Fender Mustang Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1975)
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Item # 10261
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Fender Mustang Model Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1975), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 626196, Mocha Brown polyester finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black gig bag case.
This 1975 Fender Mustang Bass is what we call a "Real Relic" these days, as opposed to all the recently manufactured "worn" instruments out there. This bass gained its scars in the real world, likely gigged relentlessly for some time. It shows wear and tear overall but remains a fine player and still in nicely original condition.
This bass was built a couple of years after the end of the run for the rather whimsical "Competition" Mustangs in 1972 and has more generic 1970s Fender cosmetics. This includes a distinctly non-flashy "Mocha Brown" finish on the body, a new CBS idea around this time probably inspired by the look of many stripped and stained older Fender bodies then popular with players! This bass also has the then-new black plastic pickguard with the thumb rest mounted above the strings, and a natural neck and headstock. The headstock decal is still the old gold-logo '60s style. Oddly enough the finish on this bass is not as nearly heavy as the "thick skin' gloss on period higher end Fender models and it still feels more like an older instrument.
The heel is has a red ink stamping with the mid-1970s date-coded factory numbers indicating the neck was fabricated during the fifth week of 1975, on Thursday. The serial number on the neck plate corroborates this date. The original pots are coded to the 38th week of 1974. Aside from the studiously unflashy cosmetics and thumbrest position, the features on this mid-70s bass remain similar to later 1960s models. The rosewood-fingerboard neck feels a bit slimmer than some earlier examples and is very comfortable.
The Mustang Bass was introduced in 1966, Leo Fender's last original design for the company that bore his name. Although originally intended for students, the instrument is so well-designed and laid out that many professional players have used it extensively including Bill Wyman and Tina Weymouth. Ideal for guitar players or bassists with smaller hands, the Mustang remains one of the best short-scale basses ever designed, well-balanced and comfortable with a very punchy and surprisingly fat sonic signature. This superb-playing bass has seen a lot of use but survived the decades with its playing and sonic character intact ready for another 45+ years!
Overall length is 42 1/8 in. (107 cm.), 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) deep. Scale length is 30 in. (762 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a nicely original bass showing a lot of finish wear overall but no structural damage or repair. The body shows some moderate checking, with an extensive collection of dings, scrapes and dents particularly on the edges. The neck finish is heavily worn along the back with a lot of chips, dings and minor dents and has a very "smoked" look, particularly on the headstock. Someone scratched "THE BASS" in small letters into the forward upper end of the pickguard!
The metal plating has some general corrosion and minor loss but everything works as intended; this bass definitely shows its 47 years on the planet. All hardware is original except the string ferrules on the back; these often fall out when the strings are removed and this bass has a more recent set installed. By this point Fender had given up even fitting the mute foam in front of the bridge saddles, but the flat springs are still there. This is a solid player, worn but sonically a fine example of the essential Mustang character. Very Good + Condition.
This 1975 Fender Mustang Bass is what we call a "Real Relic" these days, as opposed to all the recently manufactured "worn" instruments out there. This bass gained its scars in the real world, likely gigged relentlessly for some time. It shows wear and tear overall but remains a fine player and still in nicely original condition.
This bass was built a couple of years after the end of the run for the rather whimsical "Competition" Mustangs in 1972 and has more generic 1970s Fender cosmetics. This includes a distinctly non-flashy "Mocha Brown" finish on the body, a new CBS idea around this time probably inspired by the look of many stripped and stained older Fender bodies then popular with players! This bass also has the then-new black plastic pickguard with the thumb rest mounted above the strings, and a natural neck and headstock. The headstock decal is still the old gold-logo '60s style. Oddly enough the finish on this bass is not as nearly heavy as the "thick skin' gloss on period higher end Fender models and it still feels more like an older instrument.
The heel is has a red ink stamping with the mid-1970s date-coded factory numbers indicating the neck was fabricated during the fifth week of 1975, on Thursday. The serial number on the neck plate corroborates this date. The original pots are coded to the 38th week of 1974. Aside from the studiously unflashy cosmetics and thumbrest position, the features on this mid-70s bass remain similar to later 1960s models. The rosewood-fingerboard neck feels a bit slimmer than some earlier examples and is very comfortable.
The Mustang Bass was introduced in 1966, Leo Fender's last original design for the company that bore his name. Although originally intended for students, the instrument is so well-designed and laid out that many professional players have used it extensively including Bill Wyman and Tina Weymouth. Ideal for guitar players or bassists with smaller hands, the Mustang remains one of the best short-scale basses ever designed, well-balanced and comfortable with a very punchy and surprisingly fat sonic signature. This superb-playing bass has seen a lot of use but survived the decades with its playing and sonic character intact ready for another 45+ years!
Overall length is 42 1/8 in. (107 cm.), 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) deep. Scale length is 30 in. (762 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a nicely original bass showing a lot of finish wear overall but no structural damage or repair. The body shows some moderate checking, with an extensive collection of dings, scrapes and dents particularly on the edges. The neck finish is heavily worn along the back with a lot of chips, dings and minor dents and has a very "smoked" look, particularly on the headstock. Someone scratched "THE BASS" in small letters into the forward upper end of the pickguard!
The metal plating has some general corrosion and minor loss but everything works as intended; this bass definitely shows its 47 years on the planet. All hardware is original except the string ferrules on the back; these often fall out when the strings are removed and this bass has a more recent set installed. By this point Fender had given up even fitting the mute foam in front of the bridge saddles, but the flat springs are still there. This is a solid player, worn but sonically a fine example of the essential Mustang character. Very Good + Condition.