Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
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Re: Returned & Refunded - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by sugarandopium » Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:33 am

tribi9 wrote:
Sun Nov 06, 2022 9:28 pm
Squier or Squire? Make up your mind..
Lol I wrote that first thing over my coffee yesterday morning.
Not surprised it’s loaded with typos. Sorry

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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by Surfysonic » Wed Dec 07, 2022 11:19 am

Ever since having to return my first Squier 40th Anniversary Jazzmaster, Vintage Edition, I was really bummed about it as I loved the maple neck and Duo-Sonic vibe of this guitar. I seriously considered doing a parts build to make essentially the same guitar with pricier components. Then I got swept up in all the Black Friday and holiday deals, as one does. :derp:

Taking advantage of Fender's 12 Days of Deals, I couldn't pass up the 1st day's deal - I bought another Squier 40th Anniversary Jazzmaster, Vintage Edition for $359.99. Quite a bit of savings compared to the list price of $599.99. Hoping this one would be better than the last one and maybe testing the whole definition of insanity. :wacko:

Happy to report this Jazzmaster, while still having some minor issues, is a better one than the last one I bought. Here is how it looked when it arrived:

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This time around, I simply lowered the bridge a bit where I was comfortable with it and to ensure no string buzz. I left the neck alone as I think this one's heel is not as thick in the heel as the first Jazzmaster, which was a major reason I was unable to properly set it up without having to sand the heel (wasn't comfortable having a go at that).

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Bridge was still a bit high but not to the extreme (fully extended) as on the first Jazzmaster I bought. While a bit higher than what I'm used to, it's still comfortable.

The pickups were alright with the bridge a bit too harsh for my tastes. I decided to swap them out with my Brandonwound Noiseless Jazzmaster pickups. My opinion on the Brandonwound pickups have improved. I'm fairly certain I didn't install them correctly when I had them in my old Squier CV '60s Jazzmaster. :-[ They sound really great in this beastie.

The fit & finish was much better - no finish cracks at sides of the neck pocket, etc.

Image

This minor blemish may bother some, but I call it "character" - a bit of discoloration on the nut over the D string. Guitar seems to hold it's tune fairly well, so no plans yet to upgrade to a bone nut. * :derp: Correction - it is a bone nut (thanks, Sonichris!). :fp:

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Like the first one I bought & returned, this Jazzmaster has the "aged" hardware. I love the looks of it but keep in mind to be careful/gentle when dealing with the screws. The pickguard screws held up alright but one of the pickup screws stripped too easily. I was still able to make adjustments with it but if I ever decide to play with the pickups' height or swap out the pickups again, I'll definitely install better quality pickup screws.

I love the satin neck - the neck shape is comfortable in my big ol' hands. Overall, for the sale price, I think I made out alright. I'm glad this one worked out as I really love this guitar's look & playability. It's a keeper! :-*

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While not as cheap as the the 1st day deal, you can still get one of these @ 30% off ($419.99) during this sale period.

FYI, Fender's Deal of the Day (day 8 ) is 20% off of Classic Vibe guitars and basses.
Last edited by Surfysonic on Wed Dec 07, 2022 9:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by Nevets » Wed Dec 07, 2022 1:21 pm

Did this one at least have all the pickguard screws screwed in? :) Congrats on your new guitar, it's looking good to me!

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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by Surfysonic » Wed Dec 07, 2022 3:54 pm

Nevets wrote:
Wed Dec 07, 2022 1:21 pm
Did this one at least have all the pickguard screws screwed in? :) Congrats on your new guitar, it's looking good to me!
LOL yup, thank goodness. Thanks! :)
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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by Embenny » Wed Dec 07, 2022 4:07 pm

I'm really glad this one is built better. Still a thick neck heel, but that looks like a reasonable setup to me.

Are those things seriously $600 USD at full price though? I haven't looked at Squiers in local music stores in ages, but that price is just wild to me. $360 sounds completely reasonable though, so I'm glad you got a deal on it.
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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by Surfysonic » Wed Dec 07, 2022 4:27 pm

mbene085 wrote:
Wed Dec 07, 2022 4:07 pm
I'm really glad this one is built better. Still a thick neck heel, but that looks like a reasonable setup to me.

Are those things seriously $600 USD at full price though? I haven't looked at Squiers in local music stores in ages, but that price is just wild to me. $360 sounds completely reasonable though, so I'm glad you got a deal on it.
Per Puisheen's review ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3Kn31XFBNo ) that I watched after I already bought the 2nd one (and me having looked at the first purchased one's pocket), the neck pocket is slanted so not to require a shim. At some point, I'll probably have to remove the neck for some reason or another and check it out to see if it's as shallow.

Yeah, $600 was a bit much for a Squier with the issues the first one had (and frankly, some of the issues in this production overall). The $359.99 sale price was worth taking another chance on it. :)
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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by Nevets » Wed Dec 07, 2022 5:36 pm

How's the tremolo on yours? I was planning to put an AVRI trem on my FSR but it's performing far better than I expected. Smooth, not much knocking and it stays in tune.

That desert sand has really grown on me. I've never liked Jazzmasters with maple boards before.

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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by Sonichris » Wed Dec 07, 2022 5:38 pm

Glad to hear this one is better than that first turd.

That nut dis-coloration just lets you know its real bone, not some sort of homogeneous bone like substance.

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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by Surfysonic » Wed Dec 07, 2022 9:04 pm

Nevets wrote:
Wed Dec 07, 2022 5:36 pm
How's the tremolo on yours? I was planning to put an AVRI trem on my FSR but it's performing far better than I expected. Smooth, not much knocking and it stays in tune.

That desert sand has really grown on me. I've never liked Jazzmasters with maple boards before.
Glad to hear! Mine works fine, too. :) Yeah, the desert sand with anodized gold pickguard has been haunting me forever. I've always been a fan of the vintage Duo-Sonic look.
Sonichris wrote:
Wed Dec 07, 2022 5:38 pm
Glad to hear this one is better than that first turd.

That nut dis-coloration just lets you know its real bone, not some sort of homogeneous bone like substance.
Thanks, Chris! How embarrasing! :-[ I thought that it was supposed to come with a bone nut but in my constant perusing of various models, I must have gotten confused re: the nut on this one. Thanks for the clarification! The guitar is now even more awesome! ;D
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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by Slurp_Pasta » Sun Dec 11, 2022 6:58 am

I too am on my second example of this guitar. Here's the situation with the second one:

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Neck plate is crooked. Never even seen this before. Looks like the one screw would barely even catch the neck. Also the screws in the vibrato, one stripped out, another not screwed in. Better than the first one which had most of the vibrato screws drilled in at an angle. So much that you could see the body through the vibrato plate holes.

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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by Slurp_Pasta » Sun Dec 11, 2022 7:40 am

So after checking under the hood, it appears the neck plate is crooked due to a ton of overspray around the opening of the body holes. Holes in the body and neck are in the right place.

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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by Surfysonic » Sun Dec 11, 2022 9:40 am

Slurp_Pasta wrote:
Sun Dec 11, 2022 6:58 am
I too am on my second example of this guitar. Here's the situation with the second one:

Image

Image

Neck plate is crooked. Never even seen this before. Looks like the one screw would barely even catch the neck. Also the screws in the vibrato, one stripped out, another not screwed in. Better than the first one which had most of the vibrato screws drilled in at an angle. So much that you could see the body through the vibrato plate holes.
Sorry to see this! I immediately had a look at the neck plate on mine - thankfully, it's fine.

Yeah, the screws are either of really poor quality to begin with or the "aging" has a degrading effect on them (or both are factors).
Slurp_Pasta wrote:
Sun Dec 11, 2022 7:40 am
So after checking under the hood, it appears the neck plate is crooked due to a ton of overspray around the opening of the body holes. Holes in the body and neck are in the right place.
Does that mean you can re-orient the plate correctly after all?
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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by Slurp_Pasta » Sun Dec 11, 2022 10:30 am

Surfysonic wrote:
Sun Dec 11, 2022 9:40 am


Does that mean you can re-orient the plate correctly after all?
I would imagine it will be straightened out if I can figure out some way to remove the overspray from the holes

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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by JSett » Sun Dec 11, 2022 2:02 pm

Slurp_Pasta wrote:
Sun Dec 11, 2022 10:30 am
Surfysonic wrote:
Sun Dec 11, 2022 9:40 am


Does that mean you can re-orient the plate correctly after all?
I would imagine it will be straightened out if I can figure out some way to remove the overspray from the holes
Just use a drill bit the size the holes should be (or slightly smaller) and let that reem it out
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Re: Testing the Definition of Insanity - NGD Redux - Squier 40th AV Vntge. Edt. JM

Post by Larsongs » Sun Dec 11, 2022 2:29 pm

I went thru 4 new VMJM’s that all had significant manufacturing defects.. The 4th one had several defects but als had a twisted Neck..

I liked the looks, the Sound of the Duncan Pickups & was totally puzzled because with a little QC these would’ve, could’ve been very nice Guitars.. Right..

I took it too my local GC.. I tried to do a Warranty claim on the few small defects & the twisted Neck.. They said, they submitted it to Fender & it was denied.. I got a refund..

I ended up buying 2 AV65’s.. A Candy Apple Red Jaguar & an Olympic White Jazzmaster.. The JM was/is flawless & amazing. So was the Jag until this past week when I tried using the Mute Bar that buzzes.. (There’s a Thread on that)

It blows my mind Fender doesn’t correct this long existing problem? My VMJM’s were purchased new about 5 years ago…

Epiphone’s made in Asia are pretty much flawless for the same kind of money.. I have a few of them & am very pleased with their QC, Fit & Finish, Looks & Sound.. All they needed was a new Set of Strings & a slight Neck Relief adjustment..

With regard to Squier Jazzmaster’s made in Indonesia my conclusion after my experience is they are platforms for Guys with advanced skills who wish to Mod or Rebuild these Guitars. They can also be a great learning tool to for Guys to learn how to Setup, make Adjustment's to more technical Parts, Mod & Rebuild on a fairly cheap Guitar.. I will say for me it was a great learning experience on How To work on Guitars.. I did end up buying JMJM. It needed a lot of work on the Setup but thanks to those VMJM’s it ended being a pretty good Guitar without any Mods..

To the OP, I hope you are able to resolve it with a happy ending..

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