The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Fender Basses => Topic started by: Chris P. on March 15, 2019, 03:37:47 AM
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I play mostly short scale the last couple of years and I love Competition Mustangs.
Last year I found a good deal on a '93/'94 MIJ Competition Mustang in Ocean Turquoise Metallic. That's a strange colour. It is an old Ford colour (not the Mustang though) and Fender offered it back in the days too.... ....but I think they tried to come up with a colour that looks like yellowed Lake Placid Blue (or Competition Blue as it was known, with the stripes). I found some pics of old yellowed blue ones and it's almost spot on.
Another nice thing: I always loved the band Air and I wanted a Höfner because of their bass player. Not because of Macca. And he has the same Ocean Turquoise reissue.
Here's mine. It has Labella flats on it and I installed pickups from my good friend Carey Nordstrand, which make the bass sound better. As if you plug into a slightly better amp.
(https://myalbum.com/photo/GFJwUmN4nUlu/360.jpg)
My dear friend Madelief borrowed it to use in a Bowie project, but now she still has it, cos she uses it to record her new album. This shot was taken on holiday:
(https://myalbum.com/photo/kWyZ13LAi6wf/360.jpg)
A week ago I found another very affordable one. It comes from an UK dealer who only sells Japanese Fenders. He got some instruments sold, cos I adviced people to look at his site, so I got a great discount. This one's stock and is '95/'96:
(https://myalbum.com/photo/2ehFnCEhi4hQ/360.jpg)
I almost use Souldier straps from Buchanan only, cos owner Jen is a friend (again, haha!). On the white you see a prototype of the Johnny Cash strap. Check the 'finger' pic of him and you see this pattern.
(https://myalbum.com/photo/NGOZcxdd2H49/360.jpg)
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My love for the Höfner sound started here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH5bL_XbO64
And the same guy and song with the turquoise 'Stang:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XNpsjpOI8A
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About 9 years ago, a friend and former keyboardist of mine had her Music Master "converted" to a Competition Mustang and re-finished in Ocean Turquoise. Except she had a Duncan '51 P-style pickup put on, and I think a Badass. Really cool little bass, strung up with TI flats. This first pic makes it look more LPB, but against my car, you can tell it's more turquoise.
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Looks very cool! I have a very battered Musicmaster and sometimes I think about a conversion to a Mustang. But MM's have their own charm.
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I've turned my Bronco bass into a Mustang near-clone, with a Gretsch 2202 pickup. Nice sound, looks nice too.
I've added dice knobs since this:
(https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/pb070030-jpg.1691308/)
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Always liked that one!
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Always liked that one!
Me too!
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I really like that Ocean Turquoise MIJ.
IMHO the Nordstrand pickups sound much better than the originals.
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That's a great color for a Competition Mustang.
Soundwise, personally I prefer the single-coil Musicmaster Bass.
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I installed the Nordstrands and I didn't know a bass could get so much better with other pickups. I changed Jazz pickups once, bit the sound didn't change that much. But now it's just.. ..better! Like I said, as if you plugin a slightly better amp.
Musicmaster versus Mustang. I have a blue Squier MM and a '78 black Fender MM. I always read the 'Musicmasters sound better than Mustnags', but not to my taste. And yes it's taste. MM's sound a bit woodier, the Mustang a bit more 'little P.'
The white is not a real '66 Competition Mustang colour but I like the Shelby Mustang Vibe:
(http://image.mustangandfords.com/f/151753905+w620+re0/1965-ford-mustang-shelby-gt350-001.jpg)
I really love Chrysler/Dodge muscle cars and I really love GM muscle cars, but I never liked any Ford at all. Strange I play Thunderbird and Mustang. I guess I need a Warwick Corvette and someone should make a Chevelle, Impala, Charger, or Challenger bass haha! Having said that I really love the muscle car series by G&L Detroit Muscle series, although they lacked stripes, one based on GM and the other on Mopar:
(http://www.vintageguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/DMS-RT-Collection-HI_Resolution1.jpg)
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3f/19/7a/3f197a1b37da4e9d36882b9f875c8411.jpg)
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MM's sound a bit woodier, the Mustang a bit more 'little P.'
I couldn't agree more, Chris. That's exactly how I hear both basses. For me, that "bit woodier" sound is a lot like the neck pickup on a good pre-CBS Jazz, and the "little P" sound is just that - makes me want to play my real P's.
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I prefer the original Musicmaster pickup to the original Mustang pickup. Never thought of it in terms of being woody but it does fit. Regardless, there are a few aftermarket Mustang choices and plenty of rail-type Strat pickups that will work in a MM without any routing. With either bass you don't have to be tied to the originals.
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Yep!
My '78 Musicmaster has a lipstick - because I liked the sound in the Rascal - and makes it a bit more 'little P'
My '97 Squier Vista doesn't have the 4-pole but an old 6-pole and is a bit more woody.
My turquoise Mustang has the Nordstand. The new one is so new, i can't give an opinion and the turquoise isn't here. The white one will get Labellas too, so I can A/B them soon.
About the little P thing: I understand you want to play your real P, Ilan, but I just enjoy the looks, the narrow neck and the sound high on the strings of the little Mustang :)
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The Rascal didn't work for me, but there's no reason a lipstick pickup won't work in the right bass, even though the Seymour Duncan lipsticks in the Rascal were designed for a special run Strat. Always keep in mind that the pickup doesn't know what it's being installed in. :) The last bass I bought (back in 2017) is a short scale bass with only a Lace Sensor Gold Strat pickup at the neck. I think it sounds great as a bass pickup.
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I loved the Rascal. Short-scale basses with P-like overall length, i.e. basses where the bridge is moved about 4" up the body like the Fender Bass VI or the Teisco RB200, are to me the most comfortable basses to play. I like the short-scale sound, and the 1st fret is still where my left arm remembers it.
(https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--v_z9AZG1--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1478626588/jbqegbbtyxpefgn1ki0n.jpg)
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I loved the Rascal. Short-scale basses with P-like overall length, i.e. basses where the bridge is moved about 4" up the body like the Fender Bass VI or the Teisco RB200, are to me the most comfortable basses to play. I like the short-scale sound, and the 1st fret is still where my left arm remembers it.
It was very comfortable to play, no doubt about it, and it was a great looking bass. I sold mine b/c I finally decided that I couldn't get the tone I wanted from it.
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Very nice, Chris!
I had a MIJ Mustang briefly, but didn't get on with it perfectly. I looked at the Nordstrand pickup, but I was a bit confused by it all. It seems like an almost essential upgrade to the MIJ Mustangs, yet the pickup turns your Mustang into a baby Precision.
I think part of the charm of the Mustang is that it has a deeper, less defined rumble to it than a P bass. It also has a wiry 'twang' on top as well. I've found that you can spank a P bass pretty hard and it still churns out a decent tone. With the Mustang it was almost like you were putting the bass 'out of focus' if you played it harder than a certain velocity. The twang and the rumble ended up out of alignment, if that makes sense. Even the smallest changes in right hand velocity would give you different results, whereas a P bass sort of equalises a lot of playing inconsistency.
My compromise was to get a white PJ bass and mod the snot out of it!
(https://i.imgur.com/FtpUCUs.jpg)
(Starfire for scale).
I wanted a white Mustang bass because Holger Czukay and Wally Waller played one. However the MIJ Mustang didn't work for me. The PJ might be a bit generic, but it still has its own vibe; it isn't simply a wee P bass. I've stuck Dimarzio Model P and J pickups in mine, to give it a fighting chance! It is more bassy than a P bass and only seems to really work with flats. :-\
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Although it is my job - in Dutch - to describe a bass sound, it is still hard. And I understand you.
I think a Mustang is always a bit of a Baby P and agree with not playing too hard - seems a bit like a short scale thing - and the twang - depending on the strings. It's not a P but if you compare it with a Musicmaster it's more towards P.
Now the Nordstrand thing: it still is a Baby P, but a better Baby P. Like you play, plug in a batter amp and play again. Still the characteristics but better.
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Good point about short scales, not playing too hard, and twang. Not true of all short scales. but IMHO getting things just right usually takes a little more effort with a short scale.
I played a P/J Mustang in a store when they first came out. Sounded good. Didn't like that the string spacing at the bridge was as wide as a long scale. Full sized P and J on that body doesn't look right to me.
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They don't look right to me either, and I'm not sure why they decided to do a P/J on the new series. One pickup works very well, as demonstrated by past history of the Precision, Mustang, Musicmaster, and numerous Gretsch, Gibson and other basses.
On a body that small, the P/J setup looks pretty "busy" to me.
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The Mexicans have the PJ's. They sound okay, but the pickups are too big for the body and the bridge too small.
Those new Americans are not P/J but Mustang/J and that's even more off. The rounded Mustang splits with the rectangular J. And again the bridge... :(
Why. The colours are great and with just a Mustang Split they would be killer.
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The Mexicans have the PJ's. They sound okay, but the pickups are too big for the body and the bridge too small.
Those new Americans are not P/J but Mustang/J and that's even more off. The rounded Mustang splits with the rectangular J. And again the bridge... :(
Why. The colours are great and with just a Mustang Split they would be killer.
You must be talking about the American Performer series. I just looked at a photo of one, that really looks out of whack. And I agree with what Al says, the J is unnecessary anyway.
There's a good reason Joe Osborn only used the neck pickup on his J.
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OK..I’ll tell all. I had a ‘67-‘68 Mustang Competition Stripe in Candy Apple Red. I had bought it for my daughter and she liked it through elementary and high school. She took up the double bass in that period and had gone on and was not interested in it and told me to do what I wanted with it. It stayed in its case for years. For me I did not care for red basses and it weighed 10.5 lbs. I ended up selling it locally. Last year I was in a music store and saw a Daphne Blue Mustang on the wall. Took it down and found quite a connection with it surprisingly. Now just before I dodge the flying garbage and beer cans I’ll say I did purchase it and like it quite a lot. It is a Mustang JMJ, nice balance and weight 7.5 lbs) not to mention sounds good of course. Only change I made is some tape wounds. Yes, it’s road worn, but did not phase me in the least.
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10 pounds?
I had a Squier Mikey Way bass for a while. It was surprisingly heavy, very different from my Bronco. I really liked the metalflake and the stripe, but even with the humbucker pickup, it wasn't a bass that stood out of my collection. I sold it after a few months.
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQr6vWQQ7wF3jYJhgqs0DKxWJcJcvv_E1q39rh5uTrKVvF_VWpa)
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The JMJs are great! I saw three and all had a different relic job. So not like the early Road Worn Strats, when you saw three in a shop, all three with the same wear marks.
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Apropos of not much, I prefered Holger Czukays sound on the mustang to the Jazz bass.
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As a fan of CAN & Holger Czukay I always saw pictures of him w/the Mustang and a Jazz. I should go back and listen to the tonal differences. Maybe the earlier incarnations if CAN he was using the Mustang...? In any case I saw him live a couple of times where it was just him playing keyboards, Stratocaster, radios and a telephone solo.
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As a fan of CAN & Holger Czukay I always saw pictures of him w/the Mustang and a Jazz. I should go back and listen to the tonal differences. Maybe the earlier incarnations if CAN he was using the Mustang...? In any case I saw him live a couple of times where it was just him playing keyboards, Stratocaster, radios and a telephone solo.
From memory he only picked up the Jazz because the Mustang was stolen. It was no ordinary Mustang though!
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fS0sTA-r3mM/VvRNa9oP8DI/AAAAAAAAHh0/gyg6RYie7fsxTaOlZSnlKRAqTgWPHCEwA/s1600/czukay9.jpeg)
It looks like a long channel was routed into the body, on the bass side, running from the end of the neck to the bridge. An extra section of metal tubing was added to the body to move the strap button back, further away from the rear of the bass. The front strap button was screwed into the face of the bass (a move also employed by Uli Trepte of Guru Guru), so it must be a German thing, along with wearing your bass strap over your right shoulder, ala Freddy King and Albert Collins.
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D2u5T-iOYpI/hqdefault.jpg)
Holger added a reflective pickguard at some point, having routed through the original. I've also seen some clips and photos of his Mustang with a heavy clamp or capo around the nut area, perhaps adding more break angle over the nut.
(https://img.discogs.com/PGl2HC9CDzPwhkyZICAJDE3c4yE=/fit-in/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/A-3480-1439592316-7050.jpeg.jpg)
The white Jazz took over, but it is almost like his path to dumping the bass altogether was pretty set. The white Jazz had a channel routed into it, the pickguard swapped out for a green replacement, and the strap button was also moved to the front of the body though this wasn't permanent.
You can see the channel of bare wood in this photo.
(https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/09/06/gettyimages-545705525_wide-92789955a494d5df5b147523d1915d33ef4fc292.jpg?s=1400)
If anything Holger's playing got lighter and less committed when he picked up the Jazz.
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I suppose the rout was for his thumb?Must be an essential item for providing alien pulsing counterpoint with added harmonic tension! Good photo - who is the singer ,Tim Hardin .Michael Cousins?
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At a guess it is a totally ripped and ready Damo Suzuki! ;D
I don't know the origins of the photo.