Can I go pro with a Squier Affinity P Bass?

[Jhclark]

I have nearly 20 basses, some I paid a LOT of money for. One of them is a 2013 Squier Affinity Jazz with stock guts and I swear it sounds just as good and is as gig worthy as any of my Fenders, Gibsons, Rickenbackers, etc.
Just sayin'.

Squier qc has come a long way since the 1990s... I have a classic vibe telecaster and that thing is pure sex, like a girl next door (she also has flatwounds, coincidentally).

I wouldn't be so nervous if I had a new squier, I feel they're on par with epiphone now, but the old ones... Sheesh... A new bass is a priority now. Whether I get one before I start playing, we'll see.

 

[okcrum]

Swapping out the pickguard and adding covers can sometimes do wonders for an image. Getting rid of the white pickguard, although a classic look, will make your bass no longer look like it just came out of the box. You can get a budget-friendly one from dragonfireguitars.com

I'd definitely swap out the pickguard if it's warped, doubly so if it's single ply. That's the easiest upgrade that gear snobs will notice, even before looking at the headstock. I'd also remove the sticker unless you're only going to play genres where it will fit in.

 

[bass71]

I play a cheap Squire VM P/J and it's as good as the new P bass I bought back in 78. How good any bass sounds is I reckon down to the skill level of the musician, less so the quality of the bass.

eg: Bernard Edwards did'nt even know or care bout which strings were on his bass..but listen to his tight poppy sound and I bet he could get that tone on almost any bass, cheap or high end.

One thing I will say though is that it does'nt hurt to have a bass with a bridge pickup..can give you a wide range of tones.

 

[meatwad]

Any time the wife says "it's time for a new bass", it's time for a new bass.

 

[aprod]

Don't bring a knife to a gunfight and don't bring a cheap ass beginner bass to a pro gig. Would you drive a VW bug in a Nascar race?

 

[Nev375]

As long as the bass performs good enough for you to perform, play it. If not, fix or upgrade the part that is holding you back.

Play with pride knowing that you can make a cheap bass sound just as good or better than an expensive one.

And if anyone in your band gets serious about the giving you flak over the quality of your instrument, just tell them its really
an American made one, but you had the squire logos put on to prevent crackheads from wanting to steal it.

 

[ralenti]

I understand what some of the others are saying about brand not mattering, but then again would you go to a professional-level job interview wearing a clip-on tie? Would you show up as a wedding photographer with a Samsung point-and-shoot? Pros use pro gear. Sure, some big names may pull out a Squier now and again (perhaps for novelty sake, perhaps not), but they're big names. They can do whatever they want now. That's not you yet.

Okay. But would you fault someone going into a job interview wearing a cheap suit? I wouldn't. But I would fault them if that suit had dodgy stickers or warped pickguards on it

 

[bassmachine2112]

Bass will be fine if set up and fettled .
Pick ups,pots,caps,wiring,scratchplates,tuners,bridges can be changed-lots of stuff out there and a good range of s/h stuff that won,t break the bank
Just make sure amplification,cables,effects etc are up to the job,ie good gear

 

[Stick_Player]

Would you drive a VW bug in a Nascar race?

Depends...

 

[TinIndian]

There was/is a member on this forum a year or two ago and his band played on David Letterman. He was rocking a Squier P bass.

Dont really see an issue. You'll know when the time is right to upgrade to a different bass if you want.

 

[bluesdogblues]

Depends...

LOL...hail Herbie..
I never see music as a race nor any sport/competition event, tho..

 

[F-Clef-Jef]

My back-up P-bass is a Squier Affinity, I bought it for $79 with the intention of using the body for a different build. Once I set it up, I couldn't bring myself to part it out. It needs nothing. Plays like a dream. My main jazz bass is a part bass - Squier body, Warmoth neck, EMG pickups, almost all of it bought used. Total cost maybe $250. Is it a "professional" bass? I don't know, but I've made thousands of dollars playing gigs with it.

As long as you can feel confident that the bass can do the job, the "professional" part is the person playing it. Besides, if you play a "cheap" bass, you always have an excuse if you mess up! "uh... yeah... this cheap bass has some of the notes in the wrong place..."

 

[kurosawa]

As a hardcore SQ-series Squier P fan, I think your headstock ought to say Fender, because there are way too many decision-makers in this world who know nothing of bass except the Fender decal. Therefore, it and it alone comforts them. They don't know Squier from Sadowsky except that neither is Fender.

 

[okcrum]

As a hardcore SQ-series Squier P fan, I think your headstock ought to say Fender, because there are way too many decision-makers in this world who know nothing of bass except the Fender decal. Therefore, it and it alone comforts them. They don't know Squier from Sadowsky except that neither is Fender.

And that is the sad reality of the business that many commenting in this thread have never experienced.

 

[Jhclark]

And that would be an honest reason why I would want to be dishonest and put a false decal on there. I know it's a monstrous taboo to talk about it, especially when people try to sell them as fenders and rip people off, but I guess the next best thing is some dressing with chrome and tortoise.

I just can't bring myself to spend $150 on upgrades when that could get me half way to a new bass (if I show up with a fretless viola bass, nobody will ever notice what the headstock says anyway...)

 

[Jhclark]

Yeah, both of those guys got on fine with just one bass, but they played motown and country and those kind of genres where a p-bass with flats is exactly the thing you need, but what if OP ends up playing something completely different like hip hop of even something crazy like djent, good luck playing djent on a p-bass with flatwounds.

I am going to play exactly those kinds of music: Motown, country, roots, reggae, etc. and if it doesn't cut it for any Brit invasion I try, then I'll have found my limitation.

 

[RedHotFuzz]

Okay. But would you fault someone going into a job interview wearing a cheap suit? I wouldn't. But I would fault them if that suit had dodgy stickers or warped pickguards on it

An Affinity isn't a cheap suit. It's a pair of WalMart-brand jeans and a free t-shirt you got from the local auto dealership.

 

[mike77rios]

you may find that this bass does exactly what you want it to. I have two gigging basses. one is a Rickenbacker 4003, cost? well it costs what a Rickenbacker costs....my back up bass is $125 dollar US made..... Peavey Fury,,, which was a cheaper bass than your Squire. I am proud to play either of these basses live, its your decition to be embarraced or proud of your gear. Play what YOU want! I have played a Mike Dirnst model Squire and found that it has a better tone than most any other bass.

 

[Red Four]

It shouldn't matter, and sound-wise, it may not matter at all. The bass may well sound better than many full-fledged Fenders.

But when you consider the modest price of a used true Fender, and how that modest step would eliminate any possibility of the types of questions you're worried about, it is tempting. It then becomes, what is the value of having this issue off your mind and off your future radar? A few hundred bucks for a used Fender P, and you never have to worry about it again. And, like having a set of dress clothes, you can always "wear it" when it seems important to do so.

I understand the feeling. I still have the first bass I ever got, an '88 Yamaha BB300, and it still feels better to play than any other bass I own. And it sounds as good as most Fenders out there. But it's pretty plain looking, and doesn't have that singular Fender mystique. If I was going to the job interview, I'd bring my Fender P, but the Yamaha is home for me. Then again, I might bring my Yamaha BB800, which is both good-looking and obscure enough that it could sidestep the presumption of cheapness.

 

[godofthunder59]

In this business you will be jugged, your gear will be jugged. I'm not saying it's fair but I wouldn't show up to a pro gig with a Squire Affinity just to make a point. I have basses that cost up to 5k and I also have a Squire VM Precision that is a fantastic bass at 4x the price. Back in the day when all I had was my '76 Ibanez Destroyer and '76 Thunderbird I lost gigs because I didn't have a Fender, they made no bones about it and told me so.................on numerous occasions. Now I don't think the Fender bias is as strong now as it was then but maybe you see my point. Look like a pro act like a pro, you can slip 'em the Squire later.