I will never buy another Squire Affinity P Bass again.

You should try a Squier. They're very good.

 

Have you given the bass a proper setup lately? If fret buzz is the only issue and a pro gave them a levelling, the bass should play great and only require a setup. If not, you need to find a new tech.

 

If you've had the frets levelled, why not just keep it?

 

There is a reason some basses cost more than these do.

 

Sorry, Gary. Affinity series instruments are meant for beginners. If you want a better Squier, you should have gotten a Vintage Modified or Classic Vibe. They’re very giggable basses built with higher quality standard than the Affinity series. I’m sure there are many bassists who have had good luck with the Affinity series as well. But, you get what you pay for.

 

I can't imagine that 3 different guitar techs in Austin, a music town that has very qualified techs for that community of players, could not bring an Affinity PBass out of the woods. Granted, Affinitys are generally rank beginner basses (though some guys do fine with them), and you'd be better served by a VM or Classic Vibe Squier as a steady-gigging piece.

Either this thing has a rubber-band neck, or the techs you've used are not up to par. My advice always is to find the guy or guys in your area who do most of the work for all the guys that make a living with their guitars and basses, and go to them. Doesn't hurt if they're certified as warranty stations by the various brands. But if an experienced guy has leveled the frets and it's still wonky, something is wrong one way or the other, and it's not been addressed. Short of the neck being a complete write-off (which I doubt), this is not rocket science for someone who knows what they're doing, and someone like that shouldn't be that hard to find in Austin, Texas.

 

99.9% of all basses can be made playable. Just my 'umble opinion. A lot of Affinities have wonderful necks, just saying.

 

Considering that it was given to you—you really don’t have anything to complain about at all.

If you want a better quality instrument, go out and buy one.

 

You'll never buy one again, though apparently you never did, but either way you've decided to never attain one again based on one bad experience, seemingly compounded by three possibly incompetent "luthiers." The bass isn't the problem here.

 

I would go back to the person who leveled the frets and have them look at it.

Also: slightly higher action will result in a more stable setup.

 

That particular neck may be more sensitive than most to humidity changes. It happens; it's made of wood. You just need to learn how to do a proper setup and deal with the adjustments as they are needed. A few minutes tweaking the truss rod once in a while should get you a playable bass.

 

The $199 2019 Indonesian made Squier Affinity PJ I had played and sounded as good as any MIM Fender I’ve owned or played. The older Chinese ones are junk.

 

My mileage varies because mine ('97 Chinese) plays great. I did do a fret leveling because they were chewed up and threw on SPB1s and flats. Plays and sound great.

 

That just sounds like the neck needs adjustment. Pretty much all basses require regular setups. Wood changes with the weather. What are the measurements of your other basses versus the Squier in question?

You should consider a Status or other graphite neck if you want something extremely stable that rarely requires adjustment.

 

Buy a GSR100EXMOL, you won't be sorry!



Also, the Fender subsidiary is Squier:



I think of my great uncle when I read "stainless still". I'll bet he would have killed for one of those for making his famous moonshine.

 

That's Squier.