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1984 JV Squier Bass

F

FrankOhhh

Jul 5, 2009
1
0
#1
I have an early Squire branded Precision Bass. It was purchased in 1983 as a gift to me by my wife. I wanted a Fender P Bass so of course she bought the Squire. It is a Black Body, black pick guard with a rosewood fret board, fretted bass. The serial number is SQ31802. I have never really played it and it has sat on a bass stand in the corner for about 26 years now rarely played. I have had a lot of offers for it throughout the years all over the board price wise. People have told me that being an early Japanese Built Squire makes it collectable or even valuable, and quite a few bass players, who are a lot better than I am, have picked it up and played it and wanted it. But I never really considered selling it until now.

Would this be something anyone would have any idea how much it was worth. Is there someone who specializes in this type of instrument? I would appreciate any information you could provide.

Squire Precision Bass
Ser#: SQ31802

Thanks,
FrankOhhh
 
#4
andreigrosu said:
can anyone tell me which year was made squier p bass serial jv 67888 and what's it worth? thanks
Click to expand...

According to 21frets.com it dates to June to August 1983.

I recently paid $600 for a very clean JV P Bass from the same era. The quality is every bit as good if not better than the current Amercian Fenders IMHO. Right now the market SUCKS but there are plenty of JV era Squier bass fans out there :)
 
#5
This is a 1983-1984 Fender and yes it's collectable. See the fender link:
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In fact some would argue with the 70's MIA production being so variable the early 80's MIJ Fenders are the next most collectable Fenders since the 60's.

I would certainly argue that case but that's IMHO.

As for your MIJ Squier - I've seen a very clean Jazz go for $1600 on ebay and so don't be fobbed off with a low offer. Sell it through ebay and you will see it's proper worth.

I am in the market for an early 80's MIJ but I want a Jazz otherwise I would make you an offer.

Cheers
Davo
 
#8
Indeed, older Squires from Japan are not the same as a current Squire, in regards to construction or desirability, that being said, the (unfortunate) current state of the used bass market indicates that your bass is worth whatever you can get for it... good luck.
 
#9
The very early Squiers were every bit as good as the US production Fenders in the early '80s. And my experience is that the early '80s US Fenders were very well built instruments. This was after Bill Schulz was hired by CBS to turn the company around, and was after he'd brought in a lot of people including Roger Balmer (Yamaha, Music Man), Paul Rivera (amp designs), Richard Smith and George Blanda Jr. to make things right. These were the people responsible for the introduction of the Vintage Series, and the Elites.

The Fender Japan production (Squier) was excellent. They contracted with the same company that was making Ibanez instruments at the time, Fuji Gen Gaki, and they specified a very high level of attention to detail. I would argue that the early '80s Squiers were better than many of the very late '70s Fenders. I was a Fender dealer from 1977-1988, and the Squiers were a breath of fresh air for us. We finally had a really well-made instrument at an attractive price point. Not just good for the money, but good, when too many of the previous years' US Fenders were simply not good enough to justify either the price, nor the status of being one of THE two premier electric guitar makers.

The problem is that the Squier brand has been degraded over the last few decades. That means unless someone really knows the history and knows the instruments, they'll lump an early '80s Japanese Squier in with the current Indonesian/Chinese stuff.

John
 
#10
hi i have the same bass SQ serial number, they are high quality basses, if its mint i wouldnt take less than $500.00 for it but you might get more if you find the right buyer, that being said we all know the economy sucks right now, so good luck but if it was me id keep it if at all possible.
 
#11
I play an 86 SQ P-bass as my main bass, it's far nicer that the 77 and 96 P's I owned previously. I paid 500 for it last year, and I've been offered $750 for it by a bass playing friend. Based on the top notch quality of these basses as players, the fact that it's currently a buyers market, and if you were to add 5-10 more years of "vintage" appeal, I'd encourage you to hold on to this if you don't really need the cash.
 
#14
Ive played and owned Fenders and Squire Basses. Each brand has there good ones and bad ones. Right now I have a 2012 Am Standard Fender Jazz Bass and a Squire Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass. The Jag has a PJ setup of Duncan Quarter Pounders and a Hipshot Bridge. The neck on this Bass is slim and super fast. I play it more than my jazz bass.
 

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