Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
Post Reply
User avatar
Paco
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 233
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:32 pm
Location: mexico
Contact:

Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by Paco » Sat May 04, 2013 2:29 pm

Hi! I might trade my old CP jazzmaster for a 68' Mustang in very good condition :? I really love my CP jazzy, but now that I have a 65 jag I almost don't use it. The only thing that's keeping me from trading or selling it is that it's a great guitar for shoegaze, and I'm not sure if the Mustang can "shoegaze" like the jazz.

Do you make this kind of music (dream pop/shoegaze) with a Mustang? Cons, pros?

Thanks and greetings from México!

User avatar
sammynb
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1832
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:15 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by sammynb » Sat May 04, 2013 6:49 pm

Paco wrote:Do you make this kind of music (dream pop/shoegaze) with a Mustang? Cons, pros?
I was going to post a pic of Bilinda Butcher and her Mustang (I will anyway) then I realised it's fitted with a JM/Jag tremolo.

Image

User avatar
pacemaker
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2860
Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 6:44 am
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Contact:

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by pacemaker » Sat May 04, 2013 7:04 pm

If it helps you make a decision, I recorded this with a '66 Mustang: http://craiggates.bandcamp.com/track/with-a-kiss

User avatar
M.Hiltz
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 689
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:33 pm
Location: Cincinnati

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by M.Hiltz » Sat May 04, 2013 7:46 pm

I like the pickups for shoegaze, they sound pretty mellow especially when you have them both on (opposite polarity) and roll the tone off a little. The trem can be funny. I bent the arm a little to accommodate using it more while playing
"Gabba Gabba Hey Hey Hey"-- "Fat" Albert Ramone

User avatar
teensupertiger
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 638
Joined: Tue May 10, 2011 2:57 am
Location: Lille, France
Contact:

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by teensupertiger » Sat May 04, 2013 10:16 pm

shoegazing is a question of effects and overdrives

i did with mustangs, bronco, jazz and jaguar.

my current band is not shoegaze but noisy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk_VUr17t-M" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

User avatar
chacha
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 415
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 6:24 am
Location: Philadelphia's Slums

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by chacha » Sun May 05, 2013 6:48 am

That is an absurdly good trade

User avatar
pinkmoonfan
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 762
Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:55 am
Location: Ireland
Contact:

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by pinkmoonfan » Sun May 05, 2013 6:59 am

chacha wrote:That is an absurdly good trade
Yeah, regardless of whether or not a Mustang can "gaze" like a Jazzy (I'm sure it can) you should go for this trade as long as the guy is happy to go ahead with it!

CPJM for a 68 Mustang is a crazy good deal IMO.

Faultier
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2013 6:07 am
Location: Ventura/Santa Cruz/Berlin
Contact:

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by Faultier » Tue May 07, 2013 10:08 am

Yeah, that's a ridiculous trade...I would do that in a heartbeat ( ). Also because I wasn't a big fan of my CP fender back in the day.

I think Mustangs are bad ass, and would love to own one (and I tend to gaze at my shoes as well..)

But, to be honest, it doesn't really matter that much what guitar you use to gaze at your shoes with. You could make some amazingly beautiful and dreamy sounds come out of any guitar, if you play around and/or know what your doing. Shoegaze is all about tone, and effects often play into this, meaning your rig could go through 10+ pedals, so the clean signal really doesn't make much of a difference in the end. Look at MBV, there's so much going on there that Kevin Shields could've been using a Bronco and it wouldn't've made a difference (it's closer to the Jaguar than the JM, however).

Also, IMO one of the best Shoe/Newgaze bands, The Fleeting Joys, uses a Mustang
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/370" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... 2b72ec.jpg
Last edited by Faultier on Fri May 10, 2013 8:09 am, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
ctu
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 228
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 12:57 pm

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by ctu » Tue May 07, 2013 12:06 pm

I wouldn't agree that guitar choice doesn't affect the overall shoegaze tone, independently of the effects used. You can shoegaze with Explorer and EMG pickups, but it'll sound different to shoegaze done with Jaguar and same effects. The question is how near you'd like to stay to *established* shoegaze sound, and how far you are willing to go and experiment.

Having all that in mind, Mustang could be classified as 'standard' shoegazing guitar IMO. It'll sound close to Jaguars etc and you could definitely get some familiar shoegaze tones out of it. If everything is ok with the Mustang, I personally would go with the trade.

My opinion is that the whole guitar chain is as good as the weakest link, be it guitar, pedals or amp. Without a *good* source, ie guitar, you won't be happy with the results, no matter how rare/vintage/expensive your pedals and/or amp are. Not to mention the joy and inspiration that come from playing a *good* guitar.

Btw - Fleeting Joys is an excellent band, thanks for sharing!

User avatar
SignoftheDragon
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2314
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2010 11:06 am
Location: Utah, USA
Contact:

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by SignoftheDragon » Wed May 08, 2013 7:08 am

Yeh- a lot of the early shoegaze stuff (MBV, JAMC, etc...) was recorded/performed with guitars that many here would find distasteful in retrospect. I've seen pictures of Bilinda Butcher with pointy pink shredder axes.

I think that most offsets lend themselves well to the genre in both tonal and aesthetic aspects, but limiting yourself to those stereotypes can definitely hold you back. True genius lies in stretching (sometimes shattering) the established norms to explore new territory.

Back on point- Do the trade. I doubt you'll regret it.

User avatar
honeyiscool
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 497
Joined: Wed Sep 29, 2010 6:06 pm

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by honeyiscool » Thu May 09, 2013 11:17 am

I know some people think shoegazing is effects, but I happen to think shoegazing starts at the guitar and I don't really care for effects-driven shoegaze, I much prefer the My Bloody Valentine simple vibrato bar to amp setup. For that, it is hard to use a Mustang for shoegaze. Now, I'm somewhat well known for having made a video where I used my forearm to work a Mustang vibrato enough to play "To Here Knows When" through, but that's not something you can keep up for an entire night.

So basically, here's the thing. If you think shoegaze is Slowdive, it won't matter what guitar you use. But if you think shoegaze is My Bloody Valentine, it does matter because MBV isn't about effects. It's about starting at the guitar and getting the right vibrato and the strings detuning the right way, and really only a Jazz/Jag vibrato gets it right. Almost everything else has a bit of a problem. The Mustang vibrato sounds excellent and has the right sound, but it's just not ergonomically ideal because as you're twirling the bar, the angle is just not ideal. You can do it once in a while but your hands might cramp. It is best to have a really long arm with a far-away tailpiece. Strats are too stiff. Floyds are too fast. About the only other vibrato that would be equally suitable would be a Bigsby with a longer arm, but that can cost a fortune.

That said, not every MBV song even swirls, so if you need just the occasional swirl, I think Mustangs are great. But don't tell me that you can easily play a song like "Loomer" or "Slow" on a Les Paul. You need the right guitar.

User avatar
bogapos
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2021 7:09 am

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by bogapos » Sat Sep 25, 2021 8:02 am

pacemaker wrote:
Sat May 04, 2013 7:04 pm
If it helps you make a decision, I recorded this with a '66 Mustang: http://craiggates.bandcamp.com/track/with-a-kiss
HOLY FUCK THIS SONG IS SO GOOD

User avatar
Larry Mal
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 19673
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:25 pm
Location: Saint Louis, MO

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Sep 25, 2021 11:21 am

This is a very good trade on your part.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

User avatar
Paco
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 233
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:32 pm
Location: mexico
Contact:

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by Paco » Sun Oct 03, 2021 2:23 pm

This is a really old thread! I did trade the CP jazz for my lovely 68 Mustang, and yes, it is an amazing guitar (and the trade was crazy i know lol)! I used this guitar a lot on my old band first EP, all guitars are pretty much the ol' Mustang out of phase going through a CE-2.

https://hawaiian-gremlins.bandcamp.com/track/teen-angst

Unfortunately, it was with this particular Mustang that I discovered short scale is just not for me, I have terribly big hands ::)

I actually ended up giving this guitar to an ex girlfriend, who still (I hope) has it. Nice memories!! I must have a picture of the guitar somewhere, beautiful black refin <3

User avatar
javier-san
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 544
Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2020 9:06 pm

Re: Shoegaze on a 68' Mustang.

Post by javier-san » Tue Oct 05, 2021 4:29 pm

small world! Have definitely listened to hawaiian gremlins.

Post Reply