NVFGD: 1978 Musicmaster

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
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LVC
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NVFGD: 1978 Musicmaster

Post by LVC » Wed Sep 14, 2022 3:16 am

So, hell has frozen over and I'm now the owner of a vintage Fender. :w00t:
Well, it's only a '78 Musicmaster, but still.

Shipped with the neck off, so I thought I'd have a peek under the pickguard before putting it together

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The black refin is pretty horrible. Lots of orange peel and some really bad runs. No hint of what the original color might have been, maybe I'll explore that later. Surprisingly the finish feels very tough. I can definitely live with it for now.

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The guitar was really cheap so I was half expecting non-original electronics under the hood. Looks like it's not the case :)

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Neck looks in decent shape with moderate fret wear...

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Wait, what is this? What happened there? Was the headstock used as a scratching post by a cat at some point? :derp:
Not that I mind too much...

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Okay, let's put the neck back on, oil the fretboard and slap a set of 11s on that baby...

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After a very quick setup, this thing rips :w00t:
Plugged into my Silverface Champ for historical accuracy's sake, it sounds much nicer than I anticipated. I'm a two pickup guitar guy, and I usually prefer the bridge one. But I love this thing! Within 30 seconds of playing it I was pummeling my way through all the first wave punk riffs I could remember. Can't put it down!

The neck feels pretty wonderful. The neck pocket, on the other hand... I totally get now what I've been reading for years about shoddy CBS quality.

Still, it's a keeper. Thanks to Good Guy Boris, and thanks to johnnysomersett for backpedalling on this one :-*
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JDawg0427
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Re: NVFGD: 1978 Musicmaster

Post by JDawg0427 » Wed Sep 14, 2022 9:04 am

Nice score! I almost bought that one but I was worried about the location and the picture quality. Glad to see it got a good home!

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JSett
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Re: NVFGD: 1978 Musicmaster

Post by JSett » Wed Sep 14, 2022 9:26 am

Hah! I recognise this. Glad it went to someone here :D

Good Guy Boris deserves his Good Guy status
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BoringPostcards
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Re: NVFGD: 1978 Musicmaster

Post by BoringPostcards » Thu Sep 15, 2022 2:17 am

Nice score. My first instrument was a Musicmaster Bass. I always wondered what the guitars were like.
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.

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panoramic
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Re: NVFGD: 1978 Musicmaster

Post by panoramic » Thu Sep 15, 2022 9:09 am

BoringPostcards wrote:
Thu Sep 15, 2022 2:17 am
Nice score. My first instrument was a Musicmaster Bass. I always wondered what the guitars were like.
super easy and fun to play, fastest of all the shortscale necks IMHO
I used to be cool, now I just complain about prices.

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s_mcsleazy
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Re: NVFGD: 1978 Musicmaster

Post by s_mcsleazy » Thu Sep 15, 2022 10:33 am

i was kinda tempted by this but i kinda knew i'd ruin it by routing it for a WRHB in the neck.
offset guitars resident bass player.
'Are you trying to seduce me Mrs Robinson? Or do you just want me to solder a couple of resistors into your Muff?'

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Re: NVFGD: 1978 Musicmaster

Post by Hellion » Fri Sep 16, 2022 12:16 pm

There is something weird about single pickup guitars that make them aggressive. Srsly. I think it has something to do with the sort of footprint (if you will) of the magnetic field around it. Esquires had a cult charm for that reason. It's not a Tele bridge pickup, but they're quietly pretty awesome.

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Re: NVFGD: 1978 Musicmaster

Post by MattK » Fri Sep 16, 2022 3:23 pm

Score!! Nice prize from the Boris lottery.

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Nico
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Re: NVFGD: 1978 Musicmaster

Post by Nico » Fri Sep 16, 2022 3:38 pm

My first vintage Fender was this exact guitar, in OW.
It was fantastic in all sorts of way and it smelled like vanilla cake when you opened the case.

I was a complete boob and sold the thing, thinking I could easily buy another one down the line.... I bought 2 of them, same-ish year... both sucked hard and the necks were twiggy like shits.

Moral of the story; when you find a fine MM, hold on to it as good ones are hard to find.

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LVC
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Re: NVFGD: 1978 Musicmaster

Post by LVC » Sun Sep 25, 2022 2:27 am

After spending a little more time with it I still love this thing to bits.

This is my first vintage Fender ― and probably my last as well. As much as I'd love to own a vintage JM or Jag (and that's a lot!), I made the decision a good while ago that it would be silly for me to sink that much cash into a guitar, especially since I don't play out or in a band anymore. This Musicmaster came up at a price that made it possible for me to scratch that itch, and I'm very glad I could.

This is also my first US made Fender and I'm having a hard time identifying the correct Imperial spec tools for it. I have a 1/16" Allen wrench that I thought would work on the saddle height grub screws, but it turns out it's too big. Does anybody know what the correct size should be? 0.05"?
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LVC
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Re: NVFGD: 1978 Musicmaster

Post by LVC » Sun Oct 09, 2022 5:47 pm

LVC wrote:
Sun Sep 25, 2022 2:27 am
I have a 1/16" Allen wrench that I thought would work on the saddle height grub screws, but it turns out it's too big. Does anybody know what the correct size should be? 0.05"?
Well, I ended up ordering a set of small Imperial spec Allen wrenches so I can answer my own question: the 0.05" one is indeed the right one for the saddle height grub screws.

I think a refin is in order at some point in the future. That's something I've never done before so I don't feel confident enough to try it now ― I'll need a lot of practice first... But I'm starting to think about possible colors.
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