, but absolutely DON'T(as in DON'T)chomp into it with a different type of pickup. Respect its survivorship. How many times have we seen sad, irreversible mods done to righteous instruments that didn't deserve that kind of butchery? Frets and hardware replacement are one thing, and yes, original Mustang bass pickups leave something to be desired, but you can get exact replacement pup's from Seymour Duncan, Nordstrand, even Curtis himself, to improve the deficiencies in a non-invasive manner. Sticking a Darkstar or humbucker with that kind of configuration in there, and all you would have is a relic'd Mikey Way Mustang.I'd be all over that. Fix the tuner & bridge, do whatever the neck needs, and put in a Novak Darkstar if the pickup's shot.
Alright guys, I'm looking at entering the vintage bass world with a '69-'73 'Competition' Mustang but it needs some work and I have no idea what parts and labor would cost.
The price is $300 but I can only buy today since I'm leaving town. I would like to string it and check the electronics but since it's Sunday, I have no means of getting strings. The work I know it needs is 1 new tuning mechanism and a spring on one of the bridge saddles. The neck looked to be in pretty fair shape which was my #1 concern. So is $300 a fair price or will I be getting in over my head?
That color is called Competition Burgundy - my first decent bass was like this one - 1969, Competition Burgundy, lollipop tuners. Purchased new in early 1970 when I was still in high school. I wish like hell I still had it - BUY IT !!

Very cool, but I wonder why they called it competition burgundy when it's blue?[/QUO
Competition Burgundy was actually more akin to purple - I have seen them age to be either a more blue color, or they would age to a green color ! The lollipop tuners were only put on the 1969 model. My 69 was definitely purple - not blueVery cool, but I wonder why they called it competition burgundy when it's blue?![]()
Competition Burgundy was actually more akin to purple - I have seen them age to be either a more blue color, or they would age to a green color ! The lollipop tuners were only put on the 1969 model. My 69 was definitely purple - not blue
Competition Burgundy was actually more akin to purple - I have seen them age to be either a more blue color, or they would age to a green color ! The lollipop tuners were only put on the 1969 model. My 69 was definitely purple - not blue
Sorry - I meant to say that the 69 would have had lollipop tuners - not that they ONLY came on the 69 !Not so - they were installed on Mustang and Coronado basses from '66-'69, just like the full sized pops on Jazz, paisley Tele's and sometimes P-basses. (see @hsech '68 above)
If you don't I will. Just let me know. And a good Luther can straighten/ flatten a neck with heat and/or replace a truss rod. Now if the truss rod nut is stripped...