When Fender introduced the Mustang Bass in 1966, it was easy to assume that the company had simply taken its popular new student guitar and made a bass version. In reality, the Mustang Bass would go on to develop an identity all of its own. Compact, uncomplicated, and instantly recognisable, it offered players something rather different from the full scale Precision and Jazz Basses that had already established Fender as the dominant force in electric bass design.
With its 30 inch scale, offset body, single split coil pickup, and straightforward volume and tone controls, the Mustang Bass was originally positioned as a more accessible instrument. Yet, over the decades, it found its way into the hands of some remarkably influential players. From the Rolling Stones and Deep Purple to Talking Heads and the Black Keys, the Mustang has repeatedly demonstrated that a short scale bass can have a very big presence.
The Last Fender Bass Designed by Leo Fender
The story of the Mustang Bass begins during a period of enormous change at Fender. The company had already revolutionised the bass guitar with the Precision Bass in 1951 and expanded its offering with the Jazz Bass in 1960. By the middle of the 1960s, Fender was developing a range of more affordable instruments aimed at students and younger players.
The Mustang guitar arrived in 1964, occupying the student end of Fender's catalogue while introducing the offset body shape that would become synonymous with the model. Two years later, Fender added the Mustang Bass. Although the instrument appeared after Fender's sale to CBS in 1965, its design is generally regarded as the final bass design associated with Leo Fender's original Fender era. Fender itself describes the Mustang Bass as the last Fender bass designed by Leo Fender.
The idea was simple. A shorter scale made the bass easier to play, particularly for beginners, while the compact body made it lighter and more manageable than a Precision or Jazz Bass. At 30 inches, the Mustang's scale was considerably shorter than the 34 inch scale that Fender had established as the standard for electric bass. The result was an instrument with a noticeably different feel, with closer fret spacing and a slightly looser string tension that also contributed to its distinctive character.
The original Mustang Bass featured a solid body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and a single split coil pickup. The pickup was broadly related to the Precision Bass design, but was housed in a smaller plastic cover. A simple volume and tone control layout kept the electronics straightforward, while the strings passed through the body via Fender's distinctive bridge. Early examples were also fitted with string mutes, although these were commonly removed by players.
From Student Bass to Fender Classic
Despite its relatively modest beginnings, the Mustang Bass quickly became part of the wider Fender story. The basic formula remained remarkably consistent, but Fender introduced a number of visual and specification changes throughout the model's original production run.
One of the most recognisable developments came in 1969, when Fender introduced the Competition Mustang finishes. Inspired by the racing stripes and bright colours of contemporary American car culture, Competition Red, Competition Orange, and Competition Burgundy gave the Mustang a distinctly late 1960s appearance. Some examples also featured matching painted headstocks, making these among the most visually striking versions of the model.
As the 1970s progressed, Fender experimented with other finishes and body woods, with Mustang Basses appearing in sunburst, natural, walnut, black, Wine Red, and even Antigua. The model remained comparatively simple compared with the increasingly elaborate bass designs appearing elsewhere in the industry, but that simplicity was part of its appeal.
Fender also introduced the Musicmaster Bass in 1971, another short scale instrument aimed at the student market. Although it shared the general philosophy and some of the physical characteristics of the Mustang, its simpler pickup arrangement placed it further down the Fender range. Together, the two models helped establish short scale basses as a genuine part of Fender's catalogue rather than simply a novelty.
The original Mustang Bass eventually disappeared from Fender's catalogue in the early 1980s. For a model that had begun life as an affordable student instrument, however, it had already made a surprisingly lasting impression.
The Mustang Finds Its Players
The Mustang Bass has always had an interesting relationship with professional musicians. It was never as universally associated with a particular genre as the Precision or Jazz Bass, and perhaps that is precisely why it has appeared in such a wide range of music.
One of the earliest high profile players to adopt the Mustang was Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones. Wyman owned a 1969 Competition Orange Mustang Bass and used it extensively with the Stones, both live and in the studio, between 1969 and 1971. His particular instrument has become one of the best known Mustang Basses in existence, and its appearance during the Stones' late 1960s and early 1970s period helped demonstrate that Fender's short scale student bass was perfectly capable of standing alongside some of rock's biggest names.
The Mustang also found an unlikely home in the hands of Roger Glover. While recording Deep Purple's 1971 album Fireball, Glover chose a Fender Mustang Bass because he wanted a different response from the Precision Bass he had been using. According to Glover himself, the shorter scale helped him control the bottom end during recording, although he ultimately found that the Mustang lacked the power he wanted for live work and moved to a Rickenbacker for subsequent albums.
Then there was Tina Weymouth. The Talking Heads bassist became strongly associated with short scale basses during the band's early years, and used a Fender Mustang alongside instruments including a Precision, Musicmaster, and Hofner. Weymouth has spoken about choosing the Mustang partly because the shorter neck made it easier to move quickly around the fingerboard. Her use of the instrument helped establish another side of the Mustang's personality, one that suited the clipped, rhythmic, economical bass playing that became such an important part of Talking Heads' sound.
The Mustang's story did not stop with the original generation of Fender players. Over the years, it has been used by musicians including Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Mike Dirnt of Green Day, Colin Greenwood of Radiohead, Tom Morello, Finneas, and a host of players working across alternative rock, indie, pop, and experimental music.
A Bass With Some Serious Studio History
Part of the Mustang's appeal in the studio comes from the very thing that originally defined it as a student instrument: its short scale. The reduced string length produces a different playing feel and can contribute to a thicker, slightly softer response, particularly when combined with flatwound strings. Rather than simply sounding like a smaller Precision, the Mustang can occupy its own space in a recording.
Roger Glover's Fireball is perhaps the clearest documented example. Glover specifically chose the Mustang for the album because he wanted greater control over the bass end, and his comments give a rare first hand insight into how the instrument behaved in a professional recording environment.
Bill Wyman's Mustang also appeared on Rolling Stones recordings during the period in which he used the instrument extensively. His 1969 Competition Orange bass remained closely associated with his work with the band and has since become an important part of his personal instrument archive.
Decades later, Dan Auerbach took the Mustang into a very different recording environment. During the sessions surrounding The Black Keys and his other projects, Auerbach has discussed using a short scale Fender Mustang Bass through a vintage DI setup, particularly appreciating the combination of a short scale, flatwound strings, and a pick for a punchy, propulsive sound. His approach is a good example of how the Mustang's inherent character can be used deliberately in the studio rather than simply being chosen for its compact size.
Fender Brings the Mustang Back
Although the original Mustang Bass disappeared from the American Fender catalogue in the early 1980s, the model proved too popular to stay away forever. Fender Japan produced reissues during the late 1990s, while Squier subsequently brought the design to a much wider audience.
The Mustang has also gone through several more experimental Fender interpretations. The Pawn Shop Mustang Bass replaced the traditional split pickup with a humbucker, while later Mustang PJ models combined a Mustang Bass split pickup with a Jazz Bass style bridge pickup. These instruments demonstrated that the basic Mustang platform could be adapted without losing its essential identity.
Fender's modern range continues to embrace the concept. Current Mustang Bass models include traditional 30 inch scale instruments alongside PJ configurations, while Squier's Classic Vibe '60s Mustang Bass offers a more affordable interpretation of the original formula with a Fender designed alnico split single coil pickup and vintage inspired appointments.
The American Professional Classic Mustang Bass takes the idea further into Fender's modern professional range, retaining the 30 inch scale, 19 fret neck, strings through body bridge, and classic Mustang proportions while combining them with contemporary construction and hardware.
The Mustang Influence
The Mustang's continued popularity has also encouraged other manufacturers and independent builders to explore the short scale offset bass concept. Rather than simply copying Fender's original specifications, many modern instruments take the basic idea and reinterpret it with different pickups, woods, hardware, scale lengths, and electronics.
Eastwood Guitars has produced Mustang inspired instruments including the Warren Ellis Bass, which takes obvious visual cues from the Mustang and Musicmaster while introducing a 30.5 inch scale and a single blade style pickup. It is a good example of how the Mustang formula can be used as a starting point for something that is recognisably related to the original without being a direct recreation.
Here in the UK, Shuker Bass Guitars has also built custom short scale basses directly influenced by the Mustang concept. One of its documented custom builds used a 30 inch scale, alder body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, Bartolini pickups, and Schaller hardware. The beauty of a custom approach like this is that the familiar Mustang proportions can be retained while virtually every element can be tailored to the player's requirements.
The Mustang's influence can also be seen in the growing interest in specialist short scale builders and boutique instruments. Modern players have access to short scale basses with everything from traditional passive pickups and vintage finishes to active electronics, alternative pickup configurations, custom neck profiles, and modern hardware. In many cases, these instruments are aimed at experienced bassists who specifically want the feel and tonal response of a short scale rather than simply looking for an easier instrument to play.
Small Bass, Big Legacy
There is something rather appealing about the fact that one of Fender's most enduring bass designs began life as a student instrument. The Mustang Bass was never designed to compete directly with the Precision or Jazz Bass, and perhaps that is why it has managed to develop such a distinct identity.
Its 30 inch scale gives it an unmistakable feel, while the compact offset body makes it comfortable and visually distinctive. The original split pickup provides plenty of Fender character, but the instrument also responds particularly well to different strings, amplification, playing techniques, and modifications. It can sound warm and thumpy, aggressive and punchy, or surprisingly articulate depending on how it is set up.
More than half a century after its introduction, the Mustang Bass has become much more than an entry level Fender. It has appeared on major records, travelled the world with some of rock's most influential bands, and inspired generations of manufacturers and independent builders to rethink what a short scale bass can be.
That may be the real secret of the Mustang. It was never trying to be a Precision Bass or a Jazz Bass. It simply offered a different way of approaching the electric bass, and musicians have been finding new uses for that idea ever since.
