Is taking a Squier and making it better over the years a good idea?

[J03YW]

I'm getting a Squier CV 60's Precision bass soon, and I plan on HEAVILY modifying it through the years. I mean new pickups, bridge, tuners, neck (jazz neck), electronics, the works. If enough work is put in, could the quality of the instrument eventually be fender-quality? I know it'll never be a custom shop level instrument, but at least giggable?

[Shadi]

Those basses are completely giggable as is...for all the stuff you want to change on the bass, you might as well buy an American Standard...

[hdracer]

Why??
The CV Squier is a nice bass.
It will never be comparable to a CS or even a MIA.
Don't do anything but play it and save your money.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

[jabsys]

I reckon that even stock it's already Fender quality & giggable, plenty of people rate the CV series better than MIM Fenders.

[Jaco D]

Listen to the Squier (or any other bass for that matter) with your ears.....not with your eyes. For all you know what you have now is in the zone.

[AldoTheApache]

Hey there! im a SQ Vm Jazz bass owner (and proud ) and i recently found out i cant afford a custom shop instrument,not even an american standard so i decided to upgrade mine. So,even though im really at a starting point, i placed a Seymour Duncan 2-band eq active and new frets (cause the indonesian ones get really crappy after many many hours of playing).I have to say im quite surprised by the outcome cause it really plays awesome..I lend it to a friend of mine that has a Marcus Miller Sign and he jammed with it and loved it (he asked me to buy it) Ive done some cosmetic upgrades too and propably gonna change pups to Fender Vintage or Dimarzio Area J too..The duncan designed are certainly gig-quality and a pretty decent if you ask ..So there it is..After and before shots

[neebs]

Buy the CV.

Save money.

Buy lessons.

Or if you want something physical... a new rig, or bass.

I'd take lessons over new equipment.

[moorebass]

I have a Classic Vibe 60s Jazz. I'd say with a proper set up its definitely gigable in stock form. If you feel the need to mod it, I'd start with the tuners, then change the pickups and pots. IMO if you feel the need to replace all the other things you mentioned, you'd be better off starting with a different bass that's going to have more resale value.

[M.R. Ogle]

An interesting proposition, but probably not a really good thing to do economically. You'll wind up spending as much as a used MIM or MIA Fender, bolting higher-quality hardware to (probably) lesser quality wood, and not gain much (or any) resale value. You just can't get there from here.

One bright spot, though... if you're wanting to do this just to gain knowledge of how to do your own bass mods, and you change one component at a time, it could be a very good learning experience.

I've modded cheaper basses, many of them. Learned a lot!

[J03YW]

Originally Posted by moorebass

I have a Classic Vibe 60s Jazz. I'd say with a proper set up its definitely gigable in stock form. If you feel the need to mod it, I'd start with the tuners, then change the pickups and pots. IMO if you feel the need to replace all the other things you mentioned, you'd be better off starting with a different bass that's going to have more resale value.

So you're telling me that I'm buying a bass that's way better than I expected?

[J03YW]

Originally Posted by AldoTheApache

Hey there! im a SQ Vm Jazz bass owner (and proud ) and i recently found out i cant afford a custom shop instrument,not even an american standard so i decided to upgrade mine. So,even though im really at a starting point, i placed a Seymour Duncan 2-band eq active and new frets (cause the indonesian ones get really crappy after many many hours of playing).I have to say im quite surprised by the outcome cause it really plays awesome..I lend it to a friend of mine that has a Marcus Miller Sign and he jammed with it and loved it (he asked me to buy it) Ive done some cosmetic upgrades too and propably gonna change pups to Fender Vintage or Dimarzio Area J too..The duncan designed are certainly gig-quality and a pretty decent if you ask ..So there it is..After and before shots

thanks for the help!

[J03YW]

Originally Posted by hdracer

Why??
The CV Squier is a nice bass.
It will never be comparable to a CS or even a MIA.
Don't do anything but play it and save your money.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

I will likely leave the stock neck on, which I'm sure is what you're talking about here. But, if possible, I will try to get a jazz neck on here cause those feel much better than precision necks to me.

[J03YW]

Originally Posted by Shadi

Those basses are completely giggable as is...for all the stuff you want to change on the bass, you might as well buy an American Standard...

Can't afford it, and the parts I like on top of the bass itself seem less expensive. Also, I enjoy doing handy work, so I figure I'll do a little soldering and make a project out of it

the first things I'm throwing on here are Dimarzio Model Ps, a Hipshot BT7 xtender, 500k pots, and a Series/parallel switch.

[moorebass]

Originally Posted by J03YW

So you're telling me that I'm buying a bass that's way better than I expected?

Yep

[Sollie7]

Buying a bass shouldn't be about resell value. That being said you could always part it out and get most of your money back if it doesn't work out. Also a mighty mite jazz neck is $99. But as it has already been said if you upgrade any thing just start with the tuners and pickups/pots.

[J03YW]

Originally Posted by moorebass

Yep

NEAT

[J03YW]

Originally Posted by Sollie7

Buying a bass shouldn't be about resell value. That being said you could always part it out and get most of your money back if it doesn't work out. Also a mighty mite jazz neck is $99. But as it has already been said if you upgrade any thing just start with the tuners and pickups/pots.

this isn't at all about resale value. this will be my primary instrument for 5-6 years, during which time i'll be upgrading all its parts. I'm not nearly professional, but I'd like a better sounding/feeling bass for me, and me only.

[Sollie7]

Originally Posted by J03YW

this isn't at all about resale value. this will be my primary instrument for 5-6 years, during which time i'll be upgrading all its parts. I'm not nearly professional, but I'd like a better sounding/feeling bass for me, and me only.

then I think you have your answer...

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by Sollie7

Buying a bass shouldn't be about resell value. That being said you could always part it out and get most of your money back if it doesn't work out. Also a mighty mite jazz neck is $99. But as it has already been said if you upgrade any thing just start with the tuners and pickups/pots.

I think the point most people are trying to make is that if you plan on purchasing a bass just to mod it to that extreme of a degree you may as well save your money and buy a better quality bass from the get go. It'll be less expensive in the long run, you won't have to deal with taking it to a shop or working on it yourself for the mods, and it will have better resale value if you ever decide to sell it.

[Sollie7]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

I think the point most people are trying to make is that if you plan on purchasing a bass just to mod it to that extreme of a degree you may as well save your money and buy a better quality bass from the get go. It'll be less expensive in the long run, you won't have to deal with taking it to a shop or working on it yourself for the mods, and it will have better resale value if you ever decide to sell it.

I agree but also like they said if this is going to be their main bass as long as they are happy with it and its a good bass then resell shoudn't matter. Sure you might be able to get something better with a greater investment up front but theres nothing wrong with upgrading a lower quality bass overtime as long as your happy with the finished result. Worst case like I said you could just part it out and get most of the money back.