What year is my Musicmaster?

[Fstnblbs]

I have also heard of some modders using a Precision harness with the Aero pickup..Many positive obsrevations..Any thoughts on this fellow travelers?

 

[TyBo]

I have also heard of some modders using a Precision harness with the Aero pickup..Many positive obsrevations..Any thoughts on this fellow travelers?

 

[GregT]

I have also heard of some modders using a Precision harness with the Aero pickup..Many positive obsrevations..Any thoughts on this fellow travelers?

My 78 Musicmaster has the wiring harness out of my 2012 American Standard Precision because the P has the Geezer Butler pickup and wiring harness now. I also put in a red Lace Sensor and installed TI flats. The bass is absolutely amazing now. I still have every original part so it could be put back, but I never will. It is absolutely stage worthy now!

As someone else mentioned, come on over to the Musicmaster Club for more information:
Th Official Fender Musicmaster Bass Club | TalkBass.com

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I have also heard of some modders using a Precision harness with the Aero pickup..Many positive obsrevations..Any thoughts on this fellow travelers?

I hadn't heard of that one, I just replaced my pots with CTS 500's and a Sentell pickup with the same size magnets and overwound to match the 8.6 reading of my Vista Tone pup in my Squier Musicmaster. Pretty happy with that.

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

I honestly don't think it's just projection, hearing the original 6 pole pickups as thinner - when I got mine (it's a late 70's), many years ago I immediately and consistently heard it as "thin", long before I had any idea what was "under the hood" with the pickup. It's a weak sounding pickup, imo - not sure that's just the pole pieces, maybe it's the winding too. Anyway, sounds much better to my ear with a pole-less or 4 pole, more robust replacement pickup. Ymmv, etc. Anyway, off topic.

Cool looking bass. Earlier rather than later, as folks have said. Nice!

Ive heard it’s a second resistor issue, but I think a lotta people get em and convert them to basically what a tele bass is or a mustang which they can do but I think the stock musicmaster pickup sounds better in my opinion at least. To me it’s not that it lacks low end, it lacks sustain, and that makes it sound really good to me as someone who likes string mutes on a bass and short scales

 

[neo 7]

Tuners, headstock decal, and PG look identical to my 73.

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

Mrtoo, thanks for the insights and I agree. There is nothing wrong with the stock Musicmaster pickup. I had fitted a new Aero just to see if it would fit the guard without any mods. The original harness and pickup are still intact. the only down side to me of the stock pickup was output. I solved this by adding more horsepower from the amp side. Believe me playing a Musicmaster through an Ampeg V4B and occasionally a Fender 400PS was a joyous sonic onslaught!! Yep, I'm vintage too.. I never had trouble leveling to the mix and occasionally dominating it..Heh!! Plus the Musicmaster is just so much fun to play.. One volume, one tone and lotsa watts..Big fun!!

they sound gorgeous! Yes! They got a sorta natural compression I always played them with the gain almost all the way up and the master all the way up on the amp and about 1/3 volume on the bass

 

[matt-o-]

I have also heard of some modders using a Precision harness with the Aero pickup..Many positive obsrevations..Any thoughts on this fellow travelers?

Basically the musicmaster basses have the precision harness with the addition of a second cap, the infamous "blue cap". This is a hi cut in addition to the tone pot and is usually immediately removed. All other values are comparable to the standard p bass values. If you exchange the vol pot for a 500k, you will notice more high frequency content, a slightly brighter sound. But it is a matter of taste, as usual (YMMV).

 

[TyBo]

Ive heard it’s a second resistor issue, but I think a lotta people get em and convert them to basically what a tele bass is or a mustang which they can do but I think the stock musicmaster pickup sounds better in my opinion at least. To me it’s not that it lacks low end, it lacks sustain, and that makes it sound really good to me as someone who likes string mutes on a bass and short scales

Hey, different strokes ... but it's not just a matter of "hearing what you see". As you've just stated, there is a difference in sound between stock and modded. Many prefer a modified sound at the Musicmaster pickup (and harness) position.

 

[TyBo]

My 78 Musicmaster has the wiring harness out of my 2012 American Standard Precision because the P has the Geezer Butler pickup and wiring harness now. I also put in a red Lace Sensor and installed TI flats. The bass is absolutely amazing now. I still have every original part so it could be put back, but I never will. It is absolutely stage worthy now!

As someone else mentioned, come on over to the Musicmaster Club for more information:
Th Official Fender Musicmaster Bass Club | TalkBass.com

Bingo!

 

[Dluxe]

Here are some pictures of my old Music master bass for comparison.

 

[Fstnblbs]

Thanks Ty! Greatly appreciated… Loving the kindness, interest and enthusiasm of Musicmaster Nation!!

 

[Fstnblbs]

Thanks also Dluxe! The wiring pics are greatly appreciated..Kinda hard to find authentic wiring diagrams..Ya’ll ROCK furiously!!

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

Also wanna add that the musicmaster more so than other similar basses, sounds a lot different when picked from the bottom of the neck vs over the pickup. I’m a stingray player so I’m used to picking around the heel of the neck, so playing above the pickup never happens for me. The sounds is only really thin when you play directly above the pickups. Those pickups sound beautiful to me so in the least save em!