SOLD ELSEWHERE - Rare 2003 Squier MB-5 bass £250 £250

[ead]

[b]F/S Squier MB5 5-string Bass VGC £250[/b]

For sale is this Squier 5er. Not many of these around and little about them on the interweb. I have found a few bits of info that I have included below. This bass is something a little different from the more traditional Fender/Squier offering having a small contoured body with no pickguard, an angled headstock with a scarf joint and 3 over 2 tuners.

The body has a few marks and light scratches and there are a few small dings around the edge of the headstock. The colour is a black with a subtle metallic finish so not super-sparkly.

The neck is very slim. I measure the thickness to be 20.8mm at the 1[sup]st[/sup] fret and 21.6mm at the 12[sup]th[/sup] fret. This was done with my Dad’s old micrometer screw-gauge (remember those anybody?).

Tricky to photograph so if the pics below aren’t doing it for you let me know and I’ll try again! The scratch pictured doesn't look nearly as bad in real life, I think it's the effect of the flash on my camera.

[b]Things to note:[/b][list]
[*]A previous owner changed the tuning machines to black items and you will note that one has a missing cover. This will be sorted by the time the bass sells
[*]Truss rod cover is missing
[*]Dunlop dual action straplocks fitted
[*]I will have also added Jazz style knobs as the ones I inherited were truly unpleasant (the chrome knobs you see are some spares I have but intend to keep hold of) - [b]Now sorted[/b]
[*]I have also upgraded the standard fit (and non-functional) electronics from the original V/B/T to a Kiogon V/V/T Jazz harness.
[*]The bass has a brand new set of Fender NPS strings
[*]A good quality padded gig bag is included
[*]It’s a lightweight bass. I measure it at 3.7kg on the scales (around 8lbs 3oz in old money).
[*]The serial number is IC030829278 indicating that the bass was made in Indonesia by Cort in 2003.
[/list]
[b]Price[/b]

For sale at £250 ex works, but feel free to make offers. I’m happy to meet up or deliver within a reasonable distance for a bit of petrol money.

[b]The original Squier spec was:[/b][list]
[*]Sleek Agathis Contoured Body
[*]Maple neck, C-Shape, (Polyurethane Finish)
[*]Rosewood ‘board, 12" Radius (305mm)
[*]22 Medium Jumbo frets
[*]34" scale length
[*]Width at nut 45mm
[*]String spacing at bridge 17mm
[*]3-Over 2-Under Die-Cast Mini Tuners
[*]Special Design 5-Saddle
[*]2 Single-Coil Jazz Bass Pickups
[*]Volume, Balance, Master Tone controls (now upgraded)
[/list]
[b]Pictures:[/b]

It remains a complete mystery to me how images decide to orientate themselves on topics here. They look fine on my laptop


[b]Background[/b][b] info from the Fender website: “Other” Fender basses part III: Early 1990s to present[/b]

[b]MB basses (1994-2011).[/b] By the mid 1990s, the ubiquitous Precision and Jazz basses had proliferated into more than a dozen models of each. To augment this flourishing selection of the two traditional basses, Fender once again sought to introduce something new and different at a modest price point—hence the 1994 introduction of the Japanese-made [b]MB-4[/b] and five-string [b]MB-5[/b] basses. These offered smaller bodies with no pickguard and a more contemporary shape and overall look (“MB” stood for “modern bass”), with triple-laminated maple necks and tuners on both sides of the headstock. The MB-4 had a Precision/Jazz pickup configuration; the MB-5 had two special design single-coil pickups.

Neither was a big seller, however, as players continued to prefer more traditional Fender basses, and they were discontinued in 1996. That wasn’t the end of the story, though—when Squier launched its own Modern Bass series in 2001, the MB-4 and MB-5 were resurrected as Indonesian-built models that were even more affordable than their Fender predecessors of the previous decade. These fared considerably better, remaining in the Squier line-up through 2008, and a 2003 metal-themed model with skull-and-crossbones body graphic and fingerboard inlay work, the aptly named [b]MB-4 Skull and Crossbones Bass[/b], lasted until 2011.

[url="http://www2.fender.com/experience/guitarchive/other-fender-basses-part-iii-early-1990spresent/"]http://www2.fender.c...y-1990spresent/[/url]


[b]From Talkbass (iirc)[/b]

The Fender MB-4 and MB-5 were Japanese made. MB stood for "Modern Bass." After FMIC got started up they recognized the competition they were getting in lower cost basses and guitars from Japanese companies like Ibanez, Yamaha and Aria. The market share they had grabbed was substantial and FMIC wanted that market share back. Where there had been essentially four professional lines before this time (Fender, Gretsch, Guild & Gibson), there were many more companies in the mix then. FMIC wanted to develop cutting edge instruments to not only compete with the other Asian brands but surpass them.

This led Fender into a project with Fuji-Gen to start a new brand call HEARTFIELD which came to market in 1989. FMIC rounded up some real major league talent in R&D. The Heartfield instruments were awesome. In the time it took to develop them and get production started, the YEN started spiking against the US Dollar, so by the time they came to market they were more expensive than they thought they would be when the project was first started and during the run became practically as expensive as a USA Fender due the shrinking US Dollar.

These were amazing instruments with serious innovations in some cases. Neck through bodies, low-impedance XLR direct output jacks and better electronics than any top of the line Asian bass made them really first rate instruments though not only then, but even now. After less than 4 years the decision was made to retire the Heartfield line and about 1993 they ended the run.

Two Heartfield designs were continued in production in both 4 and 5 string versions and one of them was rebranded Fender as the MB-4 and MB-5. The Fender Prophecy also was initially developed as a Heartfield model. These are both really very decent and respectable instruments. They play and feel a lot like an Ibanez but I thought they sounded more substantial and "Fenderish" than their Asian competition.

When the Fender MB series was discontinued in Japan, Squier took over the MB design and moved production out of Japan slapping the skull & crossbones on it to make it look more appealing to the youth market.

Edited March 30, 2017 by ead

[alyctes]

I've an Indonesian MB-4. Nice little bass. GLWTS!

[ead]

Thanks. Definitely a pleasantly surprising instrument.

[ead]

Now sold elsewhere.