This is one I've been after for several years, and honestly couldn't believe I found it hanging in the corner of the used section of a random shop. I had gone into several guitar stores, thought to myself "wow, all the good stuff has been exported" and next thing you know, I'm eying this one.
These don't often hit the used market, considering only 50 were built. But this one was the perfect one for me... Really well played in but not messed with. It's 100% stock, minimal (if any) fretwear, but super faded finish with all the signs of being loving played over the last 24 years. I've become real fond of special color AVRI '62 Jazzmasters, but this particular run has all sorts of lore around it that I thought I'd use this thread to try and shed some definitive light as I discover more.
Here's what my understanding is so far (but please chime in if you've got better info)
- Yamano special ordered 50 AVRI '62 Jazzmasters and Jaguars in each of the following colors, all the matching headstocks: LPB, IBM, BMM, CAR, and Shell Pink. All of these guitars had build dates within 1999-2000
- The finish used may have been the precursor to the Thin Skin finishes later used in special runs. I will say that upon my unprofessional inspection, the finish is different from that of my regular Ice Blue Metallic AVRI '62 Reissue Jazzmaster. I will take some comparison photographs.
- The Fender Custom Shop may have been involved in production... now this is the claim I am most skeptical of.
Here's a shot that shows the accurate color with all the fading...
And here it is with my 1994 Fender MIJ Jazzmaster in Blond with gold hardware, bought on my previous Japan trip!
