Squier Vista Series Musicmaster bass, made 1997 in Taiwan in shell pink. The Vista Series was Squier's first ever take at doing original designs instead of lower cost versions of Fender designs, and included the cult hit Supersonic and Venus models. The only bass in the series was this cute little Musicmaster, a nod to 70s-era Fender model, but decked out with a matching headstock and cute 60s colours. They were only made for one year, and have been sharply increasingly in value over the last couple of years as word spreads of their talents and as they get a bit older. The original pickup in this died, so we installed a Duncan Quarter Pound single coil, which sounds superb. It's a big, round, thick tone with a pronounced midrange and a boisterous output. If you're after a bass for punk, surf or grungy stuff, this will nail the brief. Now, let's talk about the aged shell pink finish: it's got a heap of dings, we had to scrape a bunch of nasty stickers off and it's yellowed and mellowed heaps over the decades. Dang, it looks absolutely superb. We haven't had one of these for a while and they never last long, so do us a little favour and just make up your mind quicksmart... thanks friend.

Model: Squier Vista Series Musicmaster Bass
Made in: China, Yako plant Taiwan, 1997 (serial YN728604)
Finish: shell pink, gloss poly, 3-ply cream guard
Body: poplar
Neck: maple with rosewood board, 30" scale, 7.25" scale, 42mm nut
Weight: 3.875kg
Mods: pickup replaced (original included, doesn't work), knobs replaced
Pickup: Seymour Duncan SCPB 3 Quarter Pound single coil
Case: basic non-original gig bag

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has a dent and some scuffs on the end, some scuffs on the bottom edge and some dimples on the back. The neck has rub wear and dimples on the back, it's clean and smooth in the hands. It's likely the neck has had a layer of poly sanded off at some point as there's evidenced by the discolouration at each end of the neck. The back has widespread minor dimples and scuffs around the whole body, most notably in the middle near the ferrules. The sides have some dimples on the top horn, a dent and a chip and some scuffs in the elbow area, a bunch of dents and scuffs near the jack and decent chip on the bottom horn. The front has dimples near the knobs, bridge and elbow area, as well as some light scrape marks where stickers have been removed and some play scuffs on the guard and horns. There's a sticker fade mark on the guard. Overall: good condition (7/10)

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electrics tested and working properly. The frets have very minor wear but are freshly polished, 8/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 45-105 Moonshiners strings.