Fender Standard V or Squier VM 5? Is the Fender worth the extra money?

TombassCaton · #1 09-25-2011, 06:23 AM

Any advice on either would be a great help.

Thankyou

Gord_oh · #2 09-25-2011, 06:41 AM

thats a toughie. i havent played the vm 5 just the 4, and it was pretty nice.
the vm would stand out more, and just because it doesnt say fender, doesnt mean its not good.

if you get a chance to try both, decide with a a/b test.
what feels better to play?

waleross · #3 09-25-2011, 07:14 AM

Its about getting to try both and then decide. I bought a Squire 4 a while back and it was great for the price. I have a Fender P V (USA) and it was expensive. If I were looking for another V, I would take my cash to one of the mega stores and see who is dealing and what is on sale....Have fun.....

TombassCaton · #4 09-25-2011, 07:41 AM

I have tried them both, but only the 4 string versions. I was just wondering about other people's personal opinions. Thanks though guys

P. Aaron · #5 09-25-2011, 07:45 AM

I love my 2010 Fender Precision V. It has vibe and tone all day. PM me if you want a fuller description. Many +'s a few things worth noting however.

I'd buy the same bass again.

TombassCaton · #6 09-25-2011, 07:51 AM

Oh by the way, I meant to say that both were jazzes. Sorry

P. Aaron · #7 09-25-2011, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TombassCaton

Oh by the way, I meant to say that both were jazzes. Sorry

You could holler out yer front porch and have the neighbors throwing JB's your way. There's plenty to choose from there.

KPJ · #8 09-25-2011, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TombassCaton

Any advice on either would be a great help.

Thankyou

The Affinity V would be a closer match to the Standard V. Same woods used in the construction, just cheaper hardware. Also about $125 less than the VM 5. I have two Affinity Vs and would not trade them for the Fender.

TombassCaton · #9 09-25-2011, 08:20 AM

Thanks

Would anyone else choose the Affinity V over the Fender Standard V?

GBassNorth · #10 09-25-2011, 08:24 AM

I have both the Fender American Deluxe Jazz 5 ash and the Squier Affinity Jazz 5. Both look, feel and sound great. And that's the problem. Several years ago I made an internet purchase of a new MIA jazz for $1200. When I got it all was good, nothing was wrong with it but it just didn't have the exact tone I was looking for, so I added a John East deluxe preamp and put Bart pickups in it and changed the strings to LaBella tapewounds. All was good after that, it looked-played-sounded exactly how I wanted it to and I had about $2000 in it.
Then along came Squier with a 5 string Jazz. Looked just as good as my MIA deluxe, felt just as nice as well but I figured it couldn't touch my MIA in the tone department. Plugged it in to find out .... was I ever wrong. The thing sounded great, every bit as good as my MIA deluxe. The price was $220 out the door so I bought it. It's now my main Jazz gigging bass. The MIA sits in a case or hangs on the stand 90% of the time now. And this was the cheaper Affinity model jazz not the Squier VM Jazz 5. The VM is supposed to be even better than the Affinity, which in my case was every bit as good as my MIA Deluxe at only 10% of the price.
I'd recommend you go find the best sounding MIA Jazz 5 you can, then compare it side by side to the best sounding MIM Jazz 5 you can find then take the better on of those two and play it side by side with a Squier Affinity and a Squier VM5 to see for yourself if the MIA or MIM bass is really worth 5 to 10 times more money. Also consider how you intend to use the bass, if it will be for gigging maybe the cheaper (but just as good looking and playing) Squier would be the better choice - out less money if damaged or stolen. If it's studio work you're after get the best sounding and playing one regardless of how it looks or how much it weighs. But most important - try the basses you like side by side and pick the one that best fits you, your style and your budget.

Tupac · #11 09-25-2011, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GBassNorth

I have both the Fender American Deluxe Jazz 5 ash and the Squier Affinity Jazz 5. Both look, feel and sound great. And that's the problem. Several years ago I made an internet purchase of a new MIA jazz for $1200. When I got it all was good, nothing was wrong with it but it just didn't have the exact tone I was looking for, so I added a John East deluxe preamp and put Bart pickups in it and changed the strings to LaBella tapewounds. All was good after that, it looked-played-sounded exactly how I wanted it to and I had about $2000 in it.
Then along came Squier with a 5 string Jazz. Looked just as good as my MIA deluxe, felt just as nice as well but I figured it couldn't touch my MIA in the tone department. Plugged it in to find out .... was I ever wrong. The thing sounded great, every bit as good as my MIA deluxe. The price was $220 out the door so I bought it. It's now my main Jazz gigging bass. The MIA sits in a case or hangs on the stand 90% of the time now. And this was the cheaper Affinity model jazz not the Squier VM Jazz 5. The VM is supposed to be even better than the Affinity, which in my case was every bit as good as my MIA Deluxe at only 10% of the price.
I'd recommend you go find the best sounding MIA Jazz 5 you can, then compare it side by side to the best sounding MIM Jazz 5 you can find then take the better on of those two and play it side by side with a Squier Affinity and a Squier VM5 to see for yourself if the MIA or MIM bass is really worth 5 to 10 times more money. Also consider how you intend to use the bass, if it will be for gigging maybe the cheaper (but just as good looking and playing) Squier would be the better choice - out less money if damaged or stolen. If it's studio work you're after get the best sounding and playing one regardless of how it looks or how much it weighs. But most important - try the basses you like side by side and pick the one that best fits you, your style and your budget.

That's just sounds silly. Even if the Squier sounds better, surely the American would play and feel better, right?

GBassNorth · #12 09-28-2011, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tupac

That's just sounds silly. Even if the Squier sounds better, surely the American would play and feel better, right?

Nope -The squier affinity 5 string jazz I bought for $220 is a dead equal to my MIA deluxe 5 jazz in the play and feel departments. You could argue the MIA has better quality hardware (tuners and bridge) but the ones on the Squire look just fine and are every bit as functional as the ones on the MIA. The aged cherry burst on my MIA over the ash grain is a look to die for but the tobacco burst over alder on the Squire is just fine as well. I like the fretboard material better on the Squier (don't recall what it is) but the Pauo Fero on the MIA looks nice and plays fast but just doesn't feel as good to me as the Squier FB material. The MIA does have LaBella Tapewounds on it vs the Rotosound tapewounds on the Squier, I like the feel and tone of LaBellas more so I'll be restringing the Squier with those some day. The MIA is string thru the body vs bridge only on the Squier but again, no noticable difference in tone or sustain as best I can tell.
Bottom line, I could have bought nearly 10 of the Squires for the price I paid for the MIA - or said another way - I could have bought a used Ampeg SVT-VR, an 810 cab rig plus the Squire for the same price I paid for just the MIA. YMMV