Fender Mustang Discussion

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
blackbox
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Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by blackbox » Sat May 13, 2017 6:55 am

I picked up a '64 Mustang a few months back and have been fairly blown away by it. It's not great for them smokin bluez lix, but for any weird surfy or billy type of shit it's got a magic to it. My only experience with a vintage Mustang before this was a '67 that a bandmate used to play, and I didn't like it.

Anyway, I've noticed that the Mustang model seems to be one of the few where the pre-CBS version ('64) doesn't seem to be the most highly regarded or sought after. I'm curious why this is the case. Is it just the "A" neck on the '64 model that turns people off? It's hard to imagine any Mustang sounding better than my '64, but now I'm intrigued and considering buying some other years. So, just looking for some other peoples' experiences and thoughts.

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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by Jazzmastervsjaguar » Sat May 13, 2017 8:04 am

I've gone through 8 mustangs (sadly don't own one now) and I've played at least twice as many. They have ranged from Pre CBS, CBS era, and MIJ. I think you are correct about the '64s A width neck. It's been my experience that they are less desirable or at least less sought after because they feel really small in most players hands. So not as many folks are looking for them like say a jag or jazzmaster. the other major factor is there really isn't that much difference in all of the mustangs produced. Even the MIJ ones are pretty much identical to the vintage ones (if you take out worn in feeling, mojo, blah,blah,blah). In addition I personally feel that Mustangs got improved over time:

In 1969 the mustang got two major improvements. The first being the contour body and the second being the awesome competition colors. I'm not stating that I don't enjoy a slab body mustang but the contours are just cool. I mean it's sort of Fenders thing isn't it? Of all the Mustangs I've owned the best playing, sounding, and feeling was a 1971 Comp. Burgundy. Anyway my two cents.

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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by MechaBulletBill » Sat May 13, 2017 11:41 am

Jazzmastervsjaguar wrote: I think you are correct about the '64s A width neck. It's been my experience that they are less desirable or at least less sought after because they feel really small in most players hands. So not as many folks are looking for them like say a jag or jazzmaster. the other major factor is there really isn't that much difference in all of the mustangs produced. Even the MIJ ones are pretty much identical to the vintage ones (if you take out worn in feeling, mojo, blah,blah,blah).
The hardware on the 2015 MIJ stang I had was kind of bad. The tuners were fine but the vibrato plate was super soft, and the luthier I go to (who is not one of those anti-offset dullards!) just couldn't set it to float effectively. There was always some grinding feel or it wouldn't return to pitch. I really think they make reissue mustangs for the kurty people who lock the cigar tube.

My 66 has a pretty beefy neck profile with a ~41mm nut and, even though I have small hands, I don't think I'd want it any smaller.
Jazzmastervsjaguar wrote:In 1969 the mustang got two major improvements. The first being the contour body and the second being the awesome competition colors. I'm not stating that I don't enjoy a slab body mustang but the contours are just cool. I mean it's sort of Fenders thing isn't it? Of all the Mustangs I've owned the best playing, sounding, and feeling was a 1971 Comp. Burgundy. Anyway my two cents.
The 69-73 mustangs are more expensive than earlier ones because of the cool colours and contours (plus the kurt thing makes them more collectable)

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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by blackbox » Sat May 13, 2017 12:44 pm

Jazzmastervsjaguar wrote:
In 1969 the mustang got two major improvements. The first being the contour body and the second being the awesome competition colors. I'm not stating that I don't enjoy a slab body mustang but the contours are just cool. I mean it's sort of Fenders thing isn't it? Of all the Mustangs I've owned the best playing, sounding, and feeling was a 1971 Comp. Burgundy. Anyway my two cents.
i think some 68s have the contours and custom colors also?

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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by Tree's » Sat May 13, 2017 7:07 pm

The '64 Mustangs are not as popular as the later years because they are not 24" scale.

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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by blackbox » Sat May 13, 2017 8:05 pm

There was a 24" and a 22.5" scale option in '64. For example, my '64 Mustang is a 24".

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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by Tree's » Sat May 13, 2017 10:55 pm

Oh, thanks for that info, I had always thought the 64's all had the 3/4 scale as the 50's Duo Sonics and Musicmasters. It must just simply be the A width that turns people off on them, otherwise seems the 64's would be the most desired , first year model ,and pre CBS.

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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by Embenny » Sun May 14, 2017 3:32 pm

A-width pre-CBS Mustangs are one of the best-kept (and few remaining) secrets of vintage Fenders. I have two (plus two early CBS A-widths because they are more or less my current obsession).

For those of us whose hands get along with them (I'm 5'6" FWIW), it doesn't get much better as far as I'm concerned. They have the vibe, the feel, and the tone of pre-CBS Fenders without the price tag. I'm shocked when I see poly-finished compstangs go for more than the '64's (even some early '70s ones without the matching headstock). I have played every one I can get my hands on, and for me, they don't even come close.

So, welcome to the club of Mustang appreciators who realize that nitro, pre-cbs Mustangs have something their flashier, contoured, plastic-dipped brethren don't. I get the appeal of the compstangs, but when I close my eyes and go by feel and tone, I have yet to find a compstang that has wowed me the way those early nitro slab bodies do.

And yes, mine are all 24" scale just like my beloved jags. Pre-cbs and early-cbs shortscale offsets just make my heart go pitter patter...
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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by Axolotl » Mon May 15, 2017 5:26 am

I've had two. First a 74. It was light as a feather and played very nicely. Neck was rather thin IIRC. Sounded ok, although I was a worst player and payed less attention to details back then. I sold it to fund a 65 JM.

About a year ago I picked a worn, all original 66 in Oly white. Still have it! Lovely. Fat, rounded neck with a 40mm nut width. Plays and sounds fantastic. Neck pup can get boisterous. This mustang is heavy as fuck. It weighs more than any of my vintage jazzmasters.

The thing that bothers me about mustangs is the crappy switches. In both guitars they worked on and off. I tried cleaning them and they got better, but just to a point. Still, fantastic guitars.

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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by Larry Mal » Mon May 15, 2017 5:40 am

I've owned two Mustangs:

First was one of those nice Japanese re-issues that a friend sold me because he needed the money badly and I wanted to help him out. It had Lace Sensors in there, so I patiently took those out, and over the course of a year put on new hardware, all new electronics, new vintage styled pickups (Bullock, great pickups), and shielded the whole thing properly. The day I got it all done, I played it for about twenty minutes, marveled at how good the pickups sounded, called my buddy to tell him I finally had it all together.

He confessed that he loved that guitar more than any other, and offered to trade back my old Japanese Jazzmaster, which I love more than any other, and I hopped on that trade.

I had a fully working Mustang for about twelve hours, with a total of about half an hour of play.

I more recently traded a nice bass for a 1965 Mustang, and it needed work, it was kind of unplayable. I put it in the shop. Six plus months later, I still don't have it. Total play time, about a couple of hours with it in really weird condition.

I have reason to suspect that I like Mustangs, but can't really say, despite owning two of them in my life.
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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by shoule79 » Mon May 15, 2017 8:53 am

I've owned 2 Mustangs over the years, and played about 10. Two of the 10 were Japanese reissues, one of which I owned for 4 or 5 years. The rest were vintage ranging between 65 - 67.

Aside from preferring the feel of the necks (nitro vs poly) on the vintage ones, I didn't see much that improved on my CIJ.

I tried my first 70's Mustang last year while looking for another CIJ to keep around for my son to learn on. I bought the 70's Mustang on the spot. I prefer the body contours and the pickups on the later models. The routes and neck pocket are definitely sloppier than the other vintage ones i've tried. Mines nice and light too, even though its from the 70's.

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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by blackbox » Mon May 15, 2017 9:43 am

This '64 is an very fine guitar, by any standard. 6lbs 13oz. Stays in tune extremely well. Neck is quite smooth and fast, with low action. Pickups have a ton of character and sound great clean or driven. I'm a fan. I'm going to be buying and trying various other years over the next few months, I'll post with my thoughts as I do so.

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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by TomGuitar » Mon Mar 14, 2022 10:53 am

This site I follow, the Local Pickup, carries a bunch of vintage guitars and recently got in this sweet '72 "Competition Mustang." I hadn't heard of that type of Mustang before and was wondering if y'all had any insight or experience with a Fender Competition Mustang like this.
https://thelocalpickup.com/product/1972 ... n-mustang/

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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Mon Mar 14, 2022 11:06 am

blackbox wrote:
Mon May 15, 2017 9:43 am
This '64 is an very fine guitar, by any standard. 6lbs 13oz. Stays in tune extremely well. Neck is quite smooth and fast, with low action. Pickups have a ton of character and sound great clean or driven. I'm a fan. I'm going to be buying and trying various other years over the next few months, I'll post with my thoughts as I do so.

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Gorgeous guitar!!

Is it a refin? Kinda dark red for an early Mustang.
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Re: Fender Mustang Discussion

Post by Kinx » Tue Mar 15, 2022 12:00 pm

I bought a red '65 in the US couple of years ago (I was buying for a friend), he already had a blue '66 he fell in love with. The blue one is a bit more lively sound wise (a tiny bit hotter pickups, maybe a little more resonant body & neck), however they are identical in terms of feel. What's funny tho is that my '65 mangled "Van Mustang" (a 65 that somebody tried to turn into an EVH guitar in the 80s) smokes them both :D

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs69GaMlX11/

I suppose copious amount of wood putty in its body is to blame.

a friend of mine used to have natural '76 mustang with maple fretboard. I didn't like it, no matter how hard i tried :(
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