NBD - 1975 Fender Mustang

[BGroovy]

Sometimes endlessly hunting gear pays off. The late night scrolling, pawn shop visiting, estate sale crawling.

By the serial this is a 1975 Mustang. Looks to be all original except for the nut, although I'm sure TB might teach me something

Not my favorite color, probably not a keeper for me, but I just finished leveling and dressing the frets and will get this thing playing great before it finds a new home. If I was keeping it I'd replace the tuners and drop a Nordstrand pickup in it, but hate to mess with one that hasn't already been messed with.

 

[ghostdog93]

If I was keeping it I'd replace the tuners and drop a Nordstrand pickup in it, but hate to mess with one that haven't already been messed with.

Wait...wat?

 

[sleddogn]

poor little fella....loved then just tossed away....lol

 

[BGroovy]

Wait...wat?

I've owned many Mustangs and prefer newer tuners that are smoother and higher ratio. This one keeps tune great but the tuners are heavy, low ratio, and stiff. I prefer the upgraded Nordstrand Mustang pickups to the originals.

I'll get this one cleaned up and dialed in (I love working on basses but can't keep them all) and then it will go up for trade or sale. I have three others behind it in the work queue...

 

[BGroovy]

The dark wood grain lines on the front are interesting. I believe most of these were poplar. Wood nerds - what say you? Poplar body?

 

[BGroovy]

poor little fella....loved then just tossed away....lol

Owner used it for 30 years in an at home recording studio. Passed away. It was sitting in a case for about 5 years. It will be cleaned up and loved again!

 

[T McClure]

How did you find out this one was available at a good price?

 

[BGroovy]

How did you find out this one was available at a good price?

This was from an estate listing of guitars posted on Craigslist

 

[T McClure]

This was from an estate listing of guitars posted on Craigslist

Very cool. Good find. I keep hoping for the magical underpriced listing on FB Marketplace or somewhere similar. I've yet to have any luck.

 

[BGroovy]

Very cool. Good find. I keep hoping for the magical underpriced listing on FB Marketplace or somewhere similar. I've yet to have any luck.

My hourly wage hunting basses is in the negative dollars. Fun hobby though. I love working on them, trading for things I've never played.

I really only have 2 or 3 basses that I actively play out, but I end up with about a dozen in the house that rotate through.

Next in the queue after this one is a MIJ BC Rich (Rico) Eagle (a Facebook marketplace find)

 

[mikewalker]

"Walnut" is one of my favorite Fender finishes... I had a tele deluxe that color, back in the mid-70s

 

[T McClure]

My hourly wage hunting basses is in the negative dollars. Fun hobby though. I love working on them, trading for things I've never played.

I really only have 2 or 3 basses that I actively play out, but I end up with about a dozen in the house that rotate through.

Next in the queue after this one is a MIJ BC Rich (Rico) Eagle (a Facebook marketplace find)

You should put in your will that one of your basses must be sold in an estate sale at a deep discount to a random bass player. Pay it forward.

 

[dponbass]

Youre making the right call, leave it be it's cool!!

 

[Fender_Bender]

It's alder, you can tell by the long ray flecks through the finish. Very clean looking for being 50 years old. Buff it up and find someone born in 75 who wants a bass from that year.

 

[dfp]

What is it about the Nordstrand pickup you prefer to original?

 

[BGroovy]

What is it about the Nordstrand pickup you prefer to original?

I find it much more even across the strings, with more oomph like a P pickup.

I also really like the pickups in the JMJ Mustang.

This one sounds awesome, I just find the Nordstrand and JMJ a bit better for recording, especially on the E string.

 

[BGroovy]

It's alder, you can tell by the long ray flecks through the finish. Very clean looking for being 50 years old. Buff it up and find someone born in 75 who wants a bass from that year.

It's very clean. Some dings and bumps but overall can tell it was kept in a studio and lived in a case a lot. Frets are in great shape after leveling crowning and polishing. Neck is straight and truss rod turns easily.

I think I'm the first person to remove the pickguard screws.

 

[BGroovy]

It's alder, you can tell by the long ray flecks through the finish. Very clean looking for being 50 years old. Buff it up and find someone born in 75 who wants a bass from that year.

Thanks for the alder identification, I'm not an expert on woods by any means, I just know a lot of the 70s models were poplar but this didn't look Poplar to me.

 

[starkiller19]

I have this same bass … same walnut mocha finish but different model year (76 I think). I've kept everything stock. The neck is still dead straight after all these years. It holds tune great and with labella flats plays great. However the tuners are definitely slow and stiff so if I were to change anything that would be it.

 

[BGroovy]

I have this same bass … same walnut mocha finish but different model year (76 I think). I've kept everything stock. The neck is still dead straight after all these years. It holds tune great and with labella flats plays great. However the tuners are definitely slow and stiff so if I were to change anything that would be it.

Was 76 the first year they moved to serial numbers on the headstock? Looks the same except for that and the knobs having number markers.