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About This Listing
Up for sale, a 1967 Fender Mustang Bass in excellent, 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case. This genuine vintage Mustang Bass has a smooth, broad natural acoustic response, and plugged in, the instrument offers a complex low midrange character and articulate growl. Strung with roundwound 45-105 strings on the 30" scale, the bass sits well in a mix with ample punch and roundness, approximating the thump of a P Bass with the Tone knob rolled back to taste. The bass is lightweight at only 7lbs 15oz, professionally setup with low action and accurate intonation here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar.
The maple neck has a medium depth U-shaped profile carve with full shoulders and rolled fretboard edges, measuring .840" at the 1st fret and .955" at the 12th. The dark rosewood fretboard retains the original slender fretwire which has its full factory height, exhibiting light uniform wear on the crowns of frets 1-5. The neck is straight and the truss rod is responsive and optimally adjusted, playing cleanly up the 30" scale. The truss rod nut is still flush with the neck heel, having necessitated sparingly little adjustment over the past 55+ years. The nut measures 1 9/16" in width, and on the headstock, the bass features a matched set of Fender-stamped "lollipop" tuners along with the Mustang Bass decal. The stamp on the neck heel is present and bold, dating to November of '67, along with the "paint stick" markings in the neck pocket.
The electronics include the original gray bobbin split coil pickup, and one coil of the pickup has just been rewound to spec. The Stackpole pots date to the 31st week of 1966. The chrome-plated hardware has ample shine, and original plastic parts include the knobs, pickup cover, finger rest, and white pearloid pickguard.
The gloss Dakota Red finish is 100% original with no touch-up or overspray, exhibiting vertical lacquer checking and some scattered minor marks from careful use on the body as a whole. The neck profile retains its smooth gloss, with palm wear on the shoulders and some minor marks on the neck carve that don’t distract the palm while fretting.
The original hardshell case is included with a gray textured exterior, black faux alligator ends, original latches, and the stock handle.
Introduced two years after the Mustang guitar, the Mustang Bass was the first student-level bass produced by Fender as well as the last production bass designed by Leo Fender before he left the company. Targeted towards younger players, the Mustang Bass offered a shorter 30-inch scale length as well as a lower price-point than the Precision or Jazz Basses of the mid-'60s. The split single-coil pickup was also smaller than that of the P Bass, but still captured a wide range of bass tones.
Years of Production: 1966 - 1981
Unique to this Year: This was the first year of Mustang Bass production
Body Style: Offset solidbody
Wood Composition: Alder body, Maple neck with veneer Rosewood fingerboard
