I'm partway through a Mustang build with a MIJ neck, body and trem so I'm now at the point where I'm shopping for pickups. This is how far I've got so far, for those interested:

http://a.yfrog.com/img532/7705/fbtxp.jpg

I'm going for a slightly hotter sound...very much in the 90s vein that does fuzz/distortion without losing the twangy Mustang character. Being a UK resident who's fed up with the customs import charging nonsense I need to go for something that's available in this country. The contenders so far are:

Lace Sensors: silver in the neck and red in the bridge, perhaps?

OR

A set of 'Extra Width' or 'Sweet 74' Mustang pickups made by the Manchester-based pickup maker at The Creamery.

I got onto the idea of the Sensors because it might be cool to get an old-school Corgan-esque tone from a shortscale...but I've read that Sensors can lack character in comparison with traditional Fender-style single coils. I've never tried them, sadly, so wouldn't know how they'd sound through my own gear.

If I ordered from The Creamery, on the other hand, I'd get that more 'traditional' single coil sound, but be able to tailor it to a hotter output if I wanted. Plus, I'd be supporting British industry!

Thoughts? Any other Mustang fans around here?

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Guitar rig: CIJ Fender Jazzmaster/CIJ Fender Mustang -> TU-3 -> RV-5 -> OD-3 -> custom IC Muff -> PS-2 -> DD-3 -> RE-20 -> LS-2 -> Fender '65 DRRI & Mesa/Boogie F-50

Bass rig: Fender MIM Jazz Bass -> TU-2 -> RAT 2 -> Sansamp BDDI -> RV-3

"...So now you know the true secret to great tone: all the espresso you can handle."

Some background: I generally like the shoegazer/grunge styles of music - Swervedriver, My Bloody Valentine, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, etc.

I put a pair of these in a 1968 Mustang and I love the tone - a lot hotter output than the original pickups. Also much quieter since they are humbuckers. Quite pleased with them. (Of course I kept the originals if I ever want to switch back, because the guitar is generally worth more when it's all original.)

Neck: Amazon.com: Seymour Duncan SL59-1 Little '59 Neck Pickup - Black: Musical Instruments

Bridge: Amazon.com: Seymour Duncan Little 59er Pickup Black Bridge: Musical Instruments

(Of course you can find them lots of places besides Amazon, I just happened to find them over there first.)

Enjoy!

I had a 1965 all original Mustang, while awesome, not what I was going for..... Most shoegaze is modified instruments... ColdCold has a point with the little 59er point, as humbuckers made the sound typically, or p-90s..... Look and see what you can find for double stacked single coils, I've been looking at Wilde pickups... Not sure what you have in the UK, but may be worth a look into double stacked pickups, or single coil sized humbuckers....

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ESP Eclipse Limited (3/100) or Gibson Les Paul Standard (97) - Fulltone OCD - H.B.E. Detox EQ - Laney GH50L - 80's Ibanez AD-9 (in loop) - Randall XL 4x12
Tortex "The wedge" picks, Blue Steel strings, Line 6 Moble In, Charvel Model 6 modded to a Model 5FX.... Probly other stuff as well

What led you to building a Mustang in the first place, was it more about the size? the look? the sound? the feel? the fact that you have other guitars and just wanted something different?

If you're looking for a 90s sound, I'm thinking you might want a JB Jr in the bridge. Cobain put a JB in the bridge of his Mustang, but this way you won't have to mod it. A fun tip I learned the other day, is that all JB pickups (even the humbuckers) were meant to go with 250k pots.

If I were to get a Mustang (and it is on my eventual list) I would get one and keep the pickups stock. The sound of the Mustang I enjoy is it's classic stock one like David Byrne used in The Talking Heads.

I've gone through Strats and SGs, never found a Tele that I liked, I already have a JM that I love and the Jag wiring looks horridly complicated to install so I wanted something a bit simpler. A friend of mine owns a CIJ '65 RI 'stang, and I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable it is.

There's no contour on the body but the combination of shorter scale and thinner neck makes it super-comfy for a weedy little guy like me! I wanted a bit more versatility with sounds though, so started looking around for different pickup types that do a bit more than the stock versions.

A word of warning though: the Mustang trem is the one bad thing about it. I've managed to set it up to stay in tune and intonate correctly, but using the trem arm does send it out of tune. It's even more temperamental than a JM or Jag!

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Guitar rig: CIJ Fender Jazzmaster/CIJ Fender Mustang -> TU-3 -> RV-5 -> OD-3 -> custom IC Muff -> PS-2 -> DD-3 -> RE-20 -> LS-2 -> Fender '65 DRRI & Mesa/Boogie F-50

Bass rig: Fender MIM Jazz Bass -> TU-2 -> RAT 2 -> Sansamp BDDI -> RV-3

"...So now you know the true secret to great tone: all the espresso you can handle."

Thanks for noting that about the Mustang trem. I've never played one that had the trem arm in it, and maybe now I know why!

It's weird... I've heard people say that about Mustang trems before but I have never had any problem with mine. It is rock solid and I tend to use mine a lot. In fact, it's one of the reasons I love Mustangs - it is one of the best feeling trems out there so it makes me use it a lot and it holds its tuning amazingly.

Sorry, never experimented with pickups because mine's a pre-CBS one so I'm not messing with it - it sounds great. Lower output than my Strat but beautiful sounding nonetheless. There's some pickups I'd consider if I was doing a build or modding a MIM or MIJ one but I'm not messing with mine.

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Crustaceo ergo sum