Post
by Mechanical Birds » Sat Feb 10, 2018 7:18 pm
Did those things sell so horribly to where they stopped producing them seemingly immediately after they started making them? It doesn't make sense to me in any way. The only difference is the inlays being a little bigger and the most halfassed version of "binding" I could ever imagine existing. I just can't think of a reason why, once they started making them, they didn't just keep making them, or most importantly, why they didn't make more in the objective best color. I'm not a corporate executive or whatever, but they made way goofier guitars for way longer that absolutely had to have sold way less but, you know, let's only make 28 of this coolest ever guitar our namesake ever put out.
Stupidly fuckin annoying that it's straight up impossible to ever find one of the LPB versions. Shit, even if I could snag a non B&B version, just a matching headstock would be really, really nice. It's been very, very frustrating to become so interested in this particular brand of guitars, and to know exactly what I want, yet to be almost ignored by the company, especially regarding a color that's regularly used on all levels of Fender guitars and all levels of Squier guitars, and and is traditionally a popular custom color. These new 50th anniversary Jazzmasters are a prime example - 4 custom colors and not only is LPB not included, but there isn't a metallic among them. Don't get me wrong, I was annoyed at CAR being part of every Offset line just like everyone else, but at least the sparkle crowd was partially represented.
For all that is holy, the Vintage Modified line was introduced what, 6/7/8 years ago, and they're still churning out the same colors as were first revealed in those brick wall backdrop marketing photos they released. We all know that the VM line sells really, really well. Now, imagine a Lake Placid Blue or Sherwood Green Classic Vibe Jaguar with a matching headstock and then try to tell me you wouldn't gladly fork over $500/$600 for it immediately.
***EDIT - Now that I'm actually thinking about it, Fender Japan always was pretty awful with their model names and brand distinctions. I never understood for the life of me why they released something called a "66 reissue" that shared exactly none of the appointments of the guitars that differentiated the guitars they were supposedly replicating as an actual "66," and in fact were styled in every possible way to imitate a 1962. Just seems so dumb to me to completely remarket the same guitar with 8/10 different names over a decade or two even though they're exactly the same. Reissuing offsets would be so annoyingly easy to do right, too! There were only ever 3/4relevant versions - the 1959 JM with a gold guard and a burst that looks more like a 2 tone and the metal knobs. Then a '62 Jazzmaster and Jaguar with Tort/mint guards, non-Pearl dots, matching headstocks on custom colors. The '65 adds neck binding and pearl dots, and witch hats. Then finally the '66 exchanges the pearl dots for pearl blocks and obviously the various headstock logo changes and then oh, what do you know? Holy shit! You've done proper reissues of all the versions of this guitar that ever mattered to most people! They could be total herbs/heroes depending on who you are or what yr aesthetic is and do a '70s version that uses a black guard and ditches matching headstocks, along with offering maple fretboards with black blocks and binding.
I know pretty much all of us know all of this info already, so it's frustrating that people with the power to put it to use either don't know about it or just don't give a shit. I honestly can't tell what's more likely.
At some point, it'll need a refret, which I dread with the binding. Speaking of the binding, I sanded the offending finish overspray off the side of the neck. It was really easy to do and hardly worth complaining about, either way.