NGD: 1966 Mustang A neck - suggestions on a body?

[nightceiling]

IMG_MUSTANG NECK_20140606_120359 by nightceiling
IMG_20140606_115554 by nightceiling

i have really been wanting to try one of these... don't even have crazy small hands or anything, but disproportionate thumbs (like almost half-size) which kind of makes all the difference. once i saw this on ebay and realized i could snag it under $200 there was no way i was going to let it go.

i'll admit i have a weird pet peeve about rosewood and i really like it to be as dark as possible (almost ebony dark like you see on maybe 25% of fender stock with the rest having the brighter/uneven stuff), but streaks and pattern on this is pretty cool.


while it shouldn't be hard to get a fairly cheap duo-sonic or mustang body from around the same time (granted it'll be a refinished one) i'm not sure i really care that much (at least not until i decide this neck fits me).

never owned a mustang or jaguar before period, never dealt with either tremolo system and not particularly that much of a tremelo fan for that matter so part of me is thinking i should just find a nice hardtail/string-through solid body ... yet i keep seeing the appeal of a trem for some reason when it comes to the mustang/bronco/jag.

i know there maybe could be issues of getting a good fit for this thing with apparent differences between fender japan/new squires/mexico but if need be i will take it to a professional and won't even think of mutilating the neck before the body gets whatever sanding/shim necessary.


current possible contenders for a neck swap/flip/grip/etc (subject to change)

Super-Sonic (custom)
no doubt my top choice and favorite fender guitar looks-wise, but probably won't happen unless i can get someone to make a body off the super-sonic template (which RULES btw i forget who did it but much respect) without costing too much... this is probably not worth it considering how wrong a super-sonic without an upside down headstock could possibly be (would also have to get the body changed to support a normal heel pocket).
hope nobody else on here is bidding on either blue sparkle super-sonic currently drifting thru ebay land because i'm insane and might go for it

possible SS alternative?
AXL Marquee MJZ (blue)
kind of better in a way as it's shaped to in a way that compliments a standard neck headstock/shape (and does just enough to avoid a letter from fender lawyers).
people seem to really like these AXL guitars, but i doubt i would get anyone to buy the neck (even if it's $40 i rather get rid of extra guitar shit i don't need) and it has the (for whatever reason) absurdly common floating strat tremelo... so i guess moving the bridge to get it setup right really wouldn't be easy.

Blacktop Jaguar HH
on CG locally for $250 which seems like a good deal especially before any haggling + it will probably be a decent axe right away

Duo-sonic/Musicmaster
probably means sanding and refinishing + everything else on top of $150-200 for the wood

Telecaster, Peavey Patriot

don't know how difficult it is fitting a non-telecaster neck into these, but they both would be cool.
i think a telecaster w/ mustang neck would be dope and there are tons of crazy cheap, quality options.

the peavey patriot on the other hand has a really nice mahogany body, still underrated/cheap and no complaints about those super-ferrites.



was going to try and get a VM mustang or even a VM jaguar body (unloaded), but that is almost pointless as i've seen a couple VM jags go by on craigslist cheaper than people sell the bodies on ebay.
already missed a VM jaguar HH for $150 on CG yesterday that i really should have gripped (lately realizing it's not only the first time in, well forever, that not only a new guitar can come across as a good deal but there are actually OPTIONS!?)

[MattK]

Axl, Telecaster, Peavey are not possible because the scale length is wrong, requires major bridge surgery. You need a shortscale body - Mustang, MM, Duo, Jaguar. The others can sometimes be converted but it requires a lot more work (and may not be possible, e.g. Telecaster).

[paul_]

Actually MM and Duo are out too, unless you're willing to drop way more cash for a vintage/custom body because I don't think any Duo reissue body has been 24" scale like a II. The '90s ones were 22.5" and the CV Squier uses a special 24" conversion neck on a body cut for 25.5", so neither of those would work and they'd be the options giving the project competitive price to a Stang/Jag build.

I'd suggest MIJ '65 RI Mustang body. Slabby and pastel, like what the guitar originally would've had. Alternatively you could try an old MIJ/CIJ '69 RI [with contours]. The factory Japanese stuff is just great and comes in cool finishes too, and you'll spend less parting-together a Mustang than a Jaguar.

I'd second the Squier VM idea (and had the idea of doing this with a Strat neck/Jazzmaster recently) but heard the bodies may present a problem with neck fit... as you wouldn't want to sand or shave the vintage neck, this would require similar work to the neck pocket in the body which is a precariously risky operation as it could screw the whole deal.

If you were going to use a Squier body I'm guessing you're right that the cheapest thing to do would be buy the whole guitar and then sell everything you don't use to make a bit of money back, given the uncommon parts the Mustang and only the Mustang uses. I spent $600 doing a '60s style Telecaster, and that's a guitar given away with free samples of Tide (and that's after a GFS neck pickup and hand-me-down tuners) so I can't imagine what it'd cost to make a similar-quality Mustang/Jaguar without spending months hunting for the right price on absolutely everything.

[Noirie.]

Actually MM and Duo are out too, unless you're willing to drop way more cash for a vintage/custom body because I don't think any Duo reissue body has been 24" scale like a II. The '90s ones were 22.5" and the CV Squier uses a special 24" conversion neck on a body cut for 25.5", so neither of those would work and they'd be the options giving the project competitive price to a Stang/Jag build.

I'd suggest MIJ '65 RI Mustang body. Slabby and pastel, like what the guitar originally would've had. Alternatively you could try an old MIJ/CIJ '69 RI [with contours]. The factory Japanese stuff is just great and comes in cool finishes too, and you'll spend less parting-together a Mustang than a Jaguar.

I'd second the Squier VM idea (and had the idea of doing this with a Strat neck/Jazzmaster recently) but heard the bodies may present a problem with neck fit... as you wouldn't want to sand or shave the vintage neck, this would require similar work to the neck pocket in the body which is a precariously risky operation as it could screw the whole deal.

If you were going to use a Squier body I'm guessing you're right that the cheapest thing to do would be buy the whole guitar and then sell everything you don't use to make a bit of money back, given the uncommon parts the Mustang and only the Mustang uses. I spent $600 doing a '60s style Telecaster, and that's a guitar given away with free samples of Tide (and that's after a GFS neck pickup and hand-me-down tuners) so I can't imagine what it'd cost to make a similar-quality Mustang/Jaguar without spending months hunting for the right price on absolutely everything.

NickD fit a sixties Mustang neck onto a VM Jaguar body and everything lined up alright. It's the japanese parts that aren't compitable off the bat with the VM's.

[nightceiling]

thanks for both responses that actually helps a lot... it's kinda driving me crazy i keep running into nice deals on fender guitars that can't swap with the mustang. just found somebody selling the newish affinity telecaster (which has a 1.6" nut on it which is why i'm interested even tho it's long scale) for 50 bucks.

VM jaguar or the blacktop (because i found the one i mentioned for $250) is still sounding like the best option as far as cheap bodies go.

i get the impression that while mustang pickups can certainly be good, they aren't really all that unique or necessarily a big part of a mustang's character.
jaguar pickups on the other hand do have a certain sound (whether it's the claws or the size of them) and i wouldn't mind trying those.
plus the VM jaguar w/ single coils looks a lot cooler... especially in green, which i think is the best jaguar color in general.
have never used a single coiled guitar before - at least not for any long period of time which i think is almost mandatory to get to "know" a guitar (just got Peavey Patriot but it's more P90 sounding i think).

humbuckers might be more versatile (?) and prob better for the kind of music i play a little over half the time. i like playing riffs with a lot of punch basically and i really don't know if humbuckers are any better in that regard or not... no reference other than what i'm used to (the PAFs in my 1991 LP Studio).
think sabbath vol 4, but also stuff like first Ramones LP. really like the guitar tone on the ramones demos before that as well - has a much looser grind to it that i would assume is more of a single coil kind of tone.

[NickD]

Actually MM and Duo are out too, unless you're willing to drop way more cash for a vintage/custom body because I don't think any Duo reissue body has been 24" scale like a II. The '90s ones were 22.5" and the CV Squier uses a special 24" conversion neck on a body cut for 25.5", so neither of those would work and they'd be the options giving the project competitive price to a Stang/Jag build.

I'd suggest MIJ '65 RI Mustang body. Slabby and pastel, like what the guitar originally would've had. Alternatively you could try an old MIJ/CIJ '69 RI [with contours]. The factory Japanese stuff is just great and comes in cool finishes too, and you'll spend less parting-together a Mustang than a Jaguar.

I'd second the Squier VM idea (and had the idea of doing this with a Strat neck/Jazzmaster recently) but heard the bodies may present a problem with neck fit... as you wouldn't want to sand or shave the vintage neck, this would require similar work to the neck pocket in the body which is a precariously risky operation as it could screw the whole deal.

If you were going to use a Squier body I'm guessing you're right that the cheapest thing to do would be buy the whole guitar and then sell everything you don't use to make a bit of money back, given the uncommon parts the Mustang and only the Mustang uses. I spent $600 doing a '60s style Telecaster, and that's a guitar given away with free samples of Tide (and that's after a GFS neck pickup and hand-me-down tuners) so I can't imagine what it'd cost to make a similar-quality Mustang/Jaguar without spending months hunting for the right price on absolutely everything.

NickD fit a sixties Mustang neck onto a VM Jaguar body and everything lined up alright. It's the japanese parts that aren't compitable off the bat with the VM's.

I was coming here to post exactly this - I have a 65 Musicmaster II neck on a VM Jag with no issues. The Japanese necks and a lot of the cheap Chinese strat knockoffs are about 1mm wider in the neck pocket.

[jculpjr]

Swinger body by Cooterfinger