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any squier people help me out.

IvanHardy

IvanHardy

Oct 24, 2009
179
39
35
New York, NY
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Disclosures
Spector, EMG, Dirtbag Clothing, WB Gear, LK Straps,
#1
i'm planning to buy a Pete Wentz bass and i'm wondering if anyone can help me by telling how to make it sound as best possible. like what pickups and strings would improve the bass. Does anyone think it sounds good as is or should it be modified.?
 
#2
Not sure why you are getting the Wentz P, as a fan or a bass player. I would recommend changing the PUPs to Fender 62's and that's it, maybe upgrade the tuners but other than that just get a Squier CV 60's P the best sounding P under a $1000 IMO.
 
#5
EnderZ13 said:
Not sure why you are getting the Wentz P, as a fan or a bass player. I would recommend changing the PUPs to Fender 62's and that's it, maybe upgrade the tuners but other than that just get a Squier CV 60's P the best sounding P under a $1000 IMO.
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He's right about the CV P. They're really top-notch quality basses, and they probably even weigh less than the Pete Wentz sig, though I've never compared basswood to agathis. But if you're really going to get the sig, you might want to look at DiMarzio Split P pickups. They produce a really clear and punchy tone, and are incredibly high-output passive pickups.
 
#6
Best advice is not to get the Pete Wentz signature model.:hiding:


But seriously, get a good setup on the Wentz, some quality strings and you're good to go.

The other Squier models (like Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified) IMO are much more sophisticated and have a lot going for them (ask any TB'er)
 
#7
well pete is my biggest influence and i feel i have to get the bass plus its one signed by him. but i'll look into those pickups. I want to make it as punchy and loud as possible. but as for a good setup what would be consdered a good setup.
 
#8
IvanHardy said:
i'm planning to buy a Pete Wentz bass and i'm wondering if anyone can help me by telling how to make it sound as best possible. like what pickups and strings would improve the bass. Does anyone think it sounds good as is or should it be modified.?
Click to expand...

Strings are a matter of preference. The stock strings will probably be okay, but not great. If you're into Pete Wentz's tone, go for roundwounds, not flat.

The pickup is a Quarter Pounder, which is a great P pickup. A lot of people upgrade their Squiers with that pickup, so no mods are necessary. If you want something more vintage, I'd suggest getting a different bass rather than swapping out the QP since that's really the strong point of the Wentz sig.

I'm not sure what pots Squiers use, but 250k CTS pots will probably be better than whatever is in there. Since the Pete Wentz sig only has a volume pot, this is a really cheap upgrade.

Shielding the pickup and control cavities is always a good idea.

The stock bridge could be better. Some good drop in replacements are the Gotoh 201 and Bad Ass II. Both should increase sustain a little and be all around sturdier, and the Bad Ass will probably add some more treble bite. The Gotoh is much cheaper though.

I would replace the stock nut with a Tusq nut if I were being anal about it, but the stock one should be fine.
 
#9
mremic01 said:
Strings are a matter of preference. The stock strings will probably be okay, but not great. If you're into Pete Wentz's tone, go for roundwounds, not flat.

The pickup is a Quarter Pounder, which is a great P pickup. A lot of people upgrade their Squiers with that pickup, so no mods are necessary. If you want something more vintage, I'd suggest getting a different bass rather than swapping out the QP since that's really the strong point of the Wentz sig.

I'm not sure what pots Squiers use, but 250k CTS pots will probably be better than whatever is in there. Since the Pete Wentz sig only has a volume pot, this is a really cheap upgrade.

Shielding the pickup and control cavities is always a good idea.

The stock bridge could be better. Some good drop in replacements are the Gotoh 201 and Bad Ass II. Both should increase sustain a little and be all around sturdier, and the Bad Ass will probably add some more treble bite. The Gotoh is much cheaper though.

I would replace the stock nut with a Tusq nut if I were being anal about it, but the stock one should be fine.
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The pickup is actually a Duncan Designed one. So no more strong points. :hmm:
 
#10
IvanHardy said:
well pete is my biggest influence and i feel i have to get the bass plus its one signed by him. but i'll look into those pickups. I want to make it as punchy and loud as possible. but as for a good setup what would be consdered a good setup.
Click to expand...

A good setup is what that individual bass would need as suggested by a reputable luthier according to you needs and wants.

And I will second what the others have said, not sure why you feel like have to get his sig bass but whatever floats your boat. Anyway the CV and VM Squiers are far superior and do not need pickup replacement.
 
#11
I think it's a nice bass, but I hate the bat thing. It's really only got three things that make it unique: the pickup, no tone pot, and the bat logo. I was wrong about the pickup, it's this: http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/duncan-designed/cutting-edge-2/pb105/. It's basically a QP, but not made in the US. I have no idea if it sounds as good though.

You could buy any other P bass and just put a QP in it and remove the tone pot to get the same features, you just wouldn't have the bat logo. But to answer your original question, it should be a great bass on its own without any mods. Just give it a good setup and fresh strings like you would any other bass. If you're still not satisfied, you can upgrade in the areas where it's lacking.
 
#12
IvanHardy said:
i'm planning to buy a Pete Wentz bass and i'm wondering if anyone can help me by telling how to make it sound as best possible. like what pickups and strings would improve the bass. Does anyone think it sounds good as is or should it be modified.?
Click to expand...

I've played the PW sig model and really, aside from the goofy logos, just get a good set up... or a good fret level if necessary and you're good to go. It's a good P bass that will do what a P bass should.
 
#13
ok so far i thnking of getting a badass 2 bridge. which pickups are better the duncans or the quarter pounders? any other opinions on where it might be lacking because im thinking about the truss rod as well. i'm thinking of using it live eventually.
 
#14
IvanHardy said:
ok so far i thnking of getting a badass 2 bridge. which pickups are better the duncans or the quarter pounders? any other opinions on where it might be lacking because im thinking about the truss rod as well. i'm thinking of using it live eventually.
Click to expand...

The Gotoh is simply a better bridge than the Badass is and it is cheaper. Why would you need to do anything with the truss rod other than its intended use?
 
#15
Aspidites said:
The Gotoh is simply a better bridge than the Badass is and it is cheaper. Why would you need to do anything with the truss rod other than its intended use?
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very well then i'll go with the gotoh. how much do they go for? so far i have only played ernieball super slinky's on my basses how do you think that would be on the pete bass?
 
#17
The Gotoh isn't necessarily better than the Bad Ass II. The BAII is brighter, some people say it loses some bass response in favour of adding some treble, some people say it just preserve some upper harmonic content and you're not actually losing anything. The Gotoh is going to be a sturdier version of the standard Fender bridge and will sound pretty much the same, but give you a little more sustain.

The truss rod should be fine. Adjusting it is part of setting up a bass. You can't really replace it if that's what you're talking about, well, you can... but it would cost more than the bass.

Quarter Pounders are Duncans. Seymour Duncan is a pickup manufacturer, their bass pickups are branded as Basslines. So you can call them Duncans or Basslines, same thing. Duncan Designed pickups are designed by Seymour Duncan and made overseas. They come stock on some cheaper basses. The one on the Pete Wentz sig is modeled on the US made Duncan Quarter Pounder. The Quarter Pounder might be better than the stock pickup, or it might be essentially the same thing and putting a Quarter Pounder in won't change the tone. I just did a search on this and I'm finding mixed opinions.

Here is what I would do:

High priority (without these, the bass might suck) :
-fresh strings
-good setup

Good upgrades:
-shielding the cavities
-Gotoh 201 or BAII bridge
-CTS volume pot

Low priority (if you're being anal):
-Seymour Duncan Basslines Quarter Pounder
-Tusq nut

Things you can change but won't effect the sound:
-string tree (if the stock one is meh)
-better tuning machines (if the stock ones don't hold tune as well as you'd like)
-switchcraft jack (they're the industry standard, but the stock jack is fine)
 
#18
gotoh 201- The high mass does not change the tone much IMO but the grooves in the plate allow the saddles not to move.I had one its solid

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Seymour Duncan Sp-3's although i am not a pete fan these are the pick ups he uses the ones in his sig are the cheaper version
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Strap locks- if you play like pete , alot of jumping around get some kind of strap locking system dunlops are 16$ i think and it will keep your bass from falling to the floor.

strings/setup-to your preference

other then that you may want to get a full size 500k pot by CTS and maybe better tuners but i bet the stock ones will work.

good luck .
 
#20
ok obviously im still a noob. what are these pots that you mention? and i'd like to get more bass than treble actually. but thats what my stingray is for. so i could try to go more for the pete sounds say like how it sounded in live in chicago theater. the way it sounded in soundtage was a little too much treble for me. also what do you mean by shielding the cavaties?
 

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