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Squier MusicMaster Vista Club

#21
Diesel Kilgore said:
What year did Squier make the Vista? Are they hard to find? How did you guys come by yours? New, used? I'd like to try and find one. Surf green with a matching headstock, I can't get enough of that. :bassist:
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As a couple of others have said, the Squier MusicMaster was basically available in or around 1997. It's one of the few Squier basses which is actually worth significantly more now than when new.
They are certainly tricky to find, however you can get lucky and see one pop up in local classifieds in the $150-200 range. In the Montreal area I saw 3 - two seafoams and a pink one -in the space of 8 months show up for sale. Unfortunately you better be quick when that happens and I missed all 3 despite responding promptly to the ads. I didn't miss the fourth one :D
They also show up on Ebay, but generally in the $300-400 range. Every now and then you might see a black one for just under $300 on the Bay, but it's rare.
 
#23
This is a little late since I had planned on writing a "I've had it a week now" review, but better late than never.

I LOVE THIS BASS.:D While it doesn't go as low as my P-bass, it does give off a very pleasing tone that I've learned to dial in and still get a ton of volume from the stock pick-up, an old schooly, vintage, surf-punk, aggressive yet mellow type of thing. This is unlike any tone I've heard before, and I'm interested to hear how it will sound with flats.

The neck feels like it was made just for me, my fingers seem to know exactly where to go, it's smooth on the back, and has the perfect width/thickness. The fretboard seems a bit harder than most rosewood fretboards I've played, but softer than maple. And the frets let me have a nice low action. A really solid, high quality feeling neck: A+ all around.:bassist:

Being sort of a minimalist I really appreciate the single pick-up design. I actually use the tone knob too. On my P-bass I always keep the tone knob all the way off.

I still think the Jaguar has a cooler body shape and never really liked the look of the Mustang body, but it's definitely growing on me, and I do think it looks cooler with the MM pickguard. Speaking of pickguards, my black one should be arriving any day now. I can't wait to install it, and screw on a thumbrest. Black on black with a painted headstock: can't go wrong there.:cool:

There is something special about this bass. I really liked my Jaguar SS a month ago, but it doesn't compare the the MM Vista. A definite GAS killer, and maybe the best gear purchase I have ever made.

Oh yeah, just found a case for it on ebay too.:hyper:
 
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#24
Hi,

I have also Squier MusicMaster Vista series Bass "Surf Green" what ever :D What string you usually use on this bass? or any short scale bass? I order TI JF324 flats (Short Scale 32", Gauges 043-056-070-106) and im gona install those tomorrow. Tips and tricks are welcome. Picture is comming someday.

Sorry bad English. I have to study more.

Juho
Finland
 
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#25
Here she is with the black pickguard
 

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#29
agent77 said:
BTW, has anyone ever had the chance to compare this to a vintage Fender MM?
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Yes, I own a 73' Musicmaster and the seafoam vista MM. The vintage is pretty much the same body only lighter with a beefier thicker neck. The tone is the big diff here. The vintage has a Dou sonic, Mustang or Musicmaster 6 pole guitar pup in it and to many they sound very thin and weak. My 73' does not. When I bought it the pots were toast so I rewired it with a wiring harness out of my old 78' P bass.

The original MM harness has two caps to bleed off the high end of that guitar pup. My vintage MM has a good old school tone, very thumpy with Chrome flats and a nice playing bass.

The vista's pup blows the vintage away in tone and volume like it is an active pup. That lil pup has amazing power and tone. Overall they are both great basses and the Vista is more of a go to all around bass due to the pup being so hot. The vintage works great in my alt country band,blues, jazz but anything needing a hotter sound? The vista would win out hands down.

I'm sorry I'm so lazy or I would learn to upload pics...never could figure that stuff out :hmm:
 
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#30
I have another B & W, just in case there isn't enough of them. :D I truly love mine to death, it has been my main goto bass since I got it about a little over 2 years ago. And it's the only one of my basses where the tone really works (gradual decrease instead of nearly on or off)

I have noticed that the strings type does make difference. For awhile I had D'addario flats (lightest set possible, can't remember the gauge right now) and it was really boomy, almost dubbish. Right now I have Fender nickels on and it sounds very 60's. When I first got it, it had steel wounds on and the sound was more modern, very workable, and also had a bit of natural compression to it. I found out later it was because the p'up was close to the strings, but I like it.

I'll get pix up soon....

...forgot to mention that mine is posted in the M2B2 club as well, but that is several years old.
 
#31
Pix for those that are interested:
IMG_9981.png


I had at one time changed the p'up to a DiMarzio Protrac, to take advantage of the parallel/series option, but changed it back.
IMG_9982.png


The only other damage I did (besides adding to the natural wear n tear) was the Mustang control plate, cuz frankly, I really don't like the way it tapers off at that end. I do like how the pickguard "aged" to a nice parchment type color.
IMG_9987.png
 
#33
I'm glad you guys appreciate these cool 90's basses. Some of the best color combinations Fender has applied to a product line-up.

As a MIJ/CIJ Squier snob and anti-Chinese instrument snob, it pains me that these weren't produced in Japan with the rest of the Squier Vista series (Jagmaster, Venus and Super-Sonic). For the life of me, I can't understand why the Musicmaster guitars and basses were produced in China instead of Japan.

And so I don't sound like a total troll, I have owned two 1997 Squier Super-Sonics, 1997 Squier Jagmaster and 1998 Squier Musicmaster guitar, so I have experience with both. The fit/finish/hardware on the crafted-in-Japan Squier vistas was heads above the made-in-China models. Pickup sound/quality was a bit of a wash.

Maybe if I get over my whole China issue I'll get a black Musicmaster. I have always loved a matching black headstock on a Fender.
 
#34
circuitspore said:
I'm glad you guys appreciate these cool 90's basses. Some of the best color combinations Fender has applied to a product line-up.

As a MIJ/CIJ Squier snob and anti-Chinese instrument snob, it pains me that these weren't produced in Japan with the rest of the Squier Vista series (Jagmaster, Venus and Super-Sonic). For the life of me, I can't understand why the Musicmaster guitars and basses were produced in China instead of Japan.

And so I don't sound like a total troll, I have owned two 1997 Squier Super-Sonics, 1997 Squier Jagmaster and 1998 Squier Musicmaster guitar, so I have experience with both. The fit/finish/hardware on the crafted-in-Japan Squier vistas was heads above the made-in-China models. Pickup sound/quality was a bit of a wash.

Maybe if I get over my whole China issue I'll get a black Musicmaster. I have always loved a matching black headstock on a Fender.
Click to expand...

No bigger MIJ Squier snob than myself...Thank you :smug: I own two 83' SQ P basses in 3TS and an 84' SQ Bullet MIJ bass. I also own a seafoam green Visa MM and it is very well built and another example of a top knotch Squier IMO. I was told the Vista's from China were causing a loss of sales in the MIJ market so they were pulled after a year.
Whatever the reason the China made Vista's are a well made, great playing bass.
 
#40
I took my Musicmater out to a jam for the first time last night playing soul jazz. The passive pup had a nice bit of grit that mixed really well with a baby grand piano. But the practice room had a bunch of those curly eco-friendly lightbulbs and the single coil pickup had a serious buzz. I gotta shield the whole cavity.

Also, I was playing my Lakland with active pickups and when I plugged in the Musicmaster afterwords with the same amp settings, the Musicmaster was LOUD. Like twice as loud. Anyone else experience this?

Overall the bass really worked great
 
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