Shortscale: Mustang vs P vs SG

[kevs1]

I have Player P. But as mainly a guitar player, I'm a bit tired of the weight and bulkiness of the classic Bass.

Anyone A/B Mustang vs P vs SG, and have any good opinions? Ditto question of Player Mustang vs American made Mustang vs SG. thanks!

Clearly, the best tone is with P, but slight tone loss for comfort (frets being closer), and 1-2 lb less weight, I may want to make... as mostly a guitarist playing a bit of bass for fun...

 

[MattZilla]

If you’re patient you can find sub-7.5lbs P basses and their size truly ceases to be an issue.

SG basses... if a P bass is a cheeseburger & fries, an SG is beef & potater stew. They’ll do the same thing but you have to treat them differently. Please ignore that, if one is super determined, one can eat a cheeseburger and fries out of a bowl with a spoon.

There are short scale P basses that come closer than the Mustang. Reverend Wattplower and Schecter Banshee, and I think there’s an Ibanez one too.

 

[kevs1]

Matt thanks, I looked at weight of all p basses on sweetwater currently, that would list weight, but all 8,5 to 9lbs one was 8 6 oz; current one I have is 8 and 13 oz.

So I don't know about a 7.5 p bass, but still frets are very far apart and body is big and bulky. Clearly knocking off a pound would be great but would not a sg or mustang feel more like heaven to a guitarist?

What about tone? Did not understand the sg burger things, maybe I did a bitl..

 

[ajkula66]

If you're primarily a Fender player, the SG might feel odd and you'll certainly have to EQ it very differently than your current P, or the Mustang for that fact.

I would highly suggest trying one out if at all possible prior to purchase.

 

[svlilioukalani]

I have all 3. The mustang will sound very fender like, but is lighter and easier to play. It’s an excellent bass. I never seem to pick up the SG these days. Is a great bass but no my thing.

 

[kevs1]

Thanks Svili, if SG is great, why so, and if don't use why not sell it? Does the Mustang sounds almost as good as the P Bass?

 

[MattZilla]

would not a sg or mustang feel more like heaven to a guitarist?

I started out on guitar. One of my Heavens is a Mike Shannon era Jackson Soloist. Another is a Yairi classical. No bass can compare to either of those except in weight- my soloist weighs 9lbs.

The most fun on bass I’ve had was while playing my Fender Geddy sig bass- it definitely felt better than the five or six SG/EB-3s I’ve played and felt marginally more home-like than my current G&L shortie... which is still a bass and not a guitar. I even miss my grossly heavy and ridiculously long feeling Warwick Corvette because of how well it felt.

The Geddy had a neck shaped very similarly to the Soloist and my other Jacksons & Charvels and the Warwick had a neck shape a lot like most classicals but bigger. Both basses exceeded the feel of a bunch of other basses and many guitars due less to the neck shape and even more to the quality of the fretwork which allowed me to drop the strings way low to be able to fret with tiny tiny amounts of effort and yet get little to no buzz. Both got sold because neither recorded very well without being super forward in the mix and both weighed too much to be fun live.

I have a 7.7lbs MIM P that I absolutely love for both gigging/jamming and recording even though it has to have a lot of relief in the neck for it to not buzz.

I just picked up an MIK G&L short moreso due to curiosity. Neither stand up playing nor a itting down to record isn’t noticeably different from the Fender except for the deadspot being someplace else on the staff. It too requires more neck relief than I wish.

I say a P is like a cheeseburger because it’s eating-with-your-fingers-level easy to get goodenough-to-great sounds out if you have any familiarity with any other fretted string instruments.

Ever watch a chimpanzee learning to work a spoon? That’s how many people look trying to figure out how to get a good sound out of a SG/EB. It can be done, but it’s not a tenth as intuitive as a P. Also, just as stew isn’t ever mistaken for a burger, no matter where you pluck the strings or how you EQ an SG/EB, it is always different than a P.

 

[SmokinJoe992]

You may also want to try something from the Ibanez SR series. Very light with thin necks and tight string spacing which may appeal to a guitarist. In my opinion they are more comfortable to play than most short scales I have tried.

 

[jimmydean]

Go with the Mustang , ease of play and tone .

 

[kevs1]

Thanks Matt if you want to send links please do. So SG, naturally, in your opinion, not have nice sweet sound as Fender does. Why should I bother, other they do look cool...

What is you #1 and choice for short scale, tone look feel?

 

[kevs1]

You may also want to try something from the Ibanez SR series. Very light with thin necks and tight string spacing which may appeal to a guitarist. In my opinion they are more comfortable to play than most short scales I have tried.

JOe hard to get my head around Ibenez (looks wise) being such Fender/ Gibson guy with guitars. Actually I bought a $200 Ibenez bass to start on and then went to Player P

 

[kevs1]

Go with the Mustang , ease of play and tone .

Thanks Jimmy, do you play have one? ie compared to SG, or other things mentioned here or to P?

 

[kevs1]

Also if anyone in the know can pipe in about Mustangs: MIM made vs US Pro -- almost same price, but..? Looking am JMJ MIM. vs American Pro, white
Any difference big in sound or build quality?

 

[Leonid Nidis]

Also if anyone in the know can pipe in about Mustangs: MIM made vs US Pro -- almost same price, but..? Looking am JMJ MIM. vs American Pro, white
Any difference big in sound or build quality?

The american performer mustang is a versatile bass.
The M PJ is just a thumper with a useless bridge pickup you cant even blend in(only a 3 way switch).

The SG is great if you play with a pick,finger style it can be muddy especially compared to a full scale fender you are used to.

 

[kevs1]

The american performer mustang is a versatile bass.
The M PJ is just a thumper with a useless bridge pickup you cant even blend in(only a 3 way switch).

The SG is great if you play with a pick,finger style it can be muddy especially compared to a full scale fender you are used to.

Thanks Leonid, cool, these are things I don't know so really appreciate this. I love look of black JMJ so much, but tone important and everything important, so you vote for US made over that one, cool. Helps. I would assume then you'd pick that over SG Gibson too? I love Gibson, so still in mix, but I thinking maybe the American Pro is one best overall pick for a short scale - for tone/ comfort?. Does it come pretty close to MIM P sound? Any opinion on that Schecter Banshee too mentioned before.... I am assuming not quite the American Pro Mustang though..

 

[Leonid Nidis]

Thanks Leonid, cool, these are things I don't know so really appreciate this. I love look of black JMJ so much, but tone important and everything important, so you vote for US made over that one, cool. Helps. I would assume then you'd pick that over SG Gibson too? I love Gibson, so still in mix, but I thinking maybe the American Pro is one best overall pick for a short scale - for tone/ comfort?. Does it come pretty close to MIM P sound? Any opinion on that Schecter Banshee too mentioned before.... I am assuming not quite the American Pro Mustang though..

I would say that the american mustang can sound close to a classic mustang like JMJ but it also can do other sounds like a jazz bass very well.
It sounds crisp and clear with great highs that you usually dont get from a short scale.
Its weakness is with a pick it sounds a bit thin and that's what I got the SG for,its a monster for pick playing and heavy music.

Personally i dont like the mex mustang,it always sounds to me like there is a blanket over the amp.

Didn't try the banshee yet.
Anyway,watch the videos on the basses and see what you like.

 

[_One//Man//Mutiny_]

I had all three, got rid of the Mustang, the p bass is just a little bit fuller, I believe mine has an over wound pickup in it, sounds pretty hot. The eb3 I have has some more versatility, but not has much authority, on the live recordings I used it on it sounded great!

 

[ajkula66]

If you're intent on getting as close to the P sound as possible - without the size/weight involved in one - U.S. made Mustang is likely your best bet.

While I don't necessarily agree that the SG sounds muddy when played fingerstyle, it definitely requires a technique adjustment - along with the aforementioned EQ adjustment - when coming from a Fender. To get most out of any Gibson bass - excluding Thunderbird/IV/V and possibly RD - one needs a *very* light right hand.

My $0.02 only...

 

[TDR1138]

No experience with the Mustangs, though I do have an SG. Just want to throw it out there that the current SGs do not sound like the EBs from the 60s and 70s. While they looks similar, the modern SGs don’t actually have the “mudbucker” pickup, but rather a fairly mild humbucker. It isn’t as hard to EQ and sounds good, if not a little nondescript.

A few months before COVID, I took the family to Universal Studios. They had a jazz trio playing in the park where the bassist was playing a Mustang through a small combo amp. Sounded phenomenal.

I have basses that do the P thing, so I like the SG for something different. But if I were in your position, I’d be strongly considering the Vintera Mustang. I’m not a fan of the PJ models myself.

 

[MartialDylan]

I think the P-bass is too different to be compared to the Mustang and SG. I will say that I prefer the 30.5 scale of the SG bass. The 30 inch scale strings are to rubbery for me.

One thing to remember on the SG bass is the volume on the neck pickup acts like a gain knob from 10 thru 7. 7 to 0 is when the volume actually starts to lessen. The volume knob on the bridge pickup functions normally. I prefer the SG bass. Replace the bridge if you can.