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I Just Can't Get With The Squires

V

Vintage P

Jun 30, 2014
146
81
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#1
I admit -- they're great for the price. AND...I have a CV strat that I love. AND... the J Deluxe wiith the ebonol neck is great for certain things -- one sound but a thick, clear and solid sound. AND...I love the design of the CV J and the 70's J. But...

Every time I take I take one of those baby's out on a gig, they fail me. (Except for the Deluxe.) I've also done the pup swap thing and it just doesn't work. They sound , dare I say..."cheap." It just goes to show, "Tone" is more than the magnetic response, it's the entire guitar resonating.

I think Squire is great for what they do, and the idea of having different models at a low price is really enticing, but for anyone who is expecting a pro sound, I think they'll be disappointed. At least that's been my experience. (Have I mentioned I love the deluxe though?)
 
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#3
medieval-man-black-e1366372377730.jpg
 
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#4
Vintage P said:
I think Squire is great for what they do, and the idea of having different models at a low price is really enticing, but for anyone who is expecting a pro sound, I think they'll be disappointed.
Click to expand...

A "pro sound"??? lol lol lol lol lol...

Is that like the old JCWhitney "BIG SOUND" they advertised with all their cheap car stereos???

I have over 80 basses...and one of the best I own is a lefty late 90's Squier P-Bass Special in olympic white; it has the most amazing neck; it hasn't been adjusted since around 1999. I bought it as a fluke just to have something silly to play upside down. Little did I know how good it would sound or play...blows away many of my Fenders and Ricks.

Gear snobs are always so silly.
 
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#5
I have an older Squier Vibe bass which I installed a J-Retro and sounds amazing. The problem is, I paid $200 for the bass and $300 for the preamp, so I have more in the preamp. My complaint is the necks move a lot on this bass so it seems I am adjusting the truss rod every one to two months.
 
#7
ggoat!!! said:
A "pro sound"??? lol lol lol lol lol...

Is that like the old JCWhitney "BIG SOUND" they advertised with all their cheap car stereos???

I have over 80 basses...and one of the best I own is a lefty late 90's Squier P-Bass Special in olympic white; it has the most amazing neck; it hasn't been adjusted since around 1999. I bought it as a fluke just to have something silly to play upside down. Little did I know how good it would sound or play...blows away many of my Fenders and Ricks.

Gear snobs are always so silly.
Click to expand...


Snobbery? Did I not say I love my CV strat and the J deluxe? I also sold my boutiques because they just didn't cut it as well as stock instruments. So...wrong argument.
 
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#10
Vintage P said:
They sound , dare I say..."cheap." It just goes to show, "Tone" is more than the magnetic response, it's the entire guitar resonating.

for anyone who is expecting a pro sound, I think they'll be disappointed.
Click to expand...

Ed Friedland did a review of the CV P and offered a comparison with, correct me if I'm wrong, a 60s P ( maybe a custom shop).

To my ears, the Squier sounded better. The tone of the more expensive instrument was too compressed.
 
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#14
I was getting frustrated, tone-wise, with the CV P-bass I picked up recently. Not so much with the bass itself, it was more of a matter of waiting for the strings to break in. Just as I was about to put the whole cheap P-bass experiment on hiatus and go back to the Rickenbacker, I caught a YouTube video someone had posted of my band from one of the nights that I was unhappy with the CV's tone during the set.

I have to admit, I was FLOORED by the tone while hearing what it sounded like out in the house. It sounded really nice in the mix with the rest of the band.

My CV is stock except that I replaced the hi-mass bridge with a vintage style and added a bridge cover.
 
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#15
Vintage P said:
I admit -- they're great for the price. AND...I have a CV strat that I love. AND... the J Deluxe wiith the ebonol neck is great for certain things -- one sound but a thick, clear and solid sound. AND...I love the design of the CV J and the 70's J. But...

Every time I take I take one of those baby's out on a gig, they fail me. (Except for the Deluxe.) I've also done the pup swap thing and it just doesn't work. They sound , dare I say..."cheap." It just goes to show, "Tone" is more than the magnetic response, it's the entire guitar resonating.

I think Squire is great for what they do, and the idea of having different models at a low price is really enticing, but for anyone who is expecting a pro sound, I think they'll be disappointed. At least that's been my experience. (Have I mentioned I love the deluxe though?)
Click to expand...
Bass, like any musical instruments, can be personal preference for each musician.
Generally, better basses = more expensive.
But that doesn't mean that the best bass is the most expensive one. Vice versa, cheaper basses like Squier doesn't have to be worse. There are other factors, and the bigger/biggest one is the player.
I often listen to some excellent players with Squier basses, who sounds excellent (sounds pro if using the OP words LOL).
Personally I prefer good Fender over any good Squier (although they are Fender too)... but I believe if I have no choice, if I have too, I should be able to have 'pro sounds' with a good Squier bass.
 
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#19
I myself like them. But like any Fender Bass some are good some are not. I guess I could list the various brands I dislike but don't think it would help anyone.
 

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