I just got myself a Squier Mustang Bass. $150 off of CL in Cincinnati! It is in great shape. How do I post pics?
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Squier Models Disappearing ??
- Thread starter tubatodd
- Start date
I wanted to buy a Squier VM Mustang early last year. I already had a Bronco bass so I bought an Epiphone ES-335 instead. By the time I decided it was time to buy the Mustang, I find out it's discontinued! I searched all over the San Francisco/Sacramento craigslist, guitar centers, local shops, and ebay. For two months not a single Squier VM Mustang popped up.
If Fender's plan was to get me to buy the Fender MIJ re-issue then it ALMOST worked. I was a credit card swipe away from pulling the trigger numerous times. I think Fender knows many Mustang Bass fans would be willing to spend the extra money. Those who aren't, will probably get the Squier Jaguar SS. Either way Fender still wins.
The only thing that stopped me from buying the Fender was that I had the Bronco laying around. I thought it would be a cool project to try and convert it to a Mustang. It was really fun, but I recommend just buying the VM Squier if you can find it.
***I saw one listed last week at a local Shop in San Rafael - The Magic Flute. If I hadn't done this project, I would've bought it. Not sure if it's still available.
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If Fender's plan was to get me to buy the Fender MIJ re-issue then it ALMOST worked. I was a credit card swipe away from pulling the trigger numerous times. I think Fender knows many Mustang Bass fans would be willing to spend the extra money. Those who aren't, will probably get the Squier Jaguar SS. Either way Fender still wins.
The only thing that stopped me from buying the Fender was that I had the Bronco laying around. I thought it would be a cool project to try and convert it to a Mustang. It was really fun, but I recommend just buying the VM Squier if you can find it.
***I saw one listed last week at a local Shop in San Rafael - The Magic Flute. If I hadn't done this project, I would've bought it. Not sure if it's still available.
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If that's the Bronco conversion on the right, you did a really good job of it.
Does it sound as good as it looks?
Strange thing - Squier still lists the VM Mustang on their site, and supposedly, the site has been re-designed.
Invalid Link Removed
Still - no one seems to carry them anymore.
Does it sound as good as it looks?
Strange thing - Squier still lists the VM Mustang on their site, and supposedly, the site has been re-designed.
Invalid Link Removed
Still - no one seems to carry them anymore.
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If you have a photobucket account, upload your pics to it and click on the IMG link associated with the pic you want to share, it will automatically copy to your clipboard and then you can paste it in the body of your post in TB.
P.S. I saw that on CL and nearly went after it myself. I ordered a Mikey Way instead.
We'll have to get together after you get the Mikey Way, I'd like to hear how it sounds. I just put LaBella 1954 Flats on my VM Mustang. Sounds super deep.
Seems to also work if you upload from OneDrive or Google Drive.
Thanks, yes it is the one on the right. It's a Bronco body and neck with Mustang everything. It definitely sounds better than it did as a Bronco. The only other bass I can compare it to is an old Squier P-Bass w/ Fender pickups and full sized pots.
The Mustang's tone is definitely thumpier. Its lows are not as defined as the P and its output is weaker. But the Mustang does have a nice old school tone - sounds great played finger style and with a pick.
It drives me crazy that it's not listed as discontinued on Squier's site. It made me feel like I had hope of finding it, haha. I finally gave up and had to build this. I'm planning to do a separate thread showing exactly what it takes to convert a Bronco. It's time consuming but really not as difficult as it may seem.
Sounds like a plan, I love flats and have them on my other basses, so I'll be putting flats on the Mustang as well.
In case anyone is interested, Amazon has a black one for sale. Wish I saw this in December.
http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Vintag...8&qid=1423624839&sr=1-4&keywords=mustang+bass
http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Vintag...8&qid=1423624839&sr=1-4&keywords=mustang+bass
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I see: "...Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock..."
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
Wow that was fast! There was a used black one for sale for $249.99 with free shipping. It was available last night when I posted this.
Gone! I bought it. It was listed as "Used - Like New condition", but they actually shipped me a brand new one in a sealed box
.P.S. I can't put it down since I got it.
The Mustang came today!
I ordered it two months ago and got an email saying it was ready to pick up today.
Right out of the box and up close, the gray base coat shown through the metal flake more than I expected, but that's not such a bad thing, it's still quite flashy as it is and you only see the metal flake even from a short distance. I could care less what people think when they see one of my Fenders sitting on a stand while I play a Squier, but this one is an attention getter., (I'm going to have fun with this one.)
Being a signature model, I expected the fit and trim to be above average and I am happy to report that it is.
After getting it home and giving it a thorough walk around the block, I have to say this is one nice little bass.
Neck relief, action and pickup height all seemed fine straight out of the box., (a first for me). The volume and tone pots worked as they should and the passive humbucker sounded good to my ears, even with the zingy strings that came on it. I did however have a set of TI Jazz flats that came off a used bass I bought some time ago where the PO had cut them a bit too short barely leaving two wraps around the pegs, so they've been waiting for a short scale to come along and they are right at home on the Mustang.
The 30" scale will take some getting used to, but so far I'm loving it. The neck is thin, the bass is comfortable and possibly due to it's small size it feels lighter than it actually is. At 8lb10oz, it's heavier than I expected, but not too heavy.
I ordered it two months ago and got an email saying it was ready to pick up today.
Right out of the box and up close, the gray base coat shown through the metal flake more than I expected, but that's not such a bad thing, it's still quite flashy as it is and you only see the metal flake even from a short distance. I could care less what people think when they see one of my Fenders sitting on a stand while I play a Squier, but this one is an attention getter., (I'm going to have fun with this one.)
Being a signature model, I expected the fit and trim to be above average and I am happy to report that it is.
After getting it home and giving it a thorough walk around the block, I have to say this is one nice little bass.
Neck relief, action and pickup height all seemed fine straight out of the box., (a first for me). The volume and tone pots worked as they should and the passive humbucker sounded good to my ears, even with the zingy strings that came on it. I did however have a set of TI Jazz flats that came off a used bass I bought some time ago where the PO had cut them a bit too short barely leaving two wraps around the pegs, so they've been waiting for a short scale to come along and they are right at home on the Mustang.
The 30" scale will take some getting used to, but so far I'm loving it. The neck is thin, the bass is comfortable and possibly due to it's small size it feels lighter than it actually is. At 8lb10oz, it's heavier than I expected, but not too heavy.
They were supposed to be that colour - that's the vintage colour they were going for - look at Pino Palledino's bass. IIRC that IS what fiesta red was - almost salmon or pink - I forget what the colour we've come to think of as Fender red was called then. Again - it may be my memory - this may be the colour that looked like that with the wrong name.
As far as the tort - well that's Squier tort - you want vintage correct, perhaps you need to pay more than $300 for a bass - Fender US Tort guards by themselves are like $60 and so are other similar quality p/gs if you want something truly accurate you can get custom ones that can literally cost more than that bass.
It's a budget bass, what do you expect a Pino for 379.00..How about that tort guard too?
They are very good basses for the price but boy were they off.
Pickguardian will make you a custom pg for $50-60. Not a nitro pg, mind you, but I can't see paying any more than that for a pg.
Well, that's in the price range of the "good" pgs I mentioned.
It's just there are some who don't think tort is good unless it's actual celluloid and the exact shades and proportions of whichever pickguard they have decided is authentic (they varied a LOT from batch to batch, year to year, maker to maker) and real ones will cost a fortune. I didn't say they were worth it to most people, just putting the comment into perspective - we're talking about a rather inexpensive bass - they had to cut corners somehow - even the difference in labour doesn't turn a $2400 AVRI into a $399 bass. To my mind they cut the right corners - pickguard, pickups and finish (not nitro). You get a good, usable, attractive bass that can be "upgraded" to a REALLY nice bass for a couple hundred bucks more.
Ok, I'm with you, dano. I was just responding to the last line in your post about a custom pg costing more than the price of the bass and was trying to be helpful. I see now, we're actually on the same page.
I agree that a lot of non-celluloid tort guards look like crap, but there are good ones out there. When I was looking for a tort guard for my Tele, I had to do some digging and paid a little more for a 'vintage tort' guard. It won't pass for celluloid, but it looks gorgeous!
At $380 it is at the high end of budget basses. They can put a better looking tort on it for that price. A SX costs half as much and has a nicer looking (still not great) tort.It's a budget bass, what do you expect a Pino for 379.00..
Some time ago, I heard from a GC employee that Fender wasn't happy with the improved Squier models outselling "real" Fenders for lower prices, hence why several Squier models like the VM Mustang and amber VM P disappeared.
I heard/read that the Squire Jaguar SS was the reason the VM Mustang got dropped.
Being more versatile, and lower priced, it completely ate into the VM sales figures.
