Got my Mustang ... and 2 questions ;) (pics inside)

[kypdurron]

The guitar arrived yesterday and it didn't look like a 2nd hand item in any way. Bought it about 40 % under german shop price and is has no ding, no dong or anything. The seller claimed it sonic blue, but I guess it's daphne ... and it's beautiful. I love the small body, the short scale, the shimmering pickguard and the poti knobs:



I love the fast neck and the sound of that guitar, can't wait to carry it to rehearsal room and to hear it though my big amp.
the nut seems to need some adjustment though. The e and b strings flipt out of it when I do bendings at 3rd fret.
First thought the screw to tighten the trem arm was missing, but it's there.

I have 2 questions though:

Would it be a good idea to shim the neck? That should allow to set the bridge a little higher, but I read about problems with shimmed Mustangs when played above 12th fret?

Other thing is that I seem to have difficulties with adjustment of the tailpiece. The allen key that fits the bridge doesn't seem to fit there, and none of my others too. Is this normal? Do I need a bigger or a smaller one? At the moment, the trem bar is far from being parallel to the strings ... which I don't really like, although I read about some advantages this may have according the guitar staying in tune. But I don't want to remove it everytime when transporting the guitar.

I will use the trem mainly in surf music pieces, so I don't need very much action on it, just a little whining on open chords ...

[stewart]

you don't need to use an allen key to adjust the tailpiece, just slacken the strings and turn the posts it sits on. i personally don't see the point in shimming the neck, but it depends what your preference is i suppose.

[robroe]

the size of your strings will affect the angle of your trem bar.

example: i use flatwound 13's. (its the guitar and strings in the banner right now) if i were to insert the bar into the hole and try and use it, the angle is so low that it its the strings. lighter strings create less tension on the unit and the angle of the bar isn't as crazy.

[blacktaxi]

the size of your strings will affect the angle of your trem bar.

example: i use flatwound 13's. (its the guitar and strings in the banner right now) if i were to insert the bar into the hole and try and use it, the angle is so low that it its the strings. lighter strings create less tension on the unit and the angle of the bar isn't as crazy.

at which notch you have the trem springs?
how high is the bridge positioned?
from that pic it looks like you have hell of a high action

[euan]

the size of your strings will affect the angle of your trem bar.

example: i use flatwound 13's. (its the guitar and strings in the banner right now) if i were to insert the bar into the hole and try and use it, the angle is so low that it its the strings. lighter strings create less tension on the unit and the angle of the bar isn't as crazy.

Rob. Why haven't you questioned this guys user name yet?

[kypdurron]

the size of your strings will affect the angle of your trem bar.

that makes sense. but is it the only way? I'm sure you know this article:

The Mustang's tremolo arm should be parallel to the guitar's strings. However, some people prefer to have the tremolo arm angled away from the body so that they may grip it better while playing. This is a personal playing preference so don't be afraid to experiment with this part of the setup. You may adjust the tremolo arm angle by raising or lowering the tail piece of the guitar. Note that the arm will be more parallel if the bridge is set high and it will angle away from the body if the bridge is set low. To raise and lower the tailpiece height and/or the bridge height you should use a .050 inch allen wrench. Fender Mustang Setup

Seems to be all wrong, after what you told me about the stoptail so far ?

[Mike]

It's a '65 RI. It's Daphne Blue. And it looks very nice.
I miss mine.

[othomas2]

no dong ...

No willy is a good thing.

Nice stang... you could always decrease the angle of the trem bar using a vice, but like the others have mentioned decide on what guage strings you're going to use. There may also be a way to add more springs or firmer springs ? I dunno it's been a while since I've tampered with a stang trem unit.

I tried removing the shim in my jag a few days back... as I was interested in reducing the bridge height... I think it really affected the sound some what... less chimey and a more dull tone... I've now put the shim back in and it's better IMO. I've also had my truss rod tightened to reduce the relief so it lies dead straight when I first pout the shim in, this I think helps with dead notes beyond the 12th fret and will give you a lower action midway up the neck. I've been experimenting lots with my shortscale in terms of setup and I'm really pleased with it.

[kypdurron]

You mean I should use this on my new guitar?


That would mean bending the bar itself?

Guess I'll try different strings first

[othomas2]

Yeah I've always bent the bar...

[robroe]

the size of your strings will affect the angle of your trem bar.

example: i use flatwound 13's. (its the guitar and strings in the banner right now) if i were to insert the bar into the hole and try and use it, the angle is so low that it its the strings. lighter strings create less tension on the unit and the angle of the bar isn't as crazy.

Rob. Why haven't you questioned this guys user name yet?

you mean the obvious star wars reference?

good guy kyp is. not one of my favorite characters but a good guy

[kypdurron]

obvious it is but it's somehow the nick I usually use for ... non adult themes

But let me ask this once more, is there really no allen key to fit in the holes on top of a Mustang trem tailpiece? And no reason to shove one in? Must know this before I drive the guys at the DIY store crazy ...

[blacktaxi]

obvious it is but it's somehow the nick I usually use for ... non adult themes

But let me ask this once more, is there really no allen key to fit in the holes on top of a Mustang trem tailpiece? And no reason to shove one in? Must know this before I drive the guys at the DIY store crazy ...

there is. i can't tell the size, but i did adjust the tailpiece with a wrench. it was of size about to just fit the holes.

[kypdurron]

it was of size about to just fit the holes.

that really helped. I found one that fits. thanks.

[theshadowofseattle]

obvious it is but it's somehow the nick I usually use for ... non adult themes .

wut

[Pacafeliz]

But let me ask this once more, is there really no allen key to fit in the holes on top of a Mustang trem tailpiece? And no reason to shove one in? Must know this before I drive the guys at the DIY store crazy ...

i did the setup on my mustang just yesterday. the allen key that fits the top of the STOP TAILPIECE is marked "3/32", the one to adjust the height of the BRIDGE is "050". i hope that helps, i was getting frustrated myself with the same question (finally took the whole trem tailpiece off, removed the spring, screwed it out from the bottom by hand to finally see the size of the hole).
maybe we should make an exact setup FAQ sticky here or something.

good luck!

Pat.

ps: and DO NOT refin that mustang!!!!

[kypdurron]

Yes, thanks. the last wrench I tried fitted yesterday, due to blacktaxi's great hint that it would be the biggest one that fits in these holes. There are no numbers on my allen wrench set, was too cheap for anything like a manual I was lucky to have bought a replacement bridge for my Jazzmaster, as the smaller wrenchs needed for bridge setup came with this.

FAQ would have helped, as the link you find first when googling for Mustang Setup is absolutely wrong in several aspects: As I learned yesterday, the tailpiece height requires a different allen wrench than the bridge - wrong in this article. The tailpiece height does not affect the trem bar angle - wrong in this article. And it also quotes that shimming a Mustang results in outfretting. I don't believe this anymore, after the first two points ... so this article sucks all in all when you buy a Mustang and try to understand it at first ... Let's make a better one here on shortscale.

[Hurb]

Yes, thanks. the last wrench I tried fitted yesterday, due to blacktaxi's great hint that it would be the biggest one that fits in these holes. There are no numbers on my allen wrench set, was too cheap for anything like a manual I was lucky to have bought a replacement bridge for my Jazzmaster, as the smaller wrenchs needed for bridge setup came with this.

FAQ would have helped, as the link you find first when googling for Mustang Setup is absolutely wrong in several aspects: As I learned yesterday, the tailpiece height requires a different allen wrench than the bridge - wrong in this article. The tailpiece height does not affect the trem bar angle - wrong in this article. And it also quotes that shimming a Mustang results in outfretting. I don't believe this anymore, after the first two points ... so this article sucks all in all when you buy a Mustang and try to understand it at first ... Let's make a better one here on shortscale.

That link is soooo wrong it isn't even funny. It sounds like it has been wrote by someone who has never actually seen a guitar.

[blacktaxi]

guys, what is that neck shim they're saying about in that article?

[kypdurron]

I read it again, and I found no physically logic explaining for any fret out problem due to a shim. But I wondered who could ever put jumbo frets on a Mustang. This should be the last thing anyone could want. It's not a Washburn.