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Squier VM Jazz 5 string...Is this stuff on it bad, or am I just too anal?

April Ethereal

April Ethereal

Jul 23, 2010
193
2
#1
hi everyone, well 10:00 this morning fed ex arives with my new Squier Vintage Modified Jazz bass (5 string version) I was so excited, but I noticed a few odd things that concern me....but before that, I should tell you guys that I do love this bass and it really does sound wonderful! Great purchase, but mine has some imperfections.. One thing, do knots in wood cause problems later down the road? because if so I see 2 on the back of the body, something that resembles a scuff is under the laminate (guessing a wood variation?) and on the one horn, I dont even really know what that is...lol could be bad, might be nothing but its EXTREMELY NOTICEABLE. I ordered it from Sam Ash, and I like it alot and it plays great! But should these imperfections be something that I should consider sending it back for to get a replacement?

Here are the pics

heres the knots

knot.jpg


I dont know what this is...

hmmm.jpg


blemish?

blem.jpg


Overall pic of bass

basssss.jpg


Thanks so much everyone! really looking forward to your help/answers/advice! =]

Jacob
 
#2
If it were mine, I'd not be too concerned about the knots on the back, but the wood near the strap button would irk me royally. And while they usually put enough poly on the bodies to deflect a nuclear strike, I'd be leary of that section popping out or something.


But then again, I'm not anywhere near an expert on wood and I could be totally wrong, but that area just seems more open to cleavage (and not the good bouncy kind) especially with the load on the horn from hanging from the strap.

Hopefully someone with a lot more knowledge can answer that forya.
 
#3
Definitely some uniqueness to the wood used on that one. But nothing that should effect the longevity or tone of the bass.

IMHO, it's nothing you see from the front, and nothing you see from the top while playing it, so it just becomes whether it's something you can live with or not.
 
#5
yeah thanks for the input, I kinda have the same fear, but like you Im not expreienced with wood either, so It would be nice for it to not be bad....but its just so abnormal lol It looks like it could be bad later...but I guess we will see what others have to say!

Thanks very much for your input though! =]
 
#8
alright, yeah as much as I like this bass Im going to send it back to samash and get a replacement, this wood stuff makes me so paranoid lol So hopefully the next one will be flawless..yay for waiting another week or more =]
 
#9
king biscuit, I understand, and at the moment its wonderful! but that one steak on the horn just seems like something bad waiting to happen, perhaps Im wrong, but Id rather be safe than later down the road a gap open or a large crack form or anything else! Thanks for the input though!

Jacob =]
 
#11
All the vintage 70s modified jazzs Ive played (squier ones) always really surprised me with the overall quality and I have always wanted one, so recently I sold my 5 string Ibanez BTB 555 to get money for college and with the extra I bought this bass as a cheap replacement, and I love this bass, I like it alot, but like I said before, the wood just seems risky lol =] If I knew for a fact that nothing would happen later down the road I would gladly keep it!
 
#12
I wouldn't be too worried about it, think about how many painted basses are out there that have the same stuff going on that you would never know about. I can't tell by the pics if the mark by the horn is filled with anything or if its just a mineral streak. If its filled depending on what with, could be an issue, if its a streak nothing to be worried about.
 
#13
IMO, the only thing all those knots affects, including the mark by the strap button, are the aesthetics. I wouldn't sweat it. The strap button screw to me looks like it's solidly in the part of the "normal" looking wood. I really don't see it as a problem.
 
#15
April Ethereal said:
king biscuit, I understand, and at the moment its wonderful! but that one steak on the horn just seems like something bad waiting to happen, perhaps Im wrong, but Id rather be safe than later down the road a gap open or a large crack form or anything else! Thanks for the input though!

Jacob =]
Click to expand...

Although I think you might be stressing unnecessarily about it, if it indeed makes you queasy, and it's not that big hassle to you to return it, you're probably better off doing that. As you say, better safe than sorry.
Myself, all else being equal, I would probably keep it, but that's just me.
 
#16
I wouldn't worry about it being structurally unsound.

The "blemish" pic you showed is just a mineral streak, and the bit on the upper horn is on the same piece of body wood. I assume from this that the upper horn thing is probably just a (pretty large) mineral streak also. The grain of the 3 body pieces is matched pretty well on the front, so that's probably why they went with that particular one.

I agree with Morning Bear that much worse goes under the solid finishes. I wouldn't think that you would ever develop structural problems with it, and if it was a player, I'd keep it. If it is going to bother you aesthetically or you'll just feel like it could have been better for you, swap it out. You paid for it, be happy with it.
 
#17
I woulda kept it. Looks more like some kind of burn than a break. Definitely an imperfection and something you shouldn't haaave to pay full price for, but I think it gives it a nice touch of character.
 
#18
you know you guys all together may have made me decide to keep it, because the looks dont really bother me, its what I was paranoid about that I thought the looks came with =] if it really is just mineral streaks then I am totally fine with playing the bass because it feels wonderful and the action is literally perfect right out of the box!

Thanks everyone =]
 
#20
it's clear that the squires are usually a good deal for the price, but overall finish quality is typically not high. 3 out of 4 of the 4-strings VMs i inspected at GC had some sort of major blemish like yours. i picked the best one and bought it.

bottom line: good deal for the price. don't expect much.
 

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