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Underwhelmed by my Mustang PJ

#41
From my experience - some medium gauge flatwounds are usually the best solution for short scale basses.

I know a lot of people hate on Flats - I used to be one of them. But they are freakin' magic on short scale basses! You will get much better tension and a more balanced sound from string to string.

I was seriously on the verge of selling my Gibson SG and My Fender Musicmaster until someone recommended I try flatwounds on both of them...The difference is incredible.

If you haven't already, test out a set of flats - it's worth a shot!
 
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#42
Low Spark said:
I'm pretty new to bass, and female, and shortish, so last October I put my '83 G&L SB-2 in the case and bought a Mustang PJ. While the 30 inch scale made things instantly easier, I am less-than-impressed with the sound. In a word, it's wimpy. My son's Jaguar Short Scale sounds better to me.

So. Will changing strings help? How about getting the bass set up? What can I do to make this bass sound like a BASS? I find myself playing the old G&L (HOT pickups on that one) more often than the Mustang.
Click to expand...

There is a reason most folks prefer longer scale basses - they simply sound better.

But trying new strings or even new pickups might help.
 
#43
Put the pickups from your G&L into the Mustang.

If there's a return period, maybe return the bass and look for something that sounds right to you from the get-go.
(Edit: bought in Oct., so I guess it's yours)

If those options sound too drastic, try what's been suggested already -
strings, pickups, setup adjustments, and amp adjustments.

But by the time you dump a bunch of time and money into it, you might be
better off cutting your losses, and going with another bass.

Is it just the P you don't like, or both pickups? Do you use any FX or signal processing?

Are you getting sounds like this from your Mustang?



1983 G&L SB2 you say?



I've got two Mustang P/J's - one with flats and one with the stock rounds.
I bonded with them almost instantly.
It sounds to me like it might not be the right bass for you.
 
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#44
The G&L vs the mim mustang isn't a fair fight.If your ear is used top the hot G&L p.u's the mustang will not cut it.As mentioned the dimarzio's would prob. be closer to what you are used to.I put flats on my mustang and it sounds good,not hot by ant means,but I like them alot better that the stock rounds that came on it.You'll have to decide if you think the mustang can be the bass you want with some fairly simple mods or if you should off it and start over.
 
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#45
Low Spark said:
mbell75, your description of the Mustang pickups fits my bass to a T. I'm not sure whether I should try to upgrade this bass or just work harder on getting my fingers to fret a full scale.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't bother upgrading the Mustang and spending hundreds more and there is no need to force yourself to play a 34" scale bass that isn't comfortable to you. Has nothing to do with the scale length really. Like I said, my 30" SX P bass sounds just as good as any MIM Fender P with a 34" scale Ive ever owned back when I played full scale basses. The only drawback to a short scale is slightly less sustain, but do you really need a note to ring out for 20 seconds? Short scale basses do however come with many benefits like lighter weight, faster necks and no dead spots (just to name a few). I strongly suggest the SX Ursa JR basses sold in the US thru Rondo Music. You can get a P a J and a P+J for less than what you paid for the Mustang. If you like short scale bass and want something better quality, then you can alway move on from there. However many are just fine with the quality of the SX basses, myself included. Only issue I had were a few slightly sharp fret ends, but Ive seen that on major manufacture basses costing 5 times what I paid.
 
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#48
Anthony D Gattuso Jr said:
Yep, I was kind of let down..By my Mustang Mikey Way bass..I think some of that thou..Was the sloppy overseas build
Click to expand...

I've noticed the same with mine, I just can't seem to get it set up the way I want it without a ton of buzz. I have to keep the action pretty high, even after making sure the neck relief is what it's supposed to be. That said, I just put some tapewound strings on it, and I LOVE the way it sounds now.
 
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#49
fghtffyrdmns said:
I've noticed the same with mine, I just can't seem to get it set up the way I want it without a ton of buzz. I have to keep the action pretty high, even after making sure the neck relief is what it's supposed to be. That said, I just put some tapewound strings on it, and I LOVE the way it sounds now.
Click to expand...

Can you hear the buzz thru your amp? One of my basses buzzes on some notes from the low action but you can't hear it thru the amp so I really dont care :)
 
#50
WES JETT said:
From my experience - some medium gauge flatwounds are usually the best solution for short scale basses.

I know a lot of people hate on Flats - I used to be one of them. But they are freakin' magic on short scale basses! You will get much better tension and a more balanced sound from string to string.

I was seriously on the verge of selling my Gibson SG and My Fender Musicmaster until someone recommended I try flatwounds on both of them...The difference is incredible.

If you haven't already, test out a set of flats - it's worth a shot!
Click to expand...

This is the way to go imo. Increasing string tension always improves tone on most any instrument. Up to a point of course.
 
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#52
rockscott said:
I think the japan built are the cream of the crop as far as the mustang basses go. I purchased one 6 months ago, for a small fortune! I had some initial staying in tune issues that have since been rectified, now its just sweet passive fender groove! Factory strings are usually crap, try a set of Dr pure blues with a pro set up, you will probably feel differently about the bass?
Click to expand...
+1
 
#53
You can buy a cheap longscale, restring it,set it up and it will sound pretty good through a decent amp. This is usually not the case with with shortscales! Build quality is essential if you want a shortscale that sounds, plays & looks amazing! My birdsong sounds & plays as good if not better than any high end longscale that i have ever owned, that birdsong quality comes at a price and im totally cool with that!
 
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#56
I played several in stores. While I like the feel the pickups are underwhelming. My daughter has the SS Jag and the P pickup in that bass is much beefier than the mustang basses I played. I would change strings and have it set up, then if that doesn't get you in the ballpark of what you want then get some Nordstrands in there. Or Aeros.

Good luck!
 
#58
I'm thinking flat wounds and a set up would be the way to start. And I'll do some research on pickups. Lowdownthump, I appreciate hearing from another female bass player. We're the same height. I'm wondering if a lighter 34" scale (the SB-2 weighs in at better than 10 pounds) is in my future.

For anyone who's played an '83 SB-2, the pickups are different from current SB models, right? Not sure what the more recent SB-1 and SB-2s sound like, but I'm pretty sure that the 1st generation SB-2 is its own beast--for better or worse.
 

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