Don’t think this seller realised what they had

[pst62]

1 hour ago, Meddle said:

'80s Squiers are treated like gold dust, but I've never played one that out-performed a well dialled in modern MIM Fender instrument. They just don't feel or sound special to me. What is it about this particular strain of thick poly finishes, automated manufacturing, zero electronics shielding and low quality fretwork that you all enjoy, over any other Fenderoid instruments out there?

I started playing back in 1981, about a year and a bit later I bought a 1978 Fender Precision. I not long after joined a band and started playing quite regular gigs. I bought a 1982 Squier Precision in 1983 as a back up. It walked all over the Fender, I sold the Fender in '84 and sadly the JV had to go in 1992, when my 1st daughter was born. These days I have a 2014 CV 70's Precision and a 2018 Mex Fender Player Series Precision, and yet again IMHO the Squier is superior.

[Paul S]

I've owned a couple of MIJ Fender Precision basses, more than a few Squier Precisions, had long term loan of a 90s USA P and also owned two JV Squier Ps.  My motivation for buying, using and keeping gear is simply having the stuff I like best.  Now maybe I was lucky but the two JV Squiers were better than any of the others.  Fit, finish and playability.  One was a very early Fender logo one was simply fantastic but it was the other one I kept for all sorts of reasons - one being the weight as it is around 8lbs on the nose.  Had I found one of the Fenders to be better I would have kept that.  Simple, really.

[Stub Mandrel]

I've got a 1987 Japanese Fender Performer.

The Performer is absolutely without fault and IMOH has the edge on tonal flexibility and attention to detail (which is at the sort of level associated with custom-shop Fenders - full shielding, quality jack socket, rubber insets on controls, micro-tilt neck, lovely tuners, neck profile that makes most jazz basses seem chunky, TBX tone control). Playability is better than any American Fenders I've played (OK, any bass I've ever played). Its only fault is that it is fairly low output (it won't do a Precision growl) and back in the day sound engineers preferred the earth-shaking output from my Hohner B2.

Presumably it came out of the same factory as the 80s MIJ Squiers and while they don't share the same level of attention to detail it certainly demonstrates that they would work to the highest standards.

[mcnach]

8 hours ago, Meddle said:

I've only overpaid once for a bass. I took a bath on a Godin Shifter bass I traded a Japanese Mustang for. I wish I kept the Mustang.
 

I wouldn't mind Squiers so much if the owners weren't so touchy and didn't have such an obvious inferiority complex. 
 

 

 

[mcnach]

6 hours ago, pst62 said:

I started playing back in 1981, about a year and a bit later I bought a 1978 Fender Precision. I not long after joined a band and started playing quite regular gigs. I bought a 1982 Squier Precision in 1983 as a back up. It walked all over the Fender, I sold the Fender in '84 and sadly the JV had to go in 1992, when my 1st daughter was born. These days I have a 2014 CV 70's Precision and a 2018 Mex Fender Player Series Precision, and yet again IMHO the Squier is superior.

 

The sooner you accept and embrace your inferiority complex, the better, you know?

😛

 

[GuyR]

1 hour ago, Meddle said:

Any discussion online involving anything Squier reverts back to 'my Squier is better than most Fenders" or chat to that effect. Double that for CV Squiers, and quadruple that for '80s Squiers.

Thanks for explaining that so clearly. I'm such a tool! I'm probably a bit touchy due to my inferiority complex.

[Paul S]

Just goes to show what a gullible fool I am, totally incapable of making quality judgements without being suckered into believing hyperbole.  I mean, for heaven's sake, I also use Barefaced cabs!  Thank the Gods there are experts around to put us straight.  I must put all my gear up for sale immediately.

🤨

Edited November 8, 2019 by Paul S

[Twigman]

19 hours ago, Meddle said:

Any discussion online involving anything Squier reverts back to 'my Squier is better than most Fenders" or chat to that effect. Double that for CV Squiers, and quadruple that for '80s Squiers.

 

 

Not guilty

 

[Microbass]

On 03/11/2019 at 23:29, Bassassin said:

Good (from a blagger's POV) to see this sort of thing still happens!

I've had more than my fair share of very, very silly Ebay bargains - typically when the seller had no idea what they had, or from errors in the listing making it hard for most people to find. Really very unusual these days.

My TE V4 cost £220. It was listed under PA gear. 
 

Sadly bargains are so rare on eBay I’ve pretty much given up. There was a TE 2x15 cab listed for £80 in Glasgow in pristine condition recently. Way too impractical for me but what a steal!

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, Meddle said:

If they are truly great instruments you wouldn't need to trowel on the histrionic responses. Good quality speaks for itself, and Squier owners are perpetually punching upwards for some reason.

I have three Squiers. The guitar is mediocre, the two basses, both Indonesian, are very good.

Wheh I bought the Jaguar SS I tried it out immediately after a Warwick which had a price tag seven times as high. The Jag's pickups aren't the worlds best, but playability wise it made the Warwick feel rough (and I like long scale 24-fret basses).

Is that a histrionic response?

 

[Bassassin]

For anyone interested in the origins, history, technical specs and model variations of the JV Squiers, this website and the attached forum should tell you anything you want to know.

It's particularly recommended for anyone labouring under the bizarre and baseless delusion that MIJ Squiers, and the JV models in particular, were some sort of cheaply bodged-out, corner-cut borderline knockoff aimed at beginners. Read and learn.

http://www.21frets.com/

[pst62]

Well Mr Meddle,

Please forgive me mate! I've just gone and ordered a Harley Benton JB-75 MN from Thomann for the measly sum of £127.44 inc P&P. If it's as good as the one in the video below, prepare yourself for some upward punching!

 

Edited November 9, 2019 by pst62

[LukeFRC]

10 hours ago, Bassassin said:

For anyone interested in the origins, history, technical specs and model variations of the JV Squiers, this website and the attached forum should tell you anything you want to know.

It's particularly recommended for anyone labouring under the bizarre and baseless delusion that MIJ Squiers, and the JV models in particular, were some sort of cheaply bodged-out, corner-cut borderline knockoff aimed at beginners. Read and learn.

http://www.21frets.com/

for a bit of wider reading this is also good: https://reverb.com/news/interview-fender-visionary-dan-smith-on-how-to-turn-around-a-faltering-guitar-brand 

I really don't know what offends people about JV Squier being appreciated.

[mcnach]

21 hours ago, Meddle said:

If they are truly great instruments you wouldn't need to trowel on the histrionic responses. Good quality speaks for itself, and Squier owners are perpetually punching upwards for some reason.

 

Did your ex leave you for a Squier bass?

Just kidding. I can sympathise with the anti-hype feeling you've got, you and I actually probably feel very similar [1] but it just seems like you're going to the other extreme. 

 

[1]: I mean about the feeling that JV Squiers are over-hyped. A lot of them are very nice indeed, but I don't think I would pay as much as they often go for, personally. But I would also not pay 10k for a Fodera even if I had the disposable income to make the expense a non issue 

[mcnach]

18 hours ago, Meddle said:

Not at all. McNach is leading the charge with the histrionic responses. 

 

What the flying... F???

You need to go back and read what I wrote... Either you misremember, or you have some serious comprehension issues

[mcnach]

4 hours ago, pst62 said:

Well Mr Meddle,

Please forgive me mate! I've just gone and ordered a Harley Benton JB-75 MN from Thomann for the measly sum of £127.44 inc P&P. If it's as good as the one in the video below, prepare yourself for some upward punching!

 

 

I don't know, I think you're still insecure...

[Stub Mandrel]

On 09/11/2019 at 10:19, LukeFRC said:

for a bit of wider reading this is also good: https://reverb.com/news/interview-fender-visionary-dan-smith-on-how-to-turn-around-a-faltering-guitar-brand 

I really don't know what offends people about JV Squier being appreciated.

That's fascinating - from the horse's mouth that Fujigen were knocking the spots off Fullerton.

Also some more interesting background on the Performer; I reckon it is going to get either copied or re-issued at some point.

[libanass]

I don't understand why that particular color in that Squier is worth more than 150 GBP used?

Can someone please enlighten me?

 

[Bassassin]

9 minutes ago, libanass said:

I don't understand why that particular color in that Squier is worth more than 150 GBP used?

Can someone please enlighten me?

 

Have you read through the thread and the info & articles linked to? Short version - 80s Japanese Squiers, particularly those with the JV serial prefix, were exceptionally high-quality replica-standard instruments, weren't produced in huge quantities, and comparitively few survive nearly 40 years later. This means they are rare, collectable and therefore highly desirable to some people.

[Stub Mandrel]

5 hours ago, Bassassin said:

Have you read through the thread and the info & articles linked to? Short version - 80s Japanese Squiers, particularly those with the JV serial prefix, were exceptionally high-quality replica-standard instruments, weren't produced in huge quantities, and comparitively few survive nearly 40 years later. This means they are rare, collectable and therefore highly desirable to some people.

Also Fenders being produced at that time had dire quality control issues so there's a real chance that any random contemporary Fender made in America won't be as good...

<edit> A bit more detail... it seems that QC problems in the USA led to major factory changes which meant supply couldn't meet demand. The manufacturing in Japan wasn't originally aimed at producing inferior 'copies' but rather making up up for the shortage of US-made instruments while they sorted things out, which took several years. Follow the links above for more details.

Edited November 11, 2019 by Stub Mandrel