Things a newbie to Mustang building/modding needs to know?
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 8:32 pm
First day posting here and still getting a feel for the place, so be gentle please ladies and gents... 
I've decided to build a Mustang from the ground up by picking up the parts individually and putting it all together over the summer. It looks like a fun project, Mustangs seem relatively simple circuit-wise and it'll be a bit different from the Strats and other common models I've owned in the past. Before buying the components I thought it would be sensible to ask around and learn a bit from people who've tried this stuff before.
I'm comfortable with replacing bridges and tuners, or getting a soldering iron out to swap pickups and worn-out pots and switches. I think I've acquired enough knowledge and experience over the years to assemble a whole instrument from parts, as long as I take my time over it.
Along the way I've learnt the hard way about 'geographic' compatibility. i.e. Japanese-made pot shafts are slightly smaller than US ones, Squiers sometimes have narrower string spacing than Fenders and pickguard screw holes don't always line up. In terms of the Mustang reissues, what sort of component mismatches should I look out for? Before naively bolting them together and expecting it to magically work out, I'm trying to anticipate problems before they happen:
Are the pickguards of the CIJ reissues the same shape as the US ones?
Is the string spacing the same?
Can I use a Jag neck since both are 24" scale?
What differences, if any, are there in the circuitry and its components of the vintage Mustang Reissues?
The 'learning the hard way' taught me for instance that Affinity Strats have narrow string spacing and USA Jazz Bass pickguards don't fit the MIM reissues. I've never worked on a Mustang before though, so...Mustang experts: what say you?
I've decided to build a Mustang from the ground up by picking up the parts individually and putting it all together over the summer. It looks like a fun project, Mustangs seem relatively simple circuit-wise and it'll be a bit different from the Strats and other common models I've owned in the past. Before buying the components I thought it would be sensible to ask around and learn a bit from people who've tried this stuff before.
I'm comfortable with replacing bridges and tuners, or getting a soldering iron out to swap pickups and worn-out pots and switches. I think I've acquired enough knowledge and experience over the years to assemble a whole instrument from parts, as long as I take my time over it.
Along the way I've learnt the hard way about 'geographic' compatibility. i.e. Japanese-made pot shafts are slightly smaller than US ones, Squiers sometimes have narrower string spacing than Fenders and pickguard screw holes don't always line up. In terms of the Mustang reissues, what sort of component mismatches should I look out for? Before naively bolting them together and expecting it to magically work out, I'm trying to anticipate problems before they happen:
Are the pickguards of the CIJ reissues the same shape as the US ones?
Is the string spacing the same?
Can I use a Jag neck since both are 24" scale?
What differences, if any, are there in the circuitry and its components of the vintage Mustang Reissues?
The 'learning the hard way' taught me for instance that Affinity Strats have narrow string spacing and USA Jazz Bass pickguards don't fit the MIM reissues. I've never worked on a Mustang before though, so...Mustang experts: what say you?