Anybody have a 60s/70s Fender Mustang?

mavuser

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you know, i have learned there is a lot- fretboard radius, nut width, neck carve/profile, scale legth, action, string gauge, where the neck is mounted...so maybe just that one (reissue) mustang didnt agree with me after 5 minutes of play time a couple years ago. just a few weeks ago i was in a GC that had an ealy 60s Duosonic and an early 60s musicmaster. i picked one up and played it, and that one felt awesome for 3/4 (or whatever it is considered)! ran away before plugging it in, of course.
 

mavuser

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looks like there is also a "Bronco" which i guess is a musicmaster with a bridge pickup instead of neck, has vibrato and is red to match the Bronco (vibrochamp) amplifier.
 

jp

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One thing worth mentioning too -- look carefully if you're going to shell out for a vintage Mustang. I've found a lot of fakery in the Mustang/Duosonic world. Even as far back as 20-25 years ago during the start of the vintage guitar frenzy, dealers were "playing funny," swapping vintage fender parts amongst models to forge complete guitars that they could sell for more. Many became very good at this practice. This is what happened to my Duosonic II, which was all original, except for the body being stripped.

No knocks against the seller, but nowadays, anyone can mail order Fender water decals, look up relic'ing techniques on youtube. With a little patience, and steady hands, anyone can mix and match parts convincingly. I'm a little suspicious about the "super rare" short scale Mustang with the whammy bar on Reverb.

If you like the short scale, a Musicmasters are in far less in demand and much more affordable.
 

Guildedagain

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I've had all these, and more... Btw, I'm very impressed with this forum, this thread, great info and atmosphere ;-) I had a pre CBS dead mint Dakotah Red Mustang with case (part traded in on a 1960 Strat before those things went completely crazy), a competition Blue Bass, dead mint, can't remember the year (and that was the second one, the first I bought out of the Sunday paper back in the early 90's), plus several Musicmaster, Duo Sonics, and two Musicmaster basses, evil little things that they are... One that sticks in my mind I bought in the parking lot of a discount smoke shop on the ID/WA border, was about a '62 Duo Sonic, in Desert Sand, the finish in an amazing state of "crackelure", and the icing on the cake was when I found out Jimi used to have the same year same color guitar before he got a hold of a Strat, except the finish on his wouldn't have looked like parched soil, but he would have liked that...

They are awesome guitars, not the biggest ego boosters as far as guitars, but whatever. And like (I think it was Qantum?) someone said, pickup combinations/tones you can't get anywhere else.

A little Mustang trivia... back in the 80's I went and saw Clapton, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds opened for him. Jimmy Vaughn played a Mustang their whole set, and that thing had totally killer tones on tap, some killer twang there! I could see him sliding those little switches, I still remember that and I don't remember one thing about Clapton's playing...
 
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Quantum Strummer

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Jimmy Vaughn does have a thing for "different" guitars. The one time I saw him play live, at least a decade ago, he was rockin' a Fender Coronado. Sounded great!

Mustangs are a blast if you can get down with the scale length.

-Dave-
 

Quantum Strummer

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you know, i have learned there is a lot- fretboard radius, nut width, neck carve/profile, scale legth, action, string gauge, where the neck is mounted...

Good point. All those 25" scale guitars I mentioned have pretty flat fretboards. My Jerry Jones is 14.5", and Danos & Nationals are likely the same or flatter. I have a Teisco that feels dead flat. It has a ~24.75" scale length but seems longer. Wide nut width too.

-Dave-
 

mavuser

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JP, thanks for the heads up. Although its hard to imagine someone taking the time to fake a 22.5" scale guitar (also hard to imagine someone paying 2K for one)...I suppose they are certainly out there like you say.

I have heard of fake finishing/refinishing etc, a real and valueable fender, to a more sought after "factory color." However, I have also heard that Fender themselves used to paint over factory finished guitars, a new color to meet demand. ie: sunburst over Olympic white from the Factory. so it can be tricky for sure if someone does not know exactly what they are looking at.

these guitars seem fun but i will likely just stick to my Guild Jetstars, Gibson Melody Makers, and mustang bass (famous last words!)
 

mavuser

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heavily influenced by this thread, particularly Dave, I decided to take a chance on this pretty little sunburst 1974 model. needs the works for sure, hopefully a full set up will cover all bases. dropped it at my luthiers last night with fingers crossed!


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mavuser

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got it back late last night and had about 20 minutes to fiddle around with it this morning (in a 1969 vibro champ) while i was still half asleep, pretty happy with it for sure. it plays and sounds wonderful. it is amazing what my luthier is able to do with these old guitars i bring him. no issues playing the shorter scale, standing with my go-to strap. i think i may have previously had a problem playing the reissue in a store because i was sitting down. i definetly prefer standing while playing, acoustic or electric. havnt done much with it yet, but I can tell already this little guitar is a monster. im going to put it through its paces and more amps later tonight.

which position(s) do you all play with switches in, primarily?

also a couple more pics to come in a day or 2
 

Quantum Strummer

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Cool!

I also play electrics while standing, with the guitar on a strap or with my right foot atop the amp or sometimes both.

With the Mustang I use all the switch positions but mainly stick with both pickups on, in or out of phase. Mostly in. For more warmth I go to the neck, for more bite to the bridge.

Vibro Champs are cool too. :)

EFD1DADF-8B03-4C38-A798-5E7F6EB88253_zpsefad8qfc.jpg


-Dave-
 
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Quantum Strummer

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The VC, a '65, belonged to a local recording studio for its first 20+ years. I snagged it c. 1987 after they'd gone rack gear. Still had (and has), so I was told, the original rectifier. Kept it in my office for years and would crank it up after hours via my Supro Dual Tone. :devilish:

-Dave-
 

mavuser

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Played with the mustang a little more. it feels great but with that said, it would definetly take some getting used to, if i really wanted to play it seriously. not so much the scale, just the overall smaller size of the guitar as a whole. it also has a somewhat aggressive (by my standards) fretbord radius. most of my guitars have a much flatter fretboard. these are just first impressions, and i suppose most or many other guitars take some getting used to as well. So ill need to decide if I want to really play it or let it luce back out into the wild, now that its all set up perfectly. more pictures and details of what was done, to come. ive been super busy. busy season at work and always picking up odd jobs where i can (to pay for all my guitars!) but they are worth it.

the Mustang definetley has many tones, so far im sticking mostly with the one or two that sound a bit like the Guild jetstar actualy (with the frequency tested pickups), very twangy and deep/lush...or something like that.
 

mavuser

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ok finally some time to post some pics. heres some gut shots-

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mavuser

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new tusq nut and some beautiful fret work. the finger board is also really nice.

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new tuner bezel on the high e tuner

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trem and rocker bridge all set up nice!

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the finish looks great but is a little flat from age. if i buff it out, it will really come to life.



1973/1974 Mustang Guitar and 1971/1972 Mustang Bass

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the mustng sounds and plays fantastic! but the neck is a little funky for me (in a chunky way). would take some adjustment for sure. but i may decide to sell.

the tone pot is a little scratchy if u turn it down/off. i typically play with the tone pot wide open so primarilly not an issue. it might be borderline spazzing out if you play with it too much. but it works fine for the most part. i have read that a common upgrade is changing the 250 tone pot to a 500 so that may be a possibility here down the road.

i am still in touch with the previous/original owner. they are looking for the original trem arm, and confident it will pop up at some point, which would be a cool bonus. he was cool and seemed to suggest the trem arm and the guitar "belong together" so we are both hopeful it surfaces.

she is a tone monster! but has given me a blister on my thumb, at least, i think thats the source. neck is round and chunky, and the fretboard has got some radius to it. a beautiful and different beast...gotta love the sunburst!
 
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