Squire SCPB tele basses

[Wyattsgroove]

Hi all! I've been bitten by the new Squire Tele Bass with the SCPB pup in blond finish.

I cannot try one locally as none of my local dealers have them in stock. What I'd like is an Honest opinion from OWNERS of these instruments on how they feel,play,sound,balance,sit in a mix, and all the other good stuff that goes along with a review of an instrument.

What and why I'm interested in this bass is #1 it looks so darned cool! Secondly, for the price I couldn't build one from parts as cheaply as they retail for ( maybe I could but... Time is $ and I don't have lots of time), I also want a bass I can mod without worrying about destroying its dignity or resale value. Yes I know my basses are mine to do with what I please but... I'm not killing my favorites. Anyway... I really like the Natural Finish CV '50s P but.. It's draw back is the neck. I don't mind the chunky neck, it just slows down my playing and for what I need at the moment, it won't work, it's just too slow ( if that makes any sense?).

Lastly, can anyone tell me how this bass is size wise? Is the body a guitar sized telecaster body or an oversized telecaster bass body? How about the neck? Is it modern or mor like the CV '50's?

Thanks in advance for answers to my questions.

Wyattsgroove.

[Goldmember]

Hello Wyattsgroove,

I owned the single pickup version of this bass for a few months, but decided to sell it for the following reasons:

• The wood was so soft that the bridge was starting to pull out of the body upon delivery from Sweetwater. The aft of the plate was anchored by only two screws from the factory, so I reinforced it with an additional screw in the center.

• The middle (2nd) switch position was the only one I found useful. The other two were alterations of the signal through caps/resisitors, which resulted in either a muted tone (similar to turning the tone down), or a tic/tac muffled type of sound.

• In photos, the body may appear to be roughly the same size as a standard tele; however, it's actually the same length as a p-bass, and wider then a p at girth. This, in itself, is not a problem, but the lack of contour for the forearm became annoying. I knew this ahead of time, but never expected it to be an issue, as I own several tele guitars and have never had a problem with this.

• String separation is smaller than a standard 4-string full scale. What this means is that upgrading the pickup (which is a nice Duncan Designed) will not be easy: SD and Fender (and probably all others) 51 P-Bass pickups have magnets that are distanced for standard scale. Using a SCPB-1/2/3 will end up with the magnets not aligned properly with the strings.

One thing you may really dig about this bass is the concealed route for the pickup. You can take the pick guard off and have a nice solid black or vintage white bass. Also, the neck is a beauty, with a nice vintage tint and great fret work. Mine did not have any sharp edges or other negative issues.

I hope that this helps. Others may truly dig this bass, and I respect that...I'm just sharing my experience.

[ubnomnar]

I wouldn't consider one because it is a 32" medium scale bass.

[FourBanger]

Originally Posted by ubnomnar

I wouldn't consider one because it is a 32" medium scale bass.

Which works out to be exactly one fret less at the nut. Capo your first fret on a 34" and you have a 32" scale.

32" scale sounds sonically much closer to a 34" than a 30" short scale, and it can be easier to play, so I would not use it as a criteria to overlook a bass.

[ubnomnar]

Originally Posted by FourBanger

Which works out to be exactly one fret less at the nut. Capo your first fret on a 34" and you have a 32" scale.

32" scale sounds sonically much closer to a 34" than a 30" short scale, and it can be easier to play, so I would not use it as a criteria to overlook a bass.

For me it's not about the sound... it's about the feel.

If the OP likes "standard" 34" scale, traditional Fender basses it's a great reason to pass up this model.

A 32" scale is a shorter scale and I don't use a capo. I don't play 30" or 35" scales either. Yeah... I'm picky like that.

[FourBanger]

This is a bass where I think if nobody told most guys it was not a 34" they would not notice, the body shape feels more odd than the slightly shorter neck, and that sensation would be lost.

[Wyattsgroove]

Thanks guys. Looks like I'll need to get my hands on one before I even think of dropping the cash.

For real.

Maybe the '50s CV will get a second look. Will have to find neck options however. Hmmm.........


Thanks so much,
WG.

[Goldmember]

Wyatts, you're on the right track. I have a butterscotch pine CV '50s, and it is a phenomenal bass. The neck is a nice C and has rolled edges and beautiful fret work, plus, it's quarter sawn! The only mod I made with it was to replace the stock pu with a SCPB-1 (Seymour Duncan).