Squier VM Jazzmaster flawless finishes or keep trying ?!

[MotorBongo]

Hello,

I'm curious to your experiences w.r.t. small flaws in the finish on recent VM Jazzmasters & Jaguars.

Just received a new Sq VM Jazzmaster in CAR (made 2016, ICS serial).
Gorgeous finish indeed, but there's a small spot (1.5 mm) which seems to be below the surface that they forgot to spray in CAR.

I'm wondering if I'd best go the swapping-route (& probably need several returns to get it OK),
or that I just stick to this one - the rest of the JM seems OK). I realize these are cheap guitars, but still, that non-CAR painted spot pretty much jumps out when looked at closer.





It's all level with the body, so not a ding/damage after the final layer of paint.
It's near the pickguard/bridge PU, so pretty visible when looked at from nearby (please ignore the three lamp reflections in the picture).

There's also a small black flake elsewhere, in the cutaway, but that bothers me way less, since not on such a visible spot as the first one.

So I'm wondering what my chances are when swapping this JM... can I expect remaining flaws on next ones, but just in different places, so better save me the trouble ? Or have the majority of people here been able to get hold of a flawless VM guitar ? (after a few tries...)

BTW, weird thing is, the tag/label stated this being a Jaguar, but the serial was correct & the same as on the JM-labeled box. Looks like different models can have identical serial numbers ? OK, so be it, less relevant here.

Would appreciate it if you want to share your experiences with any flaws in the finishes & eventual swaps. I hope it doesn't take me say 5 swaps to get a fully satisfying CAR finish...

Thanks!

[tkachuk07]

Looks like a gold blob came out of the spray nozzle vs a nice even mix of gold & red. I can't really tell you what to do. It looks small enough that I doubt anyone else would really notice while you're playing the guitar. The VM's often have some finish defects. I have a CAR Jazz & Surg Gren Jag & they have a black spec here or there. Only noticeable if you inspect closely. They set up & play well, so I'm happy with them. I also did the matching headstock which makes the finish look even better IMO.

[MotorBongo]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. That matching headstock sure looks tasty!
Was hard to find the exact colour ?
Looks like you kept the original while pickguard ? - based in your picture, one could say the matching headstock makes a replacement for mint or such no longer required.


> I can't really tell you what to do.
> The VM's often have some finish defects.

I hear what you say, it'd be a question of I want to enter the hassle of sending one or more JM's back & forth.

As long as they all have it to a certain extend, then it'd make little sense to start swapping - could even get the idea that a certain perfectly finished one is the lesser sounding guitar of the bunch;-)
So I'm appreciating the experiences of others here w.r.t. amount of flaws, so that I can decide to get going of leave it as is.

I do realize these are budget-priced guitars, but hey, they're so close :-)

Bye / thanks!

[tkachuk07]

The Jazz is stock except for the matching headstock & some set up work I did. Shielding the pickguard/cavities, neck shim with part of a business card, etc.

The paint is Duplicolor Retro Red metal specks. Others have also used this & it is close. Would have to get the color custom matched at a paint store to get exact. It just takes a lot of time to do all the steps of taping up, spraying many light coats of a color & clear, drying time, wet sanding & polishing the gloss to a mirror finish etc. If you have the patience, it is a cool project.

[Larsongs]

My experience with 3 brand new VMJM's never even got to the quality of the Finish as the rest of the Guitars out of the Box all had major Defects with Necks, broken Truss Rods & Broken Components. Very poor QC from Squire. Sent them all back. Done with them.

Looking at Lacquer 60's & AV65's. The Lacquer 60's are quite good & the AV65's are excellent. The VMJM's are what they are.

Good luck

[andy_tchp]

If you think that's bad, wait until you see some of the amazing Sunburst efforts...

[spacecadet]

All but one of my Squiers have had something like that (not all of them JM's), from that same factory. Normally I'd just grin and bear it given the price on these; that little spot on yours seems like it's in a pretty conspicuous place, though. I might try returning that. But I'd consider yourself lucky if you get a totally perfect finish; I'd just hope for the flaw(s) to be at least harder for an average person to spot.

[Larsongs]

Heck, if you get one that isn't damaged, broken or the QC is so bad it needs to be rebuilt be happy. The Finish has nothing to do with playability & sound. They are cheap. They could be good Guitars with a little better QC. I did like the sound of the Pickups. About the only thing that wasn't screwed up on the ones I got.

As far as Finish, it's gonna get dinged & scratched sometime. If everything else is good live with it. In my experience after going through 3 of them I didn't think it was possible or worth the hassle to get a good Playing one that wasn't broken or damaged or with defective Parts.

[jethro]

It looks like a very small spot. If the neck is good, consider yourself lucky. I bought a new Squier VM Jazzmaster in Sonic Blue, and it has a paint run resulting in a small glob of paint near the edge on the top. Yes, it bothers me, and I almost exchanged it. But everything else about the guitar is as it should be, so I decided to keep it rather than roll the dice again and get one with a faulty neck or electronics. I have seen too many Squiers with misplaced high "E" strings hugging the edge of the neck. On the other hand, I got lucky with my Squier VM Jaguar in Surf Green. I cannot find a flaw in the finish, and it has a good neck. However, it is about as heavy as a boat anchor. I don't know why I keep playing around with Squiers when I have several nice American Fenders. I guess they are just fun to try out and are affordable (or at least they used to be).

[MotorBongo]

Thanks all for the responses, gives a good impression of the level of quality (or lack) out there. Sounds like going for a quest for the perfect one might not be too feasible ... I thought to have understood the level of quality has gone up, not ? (this one is from 2016) - or has it actaully gone down ? I thought to have read of different versions/periodes of VM guitars...

When I ordered this Sq VM JM CAR they had 7 in stock - so not too likely one of the still remaining ones will tick all boxes w.r.t. both finish & playability & all.

Given that situation I guess I can live with this minor yet indeed still conspicuous spot of gold.
I'll get in touch with the store anyway to discuss.

The responses from you all in this thread very appreciated as input!


Must say, my Squier Mascis Jazzmaster was pretty jawdropping when opening the box (w.r.t. finish & setup & all) so I figured the EU100 cheaper VM range wouldn't be totally crap. Bought a 2nd hand VM Jaguar and that one was OK as well w.r.t. finish, no particles or whatever. 'Feel' was definitely less though.

I also hear what you guys say about just accept this minor flaw as long as the rest of the guitar is usable, which it seems to be (hmm, truss rods... how to additionally check for those when the neck seems OK and there doesn't seem to be some rattling sound of a broken truss rod around)


> I don't know why I keep playing around with Squiers when I have several nice American Fenders. I guess they are just fun to try out and are affordable (or at least they used to be).

Comparable situation here, I mainly bought this Sq VM JM CAR to toy around with, try several PU-wiring ideas, and keep the more upmarket ones alone. So we end up with more attention & playing hours for the cheap Squiers, weird situation actually. But Squiers can be nice to be able take a decent guitar outside & not having to watch it constantly, like you would do when taking the closet heroes outdoors.


> The paint is Duplicolor Retro Red metal specks.

Thanks for the info. Can imagine the match doesn't need to be beyond perfect, since body & neck are many frets away from each other. Good to know this colour - in case I keep this CAR I buy me one drop of it and apply that to the pictured flaw on the body.


Thanks again, and as said, the responses from you all in this thread were/are much appreciated as input w.r.t. what to do with this issue!

Bye

[MotorBongo]

If you think that's bad, wait until you see some of the amazing Sunburst efforts...

Makes me curious... what did they manage to mess up there ?

Have a Sq Bass VI in sunburst, I've must have been lucky there...

Bye

[MotorBongo]

BTW + FWIW, I noticed the position dots on the fretboard @ the 12th fret are closer to each other than 'usual' - looks a bit funny.

No problem, .... guess this was done 'deliberately by design' to differentiate these from more expensive ones ?
Or just randomness ? Thought to have seen it in more VM ones.

Bye

[MotorBongo]

Another FWIW, my eye fell on the seemingly higher/longer bushing in which the vibrato/tremolo arm is pushed.

I'll best saw a bit off the arm, or try another, because of that longer bushing the arm is now higher than usually above the surface of the gtr.

Makes one wonder if this was a deliberate change to discern these from the more expensive ones, or just a random not controlled dimension.

Have a good weekend

[jdr1014]

I have one of the early SG VM Jags and also a Sonic Blue VM JM. Quality of both are excellent - especially the JM. Also have their AVRI bretherin, which while better, don't diminish the enjoyment I get from the VM's.

That spot doesn't look too bad to me, so if the rest of the guitar is to your liking, I say keep it. If the spot still bothers you, perhaps you could come up with a tasteful small sticker or design to apply there. If it was bothering me, I'd probably clean the area thoroughly and add a dab of color on the spot with a fine point red Sharpie permanent marker or something just to make it less noticeable.

[MotorBongo]

Thanks for the response & suggestion, and I hear what you say, it's a relatively small (but still pretty poking out) nuisance.

As it happens, I've just had contact with the (helpfull) store, and looks like we're heading for me buying a second one, compare, and send one back for a refund. Then at least I've given it a shot.

Could perhaps have put it to rest, but in addition I noticed the alignment of the neck & body at the heel is not that pretty (the body-edge sticks a bit out, in an increasingly amount towards the headstock). Recognizable ?

Surprised to see these bodies can have such variation - these will be automatically routed, can't imagine otherwise. So I'm giving a comparison with a second VM a try.

Thanks / bye