elreydlp
Joined: Sep 04, 2009
Posts: 1800
Temecula, CA
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Posted on Sep 10 2011 10:58 PM
JakeDobner wrote:
tubesNtweed wrote:
Hey there I'm looking to get a true surf guitar, and
saw a good deal on a used Fender Mustang '69 reissue.
I
have a tele, a Dano dc '59, and a '64 Kay Vanguard,
but
they don't have a vibrato and don't have "that
sound".
Well I would love a jaguar or jazzmaster but the
deal
on the Mustang is too good, and from the pictures it
looks like a pretty close cousin to a jag, although
I've never played one. I don't know if I should
bother
checking it out or just save up for a jag or jazz.
Love ya' Jake! The Mustang isn't a good guitar period! It's like anything else. If it's the best you can afford, OK. But there are LOTS of better choices.
If
someone knows about the 'stang, will it do the surf
sound or not even close? Thanks
I kind of want to say "not even close" but it is
somewhat close. I find Mustangs very very thin which I
do not like. Personally I'd prefer the tele to a
Mustang as a surf guitar any day, and the Kay, and the
Dano. I looked up the Kay, and those look really cool.
The pickups seem like something I'd be a big fan of.
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surferXmatt
Joined: Aug 27, 2008
Posts: 1570
New York
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Posted on Sep 10 2011 11:20 PM
Tremolo system when set up properly is far superior to Jag/Jazz style. Tone is good, can be quite versatile actually. For surf however, I would go with a Jag or Jazz. Mustangs are good all around guitars and if that was all you had it would be a fine instrument to own. They can pull a surf acceptable tone quite easily but there are better choices.
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Sep 10 2011 11:29 PM
elreydlp wrote:
Love ya' Jake! The Mustang isn't a good guitar period!
It's like anything else. If it's the best you can
afford, OK. But there are LOTS of better choices.
It is a classic example of a product being from a top tier brand so people automatically covet them, but in reality they are just really underwhelming and "crappy". And of the better choices, I think a $120 no-name strat clone would be just as good. I can't imagine a guitar sounding thinner... well maybe the Dipintos. Well... those aren't thinner, just more lifeless.
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jonny_flatbottle
Joined: Aug 29, 2011
Posts: 173
Massachusetts
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Posted on Sep 11 2011 09:19 AM
everyone is entitled to their own opinion, as seen here..
I personally think starts suck and would take a mustang over a start any day!
it's true, "the mustang isn't a good guitar" it's a great guitar.
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RecRoomSurfer
Joined: Sep 19, 2008
Posts: 206
Canada, eh?
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Posted on Sep 11 2011 11:42 AM
I'm sure this must have been posted before;
"Uploaded by davey1272250 on Nov 15, 2008
Inspired by this cool movie, i recorded some surf music with a Re-issue 1965 Fender Mustang. Surf Rider by The Lively Boys and a short original piece at the end by me."
Last edited: Sep 11, 2011 11:45:33
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aqualadius
Joined: Aug 30, 2010
Posts: 415
Charlotte, NC
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Posted on Sep 11 2011 11:45 AM
IMO the mustang can sound really great. I think the reason most people don't like it is because you basically have the option of in phase or out of phase and that's about it. I think if you turn the bridge pickup on and turn the neck pickup off it's no so different from a strat, i.i one single coil. Obviously though if your pickups suck it won't sound that good. I was looking into some wiring diagrams from jag-stang.com where you could use the switches to make the pickups do a series or parrallel humbucker with the 2 pickups. I think that would be a lot more useful than phase. But if you don't mind the short scale neck you can get some really great tones from a vintage especially.
— Jeremy
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RecRoomSurfer
Joined: Sep 19, 2008
Posts: 206
Canada, eh?
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Posted on Sep 11 2011 11:50 AM
RecRoomSurfer wrote:
RecRoomSurfer wrote:
I'm sure this must have been posted before;
"Uploaded by davey1272250 on Nov 15, 2008
Inspired by this cool movie, i recorded some surf
music with a Re-issue 1965 Fender Mustang. Surf
Rider
by The Lively Boys and a short original piece at the
end by me."
It's not me but I wish I could make my 65 reissue Mustang sound this good
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Matt22
Joined: Feb 15, 2007
Posts: 2858
Fredericksburg, Virginia
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Posted on Sep 11 2011 02:01 PM
Yes, the Mustang pickup is virtually identical to a Strat pickup. The only difference that I've found is that the Mustang's pickups are usually about 5 to 5.5 Kohms compared to the strat's 6 to 6.5. Some say the winding is a little different, but they look identical and can even sound identical when using the single pickup selection. I always favor the neck pickups.
— Matt "tha Kat" Lentz
Skippy and the Skipjacks: 2018-2020
Skippyandtheskipjacks.net
https://www.facebook.com/skippyandtheskipjacks
Otto and the Ottomans: 2014-2015
The Coconauts surf band: 2009-2014
www.theamazingcoconauts.com
Group Captain and the Mandrakes 2013
http://www.gcmband.com/
The Surfside IV: 2002-2005, 2008-2009
the Del-Vamps: 1992-1999, 2006-2007
http://www.dblcrown.com/delvamps.html
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psychonaut
Joined: Dec 08, 2007
Posts: 1304
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Posted on Sep 11 2011 05:19 PM
I think the Mustang is a great guitar. I have a 1964 Mustang that I learned to play on. Apart from the very narrow neck, it's a fun guitar, and the tremolo is great.
Here's a site with a ton of Mustang info:
http://fendermustangstory.com/main.htm
— https://www.facebook.com/coffindagger
http://coffindaggers.com/
http://thecoffindaggers.bandcamp.com
Last edited: Sep 11, 2011 17:20:00
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tubesNtweed
Joined: Sep 07, 2011
Posts: 507
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Posted on Sep 12 2011 12:14 AM
.
Last edited: Aug 25, 2013 17:01:28
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Stokemon
Joined: Feb 09, 2010
Posts: 413
Goleta, CA
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Posted on Sep 12 2011 01:40 AM
tubesNtweed wrote:
I don't know but now I want a DiPinto Galaxie 4 guitar,
the same model used by Los Straitjackets. Never played
it but judging by the reviews and youtube vids, it
sounds pretty cool. Heck it even looks awesome. Well
seems like I'm gonna have to buy something soon or I'll
go crazy! lol
Here ya go!...not mine. I've had 3 and sold 2. They are the business.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/160650819715?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
— You're not drunk if you can put your socks on while standing.
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surfgtrnut
Joined: Dec 26, 2008
Posts: 122
Binghamton, NY
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Posted on Sep 12 2011 09:14 AM
I saw in Vintage Guitar magazine that the Sharkskins have a Mustang in their photo of their gear.
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Stormtiger
Joined: Dec 12, 2006
Posts: 2687
Ventura, CA
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Posted on Sep 12 2011 10:55 AM
Looking through the artwork accompanying the 4 Lost Legends of Surf volumes, there are lots of Mustangs to be found among the early bands. Either Gary Usher or Terry Melcher said it didn't matter what guitar you used if you had a Fender amp and reverb tank. Whoever said that was right.
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dakotaredmustang
Joined: Aug 23, 2013
Posts: 4
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Posted on Aug 24 2013 11:43 PM
I had a '65 Fender Mustang and Princeton Reverb amp., and I assure you - they had that distinctive Fender surf-guitar sound. Back in 1966, a friend of mine was a supervisor in a youth organization, and part of the facility he worked in was an old church bldg and the auditorium had been converted into a gymnasium. The acoustics couldn't have possibly been better. Above us was a high cathedral-like ceiling, and there was no carpet anywhere in the building... it was like playing in a giant echo chamber! We would set up there in the evenings and play those great guitar instrumentals of Carl Wilson on the Surfin' USA album. The sound that my Mustang and Princeton Reverb amp put out was incredible. I remember being in awe of how closely it sounded to the songs on the album, Misirlou in particular.
Obviously, my Mustang was not on the same playing level as the professional stage instruments, but it still sounded great and definitely had that distinctive Fender surf-guitar sound.
I need to add this: all that I said above applies to my original '65 Fender Mustang and Princeton Reverb amp. I have no idea if the "reissue" models that are out now have the same quality and sound as my originals did.
Last edited: Aug 24, 2013 23:52:42
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BJB
Joined: Jul 28, 2008
Posts: 413
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Posted on Aug 25 2013 06:06 PM
Over the last 20 years, I've had the misfortune to work on my friends '78 Mustang. He lives near the beach so it's the rustiest guitar you'll ever see outside of a Midwestern flood zone. The neck is clunky and it is encased in Fender's 'thick-skin' finish that gets cloudy when exposed to alcohol. Guitar players at the time believed heavy wood was best, so Fender built this guitar from some sort of tree that had been genetically hybridized with concrete.
In order to get it playable, I had to make a very thick neck shim for it so the strings would angle properly at the bridge, plus I made a new nut since the original was cut too low. After that, it was playable but I've never bothered with adjusting the trem.
I know other people who got their Mustang to work great but these were models from the 60's. I used to see plenty of 70's Mustangs in pawn shops for $250, and to this day, I have no regrets for leaving them there!
— If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
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so1om
Joined: May 10, 2012
Posts: 492
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Posted on Aug 25 2013 09:28 PM
Dave Alvin.. He put in dimarzios though.
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casey
Joined: May 18, 2006
Posts: 521
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Posted on Aug 25 2013 09:54 PM
Have two 1965 "L" series - one was my 1st guitar. My take is that they lack sustain, and don't have the "punch" of a strat or JM. When I got my Jazzmaster AVRI I kind of felt like it was the guitar I had always wished the Mustang could have been. That said, I've found the Mustang does record very well as a rhythm guitar, and the out of phase sounds can be nice for adding color to a track.
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Aug 25 2013 11:12 PM
I sold my '69 Mustang recently because I needed $1250. I liked the guitar but don't miss it too much, since I have my 1st guitar, a '74 hardtail Strat, and a '65 Jaguar, plus other non-Fender axes. With 11 flats the Mustang was as 'surf' as you could want and really played nicely – a good student guitar because it was easy to rip it up on that nice slim neck. The pickups did sound raw compared to the Strat's and the Jag's but the out-of-phase setting was really cool.
I rather liked the sensitive whammy tailpiece as I merely wrap my pinky of my huge right hand around a wang bar to jiggle it. BUT: One big problem with the whammy was that if I DIDN'T hold onto it, vibration from picking the strings would make it oscillate and give a nasty intermodulation. Has anyone else noted that?
— Squink Out!
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casey
Joined: May 18, 2006
Posts: 521
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Posted on Aug 26 2013 04:09 AM
Never had a problem with the whammy on either of mine - always worked smooth.
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aqualadius
Joined: Aug 30, 2010
Posts: 415
Charlotte, NC
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Posted on Aug 26 2013 09:43 PM
Notice that the Strat is playing Rhythm 
— Jeremy
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