Fender Mustang Guitar Owners

[MyLittleEye]

I kinda regret selling my Pawn Shop Mustang. It was my first ”good” guitar, and very nice player too.

Out of idle curiosity was yours the early Japanese model (truss rod adjustment under the scratchplate) or the later Mexican made (truss rod in the headstock) model?

The MiJ Mustang Special in Candy Apple Red was my first "good" guitar too and I loved it so much I got another one: the MiM 3 colour sunburst. It's quite clear to me which one is the better of the two and why. I'll save that for another post though; I need to take some pictures.

 

[Adam912]

Hey all,
In about 1970 I bought a Telecaster in rough shape with a grubby maple/maple/skunk stripe Mustang neck. The body had a 1958 date neck plate,
but somebody before me had removed all of the identifying marks off the neck. It's in great shape, frets are excellent and it's straight.
I refinished it in 1971 and played the heck out of it for 40 + years, then got myself a full sized Warmoth maple Tele neck, which I love.
So this neck has been following me around for a long while!
I've been unsuccessful in chasing down when blonde Mustang necks were made.
Anyone got any ideas on this?
I'm ready to give it a new home, and I'm kinda shocked at what an early Mustang neck is worth these days.
Any advice much appreciated!

 

[T-Bone]

Out of idle curiosity was yours the early Japanese model (truss rod adjustment under the scratchplate) or the later Mexican made (truss rod in the headstock) model?

The MiJ Mustang Special in Candy Apple Red was my first "good" guitar too and I loved it so much I got another one: the MiM 3 colour sunburst. It's quite clear to me which one is the better of the two and why. I'll save that for another post though; I need to take some pictures.

The early MIJ, LPB.

 

[MyLittleEye]

I'll ante up.

I'm not usually much into the 'bling' of gold guitars but that's a good looker - more like aged brass than gold in this light, it's kinda steampunk. I love it!

 

[MyLittleEye]

The early MIJ, LPB.

Cool, I'd have preferred the blue myself but Mustang Specials are pretty rare 2nd hand here in the UK so I wasn't choosy. The Candy Apple Red one I got was pristine cosmetically but suffers from scratchy pots and a dodgy earth, it's noisy AF if I'm not touching metal on it. Just recently found another one in Sunburst finish which appeals more to my vintage/blues aesthetic. Folks get sniffy about MiJ over MiM but there's no difference that I can tell. If anything this MiM has nicer looking wood on the fretboard with slightly larger and better quality knobs. Certainly the truss rod is much easier to adjust from the headstock. I'd have absolutely no problem letting go the MIJ however I've just had the mad idea to double down on its atompunk look and and drop in a pair of GFS coil splitting lipstick humbuckers...
or is that crazy talk?

I also dream of putting Creamery Wide Range HBs in the Sunburst so I may have a heap of leftover Enforcers before long. I like the stock pups well enough but I can't help myself from customising things for that personal touch.

Also pictured is my new Boss fuzz, which I LOVE. It cleans up and plays so dynamically I'd consider using it as my sole dirt. The MS-50g effectively covers for everything else!

 

[T-Bone]

My Mustang Special may be gone, but it has now been replaced by this beauty with a matching headstpck.

 

[T-Bone]

Do Mustang bass guitars count?

 

[ReverendRevolver]

Cool, I'd have preferred the blue myself but Mustang Specials are pretty rare 2nd hand here in the UK so I wasn't choosy. The Candy Apple Red one I got was pristine cosmetically but suffers from scratchy pots and a dodgy earth, it's noisy AF if I'm not touching metal on it. Just recently found another one in Sunburst finish which appeals more to my vintage/blues aesthetic. Folks get sniffy about MiJ over MiM but there's no difference that I can tell. If anything this MiM has nicer looking wood on the fretboard with slightly larger and better quality knobs. Certainly the truss rod is much easier to adjust from the headstock. I'd have absolutely no problem letting go the MIJ however I've just had the mad idea to double down on its atompunk look and and drop in a pair of GFS coil splitting lipstick humbuckers...
or is that crazy talk?

View attachment 1119764

I also dream of putting Creamery Wide Range HBs in the Sunburst so I may have a heap of leftover Enforcers before long. I like the stock pups well enough but I can't help myself from customising things for that personal touch.

Also pictured is my new Boss fuzz, which I LOVE. It cleans up and plays so dynamically I'd consider using it as my sole dirt. The MS-50g effectively covers for everything else!

It's funny....

My Mustang pawn shop special is a LPB mij one, and I honestly didn't like it for ages. My wife got crabby when I mentioned selling it. I don't like blue guitars.
The stock pickups were really boring. The barely mint guard was ugly AF on lpb, and I couldn't find a racing stripe decal or blank vinyl that would match.
Hardtail strat bridge was uncomfortable and looked too boxy.
Eventually, the 3 way switch went bad. So I took it as a sign.
Replaced the pickups with a Duncan p-rails and a Bootstrap sweet Serrano. Replaced ugly not-really-mint guard with gloss black. Oh, and replaced the toggle switch with a working one.
Sounded WAAAAAYYYY better. Arguably every combination of pickups except 1 does a different sound. Rail or p95 alone or with half the paf is distinct and usable, p95 with the full bridge is great, bridge alone is great, both of full is good but you get more neck than bridge. In short it does sounds I wished it did stock.
I Eventually popped a toronado bridge in it (which fits perfect in the "swoop" of the guard) and spent 3 hours setting it up. It's fantastic to play now.
Oh, and I finally got a racing stripe on there too.

So it's ironic that you wanted the blue one. I wanted the mim red one. But I found the blue at a local shop, my wife was rushing me, and I subsequently regretted buying it instead of the Cobain one.
I've contemplated putting a toronado bridge on the Duosonic too, because it sounds good but the setup is just not as good as the Mustang and again, rectangle bridge looks less awesome on a wavy guitar.
If ever I buy another small offset, it will have a tremelo.
My jag is the only guitar I use tremelo on, but I've always felt the Mustang tremelo was a way better design than a strat trem. So I sort of "need" one Eventually.

Is that a Greasy Grooves pickguard on the red one?

 

[xStonr]

New Mustang owner here. It's a early bDay present from me to me.

Who has some recommendations for after market pickups.

 

[John Stephen]

New Mustang owner here. It's a early bDay present from me to me.
View attachment 1150803
Who has some recommendations for after market pickups.

Nice! Why don't you like the pickups?

 

[Bluego1]

New Mustang owner here. It's a early bDay present from me to me.
View attachment 1150803
Who has some recommendations for after market pickups.

I put in DiMarzio Cruisers. I copied @Jakedog except I think he only did one and had something else in the neck? Anyhow, I dig em.

 

[Dave Hicks]

2021 Player - my wife's first electric (but I sneak it out of the case now and then when she's not looking. )

 

[Southpaw Tele]

A Player Mustang is on my list of “I’d buy one immediately if Fender made a lefty version” guitars.

 

[Maguchi]

Hi,
I'm about to become a Fender Mustang owner .... with pride !!
Mine is black and made in 1976, so is one of the last models made in the USA, if you don't mind about the Japan models or reissues.

Is out there anyone who wants to share some information about these babes, please?

Fran

Go up at least one gauge in string size compared to what you usually play. The shorter 24" scale means noticeably less string tension. If yours is 1976 it might even be a 22.5" scale length.

I got a 2020 Duosonic which I guess is a hardtail version of a Mustang. It gots a 24" scale and came with 10-46 strings. I was going sharp when playing, so went up one gauge size and now it feels fine.

 

[xStonr]

Nice! Why don't you like the pickups?

Just curious what upgrades people have done.