1966 Fender Mustang Body Swap

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greg-r
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1966 Fender Mustang Body Swap

Post by greg-r » Sat Jan 22, 2022 3:40 am

Hi guys!

So i bought this mustang with teardrop body that someone modified probably a long time ago. I found a 65 body on ebay with an old black refin that i think fits perfectly. As far as i can tell all the parts are original, not sure about the switches though. I just redone the solders between pickups and pots to switch the bodies but it seems that the tone knob doesnt work and the out of phase position on the switches dont work either... guess i have to check all the cables then. Also the liwer E and A string tend to buzz a bit, otherwise the action is great. Will have to replace the nut maybe. Or if you have other suggestions on how to solve it, let me know! I‘m pretty new to setting up, but learning fast! Cheers!!

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Re: 1966 Fender Mustang Body Swap

Post by Axolotl » Sat Jan 22, 2022 3:47 am

Looks great! A much needed body replacement. Are you planning on leaving it black? Looks great. An original 60s mustang tort (they're very red) or white guard will look killer on that body. Nicely done.

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Re: 1966 Fender Mustang Body Swap

Post by greg-r » Sat Jan 22, 2022 5:13 am

Yes i definitely leave it black. I like the darker tortoise, the really really red 60‘s one will probably pop a bit too much for my taste. And with a white pickguard i definitely miss a bit of colour. :D

I‘m really happy about the sound of the pickups. I compared it to a 72 with original pickups and those sound much thinner, metallic. The 66 have more low-end but nice clear highs, really hi-fi sounding.

One thing i didn‘t figure out yet is the hum the guitar makes when plugged into my pedal board connected to my tube amp. The mustang hums but my 62 jag doesnt. I plugged it into my solid state champ at home and theres no hum... any guess?

Cheers!

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Re: 1966 Fender Mustang Body Swap

Post by HedonismBot » Sat Jan 22, 2022 7:44 am

greg-r wrote:
Sat Jan 22, 2022 5:13 am
One thing i didn‘t figure out yet is the hum the guitar makes when plugged into my pedal board connected to my tube amp. The mustang hums but my 62 jag doesnt. I plugged it into my solid state champ at home and theres no hum... any guess?

Cheers!
I play my ‘66 through a champ as well and I noticed that the hum may or may not be present depending on the position of the tone knob. I don’t own a tube amp, though.

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Re: 1966 Fender Mustang Body Swap

Post by greg-r » Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:15 am

HedonismBot wrote:
Sat Jan 22, 2022 7:44 am
greg-r wrote:
Sat Jan 22, 2022 5:13 am
One thing i didn‘t figure out yet is the hum the guitar makes when plugged into my pedal board connected to my tube amp. The mustang hums but my 62 jag doesnt. I plugged it into my solid state champ at home and theres no hum... any guess?

Cheers!
I play my ‘66 through a champ as well and I noticed that the hum may or may not be present depending on the position of the tone knob. I don’t own a tube amp, though.
The tone knob doesnt work yet unfortunately, but either way no difference... will check again once i‘ve redone the soldering.

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Re: 1966 Fender Mustang Body Swap

Post by HedonismBot » Sat Jan 22, 2022 10:24 am

This looks like a fun project. Good luck! I’m pretty sure I’ve seen your Mustang in a different thread here on OSG. Glad you got to it before gibsondependable (or the likes). Butchered Fenders with functional necks and original guts are the way to go in the current vintage market. I bought my refinished ‘66 about a year ago and I love everything about it but a couple oversanded areas on the body. I’m hoping to find an original slab body for an adequate price but who knows if I will with the current insane prices. I’d rather live with a refin than spend $600-700 + fees & tax.

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Re: 1966 Fender Mustang Body Swap

Post by HedonismBot » Sat Jan 22, 2022 11:57 am

It should be possible to do the body swap without disturbing any other solder joints but the pots, right? Curious since I might follow your steps in the future.

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Re: 1966 Fender Mustang Body Swap

Post by greg-r » Sat Jan 22, 2022 12:48 pm

HedonismBot wrote:
Sat Jan 22, 2022 11:57 am
It should be possible to do the body swap without disturbing any other solder joints but the pots, right? Curious since I might follow your steps in the future.
Yes thats what i did, but it looks like the previous owner messed with it a little... well, nothing that cant be fixed anyway and since i‘m not after a museum piece i couldn‘t care less about original solder points or not ;D

Does anybody here have suggestions regarding the nut? I think i have to replace it since it seems a bit too low. Or is it possible to keep the original and lift the whole nut by putting a spacer underneath? I think i‘ll give this in professional hands... too delicate for me, dont want to wreck it ::)

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Re: 1966 Fender Mustang Body Swap

Post by HedonismBot » Sat Jan 22, 2022 1:19 pm

Try to experiment with the bridge height adjustment screws if you feel comfortable doing that. It could be that the bridge is somewhat tilted causing the buzz on one side.

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Re: 1966 Fender Mustang Body Swap

Post by greg-r » Sun Jan 23, 2022 1:35 am

HedonismBot wrote:
Sat Jan 22, 2022 1:19 pm
Try to experiment with the bridge height adjustment screws if you feel comfortable doing that. It could be that the bridge is somewhat tilted causing the buzz on one side.
I did adjust the bridge height to the new neck/body and the action is good now. The buzz hapens at the lower frets where the nut is. If i raise the bridge, the buzzing might stop but then the action is too high. The neck is straight so i wont touch the truss rod. So it occurs to me the most logic solution would be to raise the strings slightly at the nut, no?

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Re: 1966 Fender Mustang Body Swap

Post by HedonismBot » Sun Jan 23, 2022 7:40 am

greg-r wrote:
Sun Jan 23, 2022 1:35 am
HedonismBot wrote:
Sat Jan 22, 2022 1:19 pm
Try to experiment with the bridge height adjustment screws if you feel comfortable doing that. It could be that the bridge is somewhat tilted causing the buzz on one side.
I did adjust the bridge height to the new neck/body and the action is good now. The buzz hapens at the lower frets where the nut is. If i raise the bridge, the buzzing might stop but then the action is too high. The neck is straight so i wont touch the truss rod. So it occurs to me the most logic solution would be to raise the strings slightly at the nut, no?
Ah, somehow, I didn’t register that you’re talking about the first few frets. Unless there is an uneven fret, you are probably right.

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Re: 1966 Fender Mustang Body Swap

Post by andy_tchp » Sun Jan 23, 2022 5:52 pm

greg-r wrote:
Sun Jan 23, 2022 1:35 am
I did adjust the bridge height to the new neck/body and the action is good now. The buzz hapens at the lower frets where the nut is. If i raise the bridge, the buzzing might stop but then the action is too high. The neck is straight so i wont touch the truss rod. So it occurs to me the most logic solution would be to raise the strings slightly at the nut, no?
No.

The nut is no longer part of the equation once you're fretting the strings.

You say the neck is 'straight' - How much neck relief is there when it's actually measured?

https://www.fender.com/articles/how-to/ ... ar-or-bass

Assuming neck relief is within acceptable adjustment (insufficient relief can cause fret buzz towards the middle of the neck), you'll probably need either a fret level and recrown (if there's enough 'meat' left on the frets), or a refret.
"I don't know why we asked him to join the band 'cause the rest of us don't like country music all that much; we just like Graham Lee."
David McComb, 1987.

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