NGD Fender Mustang P-90

[Lillis]

Well I received the guitar Monday. I work a lot of hours so my time on it has been a bit limited but I’ve played it enough to know I really enjoy it. I actually like the feel of the 10-46 strings that came on it but I’ll be experimenting with thicker gauges. Tomorrow I plan on putting a set of E.B 10.5-48 on it. I have several sets of 11’s (for the Gretsch) so I’ll try some of those too.

Set up is actually pretty good from the get go. I’ll put the heavier strings on it and adjust from there. I’m looking forward to putting the P90’s through their paces.

It certainly is fun to play and it feels very balanced when playing seated.
I haven’t played at any real volume yet but that will change tomorrow I find it interesting that it has a gloss fretboard yet my Player plus tele’s is unfinished. I think I will enjoy the contrast. Also it has a 9.5 radius neck as opposed the 12” on my others. I feel fortunate to have three nice and diverse electrics.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Lillis

Well I received the guitar Monday...Tomorrow I plan on putting a set of E.B 10.5-48 on it. I have several sets of 11’s (for the Gretsch) so I’ll try some of those too.

...I find it interesting that it has a gloss fretboard yet my Player Plus Tele’s is unfinished...

Not to upset the apple cart, but speaking as the former owner of one of the first late-CBS '52 Tele reissues and current owner of a Rick 360/6 I'd stay with flats on a gloss fingerboard; while IMO the 11's will do the trick if you like things on the light side, if you still want to go lighter the D'A ECG23 10-48 set should be right up your alley (and IME the wound G will go a long way in terms of both tone and tuning stability)...

Looking forward to a full hands-on review...

[Lillis]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Not to upset the apple cart, but speaking as the former owner of one of the first late-CBS '52 Tele reissues and current owner of a Rick 360/6 I'd stay with flats on a gloss fingerboard; while IMO the 11's will do the trick if you like things on the light side, if you still want to go lighter the D'A ECG23 10-48 set should be right up your alley (and IME the wound G will go a long way in terms of both tone and tuning stability)...

Looking forward to a full hands-on review...

I’m still relatively new to electrics and have never tried flat wounds. I’m curious why you recommend them for a gloss fingerboard. I did get a set of EXL115w to try a wound g.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Lillis

I’m still relatively new to electrics and have never tried flat wounds. I’m curious why you recommend them for a gloss fingerboard....

Less wear-and-tear on the finish and, since a gloss finish (especially a gloss polyester finish) doesn't absorb moisture/body oils as a traditional oiled fingerboard does, you won't hang up on the strings mid-set when your hands get sweaty (as mine do) and your calluses get soft and sticky . Except for a brief flirtation with half-rounds in the '80s I've been using flats for the last 60 years, and the newer stainless hex-core strings are far brighter than the vintage/round-core stuff, closer to pure-nickel wrap (not the nickel-plated steel used in sets like your XL115W): clear but also full, warm, and punchy - IME a better/less sonically-fatiguing option on any single-coil/mini-bucker guitar than rounds/half-rounds - and you'll appreciate the fact that you can drop the action far lower than either (a little secret the '50s rockers - and their jazzcat cousins - all knew). Personally, I'd buy one set of 11-gauge wound-G flats (D'Addario ECG24 is easy to find and cheaper than many), install them and play them for a couple weeks, and if you find them not to your liking you can always slap on the rounds - but IME most of your fellow AGF'ers here who've tried this experiment (especially the Gretsch owners) have never looked back...

[Lillis]

Thanks for the in depth response Steve. Very helpful. I ordered a set of ecg24’s. Looking forward to trying several different types of strings.

[RPadTV]

the guitar looks lovely! have you tried it with high gain yet? i'm curious to see when they get noisy. P90s have my favorite electric sounds, but the noise can be an issue with certain settings/music styles (which is one reason i'm considering building a partscaster build around Fishman Fluence P90s).

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by RPadTV

the guitar looks lovely! have you tried it with high gain yet? i'm curious to see when they get noisy. P90s have my favorite electric sounds, but the noise can be an issue with certain settings/music styles (which is one reason i'm considering building a partscaster build around Fishman Fluence P90s).

The P90's on my guitar handle high gain much better than regular single coils, I can get into metal chugging territory without feedback or excessive buzzing problems. I've found that for doing high gain with P90's its often best to use tube screamer type boost, going strictly off the amp OD the sound can get a bit loose past a certain point. YMMV.

One cool trick is that allot of p90 sets are wound opposite, so they are noise canceling with your selector in the middle position. I dont typically like the sound of the middle position on most guitars when the pickup volumes are even, but with a LP control layout you can use your volumes to blend the pickups however you want. Generally rolling one pickup down a bit while keeping the other dimed sounds mostly like the dimed pickup, but with a bit fatter tone... and if you've got a properly matched set of P-90's they should run pretty quiet.


Oh, and to the OP, great looking guitar! I've thought of getting one for my eldest daughter, so I look forward to a review.

[dave42]

Originally Posted by Lillis

..... I did get a set of EXL115w to try a wound g.

That's the strings I used on the one I had. As soon as I pulled it out of the car to hand over to the guy who bought it, I regretted the sale. I've thought several times about buying another one, but they don't make Torino red now.

Your's is a keeper... enjoy!