ped

Everyone needs a MantleNoble3leafCapo

Oh yes sorry I forgot there are different types now! It's a 4 string set, nickel. 

I have a box of these strings, brand new and unopened. For ages they were impossible to find so I think I bought a few sets just in case. 
 

£40 posted?

This is the one I sent him the link to, so presumably it was this one but I'll check

3011 CLEAR, GLOSSY

https://osmouk.com/product/polyx-oil-original/

Ah righto I wasn't aware of the different types. I'll ask which one he used and let you know. It's holding up really well, but I suppose it would be good to know in case I want to give it another coat one day

13 minutes ago, Beedster said:

 

@ped do you know which variant of Osmo Oil was used? I'm keen to oil a couple of my necks and have a few tins os Osmo lying around the place 👍 

Hi mate it was the glossy clear version, I think you can get a small tin for about £20. A bloke on TB used the satin version which looked good, too.

Pedants are us! Ok yours checks out, though the grille cloth needs replacing. The Mustang one - I just noticed it has a maple fretboard. Tsk tsk. How do they sleep at night. 
 

At least it has a wonky bridge

I’ve seen T shirts like this before but always assumed that they were knock offs. This looks like a genuine Fender product - how can they get the date wrong??

I reckon everyone should chill out and stop making new stuff for a bit 

2 hours ago, Clarky said:

Love the colour palette (as well as the basses)

Yeah kind of a fluke but it’s worked out quite nicely!

Yeah that’s not going to work unfortunately. You need something specific like the Yamahas. Personally I think wired headphones like Beyer DT770 are best - honest non flattering sound which will give a good representation of your tone, long flexible and snag free cable.

These are meant to be quite good

https://www.thomann.co.uk/yamaha_yh_wl500.htm

3 hours ago, Frank Blank said:

Christ, I can't remember if I've posted these or not, apologies if I have, fretless and fretted @Jabba_the_gut builds. The ultimate shorties, even though I've just gone back to long scale thanks to obtaining a Fender Precision Thinline PBAC. The fretted (spalted) bass might be up for sale in the near future.

 

 

Those are super cool basses. You know when you can tell something plays well just by looking at it!

Folllowing on with the basses on the carpet theme here’s my herd - I tried to take a picture like yours from above but I couldn’t get high enough!

I’ve got the Musicmaster (fretted) pretty bang on, setup wise, now. Labella flats (.050 - .110) and some truss rod fun and it’s playing really nicely. 
 

I wonder how common these are with the original two cap electronics because the noise is low and the output is pretty strong. I’m using the same preamp settings as my Mustang and the level is only slightly less, and there’s no weakness in the bass register - quite the opposite. 
 

I wonder if the ‘weedy’ reputation is because most people play them through beginner rigs? Or used to? 

This just arrived! I’m letting it warm up before I do a bit of a setup and clean. I couldn’t resist plugging it in - it’s going to be great fun. The circuit is original and therefore very dark - about like a P bass with the tone at 20%, when the tone on the Musicmaster is at max! Due to this there’s very little rf noise. It’s getting some heavy flats this afternoon!

You could get a ‘player’ Mustang and replace the P pickup with a J (in either the front or back split coil position) with minimal routing and a new pickguard.
 

I’m not sure what the spacing would be, or indeed what the spacing is on the Japanese one. To me, that’s really key to a good J sound. Both the above options aren’t that much cheaper than importing one of these Maika basses tbh but you could use whatever pickups you like…

I reckon Dec 31st is the worst day to have a bass posted! Bank holiday, snowy Friday, weekend… 🙃

These are good as long as you have room around the LED. They also do simple white ones. 

https://shop.warwick.de/en/rockboard-by-warwick-mounting-accessoriesrockboard-jewel-led-damper-small-defractive-cover-for-bright-leds-5-pcs.

On 30/12/2025 at 15:21, Woodinblack said:

 

Not in a standard musicmaster - one tone, one volume, one tone cap, one pickup, one socket, and thats the lot - built the cheapest it could be.

Further research shows that there is indeed a second cap fitted, which some people snip for more treble (I won’t) 

You can see them both here - one rectangle (the one some people snip) and a circular one behind it. I guess the rectangular one is the additional one to better voice the pickup for bass 

Ordered some strings yesterday at 10:40 and they were on the doormat in the morning! Fantastic!

2 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Not in a standard musicmaster - one tone, one volume, one tone cap, one pickup, one socket, and thats the lot - built the cheapest it could be.

Surprised you still get four strings… I bet they thought about it!

1 hour ago, Obrienp said:

I was going to ask about the pickup in the original Fender Musicmasters. Was it a proper bass pickup, or just a Strat pickup, like in the recent Squier re-releases? There seems to be a healthy market in proper bass pickup replacements that will fit without modification.

 

I just put a Tone Rider split P in the Squier I had a few years back. It sounded great but it required quite a lot of modification to the body and a custom made scratchplate to accommodate it.

Yeah it’s a guitar pickup, 6 pole. There’s a lot of aftermarket options with 4 poles but personally I don’t think many of them sound better and having 6 poles makes no difference over four. 
 

I believe there are two caps in the circuit to enhance the low end response. 
 

The aftermarket jobs look interesting but hearing lots of comparisons online I usually prefer the stock pickup. With a bit of EQ you get all the lows but a more stringy midrange which sounds great imo. 

1 hour ago, SimonK said:

...never been a massive fan of short scale basses for gigging so normally overlook this thread, until realising that my Ibanez Talman is almost always on my lap when sitting in front of the computer for random noodling as the size makes it perfect for around the house!

I didn’t really give them the time of day until I randomly bought my Mustang. A/B-ing with my two main basses at the time (Celinder J update and L2000) I found it consistently cut through the mix better, sounded fatter, more expressive, more comfortable and lighter weight! I’m really enjoying them now, and like you say, they’re easier to have around the house, noodling in front of the TV or in the office. 
 

With different strings and pickup options they can sound every bit as growly and alive as a normal scale bass, ime. I had written them off as dead and plonky but I must admit that the Musicmaster will be pointed towards that sound which I have come to appreciate more and more for certain music. I’ve gone from roundwounds and graphite sizzle to tone rolled back warmth with occasional toan bombs poking through when pushed. 

This one with flats 

Yeah it’s a 73 Musicmaster. I think k they sound really cool with flats. Unfortunately most YouTube demos are recorded very poorly though there are some decent ones out there: