I was wondering if you guys could give me some insight about my selling my reissue '69 Blue comp mustang to buy a late 70s musicmaster. The mustang has locking tuners, extra pickguard, and non-stock volume/tone knobs. Not sure what the average price of a Musicmaster is. I already have a musicmaster and ended up loving it...and would like another since I never play the mustang.
I was wondering if you guys could give me some insight about my selling my reissue '69 Blue comp mustang to buy a late 70s musicmaster. The mustang has locking tuners, extra pickguard, and non-stock volume/tone knobs. Not sure what the average price of a Musicmaster is. I already have a musicmaster and ended up loving it...and would like another since I never play the mustang.
Thanks
What exactly are you wanting in terms of insight? I have both a '69 CAR Comp Mustang and 1978 Fiesta Red Musicmaster so I might be able to offer some help.
I can't view the picture of your guitar here at work, so I will have to check again when I get home.
Last edited by taylornutt on Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reissue 65' Mustangs can go in the $500 -$700 range
I got my CAR Compstang in a trade here with Serfx for a CIJ Jaguar HH that was modified and those used go for $450 - $500 range.
Realistically, your Compstang would probably sell somewhere in the $400 - $650 range used. Depends on the buyer. The CompStangs are harder to find in the US, but the 65' RIs are more vintage correct so they retain their value a little better.
You also might consider trading straight up for a used Musicmaster. You could search on CL or if you stick around long enough here someone might have one.
That's exactly what I was looking for. I think my best bet is just to keep it and keep an eye open. I would really like to avoid ebay so a straight up trade for something would probably be my best bet.
It's all what you like .. To me I'd think you're nuts . But you must really like playing MMs so ya gotta respect that . I like Stangs over MMs .. Trem , selector switches , etc . Old Stang over an old MM anyday for me . However if that guitar is calling your name ? Go for it .
Rox wrote:It's all what you like .. To me I'd think you're nuts . But you must really like playing MMs so ya gotta respect that . I like Stangs over MMs .. Trem , selector switches , etc . Old Stang over an old MM anyday for me . However if that guitar is calling your name ? Go for it .
Good advice, +1
[quote="Doog"]Another of life's great mysteries solved.
Next week: where does my room go when I turn off the lights?
There is a lot of love for Musicmasters here and they are great guitars. I am kinda in the opposite situation as you. I put together my Musicmaster first and then got my Mustangs just recently. I am in total love with my Mustangs and the Musicmaster has been getting the cold shoulder. I love everything about the Mustang. Could be newness factor, but I find the MM is sitting more as the Mustangs invaded.
Of course I gotta get in on some of this Musicmaster love (or hate as it may be). I am a hardcore fan (own a '76).
A few things to consider:
-Are you gigging? If you're just playing at home, it may or may not be worthwhile to have two identical guitars. Unless they sound/feel different in a way that you like or you want to build a collection of your favorite guitar (not unheard of around here, I'm just the practical type).
-There is a lot of variation in the quality of these guitars, especially in the late '70s. You're smart to not buy one off eBay. Much safer to try before you buy, and do a thorough investigation.
-To answer the question in your original post, a fair price for a '70s Musicmaster is $400-600. I've seen them on CL for as low was $400, but I purchased mine at a local used/vintage shop for $600. Mostly because I trusted the owner and had done business with him for years.
What is it about the Mustang that you don't like? Or what is it about the MM that you do? I don't see much point in buying a second version of a guitar you already have when you could be something similar but different. If it's the necks you might struggle to find something else for a similar price as 70s musicmasters are about as cheap as old Fenders get, though you could possibly look for a MM bass.
It's far away from what you were talking about but perhaps you could sell the Mustang and buy a Squier or two.
Of course ignoring all of that, if you did want a second MM enough to get one, as mentioned already be wary of the wide variation in feel and quality.
With some washers to lock the trem permanently, some tape to fix the bridge, and a new pickguard, you could make a Musicmaster out of your Mustang for a lot cheaper than the beating you're gonna take on resale of a MIJ reissue.
The genius of the MM is its simplicity. I understand wanting a simpler instrument and the hard tail is straight up easy. Playing my MM really taught me how to use the Volume and Tone knobs to tweak my tone to get just the right mix. Before having this guitar, that I was just cranking the knobs all the way up and kinda missing out on the other tones that were available to me.
I love the MM's simplicity. The only changes I've made to mine (and one was necessary since the electronics were shot), were replacing the saddles with compensated saddles for intonation purposes, and the pickup with a stacked humbucker + coil split. It retails the MM's simplicity, but adds more of a tonal variety. And I've kept the original pickup in case I want to reuse it.
James wrote:It's far away from what you were talking about but perhaps you could sell the Mustang and buy a Squier or two.
This is exactly what I was thinking. If you read other threads around here (or just check Fender's website), you might be amazed at how many amazing Squiers are available right now at amazing prices. My next guitar may well be some type of Squier.
Of course, as others have said, the MM (generally) offers a great neck, hard tail, and the simplicity factor... all for an attractive price. These are the exact reasons why I play a MM. If I were gigging, I'd probably want another.
I love everything about the Mustang. Could be newness factor, but I find the MM is sitting more as the Mustangs invaded.
