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I label the Fender Mustang Bass as retro because everything about it is almost exactly the same as when it was introduced to the market originally in 1966.<\/p>\n
When Fender does an exact-spec reissue of a particular instrument, they appropriately call it a reissue. Not so with the Mustang. The reason it’s not called a reissue is because almost nothing about it has changed. You will not find any new Mustang “Deluxe” or “Special” or any other type of model. Just plain ol’ Mustang.<\/p>\n
Fender does not promote this model of bass guitar whatsoever, and while I’m sure a few of you out there have heard of it, I doubt you knew it was still being made.<\/p>\n
The Mustang Bass is a short scale bass guitar<\/strong>. It’s just 30 inches (or 76.2 centimeters for you metric types). In comparison, both the Precision and Jazz Bass models have a 34in\/86.36cm scale, meaning the Mustang’s scale is significantly<\/em> shorter.<\/p>\n The fretboard radius is vintage-spec<\/strong> at 7.25in\/18.415cm, which is significantly rounder than the modern 9.5in\/24.13cm radius.<\/p>\n The Mustang bass has nickel\/silver frets<\/strong> on it. And while the Fender web site does not state the size of the frets, I’m certain they’re not<\/em> medium jumbo.<\/p>\n The neck has 19 frets<\/strong> instead of the modern 20.<\/p>\n What this means to players<\/strong> is this:<\/p>\n For large individuals, the Mustang will feel toy-like in every way. If you’re used to the P or J, your fret hand will scrunch up like crazy due to the smaller spacing between the frets, and it will take you a while before you get used to it. However, if you’re the type that likes to solo, the short scale may be very much to your liking as you can whiz around the neck like nobody’s business.<\/p>\n For smaller individuals, the Mustang may be your dream bass guitar. Put simply, if when sitting with a standard P-Bass or J-Bass you literally can’t reach the G string tuning machine, you will be able to with the Mustang because it’s a full four inches shorter, and that puts everything in easy reach.<\/p>\n It’s a tough call to say what the Mustang’s tone character is. It has an alder body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and a split single-coil like what you could get on a P. However the neck is shorter and that does affect the sound.<\/p>\n The best way I can describe the Mustang is that it “mostly sounds like a P”. Or to put in even more simpler terms, it “sounds like a Fender”. You wouldn’t mistake it for sounding like any other bass guitar brand.<\/p>\n Below is an example of the Mustang Bass sound where Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads is playing one in 1978. Hers was unique in the respect that it had a competition stripe, and both a straight and a split-coil pickup. Fortunately during the recording the bass was recorded nice and LOUD and completely dry, so you can really hear what it sounds like.<\/p>\nWhat does the Mustang Bass sound like?<\/h3>\n