Factory Original Long Scale 1972 Fender Mustang

[DeathJag]

Grow up.

You said it, now do it. And calm the fuck down too. You're new here but this is not the way to act. Please.

[BoringPostcards]

For the OP, I just went and measured my '64 mustang case... 40 7/8" long.

Whoa, super special in-between length case!

LOL

Back to the OP
What an odd mistake for a guitar company to make. CBS Fender or not, it’s an odd one. Such an error would be glaringly obvious the moment a chord was struck. Not to mention the feel would be off altogether. You’d think a person, who assembles Mustangs, would notice a Mustang having a longer neck the second they held the thing.
They didn’t even strum the damn thing at all, before sending it off for distribution? Wild.

[andy_tchp]

This has happened more recently (at least twice documented on this forum over the past decade, but with Jaguars) too.

They are mass-produced instruments same as they ever were; I don't think there's a great deal of (any) attention given to them once strung up.

[BoringPostcards]

This has happened more recently (at least twice documented on this forum over the past decade, but with Jaguars) too.

They are mass-produced instruments same as they ever were; I don't think there's a great deal of (any) attention given to them once strung up.

I remember the Jaguar from that old thread. I totally believe it, just that it’s such a wild bonehead mistake.
I once worked on an assembly line putting necks on acoustics for a summer, until Gibson ate our company and product line.
The dudes that strung them up ALWAYS at least played a chord or two before sending them off for the next step.
I imagine someone must have handled that Jag and this Mustang at least once before they ended up in distribution.
“Fuck it it’s Friday afternoon” guitars?

[Fiddy]

Not everyone that assembles guitars can or knows how to play.

[BoringPostcards]

Not everyone that assembles guitars can or knows how to play.

True on our assembly line as well, except for the guys doing final set ups. They were all musicians or guitar tech types.
We were a small company, but I just can’t imagine Fender or any big name player being so careless with musical instruments and not having skilled techs on the rear end of the line.
They weren’t building tables.

[BTL]

It happens. G&L shipped quite a few 20-fret Tribute JB bodies with 21-fret necks not so very long ago. Many were blown out by MF as SDOTD bargains:

https://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=12037.0
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/g-l-tr ... t-26134742

[Rob]

Call me skeptical, but I find it easier to believe that someone wanted a vintage Mustang, grabbed the first available vintage Fender neck (maybe one of those people who think the "22" is the date), added the Mustang decal/tuners to complete the illusion, refin'd the Mustang (exceptionally clean!), and slapped it together.

Then they realized it's a useless guitar, and now magical red fuckup ostensibly just materializes with zero history and zero provenance, seeing validation as a SPECIAL high-value turd worth overpaying for.

Or, I guess it's possible that it's a factory error, on top of factory error, on top of factory error, that still got waved through at every step and managed to go completely unnoticed by the vintage guitar community for half a century.

[JSett]

They didn’t even strum the damn thing at all, before sending it off for distribution? Wild.

That person at the end, if they did check it, could have easily tuned it up, strummed a couple of cowboy chords (that would have likely been pretty much in tune) and ticked it off as good.

My bank is on factory fuckup or replacement neck.

The "SPECIAL" stamp is so vague and ubiquitous with its meaning. My 67 Jaguar had it but there was nothing special about it - unless you count it's CAR finish, which isn't all that 'special', as we all know

[Fiddy]

Call me skeptical, but I find it easier to believe that someone wanted a vintage Mustang, grabbed the first available vintage Fender neck (maybe one of those people who think the "22" is the date), added the Mustang decal/tuners to complete the illusion, refin'd the Mustang (exceptionally clean!), and slapped it together.

The neck pocket: Am i a joke to you?

[JSett]

Indeed, that neck pocket is not indicative of a refin in any way.

The cleanliness of the finish is weird....but they were using Poly I think at this point so they can time-capsule much better than the older nitro finishes.

[Fiddy]

Any ideas for a non-invasive and fully reversible remedy for this are appreciated.

Put the correct neck on it.

[JSett]

I think this dude can afford it

I think, by the blog post, this dealer has already convinced himself he has something 'special' and wants everyone else to believe it too. Oh well. It has more value in parts I guess.

[Rob]

The neck pocket: Am i a joke to you?

Good point -- I didn't even look at the body. I agree this one looks legit, but if the neck pocket looking like that makes for a 4-figure price difference, I wonder how far we are from counterfeit neck pockets. How hard would it be to tape over the stamps/markings/paint stick bald spot?

But now that I'm looking at the pocket, why is there a ring of white around the top? And where did the white paint on the neck heel come from?

[JSett]

The neck pocket: Am i a joke to you?

Good point -- I didn't even look at the body. I agree this one looks legit, but if the neck pocket looking like that makes for a 4-figure price difference, I wonder how far we are from counterfeit neck pockets. How hard would it be to tape over the stamps/markings/paint stick bald spot?

But now that I'm looking at the pocket, why is there a ring of white around the top? And where did the white paint on the neck heel come from?

White primer coat. It appears to have rubbed off the red at the edge (where paint is naturally thinner) where the neck has been removed. I've seen it on the heel before too. None of that seems out of the ordinary to me.