GAS for a Mustang

[theGecko71]

I "need" a new electric guitar, and I've been convincing myself that what I really, really need is a short scale guitar so I can get my 15-year old daughter to form a rock band through which I will obtain vicarious glory. She's got teeny little hands so a short scale guitar like a Mustang would be good for her, and although she's not a guitarist she is a musician, so I think she could get up to speed without much trouble.

Of course the real goal here is for me to have a Mustang myself.

I would have already bought one earlier this summer when I felt flush with dough, but then several unexpected big expenses arose and suddenly I had very little money. So, now it's kind of a back burner thing. I'm hoping a Mustang will leap out of the woodwork that I can't turn down.

The decision at the moment, though, is whether to get a Squier Classic Vibe Mustang, or to get the Fender Vintera II. The Vintera is too nice for my 15-year old, but really this is going to be my guitar anyway, right?

Thoughts and opinions?

 

[sammy1974]

I thought this was goin' somewhere else

 

[theGecko71]

TBH, I wouldn't be opposed to having a vintage Ford Mustang, either.

 

[Boreas]

I personally don't like the stripes on the Vintera II. I would probably jump up to Am. Performer or to the CV. But keep your eyes peeled on the used market. They pop up and are grabbed quickly - especially vintage players.

 

[Mike M]

I "need" a new electric guitar, and I've been convincing myself that what I really, really need is a short scale guitar so I can get my 15-year old daughter to form a rock band through which I will obtain vicarious glory. She's got teeny little hands so a short scale guitar like a Mustang would be good for her, and although she's not a guitarist she is a musician, so I think she could get up to speed without much trouble.

Of course the real goal here is for me to have a Mustang myself.

I would have already bought one earlier this summer when I felt flush with dough, but then several unexpected big expenses arose and suddenly I had very little money. So, now it's kind of a back burner thing. I'm hoping a Mustang will leap out of the woodwork that I can't turn down.

The decision at the moment, though, is whether to get a Squier Classic Vibe Mustang, or to get the Fender Vintera II. The Vintera is too nice for my 15-year old, but really this is going to be my guitar anyway, right?

Thoughts and opinions?

For years I have been watching Eric Haugen's channel, in love with this Mustang.

I went out and got one, and liked it, but to be honest, I found it almost impossible to keep in tune, and ended up returning it

Here are three videos where he talks about the pros and cons

 

[theGecko71]

I like the racing stripes ever since I played a vintage 60s Mustang at Rivington Guitars last year. I'd get that one if I had the green. But I don't.

 

[theGecko71]

For years I have been watching Eric Haugen's channel, in love with this Mustang.

I went out and got one, and liked it, but to be honest, I found it almost impossible to keep in tune, and ended up returning it

View attachment 1404515

Here are three videos where he talks about the pros and cons

Didn't know about the tuning issues. Not that any of my guitars stay in tune very well... though I have found that good stringing helps. My Epi was always out of tune until I watched a video on stringing methodology, copied out, and found it really helped!

 

[srblue5]

TL;DR -- get a Mustang. They're cool (Personally, I like them best of the Fender offsets, besides my Squier Offset Tele).

During one of the lockdowns, I bought and owned a Squier CV Mustang for about 6 months. It was very well built, sounded good, and stayed in tune (granted, it came with the trem locked and I never got it set up). However, I wasn't playing or gigging much and convinced myself after a while that I was bored with and ultimately didn't like the Mustang and wanted a Jag, so I traded the Mustang for a CV Jag (and ultimately liked that even less).

I kind of regret letting go of that Mustang. It played very well, it didn't have the same string angle issue of the Jag/JM that doesn't work for my style of playing, and had some great "not quite a Strat, not quite a Tele, but still in the same family" tones.

A friend gifted me his Squier Sonic Mustang last year and it's a great instrument. But it doesn't have a trem or the unique switching of the vintage-style Mustangs, so it's really more like a Duo-Sonic.

When my ship comes in, I wouldn't mind getting another CV Mustang or even the Vintera II (or a used Vintera I). I tried out a Vintera II at a guitar store in Vancouver last year and it was very nice.

 

[Mike M]

Didn't know about the tuning issues. Not that any of my guitars stay in tune very well... though I have found that good stringing helps. My Epi was always out of tune until I watched a video on stringing methodology, copied out, and found it really helped!

I think with the Mustang, the issue with with the design with the bridge, it just moves really easily rocking back and fort.

I'm sure you can lock the trem in place , or try a Mastery bridge replacement. I just didn't have the patience.

I lusted after one for years, and really wanted to love it, and have some fun on a small scale guitar.

I got the 70's Competition version, because it seems to be closest to the original, but the constant tuning was just too much of an issue.


I did love the out of phase sound, that was pretty cool. And it does feel pretty cool in the hands

 

[theGecko71]

I thought about that Sonic Mustang for my daughter, but the one I played just didn't do it for me. I also thought it was more of a Duo-Sonic than a Mustang, but that isn't what turned me off (I like Duo-Sonics, too!). It was the fit and finish. It didn't feel as good as a CV by a long shot, and was miles from the Vintera.

 

[Peegoo]

If you can swing the deal, get one. They are their own thing; nothing like a Tele or Strat.

The tuning thing is an issue many players fail to understand: the shorter the scale, the heavier the strings. Put a set of 11s on a Mustang and they feel and play like 9s or 10s on a Tele or Strat. And they stay in tune far better.

There is no need to spend $200 on an aftermarket bridge to make a Mustang work properly.

I'm a Mustang freak.

 

[prairietelecaster]

Mis-directed Daddery!

 

[howlin]

FWIW I bought a Duo-sonic for the 24” scale length due to shoulder pain thinking that I wouldn’t have to reach so far away from my body to play cowboy chords. Turns it didn’t make any sort of noticeable difference. Yesterday I was in a shop that had both a Mustang & a Tele that I was able to compare. I actually found that the Tele felt easier to reach the end of the neck than the Mustang which I attributed to two things:
1) the Mustang has an offset body which causes it to sit differently on the lap (maybe not as big a deal when standing but I play mostly sitting down.)
2) it appeared that the bridge is set farther into the body (think SG) which also seemed to shift the reach away from my body. Admittedly, this isn’t any kind real scientific conclusion but it was enough to convince me to not bother to buy a 24” Fender just for the scale length. Being that the scale is 24” probably makes the frets closer together which in turn makes it easier to fret the notes which is why they considered it a good fit for beginners. I don’t find that an advantage so meh.

On the other hand: they are cool and I’d buy one in a heartbeat if I had a gap in my “guitarsenal” that it could fill.

 

[GeneB]

You can look at the Ibanez miKro GRGM21 - dual humbucker strat-like with a 22.2" scale -- sells for $199

​

 

[superbadj]

CV or MIJ/CIJ are the route to go I think. They have their own thing. They’re not like other offfsets or any guitar frankly, other than their Duo Sonic/MusicMaster stablemates.

Small guitar with a big sound.

 

[Guerilla Electro]

You should check out the new Squier CV Duo-Sonic

HS is a great combination , put some 11's on it and you' re golden



Squier Sonic Mustang HH and SS

Myself I have 2 Squier Bullet Mustang I have modded a bit one with single coils , now this model has been replaced by the Sonic Mustang , same guitar except now they have a HH and SS model.

I just put some Flatwound 11's on it and it's an incredible jazz guitar , by far the best 150$ I ever spend on gear .

I tried liking the CV mustang but I couldn't I much prefered the satin neck on the bullet mustang , even the stock humbuckers are pretty good !
I didn't seee much difference between the lowly Squier and the MIM Player Mustang ( before called the Offset Mustang series ), clearly not enough to justify the price difference . So I kept my bullet Mustangs .


Before spending big bucks on a Vintera or an AM Performer I would definitely get a Squier first , see if you can work with the short scale .




Also there's the new Squier Affinity Jaguar which are really cool 24' scale guitars and you should also really check out :for 250$ it's a no-brainer , and they have the best tremolo system ever designed , versus the worst one ever on the Mustang !

 

[theGecko71]

Maybe I should try a Squier for a short scale guitar and save my dough. That might be the way to go.

 

[Ivorytooth]

The MIJ Classic 65 Series is a nice one, but hard to find for a decent price. They are usually listed too high.

I love mine! It is a 2006.

 

[badinfinities]

I'm a big fan of Mustangs. I owned a 66 daphne blue for a few years. I sold it in a fit of stupidity in the mid-90s.

I got a CV Mustang a couple years back and it works great. The vibrato assembly is a unique beast, but once you figure out how to set the spring tension and string bar height, you're in business. @Peegoo is right - up your string gauge.

 

[KelvinS1965]

Have you thought about the Player II version? Granted it's hard tail and doesn't have the switches that the Vintera and other models have, but might fill the gap between a Squier or the Vintera?

I've been considering a Mustang/Duo Sonic or even a Cylone for a while now: Just something different from my other guitars and specifically from Strat #3 and also a Classic 50s Tele that I'm currently selling as they are duplicates of (better) guitars I have already.

I already have a Jaguar, so for me a hard tail Mustang helps keep it different.

I want to play some of the Player II Mustangs as I've previously tried a Player II Strat and Jazzmaster and was impressed with both. Only problem is that I'm not keen on any of the colour options. I don't want to buy a new MIM to strip it and refinish (I actually did do that with my Jaguar, but that was back in 2020 when it was hard getting hold of stock).

Either that or a used Squier Mustang with a Fender neck for sale near me. Would need quite a bit of work, but cheap enough to make it worth doing (a used Fender neck alone would cost more).

Glad to see I'm not the only one GASing for a Mustang and like you I wouldn't mind a Ford Mustang either.