Probably the most exciting bass guitar released at NAMM 2012, the Squier Mikey Way Bass has got everyone talking about it, especially My Chemical Romance's hard-core fans, for obvious reasons. It is predicted to be very successful due to its looks and characteristics and its safe to say it's a very cool guitar.
Obviously the Squier Mikey Way is based on the Fender Mustang Bass guitar, which was first, introduced way back in 1966 as a shorter scale student instrument. Like the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster the Mustang has an asymmetric waist but is smaller and slimmer. The Mikey Way Mustang Bass share this short scale with a length of just 30”. The basswood body is combined with a maple neck and 9.5-radius rosewood fingerboard. Unusually it is loaded with a high output, single humbucker rather than a split coil pickup like older Fenders. Completing the on-board electrics is a single tone and volume controls; the bridge is a string-through-body design with adjustable saddles and at the top vintage style tuners.
The guitar was designed in coherence with Mikey Way's Custom Shop instrument.. Visually it's a stunner, it is finished in Large Flake Silver Sparkle and black racing stripes. It has a matching black and white scratchplate and black headstock completed with Mikey Way's signature on the underside.
I'm expecting big things from the Squier Mikey Way Mustang; it looks and sounds very rock and roll. I just hope the fact that it it's a signature doesn't put people off from a great guitar because they don't like My Chemical Romance. On the other hand maybe it can spark an interest into the bass guitar, which in my opinion is unfairly under populated, and this could quite possibly be the attention-grabbing guitar that the Bass needs.
Guest article by Steven Williams
By Robert Renman - www.dolphinstreet.com
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