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Regretting selling my Squier Matt Freeman P

#64
jmhaslip said:
I could be wrong about the JV series. It was an '83-84 Squier P.
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In 1981/1982 FujiGen obtained the Fender Japan contract which lasted until 1996/1997 and in 1983 FujiGen were producing 14,000 guitars a month with 80% of the guitars being made for export markets and 20% being made for Japanese domestic markets. In mid/late 1992 FujiGen obtained a part of the Orville by Gibson contract which ended in 1998 and from then on have made Epiphone Japan solid body guitars, some Gretsch models and their own branded FgN guitars. FujiGen still does OEM guitar manufacturing for companies like Ibanez and Epiphone but in much smaller quantities than in the past. FujiGen has three factories: the Omachi factory in Invalid Link Removed, the Hirooka factory (established around 1992) in Invalid Link Removed and the Matsumoto head office factory in Invalid Link Removed.

Tokai make some Fenders now, AFAIK, but not in the 80s.
 
#68
-Asdfgh- said:
In 1981/1982 FujiGen obtained the Fender Japan contract which lasted until 1996/1997 and in 1983 FujiGen were producing 14,000 guitars a month with 80% of the guitars being made for export markets and 20% being made for Japanese domestic markets. In mid/late 1992 FujiGen obtained a part of the Orville by Gibson contract which ended in 1998 and from then on have made Epiphone Japan solid body guitars, some Gretsch models and their own branded FgN guitars. FujiGen still does OEM guitar manufacturing for companies like Ibanez and Epiphone but in much smaller quantities than in the past. FujiGen has three factories: the Omachi factory in Invalid Link Removed, the Hirooka factory (established around 1992) in Invalid Link Removed and the Matsumoto head office factory in Invalid Link Removed.

Tokai make some Fenders now, AFAIK, but not in the 80s.
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Wow! was I mislead. Thank you for the information. That PBass was a joy to play. I foolishly sold it to buy my first 5-string.
 
#69
So, after much searching of the interwebs and looking at past sale prices, I decided to make a fake Matt Freeman.

For a little more than a used Matt Freeman with shipping to Australia from OS, I sourced a MIJ vintage reissue P bass locally, in vintage white.

Just needs a black pick guard and thumb rest (on order) and a high mass bridge with brass saddles, thinking a hipshot kickass.

Can't wait to get my hands on it!

42B2B648-E5AB-4E2B-83B5-9CBC4CB00C96.jpeg
92DFF64E-DE37-4398-94C3-53CE46FC5B49.jpeg
 
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#72
CiaranQ said:
So, after much searching of the interwebs and looking at past sale prices, I decided to make a fake Matt Freeman.

For a little more than a used Matt Freeman with shipping to Australia from OS, I sourced a MIJ vintage reissue P bass locally, in vintage white.

Just needs a black pick guard and thumb rest (on order) and a high mass bridge with brass saddles, thinking a hipshot kickass.

Can't wait to get my hands on it!

View attachment 2973621 View attachment 2973622
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Maybe you can find a MF pickup or one that is voiced similar.
 
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#77
CiaranQ said:
Hey All,

I sold my Matt Freeman P a while back, and regret it quite a bit. Cannot find a used one for sale anywhere.

What bass do you regret selling?

PS - Any Australian based TBers want to sell me theirs?
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Me too!!!

First I swapped the pickups with Fender originals and sold the Matt Freeman's. Stupid decision.

Then I sold it. Stupid decision.

One of the rare times that I regret selling something...

Great post, now I can share my emotions about this matter :P
 
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#78
I've let go of a few basses I wish I could have back more times than I care to admit. Played the priorities game in my head and thought, "Well, I have all of this other stuff going on with family, work, school, and so on, I certainly don't need ALL of these basses." :rollno:

Who am I kidding?! Of course I need all of these (those) basses! No more selling. Probably. Definitely. Maybe. I don't know. Ask me again in a few months. :D
 
#79
Rockonjp76 said:
Isn't the Squier Classic Vibe 70s P-Bass basically the same thing as the MF?
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I believe the body and hardware are the same but some have said the Matt Freeman pickups are more aggressive. I don't know if the neck profiles are identical or not. I haven't played any other Squier PBass. There's a good chance you're correct but Fender never really tells us if they make minor modifications on these like they do other series Fenders.
 
#80
-Asdfgh- said:
You mean it's a relatively chunky neck? Pickups and bridges are pretty available, although can add to costs.
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I think "relatively chunky" fits. It's got some depth to it more like "D" profile but it's nowhere near as big as those original '50s and '60s necks. Those are like tree trunks. I'll just say that for me the neck is very comfortable and playable without fatigue.

What I can say is that for whatever reason the MF seems to have following not shared to the same degree by other CV basses. And that's not because the others aren't equally as good. I just think there must be something subtlety different but can't tell precisely what that is.

I've modified mine with a Bill Lawrence/Wilde P46 pickup which is the best I've ever played and a Babicz FCH Bridge. Both are difference makers that only made a great bass even better. I have a feeling they'll bury me with this one. I won't sell or trade it period.
 
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