• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Buying a Squier Affinity P bass as a mod platform?

#21
... another thought, is to just look for a good buy on a post '02 MIM Standard P with a black body ($250-300 US) ... body wood will be alder, full size solid shaft pots, any Fender p/g should be direct fit replacement .. if it has a rosewood fretboard, then you have a neck with a Fender logo to sell off and recoup funds towards your replacement ... you may even luck out and find a maple fretboard (post '08 only) bass, and then just spend some time with that as needed dressing ends, etc ... that would have the medium jumbo fret wires and satin finish that you said you preferred over the Matt Freeman offering of vintage frets and high gloss ... might even come with a case or bag as a bonus ....

... the basis here, is that if you are replacing most everything on the bass you buy, it only makes sense that the parts you are selling off are going be the most marketable and recoup the most $$ ... not a lot of folk looking for parts off of a Squier Affinity parts to do their modding ... Fender (even MIM Standard) parts might have more appeal in the marketplace ... JMHO
 
Last edited:
#22
I worry about fret work and a straight, playable neck on a cheap bass. Yeah, pups, electronics, hardware, all easy to replace, but if it plays like crap what have you gained?

I'd get at least a MIM and go from there. That's what I did when I went through my mod stage.
 
#23
I think modding is fun and though the value of the finished product may not match your investment, if you use quality parts, those should be close to holding value.

I used a MightyMite neck for my HoseDragger custom, and given a do-over...I'd have spent the extra money for a Warmoth neck. Kinda different, cuz I built this from the ground up, and money shouldn't have been a big criteria, but A-Bing the two products...Warmoth hands down.
 
#24
Thanks for all the thoughts TB'ers. However i think some of you may have not quite got what i'm after:

I want a black/maple combo P bass in the cheapest possible way, therefore the Maple VM is out (although i guess i could do a rattle can respray? Any thoughts? Not sure if i could get a good finish and i think i'd prefer a slightly more durable poly finish)
Even though i may not be using a lot of the bass actually the math(s) still works out way cheaper than buying a CV or MIM, and i reckon i may still get a better bass.
Doesn't matter too much about the standard neck that comes with it, i probably won't ever be using it
MIM...too expensive and would still need extra work, although i take the point i could sell off some parts.
Doesn't matter if PG holes don't quite line up...its a dirt cheap bass and i won't ever be taking the new pickguard off!

I'm open to grabbing a black MIM body or even just a Squier black body, however this would mean i'd then have to get some tuners (was planning on re-using the squiers as the newer open back ones aren't too bad IMO). Plus MIM bodies i've seen seem to go for more than the whole price of an Affinity. So all in all more £'s

BTW, whats wrong with the standard bridge that comes with the Squier...surely it can't be that different from the original late 50's P bass bridge?
 
#25
Oh, also forgot to say...not bothered about resale value as long as i get a playable bass that matches my criteria i'm happy. I'm not doing it for a financial investment
I will be keeping all the original parts though just in case....if i ever resell i will put the bass back to its original form and sell on whole.
 
#28
Just looked on ebay, only MIM Fender bodies i have in the UK are £199 UK, which is unloaded and is more than the whole affinity which at least comes with other parts i can use (bridge, tuners etc)
I can get much cheaper blank bodies but i'd have to do the whole sealing spraying, finishing thing...sounds like too much work!
 
#30
As the OP pointed out, the Kent Armstrong VPB pickups are a great choice. I have these in 2 of my P's. They sound huge and refined. The alder body is the other desirable component. Another wonderful modding platform beside the Squiers is the Xavier P-basses sold by Guitar Fetish.
 
#32
tjh said:
... another thought, is to just look for a good buy on a post '02 MIM Standard P with a black body ($250-300 US) ... body wood will be alder, full size solid shaft pots, any Fender p/g should be direct fit replacement .. if it has a rosewood fretboard, then you have a neck with a Fender logo to sell off and recoup funds towards your replacement ... you may even luck out and find a maple fretboard (post '08 only) bass, and then just spend some time with that as needed dressing ends, etc ... that would have the medium jumbo fret wires and satin finish that you said you preferred over the Matt Freeman offering of vintage frets and high gloss ... might even come with a case or bag as a bonus ....

... the basis here, is that if you are replacing most everything on the bass you buy, it only makes sense that the parts you are selling off are going be the most marketable and recoup the most $$ ... not a lot of folk looking for parts off of a Squier Affinity parts to do their modding ... Fender (even MIM Standard) parts might have more appeal in the marketplace ... JMHO
Click to expand...
Only the black MIM Standards of post 2002 are alder? I happen to believe what you are saying, because you were right about alder not being the normal body wood on the 1995-1999 Standards. I recently had the choice of two identical '98 MIM Standards, with one obviously being made of poplar..
 
#33
SurferJoe46 said:
About the only thing an Affinity might need is some careful checking for basic neck straightness, the knobs haven't fallen off (not likely even if the pots were 6 inches in size) and that it's a color you like.

I've got two Affinities now, both are Ps, and even though one is a teenager at 17 y/o --- and the other is closer to 20 y/o ---they still have what some are want to decry as "junk pots" that are clean, work perfectly and yes --- the knobs don't fall off.

I am so tired of this old saw, saying that the mini pots are some kinda junk!

The ONLY problem I had on the oldest Affinity is that one of the pups died and I swapped them for a used set of Peavey Fury pups which are still going strong.

Buy an Affinity, wax it and play it. They are quite well worth the low price as something you can look at and just know that everyone else ignorantly supposes that the pots are junk.

Grin a lot.
Click to expand...

.. one point you might not have considered, is that the mini-pots in the Affinity's are all 500K ... stock pots in MIM Standard bodies (post '02) are the same 250K (#19064) pot used in the AmSpecs, AmSeries, AmStands, Hwy 1 and Ones, etc ... there are a few of us that prefer 250K pots, so if we want to change the pot spec, we should look for another cheap mini-pot that meets that spec? .. not to mention, change to a full size pot, you get the benefit of a solid shaft that accepts a full size knob with set screw and looks better on the control plate vs the tiny ones ...

I don't recall ever saying mini-pots were junk in any of my posts ... the knobs fell off on a few, but no biggie, I just spread the splined shaft a bit and slid them back on nice and snug ... I still have one VM that I left the mini's in, its fine for what it is with the DD pups ...

... some of us ignorant folk may not select their pots based on whether or not the knobs fall off ... ;)

... JMHO respectfully submitted ...
 
Last edited:
#34
OldDirtyBassist said:
Only the black MIM Standards of post 2002 are alder? I happen to believe what you are saying, because you were right about alder not being the normal body wood on the 1995-1999 Standards. I recently had the choice of two identical '98 MIM Standards, with one obviously being made of poplar..
Click to expand...

... I used '02 to be safe .. that is when Fender Standard Series bodies will CONSISTENTLY be made of alder .. the change actually took place around mid '01 (for the '02 model year), along with the change from Strat style knobs and to different size Jazz pups ... you may find earlier random MIM Standards that used alder, but it would be the exception rather than the rule ...
 
#35
spaz21387 said:
I'm with everyone else Id start with a better platform to mod. mim fenders here go for like 200-300 complete. squiers aren't bad but they are viewed as bad in the used market it wouldn't even come close to selling it for what you spent on upgrades.
Click to expand...

Used MIM's tend to go for upwards of £300-350 (GB) on Ebay here, at least the ones i've followed. New Affinity is £170 and a Matt Freeman is £370. As said above not planning on selling but i reckon i could get 1/2 for the Affinity back and Mighty Mites here hold there price v well so would get most of that back, so loss would be pretty small....but as i said not planning on selling.

However respraying a VM Amber P would compete in terms of price. These have natural bodies that have a clear poly finish so not sure how easy that is to re-spray. Also its made of "soft maple" ...i'm not sure how soft that is. Is it comparable to Alder? I'm guessing its a bit brighter sounding. But it comes with the maple neck, although the ones i've played in store have been awful and have needed a fair bit of fretwork IMO. I'm hoping/guessing a Mighty mite neck would be better quality?

In terms of budget if i can build the whole thing for less than the Matt Freeman i'll be happy.
 
#39
This thread sort of pushed me into action because I have been thinking about a mod for some time, just for fun. So I have spent quite a bit of time over the last week haunting pawn shops and scouring CL, but Squire Affinity Ps have disappeared from the planet. A few years ago, I could walk into any pawn shop and find 2 or 3 to choose from and nothing over $100.
All I found was the ungliest, dirtiest, nastiest MIM P I have ever seen. The tuners are rusted, the strings are rusted, the frets are worn out, the fret board is dirty and there is what appears to be a mixture of dirt, sweat, and other unknown substances next to all the frets. The finish on the back of the neck is about 30% gone. The body doesn't have any wood dings, but the finish was polished with about 60 grit sand paper. Who ever owned it also owned the world's largest cowboy buckle. The pickup pole ends are rusty. The pick guard is scratched, warped, and missing a chunk. The volume knob came off an old strat (it appears), and the tone knob is missing and the pot has a plastic shaft. And the bridge and both strap buttons are covered with rust. It looks like it must have been stored in a garage. The only saving grace other than the lack of body damage is the neck is straight and there are no dings on the back of the neck.
So, I said, this can't be that much. The tag said $329.95. I offered $175.00 and they countered at $250.00. I walked. It would be a great project, but not at that price.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back