Laying into it heavy is the only way I play my bass. Maybe if you have a light touch and you're playing jazz or something, you wont notice it, or the way you EQ. But playing aggressively, even with a pick, thru my Ampeg with the UltraLo engaged, its far too boomy for rock/punk. If I up the mids and highs, I get that clanky sound I hate and if I cut the UltraLo switch off, I dont get the presence I want. My $69 SX Ursa 1 JR with the Quarter Pound pickup sounds awesome at the same settings my Mustang sounds too boomy with which is disheartening.
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New PJ Mustang at Summer NAMM
- Thread starter GhettoBrassGuy
- Start date
Laying into it heavy is the only way I play my bass. Maybe if you have a light touch and you're playing jazz or something, you wont notice it, or the way you EQ. But playing aggressively, even with a pick, thru my Ampeg with the UltraLo engaged, its far too boomy for rock/punk. If I up the mids and highs, I get that clanky sound I hate and if I cut the UltraLo switch off, I dont get the presence I want. My $69 SX Ursa 1 JR with the Quarter Pound pickup sounds awesome at the same settings my Mustang sounds too boomy with which is disheartening.
Hey@staurosjohn, sorry my English is not perfect.
I hope I understand you correct that you are talking about the installation. If so, the only thing what does not fit is the wiring length of the J Pu. It must be extended to connect it with the toogle switch.
You have so many other cheap basses that you like so much more, and that sound so much better than the Mustang P/J.
So why did you buy one, and why do you continue to post negative things about the MPJ?
There's a lot of people here who have the Mustang, like it very much, have none of the issues that seem to plague you,
and are happy with their purchase. You may enjoy wallowing in your negativity, but it has no purpose or value for this forum.
You would probably be much better off returning the Mustang, playing your awesome $69 SX Ursa, and focusing on
things that work for you rather than things that don't.
"My $69 SX Ursa 1 JR with the Quarter Pound pickup sounds awesome at the same settings my Mustang sounds too boomy with which is disheartening."
So the 'problem' is it is not exactly the same another bass you own.
Thanks for clarifying it was pilot error all along.
So the 'problem' is it is not exactly the same another bass you own.
Thanks for clarifying it was pilot error all along.
I don't find E on mine to be overly boomy at all with the stock strings.
I think the UltraLo switch may be your problem as it boosts the low lows and has a hefty cut in the mids,both combined is like a recipe for boom
Two different basses will most likely require two different settings on your amp, but I'm sure you must have tried that.
I think you are correct. I dont like the sound of the amp with the UltraLo off and I can't find a way to get the boom out of the E string on the Mustang with it on unless I crank the mids and highs so that sucks for me. Ah well, Im playing guitar a lot more these days anyways.
Yep, see my post above. Only way I can get the boom out of the Mustang is switching off the UltraLo but I dont like that tone, sounds small and weak to me. I also dont want to mess around with my settings going between basses. So I guess I'll have to pick one and stick with it.
Try adjusting the pickup height
The error? Expecting two different basses to sound the same just because the amp has the same settings.
According to that logic pickups, setup, strings, etc. have no impact.
You have basses you like, I suggest you talk more about them.
Ah ok, you must have missed where I mentioned several times I tried to EQ the Mustang. Turning off the UltraLo is a weak sound I dont like and cranking the mids and highs gives that clanky sound that I hate.
Tbh I am really not a fan of Ampeg , I remember the first time I played through an SVT Pro 4 , I was psyched as for a lot of people Ampeg is THE rock amp so I guess I had high expectations, anyway I plugged in my Squier Jaguar and just could not get a sound I was totally happy with, there was just something weird in the mids that I could not eq out, tried the same bass through another amp and it sounded great
Anyhow I think if you are finding your SX sounds good then maybe you should swap out the pickups on the Mustang, put some Quarter pounders in there and see if it makes a difference
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Huh. You might just be looking for a brighter sounding bass. A QP is pretty bright. Much brighter than Fender pickups. Not to mention the Mustang has the neck pickup in a boomier spot. I'd expect it moved back some to get the more grindy P tone.
It also has a bridge pickup and sometimes you change up locations to get a good balance. For what it's worth the Mustang to me, in neck position, is more like a simulated Hofner or EB bass with a bit more well-rounded tone. The bridge pickup is where your upper mids and highs come in.
The Mustang doesn't really get much bite by comparison to some other PJs from the bridge pickup, but that's part of what makes me like it. The bridge pup has some nice upper mids and sounds punchy even if missing some bottom end.
I did find that this bass benefits greatly from tweaking pickup heights. If you lower the neck pickup some it should reduce the highs and lows at the same time, creating a more mid-heavy sound.
I'm still working on my setup so I don't have specific recommendations, but I juiced the bridge pickup up to be pretty close to the strings without the warble. I need to probably lower my neck pickup some, but raising the bridge up really helped get a more even tone when switching between pickups.
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An approach I always take when getting an instrument is to first of all of course to see how I like the current set until. Then take steps in adjusting bridge, neck and pickup heights, then strings to suit my style. After that if I like the instrument enough to the make changes to the bridge, pickup(s), keys, nut and pots to really tweak it step by step. Now regarding the E string issues made in some of the comments here, one if the most distinguishing characteristics between a long scale and a short scale bass is the E string. One is not better than the other. Just different. Depending on your style and your settings you can definitely go for your own sound. I like 'em both. Your amp will definitely be a big part of your issue as well especially with regard to the E.
NICE Aguilar pickups!!!! I just put the EMG GZR P/J pickup set in my sonic blue Mustang P/J. I ended up taking out the 3-way toggle switch and putting a master tone there. So I now have V/V/T setup. I had to ask for a second long quick-connect cable from EMG to make it work with the long reach, but it was a super easy install. The pickups fit perfectly.
This bass is a damn keeper with a pickup upgrade. I really liked it before, but now it just slays for a little short scale. I am not playing my other basses too much lately b/c of this one.
As far as strings go, I've tried a bunch. I'm currently using the D'Addario .50 gauge set of short scale rounds right now. They are really great sounding. I also tried the really light gauge La Bella Deep Talkin Bass Flats that are for 30" scale basses. The La Bellas are truly fantastic sounding flats on this bass. I really hated the stock strings and I tried out the short scale D'Addario Chrome flats too, but the E string sounded really weird with those strings. Maybe it was a bad string, because that issue is non-existent with the D'Addario rounds and the La Bellas. If you forced me to choose, I'd say those La Bella flats are the best sounding strings on this bass.
Yeah, I had thought about a pickup swap but if that doesn't do it, Im not able to return it. Im guessing a pickup swap would solve it though. Might do that.
What strings are you using? Might be worth trying a new set first. Something like cobalt slinky rounds maybe. The stock strings on the Mustang are alright but mine went dead fast.
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