Are Squire Matt Freeman sig really any good

I have one and it cuts through pretty well. I am in drop tuning with Rotosound 66 strings 45-105 gauge. I have to compete with two guitars that run heavy distortion at times yet it'll cut through pretty clear.
that and its played through my Hartke LH500 head paired with a Fender Rumble 410.

I love playing this pass. For me its a perfect weight, great sound and just plays very well. I have thought about getting the white model as well.
I bought the MF sig even though I never played it before but I have played the Squier CV series basses and a lot of Fenders and I preferred the Squier CV series over the Fender basses. So I took a chance and got the Matt Freeman Sig. No complaints and no regrets.

 

Are they actually any different from any other Precision apart from the bridge and his name on the headstock?

 

"Struggling to get top end to cut through with my Marcus Miller"

The Matt Freeman won't cut any better "top end". Quiet the contrary... a P-Bass has nowhere the treble that a J-Bass puts out. It will do its job, but you won't hear more articulation if that is what you are after. Please clarify what you mean by "top end cut through"

ZombieSpacebat they have a basswood body, standard for Fender P-Basses is alder.

 

+1 Agreed

 

The pickups seem like standard Squire - a little dark with fingers, but just like most Ps they're plenty bright with a pick; definitely darker than the MIM pickups.

The neck is where it's at with these guys. The gloss finish can be a bit sticky, but it has flatter back and edges that are rolled just a little bit more than VM Squiers. The one I checked out also had a bit of a dip in the neck, so might be worth seeing in person before you buy. Otherwise seemed very solid.

 

Sounds like an eq issue rather than an axe issue. Try boosting mids. Or, cut the bass a bit and boost the overall volume.

 

What he said. Apart from that, I have no reason to complain about my MF P-bass.

 

I'd say its an eq issue as well, if you're scooping your tone too much you'll get lost without the mid presence.
My answer for punk is a p-bass and Seymour Duncan qp. Run trough a tube amp or tube pre and let er rip.

http://havochouserecords.bandcamp.com/track/is-this-reality
My tone. Excuse my engineering.

 

This is like... A whole new type of contradiction...

Seriously, how is your preamp EQ set? What amp? What EQ settings on amp?

If you say Smiley-EQ I'll burn your house (J/K).

 

That would be why you have no top end then. If the click is coming from playing with a pick, change to a softer pick material. But turning the tone off would kill all the top end.

 

Strings hitting the pickup?

 

Also, picking closer to the neck will give you more punch and less "clank."

If you're rolling the tone knob almost all the way off to avoid "clank" you might do well with a P-bass, as they're inherently less toppy and have a lot more of the midrange/upper-midrange grind that is all over punk recordings.

 

Try running your front pickup at 20% and your back pup at 80% set your amp B/M/T at noon and then roll back your bass a little.... use a pick.

You will cut through.

 

What value pots are in the MF? 250K or 500K

 

I own a white Matt Freeman sig bass and play in a Punk/Oi band with a Gk 1001rb and get a really good tone. I tried to play with a Fender Geddy Lee jazz but prefer the overall sound of the p bass. For extra clank i use a B7k! Really great value bass.

 

The Matt Freeman and the original run of the Classic Vibe 60’s are some of the best Precision basses ever made.

 

Had one briefly, the neck was killer! The pickups, as others have said, were Squier pickups. Now, get one and throw some Dimarzio PUs in there, you'd really have something. But maybe not more zing than your Marcus Miller.