Musicmaster Vs Mustang CIJ

[JimHouchin]

Guys, I've got a 1978 musticmaster red AND a 2010 Mustang CIJ in white on the way this week from GC. Who's gunna win in my head to head? I assume all things considered the mustang should be the "clear" winner?

Pics to follow....

 

[WI Short Scaler]

If the '78 is left stock than yes the Mustang should win out.

I bought an extra '78 body and modded it to have a better setup. Changed out the bridge to a string through body, and added a 4 pole pickup rather than the stock Strat pickup that was original. Love it now, never gone head to head with a Mustang but it's my main bass and has been for years. Paint work during the mod was my son back in high school when he was into air brushing.

 

[JimHouchin]

If the '78 is left stock than yes the Mustang should win out.

I bought an extra '78 body and modded it to have a better setup. Changed out the bridge to a string through body, and added a 4 pole pickup rather than the stock Strat pickup that was original. Love it now, never gone head to head with a Mustang but it's my main bass and has been for years. Paint work during the mod was my son back in high school when he was into air brushing.

Besides your "custom body." Do you know the body woods used for each originally?

 

[WI Short Scaler]

No, I really don't. Just liked the Musicmaster enough to want to mod it and keep it. Sorry

 

[WI Short Scaler]

So I looked up some info on the Musicmaster.

"The Fender Musicmaster Bass is a model of electric bass guitar, produced by Fender between 1971 and 1981.

As with its six-string counterpart, which was a stripped-down version of the Fender Mustang, the Musicmaster Bass is a simpler version of the Invalid Link Removed. It features a short 30 in (762 mm) scale. All of the Musicmaster's electronics are mounted onto a single piece of plastic.

Like many of Fender's other budget-priced guitars, the Musicmaster Bass used many surplus parts from other Fender models. The bodies were leftover Invalid Link Removed bodies, while the pickups were six-pole guitar pickups, rather than four-pole bass pickups. Many players modified the bodies of their Musicmaster basses to accommodate Precision-style double pickups or enhanced electronics. Woods used for the body were generally poplar, with maple necks and rosewood fretboards."

I guess I had heard that before, that the Musicmaster bass was used with bodies rejected for Mustangs. The biggest differences that made it a "student" or "budget" model was the use of strat pickups and less expensive electronics.

Maybe that helps?

 

[JimHouchin]

So I looked up some info on the Musicmaster.

"The Fender Musicmaster Bass is a model of electric bass guitar, produced by Fender between 1971 and 1981.

As with its six-string counterpart, which was a stripped-down version of the Fender Mustang, the Musicmaster Bass is a simpler version of the Invalid Link Removed. It features a short 30 in (762 mm) scale. All of the Musicmaster's electronics are mounted onto a single piece of plastic.

Like many of Fender's other budget-priced guitars, the Musicmaster Bass used many surplus parts from other Fender models. The bodies were leftover Invalid Link Removed bodies, while the pickups were six-pole guitar pickups, rather than four-pole bass pickups. Many players modified the bodies of their Musicmaster basses to accommodate Precision-style double pickups or enhanced electronics. Woods used for the body were generally poplar, with maple necks and rosewood fretboards."

I guess I had heard that before, that the Musicmaster bass was used with bodies rejected for Mustangs. The biggest differences that made it a "student" or "budget" model was the use of strat pickups and less expensive electronics.

Maybe that helps?

Sure does. Not sure if those "tone factors" matter to me, as I'm not gigging. Short scale is for travel practice. Color, fit and finish might! We'll see how much of a "reject" the Musicmaster is....

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Sure does. Not sure if those "tone factors" matter to me, as I'm not gigging. Short scale is for travel practice. Color, fit and finish might! We'll see how much of a "reject" the Musicmaster is....

I read somewhere else that the reason most of the bodies had been rejected from Mustang production was that the primary paint scheme used was burst, and the grains were not good enough or didn't match well enough. Works for me.

My "reject" has been my main work horse gigging for 20 years!

It's a short scale, so you love it or hate it. Doesn't seem to be a "gray" area in that respect.

 

[Gare Boo]

If the '78 is left stock than yes the Mustang should win out.

I bought an extra '78 body and modded it to have a better setup. Changed out the bridge to a string through body, and added a 4 pole pickup rather than the stock Strat pickup that was original. Love it now, never gone head to head with a Mustang but it's my main bass and has been for years. Paint work during the mod was my son back in high school when he was into air brushing.

What bridge did you put on it?

 

[WI Short Scaler]

What bridge did you put on it?

I got it from a place called "Buzzard's bass shop" that I think is now closed. It was a Squier Musicmaster bridge, never seen another in stock anywhere, most people don't part out those basses.