KevL

Refugee Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers.

Far Far Away Slade

Shakin' All Over Johnny Kidd and The Pirates

Down To Earth Curiosity Killed The Cat Edit: Have just looked at this and seen that I've gone in a circle and moved back to the song @upside downer used in the previous post. Sorry, need read more carefully.

The Birdie Song The Tweets

Chemistry Semisonic

Missing EBTG

Strange Town The Jam

Fair point. I'm pretty sure I knew that it wasn't a Beatles' original but my memory failed me. Thanks for keeping me right.

Heard this on the radio last night, first time for ages, not the worst-ever cover of a song...

Shout To The Top The Style Council

Glad it's all sorted and thanks for updating us.

You should be able to get a Yamaha F310 for a touch over £100. Whilst nothing can be guaranteed, there's a good chance the Yamaha will be that bit better value-for-money than something that's costs just a few pounds less: it should be well-finished and will probably play quite well straiht out of the box and also sound half-decent. Worth considering if you are buying online. If your friend decides that guitar is not for him, he'll hopefully get a reasonable amount back for the Yamaha. Edit: Also budget for a tuner (unless you can len him one?), packet of spare strings, a few picks. Also maýbe a stand so the guitar is out and handy to grab and play (and prevent it falling over). Look at justinguitar for lessons, get the basics nailed!

Can you send a 'test email' from another address enquiring about, say, purchasing a bass from them and see if they reply?

I'm The Urban Spaceman BDD-DB

On Broadway The Drifters

The Winker's Song (Misprint) Ivor Biggun Beaten by @xgsjx but still works, I think.

Down In The Tube Station At Midnight The Jam

Fire The Crazy World ...

I don't know why the Strat was the only export model to get the US pickups and the Telecaster and basses were given Japanese pickups.

A few people claim the first run 'Fender' branded JVs are a touch better. I've seen a couple of later Squiers that have had less-than-perfect fit and finish details but I think it's a case of taking each one on its own merit, don't generalise. The pickups for your Precisions would have been Japanese and the 82 (Fender) could well have originally been slightly different to your 83 Squier - the retrofitted one could possibly have differed again, there was a fair bit of inconsistency. 'Squier Series' was only on the first run Fender logo models, it then changed to 'Squier by Fender'. I'm sure this is what you meant. I'm not intending to be an ar$€ by writing this, just providing clarity (of an already confusing subject) for anyone doing reasearch.

I didn't know this about the dot neck. I think that's about where these Fender Squier Series are now: I was offered a Precision last year for £1350 but wasn't sure how original the pickguard was so I gave it a miss. That's it, there's too much out there now, not just from Fender with its umpteen ranges and models The JV stood out at the time due to less competition (ironically, less from Fender USA itself). Yes, there will be a few models from various brands that will gain a bit of a following but I can not see anything having the impact and effect of the JVs. I think that's the thing to do nowadays, just buy something you like and play it. Don't try and chase some hype or try and create a myth about a brand or model. I enjoy my G&Ls, I love the history and ethos of their creation but I just enjoy owning them and don't expect to get rich if I ever sold them. Thanks for an interesting reply. Kev

Easy for people to get confused (or to intentionally confuse others if you are selling) with the various ranges and specs but 21frets.com is the best place to check what's what - I wouldn't call it mythology, though. I wasn't trying to write a complete guide to JVs in my long-winded post (although it may have seemed like that) and I'm no expert, just a bit of a fan. Re the pickups, though, it was just the export Squier Strats that had USA pickups (of a few varieties) - I had a late 1983 JV Strat with the commonest pickups with the yellow C and C2 markings. The export Telecaster and basses had Japanese pickups. For domestic models, which had both Fender and Squier brandings, then best to look at 21frets. Do your homework if you are planning to buy any JV! You are correct with the prices, there's no reason why the JVs should be priced relatively lower than other Fenders, they are great instruments. The 'Fender Squier Series' branded first run export JVs will always be that bit more sought after due to rarity even though they are identical to the 'Squier by Fender' that were made a month or two afterwards - I think it's more the case that Squier JVs have caught up with the market and seen a jump in price. The 'Fender' first run are priced (a few hundred more?) for the collecters market, I think. You mention scarcity of these first run JVs but I think all JVs have become increasingly sought-after: the number of people learning about them and looking for one has increased (see previous comments on this thread about the internet-effect) but there aren't any more JVs being made to meet this increased demand.

These Mexican Road Worns may be the range that I was trying to think of (mentioned near the end of my first post).