Modding a '66 Mustang (really?? really???)

[Andyjr1515]

Now, folks, stop right there!

 

I know, I know, I KNOW!!!

 

And more to the point, so does the owner of this 56 year old beauty (the bass, that is), our very own @ped

 

And the bass is a delight.  My Canon SLR doesn't cope well with reds, but this gives you at least an essence:

 

 

OK - to stem the torrent of 'DON'T DO IT' posts, it is clear that it has already, in its past, been significantly and irreversibly modded.  I'm pretty sure this is closer to what it would have looked like out of the factory:

 

So, originally: no bridge pickup; early, smaller, split neck pickups.

 

And so to @ped's wish and desire:  

 

-  The present PJ pickups, while parallel with the bridge, are absolutely not square to the strings and neck.  So is it the bridge that is wrong?  And if so, was it always?  Or was it the replacement pickups that were put in skewwhiff?  Or is it the neck?  Or all of the above?

- The pickups aren't as originally fitted.  Neither the bridge nor the neck pickups are original.  Nor is the P the original size.  So the body has already been retro-routed and the scratch plate has already been retro cut.

- And so, if @ped fancied some different pickups, there would be no major impact on the value...and it's probably a keeper anyway (and if he doesn't want to keep it, then I will - and I don't even really play bass!    It really is a thing of beauty)

- And if different pickups were to be fitted...well could the bridge be straightened up at the same time?

 

And there was a long PM discussion 

 

And it's now on my workbench  

 

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by Andyjr1515

[ped]

Following, this ped guy sound like an idiot!

[Sibob]

Sorry, to be clear.....the plan is to put it back to the original spec? 🤞

 

Si

[Andyjr1515]

49 minutes ago, Sibob said:

Sorry, to be clear.....the plan is to put it back to the original spec? 🤞

 

Si

In terms of bits and layout, not quite.  In terms of putting a smile on @ped 's face, then hopefully 

 

[BigRedX]

Which one stays? Thumb rest or tugbar?

[Andyjr1515]

One thing you learn messing about with guitars and basses is that, especially in terms of geometry, everything affects everything.

 

Until you start unscrewing stuff and lifting covers and components, you can't be certain what has changed in the past 56 years, and what was always like that...and, even then, was it 'right'.  It's one of the most interesting aspects with working on old instruments (that and the 'exhilarating' terror of making a mistake  ).

 

And then there is the other aspect - even if something always was wrong - is it better to correct that...or correct everything else around it.  And here a different type of logic might apply - and often this is where pragmatism and experience come in.  Let me explain.  The bridge is at an angle, but the strings are lined up well down the fretboard:

 

  

 

The centre dots are in the middle of the A/D string gap at both nut and heel ends; the distance between the E and G and their respective fretboard sides are even.

 

Andyjr1515 Golden Rule: If this is the case, and the bass plays well (it does) and the action is able to be low without buzzing (this is perhaps the lowest action - in terms of across all strings - of any bass I've worked on) then assume, unless some aspect later-on is irreconcilable, that this is the datum.  So my plan, as it stands, is to do NOTHING with the neck.  In fact, if I can be sure of protecting everything, I probably will not even take the neck off.  Ideally, I don't want to touch it at all.

 

And so, for the time being, I have a datum. 

 

And so what about the bridge?  If the string runs are assumed to be correct, how are they in relation to the bridge?  Have a look at the strings relative to the lines of the saddle adjustment grooves:

 

Note also that gap between the control plate and the scratch plate - it's askew.

 

So - critical question.  Has the bridge been repositioned?  Did the modder who installed the pickups erroneously put them in at an angle and then had to twist the bridge?  Only one way of finding out 

 

Golden rule with working on old basses...make sure you know which particular screw came out of which hole...it matters!

 

Hmmm...interesting.  I would pretty much guarantee that this bass has never been been resprayed and, as such, any adjustment of the main screws would show.  I'll come back to the two small screw holes next to the pickup cavity.  The four large holes at the back are the string-through holes.   I reckon that bridge was askew from new:

 

 

So next question - could it be straightened without affecting the string runs?

[Andyjr1515]

29 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Which one stays? Thumb rest or tugbar?

Both 

 

[ped]

2 hours ago, Sibob said:

Sorry, to be clear.....the plan is to put it back to the original spec? 🤞

 

Si

 

I've decided to have a couple of really interesting pickups added in place of the P/J. Partly because:

- Putting an original pickup in will mean a new pick guard (boo)

- The J will leave a big hole that'll be impossible to hide; even moving the J pickup might leave an untidy edge so I thought a different pickup to fill that gap which may or may not either fill it or maybe require a bezel would work

- The bass has already been modded and will never be 'original' and I don't care about originality much anyway

- The bass plays wonderfully and feels amazing, but I could quite easily buy an 'original' if that was the aim - in fact I have a Squire CV Mustang which probably sounds 99% the same as a Fender version (really it's very nicely put together for £300!

- The pickups I have chosen are super cool and two pickups in a Mustang sound awesome

 

I'll leave both tug bars if there's room next to the new pickup (which I'll let Andy reveal in good time) - they've been on so long they've stained the pick guard and actually I quite like using them in different ways.

[Sibob]

I had it in my head that it wasn't the original finish, and so filling the pickup routs and respraying would potentially be on the cards......clearly it's not haha.

Going for a Nick Campbell Musicmaster vibe? @ped?

 

Si

[HazBeen]

Very cool, so Serek B90 in bridge and Bi-Sonic in neck position then?

[ezbass]

1 minute ago, HazBeen said:

Very cool, so Serek B90 in bridge and Bi-Sonic in neck position then?

 

[HazBeen]

Sounds very sweet  

[Andyjr1515]

29 minutes ago, HazBeen said:

Sounds very sweet  

It does...but no

 

[Andyjr1515]

And so to that bridge.

 

Using my long rule running up the fretboard, I positioned the bridge square with it at the correct length.  Then I checked the two string runs from the nut slot to the saddle grooves:

 

 

 

So - did ANY of the bridge holes line up?

 

One!    The far left above the E saddle.  And only one of the through-body holes (the A) although all of those will be usable.

 

It wouldn't have made too much difference if none of the screw holes had lined up - but it meant that, without any plugging and redrilling, I could secure the bridge to stop it sliding about...    

 

...while I double checked and triple checked and quadruple checked, etc, etc, etc 

 

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by Andyjr1515

[ped]

When Leo left Fender he took all the rulers with him

[Marc S]

Nice looking bass 😀 

The wonky bridge might have got on my nerves - visually anyway. But I'd be torn about correcting it, as it then wouldn't align with that rear pickup.... hmm a dilemma. 

 

I have a liking for a passive P/J - so I think I'd prefer to keep a J pickup there. I'll be interested to see how this project goes.

 

In full agreement with @pedre the quality of the Squier CV Mustang. I wasn't looking for a bass - but I tried one in my local PMT and was blown away by how good it was! Not only that - although i didn't buy that particular one.... i ended up getting a PJ Mustang, as I'd forgotten just how much fun a decent short scale could be.

[Beedster]

Defo twin Precision single coils 👍

[Hellzero]

I would put as many pickups as possible. 🤪

 

Leo didn't get it right the first time on this one, for sure. 😈

[BigRedX]

Did that J-pickup need to be so close to the bridge that it necessitated cutting into the base plate for the screw holes?

 

Is it in the correct position relative to the short scale length for a Jazz?

[Beedster]

[ped]

28 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Did that J-pickup need to be so close to the bridge that it necessitated cutting into the base plate for the screw holes?

 

Is it in the correct position relative to the short scale length for a Jazz?

I haven’t compared the spacing to a reissue mustang with a j pickup but it looks a bit wider. Remember the PJ reissues have a regular BBOT bridge so it looks closer on mine because it has the proper big bridge. However when looking for new pickups I wanted to keep something right up against the bridge because the hole will need filling anyway and I generally like wider spaced pickups. 
 

I can only guess why the original mod was done like that - quite unusual to have cut out the pickup ears in the bridge itself. 

[ped]

3 hours ago, Sibob said:

I had it in my head that it wasn't the original finish, and so filling the pickup routs and respraying would potentially be on the cards......clearly it's not haha.

Going for a Nick Campbell Musicmaster vibe? @ped?

 

Si

Sorry Si I missed this comment. Yeah kind of. When searching for inspiration I came across his Musicmaster and like what he’s done with it. I was tempted to copy his stacked vol/tone setup but I like what I’ve got now, balance and no-load tone. And I can keep the original knobs. And for some odd reason I don’t like stacked knobs. It’s my burden to bear. 

[ped]

1 hour ago, Beedster said:

Close, in some ways. How are you getting on with that bass btw?

[Beedster]

16 minutes ago, ped said:

Close, in some ways. How are you getting on with that bass btw?

To quote Simon Cowell, I don’t like it….,

[Beedster]

I love it 😀