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Re: Need advanced opinion.
I already mentioned a bit about the Squier Mustang bridges/trems. I will take a moment to *warn* you about Mustangs. But first, I'll tell you what's good about Mustangs!
-A good Mustang vibrato set up for rocking is one of... No, it is my favorite tremolo ever; very smooth, a ton of range, and when provided a proper setup they stay in tune as well as any non-locking vibrato. If you go down-only rather than float it, you can slack the strings like a Floyd, and come back in tune. It's also not hard to lock down the tailpiece if you want a hard-tail
-The shorter scale neck lets you bend for days, and if you're used to Gibson necks, is easier to adapt to than a Strat
-The combined pickup setting is one of the only/best useable "both on" combinations I can think of; something about that setting on a Mustang just sounds good
-The thin body makes upper fret access easier; like having a shaved neck joint
-Easy "out of phase" tone if you like funk
-Sounds as good as any Strat, once you've got them sorted
-They. Look. Awesome.
Now, the bad:
-That trem I was loving a minute ago? Read back a few posts to where I've heard some Squier trem plates are made faulty, vs. US Mustang vibratos. Can be a ***** to set up. You can't adjust tailpiece height without adjusting the overall range of the trem, for one thing. Also, you need to find a balanced place where the bridge/tailpiece height are not such that the strings drag on the back of the bridge, de-stabilizing it during trem use. You can't turn the adjustment screws for the tailpiece without removing/slacking the strings, unless you want to ruin the trem pivots. Set the tailpiece too high, and the rocking bridge flops all over the place and knocks out your intonation. Even the arm has problems; don't insert it all the way or it can affect tuning, and they need work to not fall out even when tightened (It can be tricky, but for a bit of a spoiler I'll say that the rocking bridge is best set quite low to be stable, the neck is best un-shimmed, and the tailpiece should be set just high enough that the strings only touch the saddles)
*ahem*
-They're not very ergonomic. The trem I loved (and then complained about) so much? That tailpiece (cigar) is huge and will rub against your wrist in an uncomfortable way if you pick "properly"
-Do they take to mods well? Yes, because higher output pickups are almost required. The tiny little body makes them non-resonant, and the pickup cover design keeps the pickups far from the ideal height; they almost can't be adjusted high enough. Also doesn't help that on the natural a Mustang bridge is a bit higher than a Strat bridge... Similar to a Jaguar bridge, but Jaguars have a different pickup mounting setup that does allow them to go high enough. High output pickups are almost mandatory to compensate
-People don't like the switching; I don't mind it, but it takes a bit to get used to
-If you get a faulty trem, you'll need to replace it with a US unit (Japanese units can be just as bad.) So yeah, again, "takes well to mods"
-Again, all that work to get something that "sounds about like a Strat"
I'm not sure whether you have the experience to understand the above, but I guess that's as "advanced" of an opinion as I can provide. I love Mustangs (have since I was about thirteen myself,) but full disclosure, it's tough for me to justify them other than the fact that vintage ones are still affordable. As for the Squier VM model? Factor in money for mods and it's less of a good deal. If you want the Mustang sound in an easier package, just get a Strat; a Mustang has a slightly more jangly timbre, but that's really it. If you don't really want the trem (and while it's great a lot of people don't,) I'd look elsewhere. Also. The new Fender Mexican hardtail Mustangs are awesome and not as challenging, if you want to go a few steps up from the Bullet (which I can't comment on since they aren't available many places... I just don't tend to like the low-line Squiers as much.)
I already mentioned a bit about the Squier Mustang bridges/trems. I will take a moment to *warn* you about Mustangs. But first, I'll tell you what's good about Mustangs!
-A good Mustang vibrato set up for rocking is one of... No, it is my favorite tremolo ever; very smooth, a ton of range, and when provided a proper setup they stay in tune as well as any non-locking vibrato. If you go down-only rather than float it, you can slack the strings like a Floyd, and come back in tune. It's also not hard to lock down the tailpiece if you want a hard-tail
-The shorter scale neck lets you bend for days, and if you're used to Gibson necks, is easier to adapt to than a Strat
-The combined pickup setting is one of the only/best useable "both on" combinations I can think of; something about that setting on a Mustang just sounds good
-The thin body makes upper fret access easier; like having a shaved neck joint
-Easy "out of phase" tone if you like funk
-Sounds as good as any Strat, once you've got them sorted
-They. Look. Awesome.
Now, the bad:
-That trem I was loving a minute ago? Read back a few posts to where I've heard some Squier trem plates are made faulty, vs. US Mustang vibratos. Can be a ***** to set up. You can't adjust tailpiece height without adjusting the overall range of the trem, for one thing. Also, you need to find a balanced place where the bridge/tailpiece height are not such that the strings drag on the back of the bridge, de-stabilizing it during trem use. You can't turn the adjustment screws for the tailpiece without removing/slacking the strings, unless you want to ruin the trem pivots. Set the tailpiece too high, and the rocking bridge flops all over the place and knocks out your intonation. Even the arm has problems; don't insert it all the way or it can affect tuning, and they need work to not fall out even when tightened (It can be tricky, but for a bit of a spoiler I'll say that the rocking bridge is best set quite low to be stable, the neck is best un-shimmed, and the tailpiece should be set just high enough that the strings only touch the saddles)
*ahem*
-They're not very ergonomic. The trem I loved (and then complained about) so much? That tailpiece (cigar) is huge and will rub against your wrist in an uncomfortable way if you pick "properly"
-Do they take to mods well? Yes, because higher output pickups are almost required. The tiny little body makes them non-resonant, and the pickup cover design keeps the pickups far from the ideal height; they almost can't be adjusted high enough. Also doesn't help that on the natural a Mustang bridge is a bit higher than a Strat bridge... Similar to a Jaguar bridge, but Jaguars have a different pickup mounting setup that does allow them to go high enough. High output pickups are almost mandatory to compensate
-People don't like the switching; I don't mind it, but it takes a bit to get used to
-If you get a faulty trem, you'll need to replace it with a US unit (Japanese units can be just as bad.) So yeah, again, "takes well to mods"
-Again, all that work to get something that "sounds about like a Strat"
I'm not sure whether you have the experience to understand the above, but I guess that's as "advanced" of an opinion as I can provide. I love Mustangs (have since I was about thirteen myself,) but full disclosure, it's tough for me to justify them other than the fact that vintage ones are still affordable. As for the Squier VM model? Factor in money for mods and it's less of a good deal. If you want the Mustang sound in an easier package, just get a Strat; a Mustang has a slightly more jangly timbre, but that's really it. If you don't really want the trem (and while it's great a lot of people don't,) I'd look elsewhere. Also. The new Fender Mexican hardtail Mustangs are awesome and not as challenging, if you want to go a few steps up from the Bullet (which I can't comment on since they aren't available many places... I just don't tend to like the low-line Squiers as much.)
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