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Is taking a Squier and making it better over the years a good idea?

#41
Do what you want, it is your bass after all. Like someone else said, try to trade for a CV jazz neck. Those are really nice necks.

I'm slowly modding my SX only because it's the only bass I have now and the mods have all been free, due to gift cards from work and such.
 
#43
J03YW said:
So you're telling me that I'm buying a bass that's way better than I expected?
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Actually it sounds like you are telling us you are buying and planning to upgrade a bass you have never played and know nothing about.:confused:

Not a damn thing wrong with a CV60's p bass.
I usually gig my RW 50's P with the CV as a backup.

Before I bought the RW the CV was my main gigging bass.
I leave the expensive ones at home.

Did a complete set-up when I brought it home and just played the heck out of it as is.
 
#44
On my two VM Squiers, The only mods I've made have been aesthetic, (knobs, bridge covers, etc.) and that will probably be it, unless something breaks, because they are both perfect (IMO) as is. And you can count me as one of those people that doesn't really care about resale value.
 
#45
J03YW said:
I'm getting a Squier CV 60's Precision bass soon, and I plan on HEAVILY modifying it through the years. I mean new pickups, bridge, tuners, neck (jazz neck), electronics, the works. If enough work is put in, could the quality of the instrument eventually be fender-quality? I know it'll never be a custom shop level instrument, but at least giggable?
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Of course it will be gig gable. Sounds like you want to learn and enjoy the process as much as anything else. I learned bass repair that way, it's a valuable skill. I think the Squire's are amazing for the money. However, personally I've been doing this too long to comprimise on the quality of the parts and fret work. Warmoth makes high quality (some say Custom shop level) bodies and necks that are really solid platforms. The quality of the wood and fretwork make a huge difference. Personally, if I wanted to tinker, that would be my choice. I have two Warmoth projects that are not 3-4 year gig gable instruments, they are lifetime.
 
#46
hdracer said:
You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
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sounds like a pretty canned response,, or at best an overused cliche

a few years back i purchased a bass that happened to have a Squier logo on it ( still does )

in OE form, it smoked the current bass i was using at the time ( Fender American Deluve Jazz Bass V )

modded the crap outta it & it's been on many stages thru the years, i didn't buy it for resale value,, as it's a tool in my toolbox

the parent company ( cough,,, Fender USA ) has been marketing, mass manufacturing, & distributing untold numbers of pigs,, i mean " sows ears ",, uhh,, finely crafted american made instruments for wayyyy too many years

the quality, fit & finish,,, & the most important aspect, fretwork, playability & tone of these Squiers usually equally match & alot of times surpass much higher offerings from the parent co.

not trying to get into any pissing match with anyone with this post,, but it is ime / imho
 
#47
My main bass is a Squire with upgraded pickups and hardware. Nothing wrong with doing what makes you happy.
 

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#48
I respectfully disagree. However I do agree that Fender has put out some crap in the past. Since early 2000 the American Deluxe has gotten much better. These last few years have been stellar compared to the 80's and 90's, both lines made in America that is. (Standard and AMD) Quality of the fretwork and attention to detail of the current models (my opinion) just "smoke" the Chinese and Indonesian products. Those Squire basses have no stiffening rods, and mediocre fret work. I've never been able to get a Squire neck to straighten out and play clean (minimal/no buzzing) up and down the neck. But then again, I'm appreciative about the details that guys like Sadowsky, Lull, Lakland and Tobias and Pedulla put into their basses, so I'm already biased against the Squire level of product in the first place. The Squire line works for some people, not for others.


NorCal Dog said:
sounds like a pretty canned response,, or at best an overused cliche

a few years back i purchased a bass that happened to have a Squier logo on it ( still does )

in OE form, it smoked the current bass i was using at the time ( Fender American Deluve Jazz Bass V )

modded the crap outta it & it's been on many stages thru the years, i didn't buy it for resale value,, as it's a tool in my toolbox

the parent company ( cough,,, Fender USA ) has been marketing, mass manufacturing, & distributing untold numbers of pigs,, i mean " sows ears ",, uhh,, finely crafted american made instruments for wayyyy too many years

the quality, fit & finish,,, & the most important aspect, fretwork, playability & tone of these Squiers usually equally match & alot of times surpass much higher offerings from the parent co.

not trying to get into any pissing match with anyone with this post,, but it is ime / imho
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#49
Doug Parent said:
But then again, I'm appreciative about the details that guys like Sadowsky, Lull, Lakland and Tobias and Pedulla put into their basses, so I'm already biased against the Squire level of product in the first place. The Squire line works for some people, not for others.
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But where are the Sadowsky, Lull, Lakland, Tobias and Pedulla that cost 300$.

I own 2x Squier VM's, and am quite happy with them, I'm sure there are far better basses out there, but not at that price tag!

I have thought a couple of times about making changes to the Squier, but as I am not unhappy with what I have, I would rather put that money towards another "variety" of bass.

That said, I only play bass for fun, and I can have plenty with what I have.
 
#54
Mod a Squier Affinity? Yes. All other Squiers? No.
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That's sort of my take on it too.

For me, I have two Squier Affinities, a Stratocaster, and a Jazz bass, because that's really all my current budget allows for. And over time, I've modded a few things that I felt were the real weak points. I now have great instruments I love to play that didn't break my particular bank.

So, for me, getting a cheaper Squier and putting in a few dollars and some time here and there just makes financial sense. Otherwise, I would have bought either higher end Squiers or regular Fenders in the first place.

But many people do speak highly of the VM and CV Squiers, and I think modding them, for the most part, is a matter of personal preference over absolute necessity.

But, in the end, it's up to you. But play it first. Find out what it really needs and maybe doesn't, before going hogwild. You might be suprised.
 
#55
First of all it is a Fender instrument unless you consider every guitar or bass that didn't come out of the Corona facility a lesser instrument. I don't and there's nothing lacking on one that doesn't make it giggable just as it comes out of the box. I have plenty of first hand experience with that.

Modifying all of what is listed by the OP is foolish and in most cases a waste of money. There is so little difference between the CV Jazz neck and the PBass neck that I don't even know if that would be worth the swap. Why not just buy a P/J model with a Jazz neck to start with?

I chose to put a Bill Lawrence P46 in mine but that was a matter of choice not because the stock pickup was crap. The bridge, tuners, nut, electronics and anything else you could think of is just fine. There would be marginal if any improvement in it's sound or playability.

The major difference between a CV and an MIA comes in the labor costs of manufacturing and the marketing and overhead costs assigned to each. I doubt there is more than $150-$200 difference in the costs of the components used to make each if even that.

If a CV buyer wants to go through all of that upgrading I guess that's up to them but it's certainly not needed in order to have a quality instrument. I'd also not advise doing it if that buyer ever thought they might sell it. It's unlikely most of those upgrades would even return close to the cost of making them at resale. JMHO
 
#56
There was an episode of Top Gear during which the guys bought "lesser" cars in order to modify them with aftermarket parts. Across the board, had they simply waited, saved, and purchased a better vehicle to begin with, they would have actually saved money in the long run.

I have played custom builds, and high-end stuff for a couple of years now. A buddy of mine has a CV, and I can honestly say, if I wanted a good workingman's bass for gigs, especially where/when I didn't mind a ding or dent, I'd gladly gig a CV. If they made a 5-er, I'd give serious thoughts to buying one just to have in the arsenal.

A proper set-up and your preferable strings really go a long way when it comes to an instrument IMHO.
 
#59
Doug Parent said:
You missed the point entirely.
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I didn't miss the point, I appreciate fine work also, but I also appreciate the fact that I cannot warrant spending the ammount of cash that one of these brands costs, for something I use for joy, and does not make me an income.

I also appreciate the fine work of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and lot´s of other nice cars, but I drive a Citroen. This doesn't mean that the sh-itroen doesn't take me all the places I want to go.

I would love to have a high quality bass (and a high quality car :) ) but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy what I have.
 

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