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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink Mustang Bass pickups all muddy

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Gotta Fender RI Mustang Bass. It's nice and it sounds fine at lower levels. But when I get into a high-gain situation (like on stage), the tone gets all farty and blown, especially when I really dig into the strings.

Questions: anyone here experience the same thing? What are the alternatives...I haven't found much about aftermarket pickups for Mustang Basses. Anybody go thru a pickup upgrade on a Mustang bass yet ?
Were the original, vintage Mustang bass pups like this too?

Thanks ~

Hi,

there are other pickups you can try in your mustang bass:
- Nordstrand (more P-sound, less output)
- Aero (more output)
- many other that I am not aware of...

I haven't tried one of these yet.

I have three mustang bass reissues (one MIJ & two CIJ, all three with a different type of 'lacquer'). They all have the same strings on them (La Bella deep talkin' flats voor mustang bass) but sound very different. No one sounds the same. Two of them lack the low end remarquebly. But I can dial in with the EQ of the studio bass, so no worries.

Just asking... it isn't your amp that starts to grind/overdrive at higher volumes? My bassman 100 did when pushing him too hard...

Greets,
Andy

www.LosVenturas.be

thanks, Andy...

Well, I'm pretty sure it's not the amp, because when other basses are used the farting doesn't happen.

Admittedly there is a headroom issue, because it's a BF 50w Bassman head thru two 15's in a jumbo Bassman cab.. but as I say, the farting doesn't happen with other basses; just the Mustang.

Thanks, L7

The pickups don't change between low and high volumes. The problem is your amp won't handle louder volumes. Spend your money on a bigger amp not different pickups.

How did it sound in the shop when you played it?

Los Fantasticos

Could it be the vibration from your amp is affecting something inside your bass. Bad solder joint, damaged or dirty pot, loose pickup.

Before tearing into your Mustang, you might want to try playing it through a modern, more powerful amp to make sure that the bass isn't the problem.

A 50 watt Bassman is a good amp for recording and can be a decent low-to-mid volume head in a smallish room but isn't really suitable for loud gigs in a big room or outdoors without FOH (PA) support.

What speakers are in the cabinet? Old? New? Bass or guitar speakers? The old Bassman tube amps are actually more popular with guitarists than with bassists nowadays.

It's kinda hard to diagnose without hearing the rig live, but trying a different amp would be the best first step, IMO. And make sure the pickup height on your bass is adjusted properly.

Jack
aka WoodyJ

The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005)
The Hula Hounds (1996-current)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money
(1978-1990)

Thanks everyone....
We're going to try substituting the Bassman with a Showman. I agree that the Bassman isn't the ideal amp for major stage work. But until our bass player can afford a different amp, we're looking for something to solve the issue.

I'm actually the guitar player in the band...but I'm also a tech, and I'm trying to help our bassist get a better sound. His goal is to get a Bassman 100. Do any of you think that a Bassman 100 would be a solution? We are trying to stick with the BlackFace look.

L7

Last edited: Sep 02, 2014 11:32:11

I used a BF Dual Showman (in a blonde cabinet) for years and it had plenty of headroom except for larger outdoor venues without FOH support. Regular Showmans are 8 ohms, Dual Showmans are 4 ohms so make sure the cabinet is compatible.

The onstage cab I used had E-V 15B's and later, E-V 15BX bass speakers which are about as good as it gets. For some reason, the earlier (pre-1969) smaller Dual Showman cabs sound better ("tighter", more focused) than the later huge ones do and having good quality bass speakers is really important in either version.

Some will disagree, but my take after 40+ years of playing live and studio bass is that a good amp is more important than a high-dollar bass, assuming the bass is of decent quality. A Fender Mustang Bass is an excellent short-scale bass and it should sound fine through a Showman or Bassman 100 played through an impedance-matched 2x15 cab (my favorite!) equipped with good bass speakers.

Hope this helps! Smile

Jack
aka WoodyJ

The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005)
The Hula Hounds (1996-current)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money
(1978-1990)

Right, Woody....

The BF 65 single Showman belongs to me, and it's 8 ohms. The BF 50W Bassman belongs to the bass-player. I can't recall offhand what the impedance of his Bassman is, but according to the Fender Amp Field Guide and my books, it's also 8 ohms. So at our next show, we are going to fire the cab with the Showman. That, should tell the story. Smile

I agree mostly with what the boys wrote above.

If you have to conquer loud showmans, a heavy drummer, ... you'll even need more watts. I guess.

If you want to stick to the blackface look... try to find a late 70s/early 80s bassman 135 or a studio bass with a blackface logo. No worries to blend well in the mix live. But that's my opinion of course...

http://www.vintageguitaramplifiers.net/for-sale/fender-bassman-135-blackface-head-amp-vintage-cool/23953/
http://johnkvintageguitars.homestead.com/StudioBass.html

Tried Bassman 50, Bassman 100, Bassman 135, Studio Bass and there's no way you can use the bassman 50 for live purposes. Except your lead guitar is playing a 30 - 40w amp. I played a bassman 100 for years on stage but as our guitar players and drummer are very loud, I always needed to push him. So often he started to fart and rumble (both 4 x 12" & 2 x 15" cabs).
Bassman 135 is very loud, should do the job.
For a year and a half I play a studio bass. Couldn't be happier. Put the amp in a head and bought a seperate 4 x 10" bassman neo cab. Great combination. As I mentioned above, with the studio bass you can give your mustang some extra 'low' by dialing in the onboard EQ. Very handy!

Cheers all!
Andy

www.LosVenturas.be

Interesting... I'm learning about some amps that I didn't know much about. Bassman 135 sounds worth looking into...

Thanks. L7

Totally interested in the Bassman 135....
I notice however that the speaker jacks are labels as follows

..........Minimum Loads............
SPEAKER 4 OHMS --- EXT.SPKR. 4 OHMS

Ok, our 2x15 cabinet is 8 ohms. How's that going to work?

Anyone care to Venture a call on that one ?

Thanks, L7

Hi,

is each speaker 8 Ohm for a total load of 4 Ohms or is total impedance 8?
I'd think it would be 4 Ohms but you never know...

For the 4 Ohms impedance of the amp, use two 8 Ohm cabs (if you have two, of course), one in the speaker jack, the other in the 'ext. speaker'.

Usage of Ohms has been discussed a lot here, I have nothing new to say.
The 135 is a great and LOUD amp anyway.

Cheers,
Andy

www.LosVenturas.be

Louie7 wrote:

Ok, our 2x15 cabinet is 8 ohms. How's that going to work?

Anyone care to Venture a call on that one ?

Thanks, L7

You will lose some volume as compared to an equivalent 4 ohm cab.

If the situation was reversed (8 ohm amp into a 4 ohm cabinet) - not good, can damage the transformer.

Jack
aka WoodyJ

The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005)
The Hula Hounds (1996-current)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money
(1978-1990)

Hey, thanks, fellers...
I got the word (and it ain't the bird).....

If you have a 4 ohm cabinet, plug it into the primary Speaker jack.
If you have two 4 ohms cabs, plug each one into the two jacks.

If you have an 8 ohm cabinet, plug it into the EXT.SPKR. jack only.
If you have two 8 ohm cabs, daisy chain them into the primary jack only.

This amps output Xformer has a 4 ohm lead and an 8 ohm lead (tap) running to the speaker jacks. The EXT.SPKR. jack is switched in such a way that you get 8 ohms there. The primary SPEAKER jack supplies 4 ohms.
Evidently the EXT.SPKR. jack has a special switch that changes between 4 and 8 ohms depending on how you plug in.

Kind of complicated, but that's the story.

Seymour Duncan has a set of 'custom shop' mustang bass pick-ups out.
Has anybody of you 'stang lovers heard or tried them?
They seem quite expensive though.
But makes me curious too Wink

Cheers,
Andy

www.LosVenturas.be

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