Fender Competition Mustang LPB/matching headstock custom

estaban22 · Post by **estaban22** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 5:30 pm

Hello,

I am interested in getting a custom guitar built that resembles a 1969 Fender Competition Mustang, Lake Placid Blue, with a matching headstock. I have all the specs laid out now I just need the builder. Are any of you familiar with a luither or perhaps are a luither who has experience building these types of guitars? I have posted ads on forums and have had an overwhelming response to them... everyone seems to want to build this guitar, but no one I have talked to has experience building them. Best I've gotten is a guy who has made a couple of Jazzmasters. Any help you could give me would be much appreciated. Thanks!!!!

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 5:57 pm

hey welcome to the forums..
to be honest i'd say build one from parts found on ebay, as you'll need to be hitting that for your bridge/trem/control etc..
and then just strip the body (if you know you find one that isn't already what you are looking for) and refinish it.
but that is just my two cents.

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 6:37 pm

no one around here will build you one (by here i mean KC MO).

best thing is to just find a builder online and have them make you one. go on ebay and find custom bodies and then just message the seller to see if they could do what you're wanting.

if they reply with "yeah, i could probably do that," then keep looking. if they say "with or without jaguar trem," you have found your man.

my brostang build was originally supposed to be a '73 compstang, but couldn't justify going all the way. built for less than $500:

hotrodperlmutter wrote:body: '73 mustang refinished in OTM/Candy Rotten Apple Seafoam
neck: '78 bronco with F tuners (slot head), bone nut (?), white pearl dots
pg: og white pearl with 110v panel 3 way switch (huge, one piece - no tip)
bridge/vibrato: '66 trem unit/plate from parts guitar auction, Fender RI bridge (oops)
control plate: '65 from parts guitar auction (major screw mojo)
knobs: RI jazz bass from parts bin
pickups: neck - road worn strat, bridge - dragonfire hot rail 10.8k(?)
pots: 500k mini, switchcraft jack

for a parts guitar, it came together rather nicely. i had it for too long and it was due for completion. i do need to add a string tree, but i haven't noticed it affecting it so far (rocked for about an hour at the shop on a deluxe reverb).

neck is a lot clubbier than i remember on my stang (73 compstang RI - sold), and incredibly fatter than the '66 in dakota red they had at the shop. gol'dern 70's! but it's not hard to play by any means. didn't try the tremolo as i have no bar for it. action is a little higher than i prefer, but not unplayable in the least bit (hot rail is too tall jonze). sounds fan-fucking-tastic clean, and has a nice gritty fuzz (via the DR :E).

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stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 6:46 pm

what about the guy that built aeon's mustang body? his stuff looked decent.

http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31164

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 6:55 pm

'cept for them contours.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:01 pm

what's wrong with them? shoddy?

James · Post by **James** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:04 pm

The contours were quite sharp rather than smoothly rounded. Other than that the workmanship looks good. The guy's project threads show him to be a decent choice.

How custom is it? I imagine you could get close to buying an original for the price most people would want to build you one.

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:04 pm

just drastic & sharp. he likes them, which is all that matters.

but i think you could use the forearm contour to pick a lock...

EDIT: bah, james.

Aeon wrote:ok, started on the back first. figured if i mess up it's not as big of a deal. once i get the front and back done, i'll get it smooth with sand/steel wool and do another coat or two.

i think i might do it inside from now on, outside there is a risk of debris getting in the coat...

Also I'm fully aware I'm not going to get a professional, perfect mirror finish in every part of it, and I'm fine with that. I didn't invest too much money into this project and the 'DIY-ness' of it will be kinda charming once it's done.

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:33 pm

here's some guy from offsets refinned RI 69 compstang on ebay. looks tasty.

i have the high bid on it, but haven't hit the reserve yet. (as if i need it)

69 Compstang

James · Post by **James** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:35 pm

He wanted $800 or so. It seems high for a refin RI with a yellow stripe.

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:44 pm

yeah, i didn't figure he set the reserve that high though.

probably won't find one much cheaper than that anytime soon, refin or not.

James · Post by **James** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:50 pm

Actually it's presumably a guy with an account here. Username 'prospect'.

I imagine the reserve is around $750ish.

prospect wrote:Times are tough ($) at the Prospect household. Contemplating selling this.
This is the best Mustang (both vintage and RI) I've ever played (in both sound and feel).
I have about $800 invested into this and would like to get back as much of that as possible.

I'm asking a premium for this and for that reason I'm offering a 48 hour approval period.
I'm that confident this is the best Mustang out there. Hoping to sell it to someone on the board for the possibility of being able to buy it back when I have money again.

The guitar is somewhat relic'd (hard to photograph). There is a paint chip on the headstock.
Will post more recent photographs soon.

It's an odd thing about Offset. They'll buy a vintage guitar and spend money having it refinished, or buy an expensive 60s cloth wire 'harness' or whatever, and then when they come to sell it they value it at everything they've put into it. Price they paid + paint + similar era vintage parts etc. even if it's likely value is just similar to the price they originally paid. I'm not saying that's definitely the case here but there's certainly a culture of it over there.

kypdurron · Post by **kypdurron** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:51 pm

Why not just buy a Fender Reissue?

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:57 pm

yeah, because compstang RI's are a dime a dozen these days.

jcyphe · Post by **jcyphe** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 1:17 am

I don't think too many people build Mustangs because most professional guitar builders charge around 2k give or take for a Fender style instrument, you can still get plenty of vintage Mustangs for 2k and less. Maybe not a comp-stang anymore but you get what I'm saying?

How much are you looking to spend?

Here is a dude who builds Fender style custom instruments, mostly Teles and Offsets.

http://crestonguitars.com/

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 1:39 am

WAOH

estaban22 · Post by **estaban22** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 3:50 am

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the replies! I had thought about just purchasing a vintage Mustang and just having a guy here in town refinish it. Hotrod, there is a guy here in town that I have talked to that said he would build it, but he's almost impossible to get ahold of as he just does guitar work on the side (Chemical Engineer by day). If you want his name PM me and I'll give it to you. He has made some beautiful Fender style guitar... and I would have been well on my way to already having this done if he wasn't so damn busy (great guy, though).

I have actually talked to quite a few guys about building this guitar. I found one guy that has build Custom Mustang type guitars in the past and he quoted me $1,699.00 plus shipping w/HSC. Another guy quoted me $1,500.00 to $1,600. I had a couple of quotes in the mid $2,000's and even more in the low to high $3,000.00.

I personally do not like the reissue Mustangs, Jaguars, or Jazzmasters (unless they are those for the Japanese market only). If they made an AVRI Mustang, I'd probably go for that...

Anyway, I'll keep you guys updated on the project. I think I have a builder picked out but I'm going to think it over another day.

Thanks!

James · Post by **James** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 4:25 am

estaban22 wrote:I personally do not like the reissue Mustangs, Jaguars, or Jazzmasters (unless they are those for the Japanese market only).

That sounds to me like you've been reading too much into what's said on the internet.

SKC Willie · Post by **SKC Willie** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 5:30 am

James wrote:
estaban22 wrote:I personally do not like the reissue Mustangs, Jaguars, or Jazzmasters (unless they are those for the Japanese market only).
That sounds to me like you've been reading too much into what's said on the internet.

+1

I have had nothing buy good experience after good experience with any and all Japanese Fenders. If I were you, I would buy Vintage parts on the bay and get someone to paint it for you, if you don't feel comfortable doing that. You could buy a complete all original Mustang for that kind of money.

estaban22 · Post by **estaban22** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 5:55 am

James wrote:
estaban22 wrote:I personally do not like the reissue Mustangs, Jaguars, or Jazzmasters (unless they are those for the Japanese market only).
That sounds to me like you've been reading too much into what's said on the internet.

Man I've owned a Japanese Reissue Jaguar that was the biggest piece of junk guitar I've ever played. The neck was sticky and played like crap. The p/u are weak. I'd rather buy a Mexican one than a Japanese one. That's just my opinion based on experience...