kevin_lindsay Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 (edited) I just bought myself one of the Fender Vintera Mustang basses to add to my selection. It's the first short scale instrument I've owned, and it's fun to use. I find myself playing more "busily" than I would on a standard scale length bass. When I got the bass, the Pau Ferro fingerboard looked pretty dry and anaemic. So, Ioosened off the strings and set about dressing the fingerboard. I scraped the board with a single edged razor blade to smooth off any raised grain in the wood, then buffed the board with super fine steel wool. The next stage was to apply lemon oil. This was left on the wood overnight to really soak in to the pores. In the morning I wiped off any excess left over. The end result is a board which now looks dark and lustrous, and feels super smooth to the touch. I've also received a set of medium scale La Bella flatwound strings to use (I got medium scale as short scale strings would only be usable on top loading short scale basses. The Vintera has the traditional "through body" stringing, so needs a slightly longer string length to accommodate this). I've also got a Nordstrand NM4 to use if I want (I mat also fit a couple of solid shaft CTS pots too, and a switch craft jack - just because I have a few unused ones in my "bass bits" stash at home. Oh, and the Hipshot lollipop tuners that come with the Bass are very cool!! Fingerboard - before, and after. Edited February 10, 2020 by kevin_lindsay 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 That’s a great job on that fretboard, nice bass too, congrats. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigguy2017 Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Nice bass..... I'm sorely tempted by one, so I'd better start saving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burno70 Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Noice - I do like Mustangs, and the Vintera range has some brill colours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Nice! The fingerboard looks great. Any reason you went for this set rather than the 760FLMUS mustang-specific LaBellas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 how do the strings feel, compared to a 34" scale bass? Tension wise? cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_lindsay Posted February 11, 2020 Author Share Posted February 11, 2020 I wemt for the slightly heavier gauge flats as I usually use 45 gauge rounds on my basses. Flats in the same gsuge tend to have less tension compared to rounds of the same thickness, so I we t for a thicker string. They may be thicker, but they're nowhere near the Jamerson La Bella - they're industrial strength!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_lindsay Posted February 11, 2020 Author Share Posted February 11, 2020 2 minutes ago, police squad said: how do the strings feel, compared to a 34" scale bass? Tension wise? cheers The strings feel slightly softer compared to the same gauge on a 34"scale instrument. However, it's not as big a difference as I imagined it would be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_lindsay Posted February 11, 2020 Author Share Posted February 11, 2020 Incidentally, the old speaker cabinet behind the rack of basses _ that's a vintage Leslie speaker cab that I got off eBay a couple of years ago. It only cost me £30!! Bargain of the decade!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbiscuits Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 I love Mustangs. Well done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Very nice Kev. I think good flats transform a Mustang, I love em on my JMJ Mustang which I think is pretty much a Vintera but with the relic job and a rosewood board. Only problem I have now is that I use Shorties for all the gigs so I practice on my long scale MMs to make sure I don't get lazy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 out of interest, how do these generally balance? I tried a SS Squire Jaguar which had a very light (Agathis?) body and found if a drag due to neck dive. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 (edited) 30 minutes ago, MoonBassAlpha said: out of interest, how do these generally balance? I tried a SS Squire Jaguar which had a very light (Agathis?) body and found if a drag due to neck dive. Cheers If it's like my JMJ Mustang (which I believe it is other than the relicing and the Pau Ferro) it likes to hang horizontally so not nasty neck dive as such. To be fair most Mustangs I've tried/owned whether CIJ, MIM or MII have been like this, the only one I've had which has no neck dive whatsoever is a 2012 Mikey way sig Mustang which has a heavier Basswood body. Edited July 6, 2020 by martthebass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Thanks, useful info! cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOSCOWBASS Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 (edited) Just for info, I don't think these strings are recommended for "through body stringing", there is a specific LaBella set for this. You may suffer a string break Edited July 6, 2020 by MOSCOWBASS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meterman Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 I love Mustang basses, and that's handsome. Nice one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandad Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, MOSCOWBASS said: Just for info, I don't think these strings are recommended for "through body stringing", there is a specific LaBella set for this. You may suffer a string break Yes I think the La Bella 760F-MUS have a longer silk to pass through the body if I remember correctly. Just had a look at mine and the string bends as it passes through the bridge plate on the silk rather than the flat winding, which is thing to avoid. Edited July 6, 2020 by grandad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyellowcar Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Love it! Esp. the pearl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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