NJE Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 (edited) I don’t understand the hype around the Squier Classic Vibe Basses and people paying over the original retail price for them secondhand. I had one of the Fiesta Red CV precisions, I think I paid £220 for it new and it was a decent bass, it wasn’t perfect but it did the job at the time as I was a bit skint. I get that fiesta red/tort precisions aren’t that common, but considering what is out there for around £500 I certainly wouldn’t be in a rush to get a Squier CV. I get the JV thing a little bit more, Japanese made and they are ‘vintage’ now, but still the prices seem a bit daft. At the end of the day though, we all like different stuff and see value and appeal in different things, and if the market will pay those prices then well done to those making a few quid, how often do we actually ever make money in buying and selling basses 😄 Edited December 21, 2021 by NJE 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jd56hawk Posted December 21, 2021 Author Share Posted December 21, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, karlfer said: How are they empirically better? Good question. Maybe they were built better, maybe the necks, pickups, bridge and everything about them were better, maybe that's why they stopped making them, as others have suggested, but I've tried quite a few new ones this year, many more the past three or four years...twenty or more...and not one was as good as my old CV or my new one...not even close. Edited December 21, 2021 by jd56hawk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlfer Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 51 minutes ago, jd56hawk said: Good question. Maybe they were built better, maybe the necks, pickups, bridge and everything about them were better, maybe that's why they stopped making them, as others have suggested, but I've tried quite a few new ones this year, many more the past three or four years...twenty or more...and not one was as good as my old CV or my new one...not even close. As with many bass related things then, it's just an opinion. I asked simply because I have a 21 Indonesia CV 50's P. It is extremely good imo & perfectly capable of any gig I'm likely to do. I certainly don't feel the need to spend more on an earlier version because it was made in China, same as I wouldn't be as ridiculous to buy an overpriced over hyped JV. But that's also just an opinion. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jd56hawk Posted December 21, 2021 Author Share Posted December 21, 2021 (edited) Sure, and the Squier '50s CV Precision basses are very nice...I wish they'd come out with a FSR model, though. Right color and I'd pay $100 more than they're selling for now. Other than that, people spend more money on Fender MIMs, and I wouldn't buy one at a 50% off sale. I went a little bit crazy the past year or so buying basses...stimulating the economy. I paid a lot for my CV Jazz, but I also bought an untouched $2,000 G&L Custom L2000 for $1,400, so.. Edited December 21, 2021 by jd56hawk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borntohang Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 I got my Inca Silver for 200 on gumtree and it's a steal at that price. Bought my Late 50s P brand new for twice that but it was still a good price, even if buying new for a change pained me! The CIC models are slightly more desirable because of the rosewood fretboards instead of laurel, but after some spotty fret and nut work in the early runs I think the CII stuff is just as good quality now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegs07 Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, jd56hawk said: Other than that, I don't know why some people are talking about basses as investments, that's something else entirely There are some high end basses that would definitely fall into the investment bracket. For the most part as another poster on this forum put it I view second hand instruments as a refundable deposit. You get to enjoy an instrument for a while and as long as you look after it it tends to sell for what you paid for it (after adjusting for inflation). So in that sense it is an investment as savings accounts at the moment are returning rates that are well below inflation. Edited December 21, 2021 by tegs07 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassfinger Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 2 hours ago, jd56hawk said: Sure, and the Squier '50s CV Precision basses are very nice...I wish they'd come out with a FSR model, though. Right color and I'd pay $100 more than they're selling for now. Other than that, people spend more money on Fender MIMs, and I wouldn't buy one at a 50% off sale. I went a little bit crazy the past year or so buying basses...stimulating the economy. I paid a lot for my CV Jazz, but I also bought an untouched $2,000 G&L Custom L2000 for $1,400, so.. MIMs can be brilliant. The issue is the typical variable Fender build quality, which for reason can be particularly inconsistent in Mexico. The very best MIMs are as good as anything else Fender have put their name to, but because of the variable fit and finish 2/3 or 3/4 aren't quite as sharp as they could be. Case in point was my Geddy Lee. I looked at 3 before finding one that was flawless of finish and rounded of tone, and id happily put it against an MIA. The other two though would have been easily embarrased by an Indonesian CV jazz... So don't dismiss MIM out of hand, just be sure to buy in person and not online to be sure of getting a nice tight one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munurmunuh Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 2 hours ago, karlfer said: certainly don't feel the need to spend more on an earlier version because it was made in China I spent money on a Matt Freeman sig, in essence one of the CIC CVs, not because it was made in China but because the neck specs were quite different to the current models — deeper but not so wide. If the 43mm slim C suits you, good for you. It wouldn't suit me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jd56hawk Posted December 21, 2021 Author Share Posted December 21, 2021 2 hours ago, Bassfinger said: MIMs can be brilliant. The issue is the typical variable Fender build quality, which for reason can be particularly inconsistent in Mexico. The very best MIMs are as good as anything else Fender have put their name to, but because of the variable fit and finish 2/3 or 3/4 aren't quite as sharp as they could be. Case in point was my Geddy Lee. I looked at 3 before finding one that was flawless of finish and rounded of tone, and id happily put it against an MIA. The other two though would have been easily embarrased by an Indonesian CV jazz... So don't dismiss MIM out of hand, just be sure to buy in person and not online to be sure of getting a nice tight one. Yes, I've played quite a few MIM Player series basses since their inception and I really wanted to like them...they're nice $500 basses, but for $799 and up, not nice enough for me. Other than that, I own ten basses and every single one was purchased online...sure, a bit of a gamble but... (Of course, trying before buying is the best way to go for most people...hey, I've played a new Musicman or two with this or that problem.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassfinger Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 I was forewarned by some chap on Youtube about the variability of MIM instruments, and that's the reason I spent the time and shoe leather. Glad I did, as an MIA one cost a little over twice as much and I'm totally confident that the individual MIM one I settled on is as good as any of the MIAs I had also tried (but was reluctant to spend the extra coin upon). I'm lucky though, I'm retired so have time to go traipsing off to different parts of the country to do nothing but look at an instrument and I realise that not everyone has that luxury. One nice thing about the CV's is that the fit and finish seem much more consistent. There is the odd horror story about, but by and large the Indonesian factory has a pretty good grip on QC. As a consequence it's much less risky buying one online. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basscabman Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 My two weapons of choice. Both crafted In China 2013. Both killer basses. The jazz Is the only black crafted In China I've ever seen, most of them were white. Superb dark rosewood necks on both. I've owned a few MIM but none of them played or sounded as good as these two. I'm sure there are great MIM's out there but I never found one. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jd56hawk Posted December 21, 2021 Author Share Posted December 21, 2021 1 hour ago, Basscabman said: My two weapons of choice. Both crafted In China 2013. Both killer basses. The jazz Is the only black crafted In China I've ever seen, most of them were white. Superb dark rosewood necks on both. I've owned a few MIM but none of them played or sounded as good as these two. I'm sure there are great MIM's out there but I never found one. Nice! I haven't seen too many new Fenders with a fretboard like mine.🤔 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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