3 different Fender Mustang Basses in the same room! A comparison of their sonic differences
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- Опубликовано: 13 июл 2024
- This video features a sonic comparison of 3 different Fender Mustang Basses:
(1) My red MIM PJ Offset modified Mustang, 1st generation
(2) Circa 2022-generation MIM gold sparkle MIM PJ Offset Mustang
(3) Older Japanese-made Olympic white/red tort Mustang.
*To best appreciate the sonic differences, headphones or quality speakers are recommended.
All basses were recorded through a Line6 Pod Go with my GK800RB model. There was no added EQ or compression to the basses. In the first part of the demonstration, there was no level matching so you, the viewer, can appreciate the slightly different outputs between the three basses, and between p/u selection.
During the play-through with the backing track, the basses were level-matched, with the exception of the gold sparkle p/u variations (with the addition of the J-bridge p/u, there was an audible volume drop).
Special thanks to Bruce and Wes for lending me their respective Mustang basses!
Song: Untitled (J. Wong)
Keys, cellos & drums: J. Wong
Saxophone: Andrew Fennell
00:00 Intro
01:12 Red MIM Mustang (modified)
04:30 Gold sparkle MIM Mustang
11:07 White MIJ Mustang
17:17 Intro to the track
18:35 Track with red Mustang Neck p/u
20:01 Track with Gold sparkle Mustang Neck p/u
21:28 Track with Gold sparkle Mustang Both p/u
22:54 Track with White MIJ Mustang Neck p/u
Link to My journey with Short scale basses, collection and modifications:
• My short scale bass jo...
jonathanwong.bandcamp.com 
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![I can't believe this Fender! | Player Series Mustang Bass [Review/Demo]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/86Ur5-qPSoY/mqdefault.jpg)
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Great comparison. Nicely done, Jonathan
Thanks for watching!
I just picked up a used Fender Mustang PJ Bass yesterday. Got it for an unbelievable price. Sweet bass so far! Nice demo, Thanks!
Congrats!! Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you for the commentary and playing. I just procured a seen-better-days loaded Fender Offset Series Mustang PJ body in sonic blue that I plan to give TLC and revive. I'm now searching for a fretless neck (with lines) that will fit it. Can't wait until it's complete! All the best.
Cool sounding project! I considered having a PJ mustang professionally de-fretted at one time, before I found my current Landing fretless. I do not think they ever made a stock fretless version….
I love mustangs! Thanks so much for watching!
I have a CIJ Mustang, Vintage white (they are not Olympic White) w/tortoiseshell pickguard, purchased new in early 2000s for about $600 USD. Immediately put Fender flats on it. The pickups are split Seymour Duncans (or Duncan-designed). Bought the Fender hard case. Now, this thing sounds a lot like a Precision. Build quality is outstanding .. I want to try the brand new Vintera II MIM model that just came out, as well as the brand new Bass VI. Will change to LaBella flats or Thomasik at some point...never rounds.
My German Hofner 1962 reissue is too fragile for gigging. One day, a Rickenbacker will come my way!
The Japan made mustangs are great! The first vintera mustangs were underwhelming. I haven’t tried the new v2. If you’re open to non-fenders, the schecter pro gauge mustangs are pretty great. I’ve made a few videos with those.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I modified mine too. Put extra thick flat wound strings on and installed a rickenbacker pick up in it. Also gave a nice yellow paint job with a pearl purple pickguard. Turned out pretty good.
WOW. That sounds wild! Cool!
great content ! thanks
Thanks so much for watching!
Nice comparison! I am definitely a P-bass sound lover, so one of my problems with the Mustang basses, much as I love mine, is that they are less bright. I like that punch.
Cool! A mustang with good roundwounds through a hint of overdrive might get that sound. But yes, the shorter scale length does take away a little ‘zing’. Thx for watching!
Great comparison video! A lot of horse power in the room
Thx for watching!! Vroom vroom
Very nice Sir. 👍🏻
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I have the MIM mustang in aged finish, Pau Ferro fretboard that has lovely stripes on it. Put labella flats on it which are superb. However the real difference came when I changed the pickups to Seymour Duncan Quarter pounders which transformed this bass from a great guitar to an excellent one. Only problem is..its my second choice bass now, because I recently bought the short scale Gibson SG which is totally kick ass. Thanks for the video. Great stuff.
Nice mods! Thanks for watching! I quite like my red mustang!!
Thanks for a really good comparison, I can hear the difference between the instruments. I want to try a Mustang Bass with a maple board. I have a Fender Precision Special, Okume from the 2012s or 13s. I play guitar but I always try to do James Jamerson stuff😊
Thanks for watching and commenting! The PJ player series with the maple board looks pretty slick!
The American Performer comes with a rosewood fretboard. Fun video, thanks!
Thanks so much for watching!
I have the same gold Mustang with chromes on it and yes they are the darker blue color at the ends. I also made a slight modification to the wiring. It's hard to explain, but basically it's a 50's style volume wiring from the factory. I think it's supposed to reduce the loss of treble when you roll off the volume, but it was causing my bass to lose volume and clarity when i turned down the tone. It also sounded a bit off even with the tone up. I had to compare the wiring diagram to a regular precision bass wiring diagram and moved one wire on the volume pot to make it match the P bass wiring. I think it sounds much better now.
As far as the bridge pickup, I don't use it solo but instead combined with the neck pickup when I'm playing songs that just need that jazz bass twang. It does the job, but the neck pickup alone is what makes this bass special
Yeah man, on my red mustang, I have standard P bass wiring, it's quite a bit clearer compared to the stock wiring. Taking the J p/u and the switch completely out of the circuit made the bass much clearer to my ears.
Thanks for watching!
Very good demonstration, thanks for video!! BTW, I wish I ordered the black glove like yours, unfortunately I got mine white, wrong idea haha... wish they had skin color back then though.
Thx for watching! They make a brown/tan coloured one!! Not sure if it’s available where you are.
@@jonathanwong458music I found you had video about gloves just a couple days ago, so sorry that you wear them for a needed reason rather than preferred. It's a real frustration for a good musician like you!! Not available in local store around so I got mine from Amazon, only black and white back then, but has brown ones now.
@@JasonECI thanks! adapt where we can
Got 3 mustang pj's myself, all fsr's in different colors but with maple boards, replaced the bridge pickup and toggle switch on all of them, everything else is pretty solid
Cool! They’re great basses!
@@jonathanwong458music For playing feel and tonal versatility they're hard to beat at that price point...then again I paid 499 for mine a few years back and they're considerably more now
Chomes are darker blue silk , purple is Ernie Ball cobalt flats.
For me on a p/j bass i never only use the j pickup but on a jazz bass i sometimes use only the bridge pickup
I think i like the white one in the song the best ,it has a little growl to it.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! The white MIJ mustang is a cool bass. On a PJ, I never use the bridge p/u. I disconnect them from the circuit typically. I think it opens up the tone of the P!
It would be interesting to compare the Japanese Reissue to the new(ish) JMJ Roadworn Mustang Reissue.
Yes! I’d love to do that. Just need to source/borrow a JMJ. They feel quite different-MIJ has a smaller nut width and neck. JMJ neck is chunkier.
Thx for watching!
Due to an accident I play bass with one hand. What short 5 string bass would you recommend that would better pick up the vibrations coming from just pressing down on the frets. Thanks
Thanks for watching!
That's a good question, as I am always looking for a good shorty 5 string. Sorry to hear of the accident. A good low setup with lower tension strings will likely help make it easier to play. But if looking for 5 strings in particular: If you're on a budget, then the 5 string Ibanez Mikro would be a decent choice. It's relatively inexpensive and its extra short 28.6" scale should make it easier to play. www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GSRM25BK--ibanez-gsrm25bk-mikro-black
If you're wanting to go upscale, check out the Form Factor Wombat line. I've never tried one myself, though. www.ampshopbassexchange.com/product/form-factor-audio-wombat-js5-5-string-short-scale-30-bass/
I wish I had bought one when they were still available, but Atelier Z made a mustang-styled 5 string 30". Sadly discontinued and now they're trading for more than the original new price.
Unfortunately, short scale 5s (and strings) are relatively hard to find, new or used. I've resorted to sticking a capo on my standard scale 5'er (tuned down to A standard, capo2).
The gold spark at 50% cut sounds articulate but not klanky, nice
The gold looks awesome too! Thanks for watching!
Do you have also issues with the pickup selector switch on the MIM? I have the very same model and the switch is quite crappy.. sometimes I need to wiggle it so I can get sound from the bridge pickup 🤣
Yes! The switch is pretty loose. I also prefer the tone of the P pickup alone so I’ve completely bypassed the switch and the J pickup. Sounds more open to me. But yeah, the switch was temperamental! On the plus side, it doesn’t slice your hand open like a strat or tele switch where the cap never stays on!!
Thanks for watching!
A couple of small drops of a certain spray lubricant, (supplied in a yellow and blue can), can help the switch to fully throw its the contacts. Use with the supplied fine red tube attached, to enable one small drop in from each side of the switch “handle”. Other spray lubricans are available, but this one works for me. Used it about 3 times over the last couple of years to good effect.
Those MIJ mustangs are so expensive these days. I wish fender would make a modern MIJ or MIA mustang with the single split coil. The JMJ mustang would check all the boxes, but I'm not huge into the road warn thing, and that's a lot of money for MIM.
Totally agree! I imported the white MIJ mustang for just a touch over $1K cdn around 5 years ago. Now they’re north of 2, if you can even find one. Similarly, musicmaster prices are nuts…
The JMJs are cool, but I thought the neck was a tad chunky for me. Truer to vintage spec, though. But yeah, agree, too expensive for a MIM instrument
Is there a way to switch the volume to a push/pull pot to independently control each pickup with the toggle switch in the middle?
I think what you want is a dual concentric volume pot (2 volumes stacked on top of each other in a single space). You would not need a switch that way. Top could control vol of the neck p/u, the bottom would control vol of the bridge p/u and leave the tone pot where it is!
Something like this: guitarelectronics.com/alps-stacked-250k-dual-concentric-pot/
It's that's too tall, you could drill a second pot in the pickguard and run 2 separate vol pots for each pickup too, but that becomes a non-reversible mod.
@@jonathanwong458music yeah my idea is to be able to control the volume for each pickup independently to get a nice blend of each. The first idea with the dual concentric volume pot seems like the best option to me. Does the ohms of the pot make a difference? The one you linked is 250, but I also see they have a split 250/500 one and a dual 500 one. Which one would be best? Thanks for the info and the great videos! Earned my subscription!
Typically, 500s are brighter and 250s less so. I prefer 250s for most bass pickups. But it’s really a preference!
Good luck with the mod!
Here’s a link for more info: www.fralinpickups.com/2020/08/26/how-to-choose-between-250k-and-500k-pots/
Great video! i think fender mustang of japan is the best one. Why do you wear a glove in your hand?
Hi! Thanks for watching! Good choice!
I have a form of dermatomyositis, which is an autoimmune skin/joint/muscle disease. My finger tips are all chewed up as a result, so the glove keep the strings from shredding them up further. Keeps the pain manageable!
Those are chromes on the gold bass.
Thanks! Thought so, based on the coloured ball ends. The silk is a different shade of blue than the chromes I've seen. Maybe the short scale chromes have different colour silks
@Jonathan Wong yup. Mine are 45-100 short scale Chromes, and those wraps are this color.
Excellent! Thanks! Good to know. I'll let the owner know
I’ve never seen anyone play with a glove on. Is there a benefit?
Hi! I use a glove primarily for pain control - I have an autoimmune disease (dermatomyositis) that has resulted in chronic finger joint inflammation and a vasculitis that has shredded apart my finger tips. So pressing down the strings really hurts. The glove helps dampen the pain from contact and has been gamechanging as for a long time, I could not play any of my instruments at all. Even now, I can't play for extended periods of time, but at least I can get some work done! I've made a video on this topic should you be interested. Here's a link:
ruclips.net/video/OQcV8KDUqlg/видео.html
Thanks for watching!
@@jonathanwong458music thanks for the info. The reason I asked was because I too have been having problems with my hands, and it seems to only get worse as I age (53). Mine is more swelling most likely caused by arthritis. Glad to hear you get some relief from wearing the glove.
Thanks. If swelling is your issue, just make sure the fit isn’t too tight, or it’ll hurt taking them off! Good luck!
i wish i could find a left handed one
Oh man! I can see how that would be a problem. I’ve never seen a lefty mustang…
@@jonathanwong458music the closest thing i’ve found available is the Eastwood Warren Ellis bass. Other than that i’ve seen a couple of actual lefty mustangs go for £1500 and £2000. im hoping fender will do me a favour someday and make a new one but it’s not looking likely :(
Wow, for 2000 you can get a luthier to build you a great lefty short scale! To your specs
@@jonathanwong458music maybe that’s something i’ll have to save up for! until then i’ll just keep watching your videos and dreaming hahaha
Cool! More coming down the pipe. Thx for watching!
Cannot hear much, oh your voice, I hear that loud and clear
Are you using headphones or good speakers? Laptop speakers and phone speakers will not reproduce the bass frequencies clearly.