Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
User avatar
Groovy Tunes
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 64
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 7:16 pm

Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by Groovy Tunes » Sat Mar 11, 2017 6:50 pm

I read a forum on Gearsluts called "The Truth Of Fender Mustangs" and many people were leading me to believe that Mustangs are not very good guitars. Now, I thought you guys would have some more reliable responses, since you are all offset fanatics. I do not own a mustang, but I have been extremely interested in a vintage one for the past six months. So is the myth real, or do Mustangs sound pretty cool? Also, vintage 1960's ones are going for around $1,000-$2,000 - so is that cost justifiable? I play shoegaze and ambient space rock, so how would a Mustang perform for those genres compared to a Jazzmaster?

This is my first post on OSG so please lead me to a similar forum if I'm replicating one that has already been made! Thank you so much.

User avatar
BoringPostcards
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 7029
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 8:50 am
Location: Newfoundland

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by BoringPostcards » Sat Mar 11, 2017 7:03 pm

Shortscale.org is a good place for this question (as is OSG).

I have owned 3 Mustangs. 2 Japanese and 1 vintage. Mustangs are perfectly good guitars. They're light, comfortable to play and do actually sound really good. Sometimes they have anemic pickups and you need to swap them (especially the MG69 Japanese reissues), however the older ones and the MG65 reissues have great pickups and don't always need a swap. Depends on what you want to do with the guitar really. I have one with a Dimarzio Super Distortion and 36th anniversary PAF as a dedicated grunge machine. It had Lace Sensors, but in a fit of inspiration I hauled them out and routed it for the dimarzios. It's a beast now.

The Vibrato is very tricky to set up right, but after you get it spec'd out it holds tune really well and you can do crazy divebombs and lazer gun sounds with it.

My mustangs are definitely not as versatile as my Jazzmasters, SG Standard or my Godin, but the mustangs are in no way bad guitars.
People like to rag on them, especially over on TGP, but these guys don't own any nor have they gigged with one.

Find a mid 60s one, a 70s one or even a Fender Japan '65 RI. You won't be disappointed.
Vintage prices are all over the place on Mustangs. They range from 'deal' to 'decent' to 'you must be crazy'. Being a vintage Fender is enough these days. I've seen Musicmasters and Duos go for crazy prices these days.
Last edited by BoringPostcards on Sat Mar 11, 2017 7:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.

User avatar
Groovy Tunes
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 64
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 7:16 pm

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by Groovy Tunes » Sat Mar 11, 2017 7:07 pm

BoringPostcards wrote:the mustangs are in no way bad guitars.

Thank you, this made me feel so much better.

User avatar
BoringPostcards
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 7029
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 8:50 am
Location: Newfoundland

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by BoringPostcards » Sat Mar 11, 2017 7:10 pm

Groovy Tunes wrote:
BoringPostcards wrote:the mustangs are in no way bad guitars.

Thank you, this made me feel so much better.
No problem!
Welcome to OSG!!

edit: Reading that Gearslutz thread now. Wow. That place seems to have the same stuck up snobbish vibe that TGP has. UGH.
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.

User avatar
Groovy Tunes
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 64
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 7:16 pm

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by Groovy Tunes » Sat Mar 11, 2017 7:25 pm

BoringPostcards wrote:Reading that Gearslutz thread now. Wow. That place seems to have the same stuck up snobbish vibe that TGP has. UGH.
Yeah, I don't think but maybe one person on there actually owns one. That thread really turned me off for a few weeks on mustangs.

User avatar
BoringPostcards
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 7029
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 8:50 am
Location: Newfoundland

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by BoringPostcards » Sat Mar 11, 2017 7:47 pm

Groovy Tunes wrote:
BoringPostcards wrote:Reading that Gearslutz thread now. Wow. That place seems to have the same stuck up snobbish vibe that TGP has. UGH.
Yeah, I don't think but maybe one person on there actually owns one. That thread really turned me off for a few weeks on mustangs.
It's mostly that one old guy going on and on about how Mustangs are CBS garbage and are strictly student guitars.
He's flat out arguing with guys that the Mustang is CBS and didn't exist before CBS. He says there's no such thing as a 64 Mustang. He really has no idea what he's talking about and is using his age as authority.

It's kind of sad.
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.

User avatar
dylanafghjkl
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 421
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 8:59 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by dylanafghjkl » Sat Mar 11, 2017 9:48 pm

BoringPostcards wrote:He's flat out arguing with guys that the Mustang is CBS and didn't exist before CBS. He says there's no such thing as a 64 Mustang. He really has no idea what he's talking about and is using his age as authority.
:fp:

But yeah I have a '67 mustang and it plays so much nicer and sounds better than any of the cij jags/jazzmasters i've owned.

Though for shugazi I reeealllly miss the jag/jm trem arm. Just does not have the same "feel" in the mustang but it's still my go-to guitar

for the record though, gearslutz members have no clue what they're talking about when it comes to 99% of shit. Lots of bullshit and psychoacoustics on all topics

User avatar
spacecadet
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 4351
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:03 am
Location: Long Island, NY
Contact:

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by spacecadet » Sat Mar 11, 2017 11:52 pm

I have a 66 Mustang - it's a great little guitar. I also have several Jazzmasters and a couple of other high-end guitars in my house and it's not really hard to see what makes the Mustang a lower-end model, but in those days it was mainly a difference in features, not in quality. I probably actually pick up my Mustang more often than any of my other guitars because it's so light - it almost feels like a super-thin hollowbody.

Sound-wise I love my Mustang's pickups, though of course it depends on what you want to do with them, like literally every single pickup in the world. There's no pickup made that's going to sound good for everything. I personally think Mustangs are great for grunge and other types of hard rock, and not even just with the Cobain humbucker.

Now, that said, post-1967 Mustangs were poly finished and are typically a little heavier, and the Japanese reissues are so close that you've got to ask yourself what you really want out of a guitar in order to justify the price difference. I think "mojo" is worth a certain premium, but I'd be totally happy with one of those competition orange Beck Mustangs from Japan if it meant not paying $4,000 for a vintage orange one: http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtop ... 5bf1452111" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The differences are so minor that to me they're basically meaningless.

So do you want a player or do you want a vintage guitar for the sake of having one? And do you care about a contoured body, cool colors with matching headstock and competition stripes? I think whether or not vintage Mustangs are worth it really depends on the year you're looking at, because that will determine how close the reissues are. Although as always, if you can find a killer deal on a vintage one, grab it. Sometimes vintage Mustangs do come up for REALLY cheap, even in good condition.

eggwheat
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5151
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:30 am

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by eggwheat » Sun Mar 12, 2017 4:16 am

BoringPostcards wrote:
Groovy Tunes wrote:
BoringPostcards wrote:Reading that Gearslutz thread now. Wow. That place seems to have the same stuck up snobbish vibe that TGP has. UGH.
Yeah, I don't think but maybe one person on there actually owns one. That thread really turned me off for a few weeks on mustangs.
It's mostly that one old guy going on and on about how Mustangs are CBS garbage and are strictly student guitars.
He's flat out arguing with guys that the Mustang is CBS and didn't exist before CBS. He says there's no such thing as a 64 Mustang. He really has no idea what he's talking about and is using his age as authority.

It's kind of sad.
That guy is a known gearslutz bell-end. An amateur hack..Never forget when his actual recordings got outed.. I knew exactly who it was without even checking the thread.
Last edited by eggwheat on Sun Mar 12, 2017 5:05 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
CorporateDisguise
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 776
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2015 9:56 am
Location: NY

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by CorporateDisguise » Sun Mar 12, 2017 4:58 am

I have an Mg 65 reissue, and a vintage parts duosonic. As others have said, they are solid guitars. I used the mg 65 as my main guitar for years. They're great live, because they are so light and comfy, and the necks are amazing once you get used to them too. I think the two potential down sides to them are that the trem system is finicky, but once you get it dialed in it stays that way. I think i set mine up in 2009, and I've not needed to be looked at since. The other down side for some is the pickups, because they are very low output, and can be rather thin or anemic sounding. I personally switch out the bridge pickup for some sort of humbucker, and leave the neck.

If I were you, I would look into a used mg65 first. That way you're not spending to much cash, and dont have to feel bad about modding it if need be.

They also tend to elicit a strong reaction. You either love em, or hate em, there doesn't seem to be much midle ground.

User avatar
MechaBulletBill
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2808
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 8:16 am
Location: UK

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by MechaBulletBill » Sun Mar 12, 2017 6:16 am

Having traded in an MG73 for a real 66, the main differences are in the quality of hardware (the MIJ vibrato plate was very soft and wore away at the pivot point alarmingly quickly), the neck profile (MIJ was super slim and narrow near the nut, not for everybody but I liked it. the 66, by comparison, is chunky and wide but still very comfortable for me) and - of course - the sound. The 66 isn't louder but has an extra throaty 'woodiness' that makes for a full and distinct clean tone. It's also a good bit lighter than the basswood MIJ and I like the slab body shape (although the MG65 has that).

User avatar
Groovy Tunes
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 64
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 7:16 pm

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by Groovy Tunes » Sun Mar 12, 2017 8:03 am

Thanks guys, I have been looking at 1960s Mustangs for quite some time now and I feel a whole lot better on how well they perform. I'm totally stoked to play one soon!

User avatar
Axolotl
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1265
Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 9:06 am

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by Axolotl » Sun Mar 12, 2017 3:56 pm

FWIW, I've got my 66 Oly back in August and it's been pure joy. Mine turned out to be heavy as fuck for a such a small guitar (heavier than most my JMs!). It plays and sounds amazing, the neck is to die for and having paid just a bit over 1k I couldn't be happier with it. Get one, you won't regret it.

User avatar
Groovy Tunes
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 64
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 7:16 pm

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by Groovy Tunes » Sun Mar 12, 2017 4:46 pm

Axolotl wrote:FWIW, I've got my 66 Oly back in August and it's been pure joy. Mine turned out to be heavy as fuck for a such a small guitar (heavier than most my JMs!). It plays and sounds amazing, the neck is to die for and having paid just a bit over 1k I couldn't be happier with it. Get one, you won't regret it.
That's crazy how much it weighs! Are they all that heavy?

User avatar
Axolotl
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1265
Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 9:06 am

Re: Vintage Mustang Cost Justification

Post by Axolotl » Sun Mar 12, 2017 5:41 pm

^^ I don't think so. People stated in this thread that they are usually light (I had a 74 and it was light as a feather). I think mine is unusually heavy (again, not a backbreaker but for such a small guitar it feels surprisingly heavy). Maybe mine was made a heavy piece of ash, I think they used different types of woods on those years. But as a rule, I'm fairly certain most of them are on the lighter side.

Post Reply