Oh, but there is!
Tell me which one you're interested in (any!); Paypal me $1k; and you'll get it within the week.
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$1,000 Squier...A different approach to Squier guitars
- Thread starter lowvoice
- Start date
Oh, but there is!
Tell me which one you're interested in (any!); Paypal me $1k; and you'll get it within the week.
By the way, don't some Japanese Squiers from the eighties or nineties or something like that go for amounts around 800?
I think a $1,000 Squier would have to be fit, finish, and component comparable to a Lakland Skyline. It's probably doable but I don't think that is the market that this line of instrument is shooting for.
Bones
Bones
I'd like to see your Jag, post a pic, please.
That assessment about sums up my experience. With the numerous "Squier" threads currently about TB, I've been scrutinising my two Squier Jags, an HB and VM P/J, more closely.
Bought online, I didn't get to try before buying, which is what I normally prefer to do, but at the sale price, I couldn't go wrong if they arrived as kindling.
When I first got them, they seemed just fine. Over time I noticed more subtle imperfections. As I noticed them...
Outta the box:
- Not the best hardware: but the tuners are smooth;
- No Gig Bag or HSC;
- In Tune!
- After crossing the Pacific twice (once from Indonesia to the US, and then back across to Asia again), no dings amazing since the box they came in had a big hole in it that whatever made the hole just missed the necks;
- Thought there was a problem with a pickguard, but it settled down just fine.
Weeks later...
- Paint blob on HB's edge (*at the bottom when in a stand);
- Both seem to have been poorly sanded or the grain not filled underneath the paint on the back, can see ridge lines but can't feel them;
- Skunk-stripe hiding the truss rod on the VM's neck sits a hair too deep. Not noticeable while playing, but if you run a finger along it you can feel it;
- VM's volume pots have a little play in them, as do all the HB's.
- A hint of neck dive for both, but un-noticeable with a good strap while playing
After the deluge of recent Squier threads...
- the VM's A & D tuners are tilted towards the body, as they relate to the straight E & G tuners (HBs are straight as an arrow);
- VM's lower cutaway is a bit chunky at the back;
- Fret finishing could be better, doesn't snag fingers, but could be smoother at the edges...
PLUSES
- [DEL]Both necks appear to be quarter-sawn[/DEL]
[edit: but they're not quarter sawn, just looked it from the back, but the end of the peghead says otherwise] 
- Relatively Lightweight VM 8.5#, HB just under 9# (I've always preferred lightweights)
- Pickguards & control plates line up
- Bridges & Pups are straight
- Neck pockets both a tight fit
- CHEAP
- Ready to MoD
- Cats are C
LFUTURE MODS
Necks will be swapped.
- The HB is in the process of being blacked out, necessitating all new hardware. Even the back of the neck will get painted or lacquered in black.
- Will go with lighter tuners on both, but only to get rid of that hint of neck dive as the current tuners are smooth and hold tune very well.
- The HB (with VM's neck) will be de-fretted (like spaying a cat, no?).
- The VM (with the HB's neck), will be rebadged [DEL]"Squier by Fendre"[/DEL] "Squire by Fendre"
- The VM will get a new pickguard (anybody want to trade a tort guard (still has protective film on it) for a black or white? The White & Black guarded Jags are all VTT, will the pickguards swap without interference or are the control plates different enough to make the PGs non-interchangeable?)
- Pickups & Pots stay put until I find fault with them, be it physical or tonal. So far, so good.
Will the pickups hold out, will the tuners snap off (I'll swap the tuners to some other projects)? Who knows, only time will tell.
I took a chance on buying blind, but even with all the niggling imperfections I'm a happy camper with my two black beauties. They fulfilled my expectations, given the price-point they're purrfect.
Sounds cool. And i like the 'squier by fendre' decal idea very much. Post a pic when you're done!
What's with the cats, though?
What's with the cats, though?
All of this plus a proper fret crowning on the edges (the leveling seems pretty perfect though as they are!). To be 100% honest, if this were done I feel like I'd like the basses better than MIA Fenders. I already like my CV Jazz better than my MIA P. The only thing I'd upgrade are the tuners and the pups (to something a bit more open, clear, and punchy than the stock ones).
Many people that buy inexpensive basses feel the need to validate them by claiming they are "just as good" as more expensive instruments or that "nobody needs to spend more" to get a good bass. Many people that buy expensive instruments feel the need to justify that expense.
I don't know why people can't just buy what they want, be happy with what they have, and be happy for other people regardless of whether the other person's instrument is more or less expensive than what they have.
These threads ALWAYS end up badly.
Thats pretty much how I feel. I hadn't spent more than $300 on a bass until 2006. And I have been playing since the 80's.
OTOH we don't come to TB to talk about golf, politics or cars. We come here to learn, to share and to just plain shoot our mouth off for the heck of it. Unfortunately some folks take it personally...so you kind of have to watch how you phrase things.
Though I will admit the descent into chaos can be a fun ride sometimes.
Back on topic. It isn't so crazy to think there could be a $1000 Squier. Just look at Epiphone. I have a coworker, he edits sports segments for a living. HE makes a decent middle class income. No wife or kids. (he has disposable income) Recently bought an Epiphone T-bird over a GIbson. He tried out several basses and he felt the Epi balanced better and sounded 90% as good as the Gibson. For a lot less.
Squier seems to be taking cues from Epiphone. In that they are starting to offer models and configurations that aren't just a cheaper copy of the parent brand.
They do. And the Korean 90s Stratocasters often go for close to a grand because they're impeccable quality.
These days I like almost every new model Squier bass I pick up. I think they're beautiful bang for buck. I'd gladly have one. Fender's not so much. I find most ordinary and overpriced. Fender Japan basses are my exception.
It is a fun thought, but I fear the conclusion is not what the OP intended or hoped for.
I own(ed) some Squiers, and for $1000 (760 €
I would wonder why I have to level the frets, replace pots, jack, nut... why the body is multiple pieces of softer wood, why maple fingerboards shrink till the fret ends break the binding (VM Basses)... the list goes on.
For their price they are great basses to just play or mod. 1k would be a joke though.
Btw I wonder where some of the MIA bashing is coming from? Fender standard basses are still the cheapest "original", "made in the U.S. (e.g. any other country of origin)" basses you can get. The quality today is probably the best so far... there are no 1k Music Man, Warwick, Spector, etc basses. At least no classic models, maybe some special run issues. Even Yamaha and Ibanez sell their Japan originals for staggering prices.
I own(ed) some Squiers, and for $1000 (760 €
I would wonder why I have to level the frets, replace pots, jack, nut... why the body is multiple pieces of softer wood, why maple fingerboards shrink till the fret ends break the binding (VM Basses)... the list goes on.For their price they are great basses to just play or mod. 1k would be a joke though.
Btw I wonder where some of the MIA bashing is coming from? Fender standard basses are still the cheapest "original", "made in the U.S. (e.g. any other country of origin)" basses you can get. The quality today is probably the best so far... there are no 1k Music Man, Warwick, Spector, etc basses. At least no classic models, maybe some special run issues. Even Yamaha and Ibanez sell their Japan originals for staggering prices.
Agreed - it's usually pretty transparent, and a bit dumb most of the time...
- georgestrings
Cost is the only reason that the Squier brand exists. It is marketing 101 in action. By building in low labor cost countries the Squier models do an excellent job of delivering high quality and performance at a low price. Fender could build all their instruments in those same factories, lower the prices substantially, and run higher profits to boot. One could guess that it is likely that they will some day as they are already doing to an extent with the Modern Player series. A $1k instrument built in those factories would be a lot like an American Deluxe in quality and feature content. But it would be called a Fender, not a Squier. The Squier models exist to get budget conscious buyers into the Fender family. The Fender models exist to tempt those family members to upgrade to higher priced models. It is really rather important to the Fender marketing model that the Squier brand has a non-serious or amateur reputation. I think you will see them take action to keep it that way, if need be. I'm not sure that all the Squier love here on TB reflects the market's opinion in general however so there may not be any need to do that soon.
Ken
The short answer is no, I wouldn't be satisfied with a Squier at the $1000 mark.
I like Squiers, but their claim to fame is "being good for the money." This means you think the <$300 bass you just bought is worth maybe twice that much...so in the Squier's case it would be on par (or even better than) some MIM Fenders, worth about $600.
Getting a $600 bass at $300=Totally awesome
However, if the same quality was kept at the $1000 people (including myself) would consider it a scam, because Squiers are made with lower grade, though still satisfactory (at their current price point), components.
Getting a $600 bass at $1000=A total rip off
So, in conclusion, while Squiers are perfectly fine basses, I believe people would expect more for $1000.
I like Squiers, but their claim to fame is "being good for the money." This means you think the <$300 bass you just bought is worth maybe twice that much...so in the Squier's case it would be on par (or even better than) some MIM Fenders, worth about $600.
Getting a $600 bass at $300=Totally awesome
However, if the same quality was kept at the $1000 people (including myself) would consider it a scam, because Squiers are made with lower grade, though still satisfactory (at their current price point), components.
Getting a $600 bass at $1000=A total rip off
So, in conclusion, while Squiers are perfectly fine basses, I believe people would expect more for $1000.
I think that reflects the market. From what I've seen, Squiers turn over quickly in the stores. Compared to Epi's anyway. Schecter and Ibanez seem to sell as well as the Squiers. YMMV
OOpS!
Goes to show the conditioning that goes on with branding, advertising and whatnot. I typed "Squier", the correct name of the Brand, when what I meant to type was "Squire", the correct spelling of the English word. Fixed it to be "Squire by Fendre". Wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't chimed in, so thanks.
As for cats... Just a bit of fun, and they're cool. The theme just evolved on its own, but took on a life of its own. Now my dream pedal board is all cat effects pedals, like the Black Cat Moan wah, the Frantone Hep Cat, the very cool soundingAG-5 Funny Cat by Roland, Danelectro Cool Cat pedals, Z.Cat pedals, Black Cat pedals... about 20 pedals in all that could cover anything you want from distortion to modulation to delays all powered by the Cioks Pussy Power, naturally, fed into a Jaguar Amps bass amp, or the Tech Amp Black Jag...
The two Squier Jags just happened along about the time I was going to get a Fender Jag, but the store sold it before I could secure funds. Worked out for me anyway, given the planned mods. I like the Fender/Squier's Jaguar's looks, there's some Fender DNA in the design. They should've made matching Jaguar basses when the guitars where first introduced in '62. And though I prefer 34" scale, if the Jag basses had been introduced in conjunction with the Jaguitars, the basses should've been short scale, in keeping with the Jaguars' shorter 24" scale, so either 32" or 30", sort of like an upscale model from the Mustang bass.
So, instead of spending $1000 on a Fender Jag + mods, I got TWO Squier Jags that, after modding, will probably still be less than $1G.
This is exatly the deal. If I had paid $1000 for my Squier, I'd have had a fit over the high frets that needed leveled, the bad sounding pickups that didn't properly cover the strings that I had to replace and the Agathis body which while not horrible or anything would have to be decent alder or the like at that price point.
As it was I bought it for a song and turned it into a $1000 sounding/playing bass with some work and more money. That's all it's about. Do they do the work and I pay the money or do I do the work and keep the money?
I have not owned on, but have played a few Squires. For those that don't want to be seen playing "Cheap" basses, I will tell you this - I had a very old single coil P Bass, S/N in the 400's, and it played worse than any Squire I have played. I would bet that, if you were blindfolded and handed that bass to play, you would think it was a cheap bass. Modern build quality is much better than what the Fender factory was putting out, back in the day.
