Which Mustang Feels The Best?

[Gare Boo]

Hello. There are multiple Fender Mustang basses on the market right now: The Player Mustang PJ, JMJ Roadworn, American Performer, Vintera, The CIJ Japanese Reissue. Although I haven't tried any of them yet, I did find several differences among them according to my research:

The Player Mustang PJ: "C" shape neck; 9.5”-radius fingerboard; Nut Width 1.5" (38.1 mm); Medium Jumbo frets.
JMJ Roadworn: "C" Shape neck; 9.5" (241 mm) Fingerboard Radius; 1.625" (41.3 mm) Nut Width. Medium Jumbo frets.
The American Performer: “Modern C”-shaped neck; 9.5”-radius fingerboard; Nut Width 1.625" (41.3 mm); Medium Jumbo frets.
Vintera: Mid '60s "C" shaped neck; 7.25" (184.1 mm) Fingerboard Radius; Nut Width 1.625" (41.3 mm); Vintage Fret Size.
And I couldn't find any info about the CIJ Mustang.

Does anyone has experience with all of them and knows which one feels the best? By "feeling the best" I mean a fast, thin, and skinny neck with good playability, a well-balanced body, and other ergonomics that make you play more comfortably.

Thank you.

 

[Winnie1138]

I’ve tried alol but the American Performer. Haven’t purchased one yet.
I like the Vintera’s neck the best. I thought the fit and finish was very comfortable. Slight bit of gloss,but not sticky. It’s a bit thicker than what I would consider a 60’s style neck.
The JMJ obviously has that “well used” feel. You don’t have to baby it for fear you might hurt it. Feels like it’s already had a lot of love. Very thick neck. Satin finish, very fast. Sounds better than the Vintera, I think the pickups are beefier.
The Player Mustang has just NEVER spoke to me. It’s very ‘generic’ for my hands. Which probably means it’s the one I SHOULD get since I’m not obsessing on how it feels. ...sigh. Moving on.
I’ve not tried a CIJ mustang, but I have tried the new Squire. That’s a pretty good deal, but it feels and sounds noticeably cheaper than the others, had the thinnest neck of the ones mentioned.
I think for me personally, of the ones I tried: I ‘want’ a Vintera, should get a JMJ, but would be happiest with a Player.

 

[mongo2]

Quite a few years ago I bought a CIJ Mustang and for about the last two years I was searching for another Mustang bass. During that search I played many Mustangs including Mustang PJs, JMJ, Mikey Way Mustang, some vintage Mustangs and a Squier CV Mustang.

Over the last year or so I bought a Mustang PJ (pao ferro fingerboard) that I later traded for a Mustang LE PJ and I briefly owned a Squier CV Mustang that I exchanged for a minty used early Mustang PJ with a rosewood fingerboard.

In general my left hand is not fan of basses with a nut wider than 1.5".

For me the CIJ RI with its 1.5" nut and shallow neck profile feels very good. The PJs are also have a very good feel with a more rounded neck profile.

However, I play two other basses more frequently. The first is my DIY mashup of a Squier Bronco body with a Squier Jaguar SS neck, no name Strat dual blade humbucking pickup, Musicmaster bridge and Mustang control plate. The Jag neck has my favorite soft/rounded V neck profile that makes it very easy for me to play. The other is my Hofner Ignition Club I converted to VVT controls, also with a very easy to play neck.

 

[Mustang Surly]

The CIJ combines the 1.50" nut width of the PJ with the 7.25" fretboard radius/vintage fret size of the Vintera.​