New pups for my old Mustang

[Blooze]

A little backstory. Got this 1964 Mustang as a payment for a phone bill about 30 years ago. Played it a bit and hated the front jack and red color, so I stripped it down and clear finished it. Shortly after a friend and I in a drunken stupor decided to drill a hole in the side to move the jack. Suffice to say botched job. Hey, they were selling for nothing then, just a junky old student guitar. If I knew now what I didn't know then. The neck pup was DOA when I got it as well. Any way we plugged the wallowed out hole and back in the case it went since then. I recently have stripped it back down and have it prepared for some fresh color and soon will need some new pups as well. I do still have the original bridge pickup, FWIW, and as far as I know it still works.

And yes, since the body has been boogered up I redrilled the side jack hole. Properly this time with a sharp forstner bit. Dry fitted an oval plate and jack from my PRS SE to make sure it's all gonna work. Planning on putting a toggle on the control plate to swtich pups. I'm thinking it might be cool to tie the slider switches in there somehow as well as coil splitters or some such.

I'm currently down to an Egnator Tweaker 15 head/cab and a early 70's Vibrochamp. Attempt to play mostly Rock/Blues and already have the strat. Really looking for a warm, round sound on the neck more than anything. I use the neck/middle combo on my strat almost exclusively. Nothing biting and a little more body than my Am.Std. neck pup.

Any suggestions where to start looking?

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: New pups for my old Mustang

There are a few boutique winders that make period correct duosonic/mustang replacement pickups. You can also get duosonic/mustang in the SD antiquities series. I have found that the SSL5/6 work really well in the short scale Fenders.

 

[Blooze]

Re: New pups for my old Mustang

There are a few boutique winders that make period correct duosonic/mustang replacement pickups. You can also get duosonic/mustang in the SD antiquities series. I have found that the SSL5/6 work really well in the short scale Fenders.

Thanks. Would you recommend getting the bridge RWRP?

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: New pups for my old Mustang

Thanks. Would you recommend getting the bridge RWRP?

I'm not really sure it matters much, since the Mustang has phase reversal switches?

 

[Blooze]

Re: New pups for my old Mustang

I'm not really sure it matters much, since the Mustang has phase reversal switches?

In my case I'm going to a three way switch on the control plate, though. I guess I could still use the sliders for phase reversal some how. To be honest I really disliked those switches.

 

[Shinobo]

Re: New pups for my old Mustang

Don't make my mistake and think something really 'middle of the road' like an SSL1 isn't ideal. For me it's SD's best pickup. In fact, all things considered (price, availability, tone) it has to be considered one of the best after market pickups of all time. (yes, I am fond of them!)

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: New pups for my old Mustang

In my case I'm going to a three way switch on the control plate, though. I guess I could still use the sliders for phase reversal some how. To be honest I really disliked those switches.

With a 3-way toggle and a new pickguard I would go with a reverse wound pickup in one of the positions.

 

[Blooze]

Re: New pups for my old Mustang

I have found that the SSL5/6 work really well in the short scale Fenders.

I listened to the SSL5 soundclips and video and really like the clean sound of the neck pickup. The bridge pickup that caught my ear was the distorted Antiquity Texas Hot. I wonder if those two would play nicely together if I got the RW/RP TX hot?

 

[adrpk]

Re: New pups for my old Mustang

Hi there (i'm not from a country that speak English, so sorry, i don't have the perfect english)

I need a little help.

I have a Mustang 65' RI, and I feel that I need little bit of more gain when I use bridge pickup...on fuzz, distortion etc.
I see 3 or 4 options: 1- JB JR, but I think is too much gain 2- Little '59™ (SL59-1) but I don't know if fits well - in terms of Mustang sound - on the bridge 3 - Li'l Screamin' Demon SLSD-1 and the same, I can't imagine in a Mustang. 4- Vintage Hot Stack Plus STK-S7, a coil to improve with a little more gain without lose the vintage sound.

So, if somone who had this kind of brainstrom pickups + Mustang, and want to give me a clue or idea, thank you.

I don't wanna lose the original sound of Fender Mustang and keep the clean sound that I like a lot, don't wanna too ''convert'' my mustang in a ''proto strato''.


I play noise, alternative 80's, 90's, punk, pop punk, blues,..


Thanks.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: New pups for my old Mustang

I have a Squier VM Mustang. The stock pickups were Duncan Designed SC-101b and -101m models. i.e. The bridge position unit is a good bit hotter to compensate for reduced string excursion. In an attempt to preserve the relative output levels whilst reducing noise, I installed Lace Sensor Blue and Gold models.

I agree with the suggestion of pairing an Antiquity Mustang with an SSL-6 in the bridge/Treble position.

With long enough conductor cables, the original bridge position pickup could serve in the neck position. I'd connect it to the slider phase reversal switch then run new cable from there to the proposed three-way selector switch.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: New pups for my old Mustang

if somone who had this kind of brainstrom pickups + Mustang, and want to give me a clue or idea, thank you.

I don't wanna lose the original sound of Fender Mustang and keep the clean sound that I like a lot, don't wanna too ''convert'' my mustang in a ''proto strato''

A friend of mine is in the habit of repeatedly doing this to Fender (Japan) and Squier Vintage Modified electric guitars. "Loosing the original sound" of Mustang, Jaguar, Jazzmaster, Bass VI, whatever is precisely what he seeks to achieve.

In my opinion, installing anything other than a true single coil will irrevocably change the sound. Following on from the suggestions above, you might be best advised to try an SSL-6T as your bridge position pickup. Reconfigure the slider switch to offer on (coil-tapped)/off/on. Leave your neck position pickup wired for on/off/phase reversal.

 

[adrpk]

Re: New pups for my old Mustang

A friend of mine is in the habit of repeatedly doing this to Fender (Japan) and Squier Vintage Modified electric guitars. "Loosing the original sound" of Mustang, Jaguar, Jazzmaster, Bass VI, whatever is precisely what he seeks to achieve.

In my opinion, installing anything other than a true single coil will irrevocably change the sound. Following on from the suggestions above, you might be best advised to try an SSL-6T as your bridge position pickup. Reconfigure the slider switch to offer on (coil-tapped)/off/on. Leave your neck position pickup wired for on/off/phase reversal.

Hmm. I think a I get it about the switch coil tapped. Thanks!

So do you think that puting a humbucker will lose the ''original sound''?? What I want to avoid is a extreme ''ultra-power-gain'' pickups (is not versatile to me) and what I said before, don't lose the original sound and keep the clean sound... clean. (Clean sound, inside the perspective of a mustang sound, if it is reinforced better, without shrill sounds.)

I'm thinking in change one pickup. The bridge, little more gain. The neck pickup it's ok.


I will check up better to listen what kind of propose is with SSL6-T.


Thank you Funkfingers to your point.

If anybody else have another point and want to share, thanks too.