Fender Mustang Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1976)

Fender  Mustang Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar  (1976)
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Item # 10163
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Fender Mustang Model Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1976), made in Fullerton, California, serial # S607677, natural polyester finish, ash body, maple neck, original black tolex hard shell case.

This 1976 Fender Mustang Bass shows some general wear and is a great player and nearly all original condition (it has a later jack). This bass was built a few years after the end of the run of the rather whimsical "Competition" Mustangs in 1972, and has rather more generic 1970s Fender cosmetics. This includes a natural finish on the ash body, the then-new black plastic pickguard with the thumb rest mounted above the strings and a natural poly neck and headstock.

Notable change from earlier models is the provision of n ash body in place of the alder used up to this point and a one-piece maple neck and fingerboard, an original Fender feature that came late to the Mustang around this time. The neck stamp is the sometimes inscrutable mid-1970s "green code" but in this case reads as 1976, as does the then-new serial number decal on the headstock. The original pots date to the 16h week of that same year. Aside from the maple fingerboard, Poly finish and the thumbrest position, most other features remain similar to later 1960s models.

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 notably Bill Wyman and Tina Weymouth "back in the day' and a plethora of modern bass stylists. 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 some wear but has survived the decades very well and is ready for another 45 years of low-end!
 
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.)., 9.35 lbs.

This is a relatively clean and nicely original bass, complete and unaltered except for the replaced jack (the original still riding in the case). The fairly heavy poly finish has wear with small dings, dents and scuffs overall. There is heavier chipping mostly to the bottom edges, with a belt buckle spot on the back and some finger wear under the G string on the face. There is minor finish loss to the treble side of the neck with one deeper dink just above the 7th frets. The pickguard shows some scuffing and there is minor wear to the chrome, the bridge screws and springs showing typical corrosion.

There are no repairs or alterations except the frets look to have been crowned down a bit flatter than stock some time ago. This is fairly heavy for a Mustang but has a really solid feel, making for a very nice player set up with flatwound strings for an smoothly effortless, classic period sound. The original Fender case is included, showing some external wear and one broken latch but completely solid. Overall Excellent - Condition.