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Introduced in 1966 as a companion to Fender's shorter-scaled, 2-pickup Fender Mustang guitars, the Mustang Bass was the last original bass designed by Leo Fender before his departure from the company in 1965. It has a short 30" scale, a single split pickup (similar to the P-bass), one volume, one tone control and string-through-body construction. Like the early Precision and Jazz basses, the Mustang Bass was also fitted with string mutes. The standard finishes were red and white. Mustang basses, like all Fender guitars, were finished in nitrocellulose lacquer up until 1968, thereafter in thick polyester finish. In 1969, both the Mustang guitar and bass were issued with 'Competition' finishes, i.e. red with three white stripes, a thick one between two thinner ones, Lake Placid Blue with lighter blue stripes, etc. and were later available in various plain finishes including black and sunburst. (The yellowing of the lacquer on some early models has also resulted in "rare" colours like Surf Green, in reality a yellowed Competition Blue). In production almost continuously to 1981, the Mustang Bass was recently reissued by Fender Japan in 2002.