Mikey Way Mustang Bass

Cymbaline · Post by **Cymbaline** » Mon Apr 21, 2014 1:41 pm

Get this bass. It sounds ballsy as hell, looks sweet as tits.
I put a set of Power Slinky Cobalt strings on this thing and my god it sounds fantastic.
Other than the Fender Mustang Bass, this is the coolest shortscale bass alive.

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Tue Apr 22, 2014 1:23 pm

brainfur wrote:i dont think a full scale bass sounds much better than a shortscale for most applications-- if you are planning to downtune to some sludgey B or C tuning-- then a longer scale is v helpful

Jazz bass has more pickup/tone options but for "rock" music u just looking for a thumpy punchy sound a P-bass or a mustang or even a bronco will do fine

As a bassist, this rings true. I mean the cork-sniffy types will simply deny that a short-scale sounds "bassy", but, they're as short-sightedly biased as any cork-sniffy type and are talking out their asses based on nothing but a feeling. If anything, a shortscale will give you slightly more fundamental and slightly less harmonic content, meaning it'd be bassier... in reality, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.

Depending on your string choices, you're not going to even notice a whole lot of difference in string tension, though downtuning a shorty won't be quite as good as downtuning a full scale, as brainfur said.
If you're used to full scale fret sizes, shifting to shortscale will feel weird at first, but it doesn't take long to shift your muscle memory for the fret locations. Given that you're used to the fret spacing on a VI, a shortscale will require no modification in fret spacing for your fingers.

superfuzz · Post by **superfuzz** » Wed Apr 23, 2014 7:14 pm

AMAZON IS KILLIN' IT

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Thu Apr 24, 2014 7:02 pm

gusman2x wrote:Did anyone on here get one of these, or play one?

Feeling the urge to get a regular bass, and this looks bad ass. Wonder whether i'd be better with a full scale though. Never really played bass, other than my vi, but i've been fancying it recently.

The only upgrade you need on a Mustang Bass is a good set of strings.

http://elderly.com/accessories/items/760FL-MUS.htm

These are a bit heavier than your stock strings, but they're specifically made for Mustangs, meaning you'll have no problems with the ball end or the tuner end, and they're the best strings ever made. I promise.

gusman2x · Post by **gusman2x** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:25 am

Got one at the weekend. Really enjoying playing it so far. I am playing it at bedroom volumes through a guitar amp though, so not getting the thump thumps as much as I'd like. I just will not cease to be amazed at how good Squiers are.

dustandbarley · Post by **dustandbarley** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:50 am

gusman2x wrote:Got one at the weekend. Really enjoying playing it so far. I am playing it at bedroom volumes through a guitar amp though, so not getting the thump thumps as much as I'd like. I just will not cease to be amazed at how good Squiers are.

Great to hear you bought one and am enjoying it. Did you get the chance to play a MIJ reissue, or a Mustang from the 60's / 70's. I have gas and would be very interested in how you think these stack up over the MIJ and US models especially for the $$'s / Â£Â£'s.

dustandbarley · Post by **dustandbarley** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:51 am

gusman2x wrote:Got one at the weekend. Really enjoying playing it so far. I am playing it at bedroom volumes through a guitar amp though, so not getting the thump thumps as much as I'd like. I just will not cease to be amazed at how good Squiers are.

Great to hear you bought one and am enjoying it. Did you get the chance to play a MIJ reissue, or a Mustang from the 60's / 70's. I have gas and would be very interested in how you think these stack up over the MIJ and US models especially for the $$'s / Â£Â£'s.

gusman2x · Post by **gusman2x** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 11:02 am

dustandbarley wrote:
gusman2x wrote:Got one at the weekend. Really enjoying playing it so far. I am playing it at bedroom volumes through a guitar amp though, so not getting the thump thumps as much as I'd like. I just will not cease to be amazed at how good Squiers are.
Great to hear you bought one and am enjoying it. Did you get the chance to play a MIJ reissue, or a Mustang from the 60's / 70's. I have gas and would be very interested in how you think these stack up over the MIJ and US models especially for the $$'s / Â£Â£'s.

Fraid not, and to be honest, don't think I'd be the best person to provide a useful comparison as I am not yet a bass player. From what I've heard, the stock mustang pickup can sound weedy, and the MW humbucker is a bit thumpy. Biggest difference in feel will be the fretboards, as the MIJ/vintage will be 7.25, and the Squier will be 9.5.

dustandbarley · Post by **dustandbarley** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 1:47 pm

gusman2x wrote:Biggest difference in feel will be the fretboards, as the MIJ/vintage will be 7.25, and the Squier will be 9.5.

Thanks, thats a good insight as I hadn't given the fretboard radius much consideration... I think I'll seek one out next time I'm near a music shop and have a plonk.

brainfur · Post by **brainfur** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 2:00 pm

gusman2x wrote: the MW humbucker is a bit thumpy.

that's a good thing, thumpy-ness

Cymbaline · Post by **Cymbaline** » Thu Mar 31, 2016 4:19 am

I have decided to put this bass in BEAD, but the freaking B-string snapped and came unraveled from the core when I wound it around the peg

Can anyone recommend a .130 or .135 bass string that has a small enough tip that I can feed the string into the peg but short enough to not be overwound on the 30" scale?
I was using Cobalt strings, which apparently are brittle I've seen other people complaining about them snapping, even the G string, but they do sound great.
Is it normal for a fat bass string to snap when part of the full gauge part is wound around the peg?

I had a .110 that wound just fine in EADG but the .130 gauge couldnt take it in BEAD, broke two of them to my extreme shame!

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 8:51 pm

You just cannot assume any bass strings will work in any scale than the one they say it will work for. Not to mention, string through makes things even more complicated.

The Mustang Bass is probably the worst bass ever try to put it in BEAD tuning because you're dealing with both string-through and short scale and you seem to want absurdly thick strings. Unless you feel like going fully custom (and it's not a bad idea), good luck with that.

I can't even think of too many that would work. There are some options for short scale 5s, but Mustangs are another level of complexity.