Some of the more obvious flaws can only be found on playing it eg protruding fret edges making it uncomfortable to play (well, more of an annoyance, really), hence, a photo may not be that helpful. My Bluetus + Mami Stratomaster both went for an extra setup which made playing them a more comfortable experience now.

As with cosmetic dings - it depends whether you can live with it or not. Unless it's blatantly disfiguring, I tend to like little imperfections. But that's me.

maharizm wrote:As with cosmetic dings - it depends whether you can live with it or not. Unless it's blatantly disfiguring, I tend to like little imperfections. But that's me.

Guitars usually get dinged up a bit through play anyway. If you look at the real Bluetus now (see the GiGS thread and check the most recent pics), that thing is getting really messed up. Every time I see it, it seems to have a few more chips out of it. I have a feeling Tomomi likes it that way, and good for her - I always think it's weird when I see bands playing perfect-looking instruments. It's like they're not even using them in between gigs. Bluetus is by far the most worn of all of the prototype instruments, but Haruna's Skullsilver is pretty scratched up too. She uses that thing all the time, though, so I'm surprised it's not in even worse shape. (I have a feeling Mami *doesn't* actually play her Stratomaster much, and it seems to still look pretty much brand new.)

Poly chips do look kind of crappy, though. I do like to try to keep my poly-finished guitars looking new because the finish usually comes off in unsightly little chunks. I also like my new guitars to look new regardless of finish; I want any imperfections or cosmetic things to be my own. I want to look at a ding and say "I remember when I did that". It does kinda stink to get a new guitar that already has dings or imperfections built into it.

Interesting! I always thought those marks on Bluetus were just light reflecting of the clear coat, not chips. But they're always there regardless of the light and angle, so they must be a part of the bass. I did a bit of detective work, and noticed that her Bluetus already had dents at the Budokan show, so it wasn't kept pristine for long!

It makes me feel a little better about my ding, knowing even the band's expensive custom shop Squier's have dings, as well. But I'll still be getting mine touched up just because of it's location, I don't want it getting worse or anything getting into the neck pocket.

As for Haruna's Skullsilver, I can't see any marks or chips in it at all, but sparkle finishes are very forgiving like that, and as for Mami's stratomaster, I also think it's so pristine because it's hardly used, which is a bit of a shame. It seems to be an alternative guitar for Eb tunings only, or used during promotions.

BrokenByDefault wrote:As for Haruna's Skullsilver, I can't see any marks or chips in it at all, but sparkle finishes are very forgiving like that,

I don't see any marks on the finish of the guitar itself; it's just the pickguard and especially the pickup covers. There was a closeup in one of the GiGS issues where you could see that she had actually worn off the finish on the top of one of the pickup covers, and the rest of it was all scratched up. I thought that was great. I think she's probably replaced the covers and maybe even the pickguard one or two times over since then (or rather, the band's guitar techs have), because they seem to go back to looking new every once in a while. She might not be like Tomomi. Tomomi seems to like vintage looks. I'm sure somebody offered to touch up Tomomi's paint at some point and she must have said no.

and as for Mami's stratomaster, I also think it's so pristine because it's hardly used, which is a bit of a shame. It seems to be an alternative guitar for Eb tunings only, or used during promotions.

Yeah she only used it for one song at Fujita Hall (I don't remember which).

It'll be interesting to see how all of these production guitars hold up to abuse. It's a little surprising to see the real Bluetus so worn, since it has the simplest paint job. I'm not sure if the topcoat has as much to cling to on a sparkle or pearlescent finish.

Woohooo I just got my Skullsilver, holding it now as I'm typing this. It arrived faster than I expected, thanks to EMS. It looks almost perfect for now, except for the pickguard which looks kind of scratched up. Nothing that can be seen from far, but still a bit irritated. Like spacecadet I want my new things to at least look new, for any imperfections to be made by me instead of a lack of QC. I'm still in the process of photographing and inspecting it, but hopefully I don't see any more flaws around. 

Now I just need to get an amp so I can this this baby roar...

Have you peeled the plastic film off the pick guard? They always put a piece of protective plastic over them which makes it look scratched, but once you peel it off you should find a clean pick guard underneath.

unless i'm getting my part identification wrong (like I mentioned I'm an electric guitar noob) there's no plastic there. only the pickups have the sticker, which I'm actually reluctant to remove. 

but yea other than that it looks pretty fine. I just went to a guitar shop to get an amp and shamelessly asked the guy there to help me check for any flaws (not very nice I admit since the guitar isn't from there), and he said everything looks great, and that this is a very very good guitar considering it's just SGD$600, so everything's good

Hmm... That's very strange. There should be a thin layer over the entire pick guard and the pick ups, as well. It's totally safe to remove, but it'll start peeling off on it's own eventually. I had mine left on for around three months until it started to peel, so I just ripped it off.

If you're unsure if there's any plastic, maybe try picking at the edge of the pick guard to see if there's any plastic there. Does the pick guard look a bit dull, or is it glossy and shiny?

Haha, totally not shameless if you were there to buy an amp as well! Great to hear your Skullsilver is great! Enjoy it!

ah yea i got it. i was about to say there's nothing, until i saw a website that said the pickguard will look dull if the plastic is there, which is what i'm seeing. managed to get it out after plucking around a while, now it looks completely perfect to me. thanks a lot man

and another beginner E.guitar question: are the wrenches important for any purpose? Ikebe said I was supposed to get them with the guitar, but I can't find it anywhere, both in the bag and in the box. I already emailed them about it though

They're used to adjust the truss rod and intonation of the guitar, but I wouldn't recommend messing with it unless you're familiar with setting up guitars, otherwise you could damage the neck. So you probably won't use them too much to begin with.

I bought my Skullsilver from kitty web shop, so I'm not sure where Ikebe would pack them, but if you can't find them, you can probably buy allen keys just about anywhere or perhaps Ikebe will send you new ones.

metalleo wrote:and another beginner E.guitar question: are the wrenches important for any purpose? Ikebe said I was supposed to get them with the guitar, but I can't find it anywhere, both in the bag and in the box. I already emailed them about it though

There should be some paper work that came with the guitar (owner's manual from Fender, the Ikebe-gakki invoice etc), including a small plastic bag containing the wrenches (small one for the saddles and bigger one for the truss rod). And if it was from Ikebe, there should be a Fender strap and two Fender picks (a light blue 1.00 and a yellow 0.73) in a small black Ikebe wrapper. See photo below:

maharizm wrote:There should be some paper work that came with the guitar (owner's manual from Fender, the Ikebe-gakki invoice etc), including a small plastic bag containing the wrenches (small one for the saddles and bigger one for the truss rod). And if it was from Ikebe, there should be a Fender strap and two Fender picks (a light blue 1.00 and a yellow 0.73) in a small black Ikebe wrapper. See photo below:

Yea I actually got most of the stuff they said they were giving except the wrenches (bag, wrenches, picks, strap). Weird thing is how your picks were packed so nicely in an Ikebe bag, mine was just simply packed in the clear plastic bag that were used to pack the wrenches in your picture. And strangely I realised I never saw any invoice as well, all i saw was the EMS receipt. and a huge piece of paper with my name on it lol. Oh well, doesn't really matter for now. If they send me new wrenches then it would be great, but if they don't I guess I could always get allen wrenches at any hardware store when I do need it. Thanks for the help maharizm and BrokenByDefault

ive been looking where to buy these in the internet, cant seem to find a place to order one! mami's jazzmaster is sick~ 

seems like its sold out wonder if they are going to restock again.... 

is there a way i can order this and have it shipped in the philippines???

pls help

lethaldj13 wrote:ive been looking where to buy these in the internet, cant seem to find a place to order one! mami's jazzmaster is sick~ 

seems like its sold out wonder if they are going to restock again.... 

is there a way i can order this and have it shipped in the philippines???

pls help

The ones in the usual shops are gone, I'm afraid. You may need to scour the net to see if any of the smaller obscure shops (with a website, obviously) still have it although need to warn you that the second run of guitars was only a hundred units of each model.

MAMI's the favourite, and seems to be first to be sold out in both runs.

Anyway, here's one in Yahoo! Auctions Japan. Going for at least twice the original RRP:

http://page16.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/u71269832

And another one from a Thai music shop (I don't read Thai):

http://www.ctmusicshop.com/store/product/view/SQUIER_Mami_Scandal_Signature_Jazzmaster-26740535-th.html

Keep an eye out anyway if you really want one. As for a third run, who knows, but there is no news of future releases as of yet.

If there's no third run for the guitars, I would suggest getting the 1 from the Thai webby. It's soooooo much cheaper than the 1 from YJA. Try email them see how it goes.

maharizm wrote:

lethaldj13 wrote:ive been looking where to buy these in the internet, cant seem to find a place to order one! mami's jazzmaster is sick~ 

seems like its sold out wonder if they are going to restock again.... 

is there a way i can order this and have it shipped in the philippines???

pls help

The ones in the usual shops are gone, I'm afraid. You may need to scour the net to see if any of the smaller obscure shops (with a website, obviously) still have it although need to warn you that the second run of guitars was only a hundred units of each model.

MAMI's the favourite, and seems to be first to be sold out in both runs.

Anyway, here's one in Yahoo! Auctions Japan. Going for at least twice the original RRP:

http://page16.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/u71269832

And another one from a Thai music shop (I don't read Thai):

http://www.ctmusicshop.com/store/product/view/SQUIER_Mami_Scandal_Signature_Jazzmaster-26740535-th.html

Keep an eye out anyway if you really want one. As for a third run, who knows, but there is no news of future releases as of yet.

shux so hard to find these even emailed the fender item support didnt get a response yet. might have to steal one from a kid lol (jk)

thanks for the response will try to check out the websites

So these have been out for awhile, how is everyone liking their sig models after having it for awhile?  


I haven't played mine much after the first month or so.  I love it to death (will never get rid of it), but it's still a low end guitar which can't even compare to my higher end ones =\  It's still a really lovely and nice guitar though.

bouvip wrote:So these have been out for awhile, how is everyone liking their sig models after having it for awhile?  

I still love all of mine, though I don't play them a lot for various reasons. I play Bluetus more than the others. I think it's actually a pretty good bass.

The Stratomaster is unique but it's a little disappointing in actual execution and I don't like the sound of it that much compared to other guitars I have. I have two real Jazzmasters and one other Squier Strat and between them, I get the same feel but better tones.

I love the Skullsilver but the pickguard is strangely soft and fragile and every little hit on it results in an ugly scratch. The whole point of a pickguard is to repel scratches. Sure, you just replace them if they get scratched up but they're supposed to be made of tougher, more scratch-resistant material than the guitar itself. I literally played the guitar twice and it's already all scratched up. I'm actually thinking of trying to buy a new pickguard already, but it's often tough to find aftermarket pickguards that will fit Squiers. (I'll keep the original just in case I do ever sell it.)

bouvip wrote:So these have been out for awhile, how is everyone liking their sig models after having it for awhile?  


I haven't played mine much after the first month or so.  I love it to death (will never get rid of it), but it's still a low end guitar which can't even compare to my higher end ones =\  It's still a really lovely and nice guitar though.

My fav is HARU's Skullsilver. BLUETUS is a surprisingly nice sounding bass.

I'm sorry, MAMI - the STRATOMASTER's playability IMHO is just not there despite having it set up professionally. Hehe. No, I am NOT selling it.

is Mami's signature guitar out of stock at all stores? can anyone please help me find one? I'm getting her guitar no matter what. please help.  so i can write up a review for you guys too )

there's one right now on yahoo auctions:
http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/g147097323

Mentolo wrote:there's one right now on yahoo auctions:
http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/g147097323

is it brand new? sorry i can't read those characters  .smile.

me neither, but with google translate it says:

Squier SCANDAL MAMI Jazzmaster pearl White It is a thing of the first production of hite.

Only twice used.

The first time a music store's, try to play.
And about 10 minutes the second time at home.

There is almost brand new.

Even if resale, so was sold immediately, Nde I think that it is needed a lot of people were escaping, this is recommended.

Accessories, at the time of purchase of soft case, warranty card that does not contain tools and arm and date.
And, MAMI we use is, it is a new article white strap of note of the handle.

I need your help by once ,, no claim no return.

Dispatch is Kuroneko cash on delivery.

maybe he is exaggerating a bit on how much he has played it, but from the pictures it doesn't look bad

Mentolo wrote:me neither, but with google translate it says:

Squier SCANDAL MAMI Jazzmaster pearl White It is a thing of the first production of hite.

Only twice used.

The first time a music store's, try to play.
And about 10 minutes the second time at home.

There is almost brand new.

Even if resale, so was sold immediately, Nde I think that it is needed a lot of people were escaping, this is recommended.

Accessories, at the time of purchase of soft case, warranty card that does not contain tools and arm and date.
And, MAMI we use is, it is a new article white strap of note of the handle.

I need your help by once ,, no claim no return.

Dispatch is Kuroneko cash on delivery.

maybe he is exaggerating a bit on how much he has played it, but from the pictures it doesn't look bad

maybe he just played it many times but being really careful about playing it. i'm hoping that i can get this one. my friend says there's only 4 days left before this item will pull out. 

yes, but it appears to have an automatic extension, if I recall correctly it means that it extend the ending time if no one make a bid.