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Can I go pro with a Squier Affinity P Bass?

Can I gig and tour with a Chinese Squier Affinity?

  • Don't ever let anyone tell you who to love! Rock it like you stole it!

    Votes: 134 81.2%

  • Dress her up, you can't be seen in public looking like a cheap date!

    Votes: 15 9.1%

  • Dump her and find somebody respectable if you ever want any respect yourself!

    Votes: 16 9.7%
  • Total voters
    165
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#41
What Kawai-chang said. ^

Keep the sticker, it's your bass.
Plenty of top level pros, even rock stars *gasp*, have stickers on their basses.
Post a pic of the sticker/bass.
Get rid of the sticker, it's your bass.
Certainly you need a minimum standard of quality to gig with, ie you can't play a no-name junker that can't stay in tune for even one song.

Here's a thought:
1) One of THE Best paparazzi in Hollywood uses a point & shoot. The lens is top notch (an Olympus model, IIRC) publication quality, but it's only a little tiny point-and-shoot – NOT a monstrous SLR with huge lens that's obtrusive. He frequents the celebrity hangouts, is polite and courteous to the celebrities and asks permission to take their photo with his UNOBTRUSIVE point and shoot. The celebs know who he is, he is well known, and often will accommodate his request for a photo, he is rarely turned down and if he is, he won't take the shot.

2) Other paparazzi are jamming monster cameras in the celebs faces from the restaurant/venue/whatever to the celebs car, getting in the way, taking photos when specifically asked not to, basically harassing the celebs.


Guess who gets more magazine-quality photos of smiling celebs and is published regularly, gets paid and has had a long-lasting career as a paparazzo?

So, yes, you can go pro with a Squier, I've seen pros working them on Letterman etc. so why not you?
 
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#43
get a pro level tool soon-
no sense swimming upstream harder than you have to.
a recognizable tool gets you a lot of credibility off the bat that you don't have to earn. at least it gets you in the door and then after that, you can rock whatever you want.
 
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#45
Rock the Squier as your main bass, if you want to...

BUT, if you're doing sessions and high level gigs, you want to have more than one bass, preferably with some having more than 4 strings and some without frets, because you need the kind of versatility that a one p-bass with flatwounds, no matter what the brand, just wont give you (having a stompbox or two can't hurt either),

So keep the Squier, and get a five string too, and a fretless, and a six string, and a fuzz pedal, and a...
 
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#47
I played with a guitarist that got a Squire Affintiy Strat from guitar center used. A couple of practices and it sounded fine. Got to a gig the thing had a weird resonating sound coming from it. Then when he went to use the selector switch it was all scratchy and only worked properly on the bridge pickup. I went out and got a MIM Strat for $200 on CL and asked him not to bring the Affinity again. The wood and neck may be good, but the electronics suck. At the very least upgrade the pots and switch for some peace of mind while gigging. If it were me I would keep the Affinity as a backup and upgrade my main bass.
 
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#50
I think your question is actually 2 parts.

A pro can gig an Affinity quite easily.

Whether or not you can go pro is beyond the scope of internet strangers ability. If you are truly a pro cellist, it is quite possible, but the reading of the same clef with different scale and tuning can be an issue. Prepare to hit the shed in earnest to get the demands of your proposed career up to par, whether it is reading or memorization or just getting around on the instrument.
 
#51
To the OP - the short answer is Yes, you can rock a Squier as a professional. Of course that assumes it's a fully functional and reliable instrument, which I think you more or less said it is. However, understand every decision you make has consequences, some good, some bad.

On the good side, you might have band mates and a BL that love the way you play regardless of what you're paying. That's what we all hope for and more often than not do get. The grunge scene brought a lot of lesser guitars and basses into the limelight and made it cool to be different.

On the bad side you may have band mates or a BL that are gear snobs or want a specific look or sound for the band. Sometimes reality bites. In these instances not having the right gear can lead the band to look for a different bassist. You can take a "I rock a Squier like it or shove it" attitude and maybe find a better band to join or you can just suck it up and spend about $600 on a used Fender.

My suggestion would be to look at the level of instruments the rest of the band is playing and figure out a way to get to about that level before your first big gig. In the meantime rock what you have with pride and authority and I suspect things will go great for you.

Full Disclosure:
When I was actively gigging, my main bass was an Affinity Squier Jazz 5 (played fantastic) and my backup (which sat in a guitar stand nearly all the time) was a Fender American Deluxe Jazz 5. I was asked by a few people why I didn't use the Fender as my main and the Squier as the backup - I just smiled and told them I always start with my best bass. :thumbsup:
 
#52
First of all you absolutely made the right choice choosing the amp over the bass. A cheap bass played through a good amp is giggable. The most expensive bass in the world played through a 15w amp that comes in a starter pack will get you no where. Secondly, you have had that Squier long enough to know that it is reliable, and perfectly capable of handling gigs and practices. Put it this way, would you rather have a good guitar player play his Bullet Strat through a quality tube amp, or have a sub par guitar player with a $3000 PRS and a battery powered combo amp with a built in tuner?

If the Affinity sounds good, plays good, and doesn't hurt your sound or playing, then use it and take no shame from it. But do throw a black pick guard on it and get rid of that single ply white one. It never hurts to show a little class :D
 
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#53
Jhclark said:
Title says it all.

I got a p bass starter pack when I was 12/13 back in 1997. Still playing it as my only bass.

It stays in perfect tune, and has good flats (I forget the brand).

I just bought an Ashdown 115 combo, and my wife noted that I should have bought a better bass instead of amp (my only bass amp until today was the one that came in the Squier pack 15 years ago!!)

I'm no fool names shouldn't matter, and I'm a good musician (cellist for 20 years). BUT I'm afraid of being laughed out of a rehearsal or studio. (Common fear?) It's black with a white pick guard that is magically warped somehow, and has a sticker between the bridge and the pg that I put there when I was 14. You all know the bass I'm talking about...

What's a guy to do? Do I need to sell off a couple of guitars and invest in a new bass? It sounds fine to me, and if it didn't I feel like I could upgrade the P/U... (Intonation is great) Do I dress it up with a chrome bridge cover (to cover the foam mute I'll probably use) and pickup cover? Do I sand the Squier decal off and put something silly like my name or a fake brand?

What would you do without much cash or valuables?
Click to expand...


I'd be more worried about how it sounds run direct through the P.A. Even with a good DI box, the Squire basses aren't exactly made from tonewoods.
 
#54
try and get your hands on some basses that are considered pro level. See if you can get something out of them that you can not get out of the Squire.

If going pro there's that bit when you make a first impression with people you need to impress - a solid instrument will help here, making them think something like 'ok he's got the tool, now let's check out if he got the skills as well'
 
#55
I've played a few Squires that were complete junk, and a couple I thought were as good or better than name brand Fenders, so its a little more hit or miss with Squire QC. Jimmy Page played some of his best work on a cheap Danelectro, he could care less what it was as long as it sounds good. The tiny incremental improvements in sound are often accompanied by exponential increase in cost, usually not worth it. Play it till the strings fall off.
 
#57
RedHotFuzz said:
If an $180 Affinity (sold in finer WalMarts and Costcos everywhere) was worthy of professional work, wouldn't everyone just buy a $180 Affinity?

Think about it...
Click to expand...
No

Some people are hung up on ego and impressing others with what they can buy. If you can play, the people who matter won't care what the details are. 99.9999999% of the audience could NOT care less too. Just the same wanna be jerks who aren't playing your gig who have all the "cool" gear and snarky comments who will find something to put you down with. I played one of the Brandenburg Concertos (as the soloist) with the local orchestra and used a $200 fiddle for all the rehearsals. Guess what, it was the worst instrument in the room and it was the best sounding one. Don't get hung up on cost or labels, just play the thing.

I understand wanting the best of something and have been there myself. Once you get the best, you see the cheap stuff in a different light. Some of it is more than up to the task at hand and there is no need for anything better.
 
#59
I get it when people say "It shouldn't matter." Look at my profile pic. That's a Squier I gigged with for two years. Having said that, there was alot of prejudice and missed opportunity strictly based on what I played. Several auditions I was frowned upon because of my gear. I do agree that I was better off not being in those bands, but it was stressful. I sold my Squier and bought a used MIM Fender P bass. Snobs will be snobs, but life was easier with it. I find the better I get and the more I play professionally, I do like equipment I don't have to constantly upgrade and fiddle with.

Long answer short, it shouldn't matter, but it does to some people and unfortunately sometimes those people can get in the way of you and and waste your time and theirs with their pettiness.

Can you gig with it? Yes. Will you get the opportunity? Unsure. I got a lot more jobs with the same skillset when I upgraded my gear. If you are doing it for a living, it is an investment. Buy used and get the best you can afford. The rest is really out of your hands.
 
#60
I recall a number of years ago there was this amazing Victor Wooten-like bass player around who played an entry level Ibanez through a solid state Peavey. All the people in our group agreed that the guy was great, but his tone was terrible. Fast forward a decade later and he's using hand-made instruments, and guess what...his tone is 100% improved. The point? Why even take a chance. Just splurge a little and get the good stuff. That's what I say, anyway.
 
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