JonnyScaramanga

There's a Charvel Model 2B on Gumtree for £160. That seems a good price (although Richtone recently [url="http://www.richtonemusic.co.uk/products/charvel_model_2b_bass_mij_80s_bass_guitar_2nd_hand-yother32094.asp"]sold one for £129[/url]), but I don't know much about these basses. My budget is about £250, and I had been on the lookout for an old Japanese Squier Precision (a Silver Series maybe) or a Classic Vibe. It's nowhere near me, so I'd have to have it shipped down. Obviously buying sight unseen is always a risk, but I found an old Basschat thread where someone had bought a Model 2B for £180 and people were saying it was a good deal, so I expect I wouldn't lose much money if I don't like it. How does the quality of these Charvels tend to compare with a decent Squire? [b]EDIT:[/b] Sorry, meant to post this in Basses but put it in the wrong section. Can't see how to move it.

Cheers all. I might contact the seller, although I'm not crazy about honey blonde as a colour.

Does [url="http://www.guitarmart.co.uk/advert/G28167"]this listing[/url] on GuitarMart look genuine to you? The headstock has the "Precision Bass" text immediately below the Fender logo, and it doesn't say "Made in USA" on it, despite being listed as an American Standard. [url="http://www.guitarmart.co.uk/advert/G28167/image-86104-L.jpg"]Link[/url] in case that image doesn't display. I have never seen an American Standard Precision Bass with a headstock logo like that. Have they ever made them?

It's here! It was a bit minging when it arrived. Fretboard was covered in gunk (whole guitar was filthy in fact) and the strings needed changing. The tech I used happened to be free so I took it round for his second opinion. It didn't ring very well at first, but after he re-seated the neck in its pocket the bass sounded far better acoustically. Now it's got some new strings and the truss rod adjusted it's a very nice thing to play. There are a few dents that weren't shown in the pictures but it's in very good condition for its age. Sounds great. Taking the neck off was enough to confirm it is not an alder body. I've asked the seller to consider giving me some money back because it was listed as "set up for optimum sound and playability", which it wasn't, and because of the other misleading lines in the advert. I expect he'll ask me to return the bass for a full refund or just suck it up though, in which case I'm not sure what I'll do because I do like the thing, but as a non-mint, non-silver series, non-set up, basswood-bodied Squier, it's clearly not quite what I thought I was buying.

Blue, those 51s are fantastic looking basses. Funny know why that style isn't more common.

Thanks for the info. I knew I'd overpaid but I was hoping it was worth over £300. Ah well, my own fault. I think the 1993/94 date I found was for a Japanese Fender, not a Squier. How do I date a Squier, other than guessing? I didn't buy it from that numpty, gjones, but I suspect my seller was similarly full of it. He claims it's an alder body. Is there a way to check? Neck pocket, perhaps? I want to know if the advert was misleading. Is it actually a silver series or not? It arrives tomorrow, so then I'll know the full extent of my foolishness.

Hi everyone, I'm new here, a guitarist converting to bass (let the ribbing commence). I rashly bought a Japanese Squier Precision on eBay without doing my research properly, and now I want to find out what I've bought and if it's a good deal. The seller claims: [indent=1][size=4][font=times new roman,times,serif]Alder body, maple neck, rosewood board.[/font][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=4][font=times new roman,times,serif][color=#000000]This is a high quality light weight bass. Silver logo. These series became known as the silver series and were held in such high regard that Fender actually brought out a new range called 'silver series' and put a decal on the head saying that, but those were not as good as the original un named silver series which spawned the legend. [/color][/font][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=4][font=times new roman,times,serif][color=#000000][color=#000000]Same quality of build and materials as JV but without the £700 price tag. Originally I had a JV but this was lighter better sounding and had an adjustable truss rod from the head [/color][/color][/font][/size][/indent] [color=#000000][font=Times][size=1][color=#000000][font=Times][size=1][color=#000000][font=Times][size=1][/size][/font][/color] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]From the photos (it hasn't arrived yet) it looks like the serial number is P020262 (or possibly P920262), which would make it 1993-1994 as he claims. I'm confused though, because I thought the official 'silver series' was on sale by this time, contradicting what the seller says. Is it likely to be made of plywood? I've paid £405 + shipping, which I suspect is over the odds (like I said, impulse purchase). Any information about this bass, what its actual value probably is, and what reputation these basses have would be great. Original listing [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231716437945?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT"]here[/url].[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/size][/font][/color]