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Am I just being a snob about this?
- Thread starter Dallaspezz
- Start date
I bought my daughter a Squier bronco bass a couple years ago, she played it in her 8th grade talent show band. I picked it up last night and played it. For a cheap chinese made bass it wasn't half bad. Much better than the no name P bass I had at 17, I'm 51. The better Squier's are really nice, I wouldn't hesitate buying one. Or go used, I picked up a 95 Lake Placid Blue MIM Jazz for $200 on CL 2 weeks ago. It sat in its case for 12 years under a bed. Good deals are out there.
- Aug 21, 2003
- 11,605
- 18,641
- Disclosures
- A-Designs Mike Lull GK Tsunami Cables GHS Strings RMI Basswitch Nordstrand Pickups Darkglass
I would rather have a Squier then most Fenders actually...(No Joke).
Keep it and then slowly mod it.
Don't get stuck on names...but rather on playability and sound about a instrument.
Then most of all its what you do with it.
Keep it and then slowly mod it.
Don't get stuck on names...but rather on playability and sound about a instrument.
Then most of all its what you do with it.
LoveThatBass
Supporting Member
This is the best suggestion you have. Take it back, get a new one in the box and have them set it up for your troubles. I have a Fender MIM FSR and a Squier Vintage modified Jaguar bass. Both play and sound nicely. The Squier's neck and tone are awesome. The setup was pretty good out of the box.
Hopkins
Commercial User
Dude, at 17 years old, I am pretty sure you are not old enough to remember when Squier QC wasn't as good as it is today. Playing a bass in a music store that hasn't been set up is not a reflection of its quality.
I still have my 80's Squier jazz that people can't believe how good it sounds...and plays! The neck has never needed a tweek! In 2008 I got a fretless Squier that needed no setup out of the box and still has plenty of mwah. Those two may not have quite as beefy tone as my MIA Fender P, but they each offer their own distinct flavor.
Been there. In 1965, when all my mom could afford to buy me for a first bass was a Sears-Roebuck Kay, a friend who played sax received a brand-new Fender Jazz Bass from his dad. The kid couldn't even play bass. Anyway, I got my first used Fender two years later using money I made by playing the Kay. You can do that too. Meanwhile, if the store failed to maintain the bass, why would you take it back there for a setup? Get some new strings and, if you have an alternative store locally, have it set up there. If you have no alternatives and the neck isn't warped, now is the time to learn how to lower your own action and set harmonics. It isn't hard. Even neck adjustment is a DIY Thing provided you take it slowly and look at the instructions that are all over the Internet. Bottom line, though ... a Squier is a very serviceable bass. They are inexpensive, not cheap.
I am 45, and can in principle afford expensive basses. Still, this is my collection:
The two in front are Squiers, and definitely the ones that get the most playing time these days. The most expensive for me was the Squier VM Precision PJ in front. I bought it new, and the same with the other Squier, a Jaguar PJ short scale. I really like these basses. I admit that these are not from the cheapest Squier lines, but being Squiers, they offer a lot of playability for the money. I have "invested" in flats on both. The pickups are pretty good for the price, too, even if the J pickup on the short scale is a bit of a weak spot. That can be upgraded. All in all I am happy with my inexpensive basses.
However, I do not think wanting a more expensive bass is "snobbery", at least not until a certain point. The main brands tend to be easier to trade later. In fact, if you want a sweet deal, buy a used Fender. After they have taken the first price hit from new to used, they tend to keep their value if you maintain them well.
The two in front are Squiers, and definitely the ones that get the most playing time these days. The most expensive for me was the Squier VM Precision PJ in front. I bought it new, and the same with the other Squier, a Jaguar PJ short scale. I really like these basses. I admit that these are not from the cheapest Squier lines, but being Squiers, they offer a lot of playability for the money. I have "invested" in flats on both. The pickups are pretty good for the price, too, even if the J pickup on the short scale is a bit of a weak spot. That can be upgraded. All in all I am happy with my inexpensive basses.
However, I do not think wanting a more expensive bass is "snobbery", at least not until a certain point. The main brands tend to be easier to trade later. In fact, if you want a sweet deal, buy a used Fender. After they have taken the first price hit from new to used, they tend to keep their value if you maintain them well.
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I purchased the mim fender jazz i had used for exactly $300 off eBay. No need to spend $800 on a new bass that's barely changed in decades.
Listen with your ears, not your eyes. The Squiers are good basses and not every MIA is better than every Squier, although they are in general. Lots of people gig with Squier basses. Get a good setup, play what you got and start saving.
like many have said ... if no Demo Discount ... get a new one ... !!
I'm 40 years older than you ... and I still don't know which bass I really want ... !!!!
just play ...
I'm 40 years older than you ... and I still don't know which bass I really want ... !!!!
just play ...
Started on a Carlo Robelli Jazz bass and really wish I still had it. Played it for years as more expensive basses came and went but the headstock broke off in an accident. I still wish I had saved it I didn't know at the time something like that could be fixed.
He means the …incredibly good taste in what he's looking for!. They're among the Top-of-the-Line MIM Jazzes and currently go for $850 brand-new. The other TotL MIM Jazzes are rounded out by the Geddy Lee and Reggie Hamilton sigs which clock-in at $900.
Personally, I think the OP has…
- …a chance at finding a used one someday for about $500-$600.
- …could achieve the same, cool look by parting together a …incredibly good taste in what he's looking for! and a Invalid Link Removed. (He'd even have a painted headstock to boot!)
- Invalid Link Removed
Keep the Squier, especially if you got a deal. I agree with the idea that you should get a free setup if there was no deal considering the scratches, but in any case get it setup. Then, considering you won't get a lot for it in the future, I'd try to save for a new bass without planning on selling this Squier if you can help it... Then you'll have a Squier you learned on and put some miles on that you can use to learn to do setups yourself, re-finish, change pickups, whatever. There are ways to have fun with a bass beyond just playing it!
Methinks a few commentators have missed the post where the OP informed us he's already brought the bass back for a full refund.
Being a snob is a privilege that increases with age and earnings
If you really want to play now, get the squire, if you want to hold off on playing until you can save up for the Fender, that's completely your decision too, but be realistic with yourself on how long that's going to take you... If it means you get your bass at the end of next month or if it means that you will get your bass next summer there's a big difference there. You're 17. You have plenty of time to be a gear snob coming up... heck, when I was your age, I played on a yellow Series10 guitar that had a trem with springs that creaked like a 40 year old mattress...He means the …incredibly good taste in what he's looking for!. They're among the Top-of-the-Line MIM Jazzes and currently go for $850 brand-new. The other TotL MIM Jazzes are rounded out by the Geddy Lee and Reggie Hamilton sigs which clock-in at $900.
Personally, I think the OP has…
- …a chance at finding a used one someday for about $500-$600.
- …could achieve the same, cool look by parting together a …incredibly good taste in what he's looking for! and a Invalid Link Removed. (He'd even have a painted headstock to boot!)
- Invalid Link Removed
Ohhh, I though he meant an actual jazz bass from the 70s...
A lot of good posts here already. You can look at my gear profile to see where I might be coming from concerning gear. That said, even with my personal arsenal, there are times when I find it convenient to use a Squier five string instead of one of my Ritter basses. If a Squier bass is set up properly and strung with some quality strings, it can be a very good sounding instrument, capable of professional results. It is quite true that in 1975 when I started, there was no choice like a Squier. Anything that even could be set up or tuned and get accurate intonation;- the brands available could be counted almost on one hand. By far the least expensive candidate was usually the Fender Precision or the Jazz. Rickenbackers were very expensives. Gibsons were also, and they didn't sound as good as the bolt on necked Fenders.
These days a Squier is as perfectly dimensioned as a 1970s American Fender, maybe even more perfectly. In the 1970s, there was quite a lot of hand work and constant calibration of machinery by hand and eye. There weren't any computer controlled machines, except maybe stuff NASA had.
Get a pro to set up the bridge, the truss rod (probably the high strings are due to some problem there) and the height of the pick-ups, and play it. You might end up with some personal preferences later that it just will not meet, but there is far more sound difference in two hours of practice than there is in two different basses. Trust me on this.
