Pickup questions for a squire jazz

[MrSaturdayNight]

I have been playing the bass for about a year now and I am looking to upgrade my Indonesian squire jazz 4 string bass....

This all started out as me wanted to upgrade to a new bass. I figured something along the lines of the fender highway one series. MIA parts shipped to and assembled in Mexico. I figured I could get an American Standard quality bass for about $600-$700.

After talking with the local guitar tech in the area he told me that he wouldn't mess with it. He told me for as well as my squire plays and how comfortable I am with the instrument to just upgrade the pickups because thats the major difference between this and a $500 - $ 700 bass anyways.

I'm not sure I really buy that be he seems to think a simple set of $150 EMG active jazz pickups will make this baby rival basses worth twice as much (or more).

He also tells me that the $500-$700 basses won't have pickups that are much better then what I'm using anyways.

I really don't know the truth in that but heres the meat of my question(s).

1) Are pickups really the biggest differences between my squire and a much more expensive fender?

2) I was thinking of going with EMG actives... any other suggestions?

3) are the pickups in the $500 fenders really that low of quality?

[Hopkins]

Well,

1) electronics and hardware (tuners mostly) would be the biggest difference

2) Rio Grande Muy Grandes, you can thank me later

3) I'm not impressed with MiM Fender Pickups.

[narud]

Originally Posted by MrSaturdayNight

After talking with the local guitar tech in the area he told me that he wouldn't mess with it. He told me for as well as my squire plays and how comfortable I am with the instrument to just upgrade the pickups because thats the major difference between this and a $500 - $ 700 bass anyways.

absolutely false imo. an american fender or highway one or a mim standard with their stock pickups will sound worlds better than an indo squire with expensive pickups. total waste. if you can upgrade the set on the cheap. sure. 150 dollars into a 150 dollar bass that sounds like a 150 dollar bass is a bad move.

[C.Linton]

It also depends on which SQUIER model you're talking about. If it's a VM with the Duncan Designed pickups, or a CV, I really don't think you will do all that much better than what's on there. In my own experience, the DD pickups on my VM jazz have really nice tone, and they are just a little bit hotter than the ones on my '08 MIA fender Jazz. I like the way it sounds.

[Syco_bass]

Originally Posted by narud

150 dollars into a 150 dollar bass that sounds like a 150 dollar bass is a bad move.

I have to disagree completely.

Here are the biggest differences in a MIA Fender and Squires.

1. Electronics and pickups.

2. wood quality. (fit and finish)

3. Hardware.

(in that order)

IMHO if you upgrade the tone circuit and pickups you will have a great little bass. Your guitar tech is right in the fact that if the bass feels and plays well (biggest factor) you will benefit greatly by upgrading the electronics. However I would upgrade the tone circuit first. Use vintage USA CTS pots and a PIO .047uF tone cap. If you are still not happy upgrade to new pickups. Nordy's, Fralins, Antiquity, Augilar are all good choices if you want vintage tone. If you want something with more of a modern tone go with EMG. I also highly recommend Rio Grande or Tesla pickups. Tesla offers pickups in 60's, 70's and modern voicings and aren't as expensive as some of the other ones.

I agree that by adding $150 to your $150 bass, you will not have the resale value of a MIA bass, but it won't cost you $700 to get a good used one either. (which would also benefit from a P/U upgrade BTW)

Good luck.

[narud]

im not talking in theory. ive done this stuff. ive put expensive pickups in cheap ass basses that then sound like cheap ass basses with a different frequency response. its not just fit and finish thats different between an indo squier and an american fender.

changing the pots and cap is the least of your worries in one of these basses.

[MrSaturdayNight]

Well lets start at the beginning:

This is a Squier affinity jazz bass. I believe it was made in 08...

Serial number is : IC081204692


So I do not know if this is a "VM" or a CV... not sure at all.

I do know this about the bass. The guitar tech told me these affinitys are usually low low quality and usually the truss rods don't like to adjust and in general they just aren't too great.

However he said mine (which I did not buy off of him) was one of the best squiers he's ever seen at this price point. Truss rod went right in, action adjusted nice and low he said it really set up very nicely for a $180 bass.


As far as the tone circuit:

He told me that if I do upgrade to the EMG actives that the whole thing will need to be gutted and re wired. He told me I could get the EMG actives for $150 and he would install them for $40 which isn't bad IMO for totally gutting and rewiring the bass.


Onto the debate about the more expensive fenders.

I somehow am reluctant to think a $150 set of pickups will have this thing playing with the $700 Highway One basses. However this weekend I'm going down to the local Guitar Center and will be playing a few different basses. Testing everything to different kinds of pickups to more/less expensive basses.

I'm taking my bass along for comparison.

As far as the tuners go, my strings stay in tune and I hammer my bass at times. I'm pleased with them.

The bridge... well I don't know if I need another bridge really?

[squashedOpossum]

You need to first ask yourself WHY you want to upgrade. You said this one plays well and you're comfortable with it. OK, so are you not happy with the tone, or are you upgrading just because you want it to say Fender on the headstock?

Look, new pots, cap, and wiring WILL make a difference. New pups will make a difference, too. And yes, you will be able to tell the difference when you're playing alone or in the studio, but live it will NOT matter. What will matter is if you start comparing yours side by side to MIAs and MIMs. The warts on your bass are going to show -- warts that you couldn't see and didn't even care about until you made the side by side comparison. Keep this in mind: If you don't ever play another bass, your current bass is the best bass you've ever played. Think about it.

My point is: Have a truly legit reason for upgrading, not because you feel peer pressure. Yes, at some point your skills/circumstances might move beyond your Squier, but for now play it until something breaks and THEN upgrade that part for something better, saving your money in the meantime for an MIM or MIA.

[squashedOpossum]

OK, I just looked at your profile. I should have done that before posting. Here's the best advice you'll get: Spend the money on a better amp. That $600-700 will get you an amp that will make your bass sound better than any upgrade to it ever could.

[Syco_bass]

Originally Posted by squashedOpossum

OK, I just looked at your profile. I should have done that before posting. Here's the best advice you'll get: Spend the money on a better amp. That $600-700 will get you an amp that will make your bass sound better than any upgrade to it ever could.

+ 1, but I would also upgrade the pots and tone cap. Squier's come with complete junk and that upgrade won't cost you an arm and a leg. SquashedOpossum is giving you good advice here.

Good luck.

[narud]

if the pots function and arent wildly out of spec, theyre not some giant tone suck. theyre doing their job. sure, higher quality pots might turn smoother and feel more solid, but sound better?......nah

[rojo412]

As stated, the difference in quality between MIA and MII is what makes them so much more. But tonally, I've heard Squiers sound every bit as good as MIA if set up and played properly.

Pickups make a HUGE difference in tone and if you upgrade, you will notice it right away. It just depends on what tone you are going for...

Dimarzio, Sadowsky, Duncan Basslines, EMG, Nordstrand:
They are modern, punchy, high-output pickups. They will boost the signal that goes into the amp and make it work harder. I freaking LOVE the tone from these. I've played them all and will say that alter the tone in a very good way... if you are going for a more modern vibe.

Two of the best sounding basses I've ever had were Squier Deluxe Active Jazz Vs with Sadowsky pickups. And I have compared them to my MIA and others and they were monsterous. I loved 'em! Best Bang-for-the-buck upgrade I ever made.
(And yes, make sure you upgrade the pots as well.)

[Electricblue]

I have a Squier affinity jazz, the lowest grade they do. It was about 140 GBP.

The tone is great, playable out of the box, fantastic.

[C.Linton]

Originally Posted by Syco_bass

+ 1, but I would also upgrade the pots and tone cap. Squier's come with complete junk and that upgrade won't cost you an arm and a leg. SquashedOpossum is giving you good advice here.

Good luck.

Not true at all. They may not be CTS and Orange drops, but they are NOT complete junk.

[MrSaturdayNight]

This is a nice bass don't get me wrong.

I just feel that I've excelled enough and would like to "enhance" the gear I'm using.

I'm no rock legend, but I do think that it would be nice to have a nicer bass. The main reason I bring up how nice the bass is because I like it enough to upgrade it rather then buy an entirely new bass.


I would peg myself at intermediate. I can play the instrument, have played with "garage bands" and know what I'm doing. I have tons of musical theory and a very big drive to continuously improve my skill level. I would not say I'm walk on ready for "gig" bands that play at clubs and bars but I'm not far off either.

I have made good improvements learning on my own, via you tube, books and tabs. But I do know that I'm not in need of a $1000 instrument.

So when it's said the the "quality" of the guitars differ... are we talking about value? Such as more valuable wood? Something that really won't make huge differences in playability or tone?

If that's the case then I'm not really concerned with "quality"... mostly playability and tone.




Just to clarify.... my current bass with some EMG actives won't sound better then a MIM with stock PUPs?

[Marton]

Changing the pickups on a Squier is a great idea. But be sure to get the right pickups for you. If you like the tone of a vintage Jazz Bass with single coils, you won't like the EMGs.

Decide what you want of your new pickups, and then change them. You can find great deals on used pickups in the classifieds here. You can probably find a set of Fender CS 60s Jazz pickups for a little bit less than $100, they will have a sound similar to the stock pickups, but better.

[Mushroo]

Most important thing, in my opinion, is the FEEL of a bass... if your Squier is comfortable, familiar, and easy to play, then keep it!!

If you want to spend a little money and "upgrade" the instrument then you have a lot of options. Pickups are important, no doubt, but so too are strings, bridge, wiring/pots, etc. not to mention amp. So there a lot of things you can do to change your sound without spending a ton of money.

One thing really important you need to understand: Switching to EMG active pickups will NOT make your Squier sound like a more expensive Fender. Why? Because no Fender uses active EMG pickups! EMGs have a distinctive and modern sound and I recommend you go to the music store and try some active EMG basses before you decide whether it's the right sound for you. The "Fender sound" is all about passive, vintage-style pickups just like the ones you have right now. If you want "the same sound but a little better" then you should be looking at vintage-style pickups. This thread has some great info: "J" pickups discussion and comparisons.

[Electricblue]

Originally Posted by C.Linton

Not true at all. They may not be CTS and Orange drops, but they are NOT complete junk.

May I kindly add that those components do not affect your tone unless they are faulty.

[MrSaturdayNight]

Thanks! that's some great advice and it really hit home

And I'd also like to thank everyone else as well for your help/input


As far as the tone goes I have listened to the guitarworld review of the EMGs on youtube and I must say that I'm not sure which "tone" I'm going for.

[Awesomenaut]

If you decide to go with EMGs, install them your self. All EMGs are shipped with solderless connections now. Plug and play.