Fender Musicmaster Bass

[kenthemimic]

I was given an old Fender Musicmaster Bass (short scale) to play around with. It's in rough shape and I'll probably refinish it. Before I do there were a few questions that perhaps you experts would have an answer to...

 

1) Does it affect the value to refinish?

2) Is this Bass worth refinishing?

3) Does anyone or did anyone famous ever use one of these for recording?

4) What is the purpose of the short scale?

 

If I knew how, I would post some pictures. When I tried it told me they were too large (how do I make em smaller?).

 

Thanks.

[Rocky McDougall]

I played a 30" scale for many years and I loved it. In my opinion, there is very little tone difference.

The Musicmaster is gaining in popularity as a collectable. I would strongly discourage you from refinishing it. Refinishing a collectable bass really damages the value. Many famous bassist have used short scale and they record just fine. The main reason for the short scale was to help those with small hands. Guitar is very short but Bass is a strech for a lot of folks. Put good strings on it, set it up right and enjoy it. Keep a 34" also, you can switch back and forth with no trouble.

 

Rocky

[Swed_bass]

Hi,

 

Questions 1-2: I´d definately not refinish it, if it´s from the 70´s or older. The wear with visible scratches and dents is like the identity of the instrument.

 

Question 3: At least in Finland a very famous bassplayer, Cisse Hakkinen (1951-1990) used a candy red Mustang Bass, which is similar to a Musicmaster, (different pickups) in the early years of "Hurriganes".

 

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d161/tero_k/cisse19.jpg

[Eric VB]

It's how it sounds that's important, not how it looks.

 

My first bass was a circa '78 Musicmaster (black). My parents bought it for me because at age 11 it was a little challenging to work up around the nut on my instructor's P bass. (They also bought me a short-scale acoustic guitar a year or two before that.) Initially I thought that was the purpose for a short-scale bass: for kids with small hands.

 

Some instructors *cough*Jeremy*cough* , however, have convinced me that there's no need for students to learn on short-scale instruments.

 

I think I read somewhere that 3/4 bass guitars were popular in surf music.

 

If you have any kind of photo editing software, there should be a feature for making the images smaller. Also, your digital camera should have a lo-res setting. Same thing if you're scanning in prints. Lots of different models/versions/etc., so a google for your stuff may turn up an answer quicker than a bunch of musicians trying to troubleshoot you over the 'net.

[ChiaLynn]

If you're using Windows, Irfan View is a great little image program that's very easy to use. (www.irfanview.com) But if you can't figure out how to make your pictures smaller, you can email them to me, and I'll downsize them for you.

[Paul K]

Oh baby. what color is it? Put some heavy strings on it, but make sure they are short scale strings or else the E string will get FUBAR'd during the instalation process. I'd say don't refinish it. Just find a choice sticker.......

[Dave Brown]

I started my bass life on a Fender Musicmaster, white with black nylon tape wound strings. I loved that bass, but it got stolen.

 

If I could find another at a reasonable price (I bought that one for $100 at a pawn shop in 1975) I'd get it.

[kenthemimic]

Paul K...It's black w/black pick guard. 1 pickup. ChiaLynn is going to help me get some pic's up.

[picker]

I hate short scale basses. They sound plunky, with good or bad strings. But, do NOT refinish it! If you do, you might as well figure you've lost most of the value it has. Even if it's ganked up to beat all, don't refinish. You might be able to sell it for enough to buy a full scale bass.

[kenthemimic]

Gosh, I hope I did this right. Thanks ChiaLynn for the help! You need to update your avatar with you in uniform holding your bass!

 

These are pics of the bass I wanted to refinish.....

 

static.flickr.com/90/261411883_b73f515d97_m.jpg http://static.flickr.com/115/261411880_e02f72c866_m.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/118/261411879_db65241d55_m.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/109/261411878_257f68ce8e_m.jpg

[Paul K]

IMHO: Judging from what Musicmasters sell for on eBay (range $350 to (gulp!) over $700 for the Daphne Blue one, I'd say that you should not refinish this axe. You'd probably be better off selling it and buying what you want; many many korean made basses are very good quality for not much coin, or just playing this one as-is.

 

The headstock photo interests me. My musicmaster bass, which is about a 1975 or 1974, has the smaller tuning pegs and a smaller 'musicmaster' logo. Anybody out there who can help date this instrument?

[picker]

I'd say late 60's, maybe early 70's. That was the size of the Fender decal at that time. You could pop the neck off and look at the butt end of it for the precise date, without affecting the value. Get a photo of the date marked on it, so you can show it without having to take the neck off every time somebody wants to know when it was made and doesn't want to take your word for it.

[Eric VB]

That's pretty much how I remember my old Musicmaster looking, except I had the volume knob that's missing in the picture. Same color.

 

Was the thumbrest removed, or am I just not seeing it? I see the screw holes, but can't make out the black on black.

[jeremy c]

Tina Weymouth played a Mustang which is a relative of the Musicmaster.

[Big Red 67]

No refin. I would take it apart and lovingly clean it. That is all. That thing looks pretty good to me.

[Paul K]

Cool page to date your Fenders:

http://www.guitarnucleus.com/fenderserial.html

 

Mine's a '74. BP magazine had "The Great Basses" page a while back, i cut out the Mustang/Musicmaster bass page, framed it, and put it next to my Musicmaster. Looks cool, even though I'd hesitate to call 'em "great".... Anyway, it says that Musicmasters were made from '70 to '81, mustangs from '66 to '81.

[Davo-London]

Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads used a Fender Mustang.

 

Davo

[Swed_bass]

Originally posted by Paul K:

Anyway, it says that Musicmasters were made from '70 to '81, mustangs from '66 to '81.

Now I´m confused since I could swear that I owned a -68 Musicmaster in the early 80´s. Maybe my memory has faded on the year of make...

[Brian Fox]

I have a '74 Musicmaster (Olympic White) that's a lot of fun to play. I have a few other old short-scale basses, too. They have their own character -- kinda dark and thumpy. Not terribly versatile, but a unique playing experience.

 

I'd lean towards keeping the original finish (which looks cool in that pic, btw). But it's not like you have a highly-prized collectible bass, so I say do what you want with it. In terms of dating it, I'd guess that one is a '78 (judging from the knob and logo). Looks like fun!

[wraub]

I would also venture a guess of mid-to-late 70s.

 

I would also advise you to not refinish it.

 

A good cleaning, new strings and a new knob (optional ) are I'll I'd add.

 

Peace,

 

wraub

[Steve Adams]

Nice to find this thread.

 

I just picked up a '79 Musicmaster bass I found on craigslist. I play a P-Bass regularly and thought this would be a fun (and somewhat similar) bass to have around. So far, it's been just that. The short scale makes the strings feel a little floppier but that's been the main adjustment so far, just gotta finesse the strings a little more, can't dig in as much. Otherwise, it's easy to move around on and has already inspired some new musical ideas.

 

The original pickup was replaced with P-Bass style pickups. And consquentially, the pickguard was recut to fit the new pickups. I am curious what the original pickup may sound like, and if it would be worth checking that out with this bass. Does anyone know where I could even find this pickup? Is there an online store that carries these that anyone knows about?

 

I did find an online pickguard store that offers Musicmaster pickguards, so I could replace that, it wouldn't be original but it would fit the original style again.

 

Any thoughts, help?? Thanks, Steve

[Dave Brown]

One of the things that I remember clearly about my bass is that the pickup was not a 4/8 pole bass pickup. It was a 6 pole pickup (even though the pole pieces were covered, when I took off the pickguard I saw them.

 

Mine was a late '60's-early 70's bass.

 

You could get the pickguard and then check the various Telecaster/Strat pickups for fit.

[Eric VB]

Well, seeing as how I played a P and a Musicmaster at about roughly the same time, I'd say that the biggest difference wasn't the pickup but the scale length. I think this is what gave the P a little more presence, on the bottom end especially.

 

I never took the cover off my pickup but always thought the cover was odd. I just figured Fender was trying to go for style over substance without breaking the bank. I mean, if you're going to cover the pickup, why not a nice metal cover instead of plastic?

 

BTW, my Musicmaster had some pretty severe buckle rash on the back of the top horn, maybe an inch and a half wide by a half inch tall. I don't think I bothered to repaint it before I traded it in. There were also some scuff marks on the bottom edge of the bottom horn, I think from rubbing in the case. And quite possibly there were some dings on the headstock. Other than that it was in pretty good condition and I even gave away the original Fender strap and soft-shell (?) case. This would have been in, oh, '86 or so? Would be interesting to know where it is today.

[JonathanD]

As I read this thread about refinishing something struck me as weird. I clean my schecter all the time, but my fender I dont want to clean. As if somehow the dirtier it is the cooler it becomes to me. When my forarm dirt makes the white finish black, then I know I have become___________. Ill let everyone add their own word here 

 

One lady I knew actually bit any new instrument she got and left teeth marks. They were of course from he dragging he teeth and not from then piercing the finish. I wouldnt refinish it. I like the 2 little cuts in the back of my basss neck. It provides character.

Jonathan

[Ras]

Originally posted by Steve Adams:

...The original pickup was replaced with P-Bass style pickups. And consquentially, the pickguard was recut to fit the new pickups.

STEVE, I have a Musicmaster that I'm intending to modify by replacing the 6 pole pickup with a P-Bass style pickup. Can you tell me what the pickup cover is like on yours? The plastic 6-pole cover is much too small. A picture would be helpful, too.

 

Thanks,

Ras