ShortScale.org

Sorry for posting so many questions here lately. I'm slowly getting closer to starting a Mustang project, but there are still a lot of things I don't know, and this seems to be the best place to find out, so I'm posting another question thread.

My first question is what, if any, are the differences between the neck profiles of the 60's and 70's Fender Mustangs/Duo/MMs? Are the 70's necks thicker or are they similar to the 60's "B" width necks?

Also, what is the difference between an "A" width neck and a "B" width neck. Is it just that the nut is smaller on an "A" neck or is the profile thinner, too?

And, lastly, are the neck mounting screws for vintage necks the same size as modern screws or would I need vintage screws for a vintage neck? And are the neck mounting screws for CIJ/MIJ Reissues different than US made screws? I wouldn't want to strip the holes in a neck by using the wrong screws.

I guess that's all for now. Thanks in advance for your help.

My 78 MM has a thumper of a neck. Feels like holding a tree. But in a good way.
Nut width:

MatthewK wrote:My 78 MM has a thumper of a neck. Feels like holding a tree. But in a good way.
Nut width:

So, are the 70's necks thicker? Or did they vary somehow? I like thinner necks, so I'm trying to figure out which would be better for me.

This is definitely not for you then. Anecdotally I know of some other 70s baseball bats - but I don't know how they vary.
Oddly, some other necks I like are a fair bit thinner. Like I have a 90s Epiphone Sheraton which is great.

Cool, thanks for the help. I'm wondering if a 60's neck would be better for me. I've also heard that the 90's Japanese Mustang necks are pretty thin, too. The only thing is I don't think they'll fit a vintage body/neck pocket, so that's probably not an option.

There is a lot of inconsistency in terms of profiles during this time period. I had a 1972 Musicmaster neck on my Musicmaster project guitar that was extremely chunky and a 1973 Bronco neck that is thinner like my AVRI Jaguar. The 1969 Mustang neck on my Mustang Project is in the middle and perfect. You can't make statements like " all 70s neck were thicker" because its just not true. There is a lot of variance, sometimes in the same model year.

Definitely the 90s MIJ Mustang necks are thin - same as the MIJ Jag necks of that time, I have 2 and they are both WAY thinner than the 78 MM.
Regarding the screws - I doubt you would strip the holes, it would be a difference in thread pitch if anything. If you get stuck I can take a screw out of the MM and the MIJ Jag to compare thread and diameter.
The MIJ necks are only a millimetre or so wider than the USA heel width - they can be sanded easily, or if the body is a 70s Fender there is probably a fair old gap there anyway.

MatthewK wrote:Definitely the 90s MIJ Mustang necks are thin - same as the MIJ Jag necks of that time, I have 2 and they are both WAY thinner than the 78 MM.
Regarding the screws - I doubt you would strip the holes, it would be a difference in thread pitch if anything. If you get stuck I can take a screw out of the MM and the MIJ Jag to compare thread and diameter.
The MIJ necks are only a millimetre or so wider than the USA heel width - they can be sanded easily, or if the body is a 70s Fender there is probably a fair old gap there anyway.

My Musicmaster was a 1978 Musicmaster and there was more gap in the neck pocket with the 1972 Musicmaster neck, but not enough to alter anything.

taylornutt wrote:There is a lot of inconsistency in terms of profiles during this time period. I had a 1972 Musicmaster neck on my Musicmaster project guitar that was extremely chunky and a 1973 Bronco neck that is thinner like my AVRI Jaguar. The 1969 Mustang neck on my Mustang Project is in the middle and perfect. You can't make statements like " all 70s neck were thicker" because its just not true. There is a lot of variance, sometimes in the same model year.

Okay, then. Good to know. It's strange that there would be such inconsistency. Is that typical of Fender back then?

MatthewK wrote:Definitely the 90s MIJ Mustang necks are thin - same as the MIJ Jag necks of that time, I have 2 and they are both WAY thinner than the 78 MM.
Regarding the screws - I doubt you would strip the holes, it would be a difference in thread pitch if anything. If you get stuck I can take a screw out of the MM and the MIJ Jag to compare thread and diameter.
The MIJ necks are only a millimetre or so wider than the USA heel width - they can be sanded easily, or if the body is a 70s Fender there is probably a fair old gap there anyway.

Also good to know. Now I'm thinking maybe I should just look for a 90's MIJ Mustang neck and try to sand it down to fit the body. I also saw a thread a few pages back where a lot of people were talking about the Jag-Stang neck being pretty thin, too.

dren68 wrote:

taylornutt wrote:There is a lot of inconsistency in terms of profiles during this time period. I had a 1972 Musicmaster neck on my Musicmaster project guitar that was extremely chunky and a 1973 Bronco neck that is thinner like my AVRI Jaguar. The 1969 Mustang neck on my Mustang Project is in the middle and perfect. You can't make statements like " all 70s neck were thicker" because its just not true. There is a lot of variance, sometimes in the same model year.

Okay, then. Good to know. It's strange that there would be such inconsistency. Is that typical of Fender back then?

MatthewK wrote:Definitely the 90s MIJ Mustang necks are thin - same as the MIJ Jag necks of that time, I have 2 and they are both WAY thinner than the 78 MM.
Regarding the screws - I doubt you would strip the holes, it would be a difference in thread pitch if anything. If you get stuck I can take a screw out of the MM and the MIJ Jag to compare thread and diameter.
The MIJ necks are only a millimetre or so wider than the USA heel width - they can be sanded easily, or if the body is a 70s Fender there is probably a fair old gap there anyway.

Also good to know. Now I'm thinking maybe I should just look for a 90's MIJ Mustang neck and try to sand it down to fit the body. I also saw a thread a few pages back where a lot of people were talking about the Jag-Stang neck being pretty thin, too.

It could be model to model or year to year. Much more consistent now for sure.

dren68 wrote:Also good to know. Now I'm thinking maybe I should just look for a 90's MIJ Mustang neck and try to sand it down to fit the body. I also saw a thread a few pages back where a lot of people were talking about the Jag-Stang neck being pretty thin, too.

I think the MIJ Jag / Mustang / Jag-Stang necks were the same production line with different decals. I can measure mine if the detail would help. You could also look for the first run of the Jagmaster (Vista series?), they used the same 24" MIJ necks.

dren68 wrote:Also good to know. Now I'm thinking maybe I should just look for a 90's MIJ Mustang neck and try to sand it down to fit the body. I also saw a thread a few pages back where a lot of people were talking about the Jag-Stang neck being pretty thin, too.

The Jagstang has quite a reputation for being one of the best necks.

If a neck and body did not fit, you wouldn't sand the neck down. You'd route the neck pocket.

Don't agree - if it was a matter of half a millimetre on the sides of the neck heel, it's far less risky to take that off than to try to make a template, fix it to the body, then shave a tiny but even amount around the inside of the neck pocket. Especially if it was a vintage body.

MatthewK wrote:Don't agree - if it was a matter of half a millimetre on the sides of the neck heel, it's far less risky to take that off than to try to make a template, fix it to the body, then shave a tiny but even amount around the inside of the neck pocket. Especially if it was a vintage body.

Yeah, if it came down to either routing a vintage body or sanding a MIJ neck, I would probably rather sand the neck. Neither would be ideal, though.

MatthewK wrote:

dren68 wrote:Also good to know. Now I'm thinking maybe I should just look for a 90's MIJ Mustang neck and try to sand it down to fit the body. I also saw a thread a few pages back where a lot of people were talking about the Jag-Stang neck being pretty thin, too.

I think the MIJ Jag / Mustang / Jag-Stang necks were the same production line with different decals. I can measure mine if the detail would help. You could also look for the first run of the Jagmaster (Vista series?), they used the same 24" MIJ necks.

I think I'm just going to look for one of these since they sound like they're more of what I'm looking for. I'd still like to know the difference between an "A" and a "B" neck, though. Maybe a 60's "A" neck would be similar.

A vs B etc. is strictly a nut width measurement:

A: 1 1/2" (standard for Jazz Bass and Bass VI)
B: 1 5/8" (standard for everything else)
C: 1 3/4" (rare)
D: 1 7/8" (super rare)

MatthewK wrote:A vs B etc. is strictly a nut width measurement:

A: 1 1/2" (standard for Jazz Bass and Bass VI)
B: 1 5/8" (standard for everything else)
C: 1 3/4" (rare)
D: 1 7/8" (super rare)

Okay, well now I know. Thanks again!

the cij 97 00 stangs & jags have a really thin neck. When it's too thin you loose deep and sustain on the guitar sound.

MatthewK wrote:Definitely the 90s MIJ Mustang necks are thin - same as the MIJ Jag necks of that time, I have 2 and they are both WAY thinner than the 78 MM.
Regarding the screws - I doubt you would strip the holes, it would be a difference in thread pitch if anything. If you get stuck I can take a screw out of the MM and the MIJ Jag to compare thread and diameter.
The MIJ necks are only a millimetre or so wider than the USA heel width - they can be sanded easily, or if the body is a 70s Fender there is probably a fair old gap there anyway.

So, can I use modern screws on a vintage neck? I guess that was my main question about the screws, or would I need vintage screws to use with a vintage neck? I'm not sure if there's a difference, but I was just wondering if anyone knew anything about it.

Over the weekend I will take out a screw from the 78 MM and a screw from the MIJ Jag to compare.
In the meantime the 1970s scanned MM parts list I got from Offset specifies the neck screw as an oval head Philips, #5 x 1 3/4 STL, nickel plated. So a 1 and 3/4 inch #5 screw. The MIJ screw may have a metric thread I guess.