Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Is there really a big difference between Squire vs Fender
- Thread starter aasti3000
- Start date
Yes, there is a big difference in the way guitarists and soundmen will perceive you when you show up with one. There might be other differences also.
Well, what type of "Fender" are we talking about? Are you talking about a Made in Mexico or Japan model? Those will be somewhat of an upgrade from a Squier. An "American Special" is probably a little more of an upgrade. None of those get me too excited.
If you're talking about an American Standard Jazz or Precision Bass, you're talking about night and day between that and a Squier. Anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves.
If you have the money and plan on sticking with it, get an American Standard. You'll never regret it, it's a lifetime purchase, it's solid and reliable, no upgrading is needed, and they are appropriate for all genres. There is also a psychological benefit to knowing you didn't compromise.
If you're not sure if you're going to stick with playing, then I guess most things under the American Standard will do. I'd still ALWAYS rather have the Fender name on the Headstock than the Squier name even if I had to save my pennies for a few more months.
If you're talking about an American Standard Jazz or Precision Bass, you're talking about night and day between that and a Squier. Anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves.
If you have the money and plan on sticking with it, get an American Standard. You'll never regret it, it's a lifetime purchase, it's solid and reliable, no upgrading is needed, and they are appropriate for all genres. There is also a psychological benefit to knowing you didn't compromise.
If you're not sure if you're going to stick with playing, then I guess most things under the American Standard will do. I'd still ALWAYS rather have the Fender name on the Headstock than the Squier name even if I had to save my pennies for a few more months.
To say that "all" Fender basses are better than "all" Squiers is inaccurate. To say that "in general" Fender basses are better than Squier basses is extremely accurate.
I'm glad you found a great Squier, and I've seen some Japanese Squiers from the 80's that were amazing. But overall, Squiers are inferior to Fenders. And when you're talking about the 1990's Squiers, you can say "considerably" inferior.
Squiers are beginner's guitars made to a budget price point. Many Squier players rave about their instruments, but 95% of Squier owners - given the choice between a free Squier and a free US-made Fender - would choose the Fender.
I own a 1999 Fender Precision and a 2009 Squier Jazz 5 Active as well as other basses.
I believe the Fender Precison to be "the workhorse of the Industry"; some may believe it's the Fender Jazz..I digress...
I n2009, when pricing an Active 5 Music Man, the MM price was $1700; Squire was over $300. Sound was actually astonishingly equal. Feel was nearly identical with MM feeling a little better....but not worth $1400 [ more] better. MM & Squier have 3 tone/ EQ knobs; both basses have detent notches which to me says high quality regardless.
Comparing my Fender American Standard Precision to my Squire? Tuners on Precison are better. I don't have to tune my Precision; Set-it-and -Forget it..maybe a few cents off if any in months. Squier has to be slightly tuned before each use. Frankly, Squier has been my main go-to bass as it is a 5 String. For classic rock, mo-town and country my Precision is best for me. For contemporary genres a 5 string is a must, so Squier is best for my needs.
Quality? Squier's frets are sharp on ends..but I don't play on fret ends so no issue there. I never buy off the rack, so when my Squier arrived it had terrible fret buzzes. I like low action; no buzz. Adjusted string height..still buzzed on a few. Neck needed adjusting. As I HAD NEVER ATTEMPTED ADJUSTING a NECK, I looked at TB sites as well as Fender sites; got out the wrench as supplied, adjusted to taste, checked...re-set..checked again....PERFECT!!
My wife had gifted me the Squier for my birthday in 2009 and as I was so amazingly pleased, she ordered a top-of-the-line hard shell Fender case for it; cost nearly what the bass itself did...LOL...
I HIGHLY recommend Squier for anyone's first bass purchase.
Bottom line is what I call Pawn shop value: My Precision cost at least 3 times what my Squier did and would yield half it's current value at a pawn shop. Squier would also render half it's value at a pawn shop; however little that may be. In time my Precision has bottomed out and has begun to climb upward in value adn will eventyually equal and exceed it's original purchase price; whereas I predict my Squier will be worth less yearly over time unless there becomes some drastic demand for it.
As for snob value..say what you will; if my bass gets the job done; headstock sticker is meaningless. If someone really wants to be a snob..for a small fee I will open the case of my ZON Sonus 6 Custom lined fretless.
Buy a Squier; blindfolded you won't hear the difference.
I believe the Fender Precison to be "the workhorse of the Industry"; some may believe it's the Fender Jazz..I digress...
I n2009, when pricing an Active 5 Music Man, the MM price was $1700; Squire was over $300. Sound was actually astonishingly equal. Feel was nearly identical with MM feeling a little better....but not worth $1400 [ more] better. MM & Squier have 3 tone/ EQ knobs; both basses have detent notches which to me says high quality regardless.
Comparing my Fender American Standard Precision to my Squire? Tuners on Precison are better. I don't have to tune my Precision; Set-it-and -Forget it..maybe a few cents off if any in months. Squier has to be slightly tuned before each use. Frankly, Squier has been my main go-to bass as it is a 5 String. For classic rock, mo-town and country my Precision is best for me. For contemporary genres a 5 string is a must, so Squier is best for my needs.
Quality? Squier's frets are sharp on ends..but I don't play on fret ends so no issue there. I never buy off the rack, so when my Squier arrived it had terrible fret buzzes. I like low action; no buzz. Adjusted string height..still buzzed on a few. Neck needed adjusting. As I HAD NEVER ATTEMPTED ADJUSTING a NECK, I looked at TB sites as well as Fender sites; got out the wrench as supplied, adjusted to taste, checked...re-set..checked again....PERFECT!!
My wife had gifted me the Squier for my birthday in 2009 and as I was so amazingly pleased, she ordered a top-of-the-line hard shell Fender case for it; cost nearly what the bass itself did...LOL...
I HIGHLY recommend Squier for anyone's first bass purchase.
Bottom line is what I call Pawn shop value: My Precision cost at least 3 times what my Squier did and would yield half it's current value at a pawn shop. Squier would also render half it's value at a pawn shop; however little that may be. In time my Precision has bottomed out and has begun to climb upward in value adn will eventyually equal and exceed it's original purchase price; whereas I predict my Squier will be worth less yearly over time unless there becomes some drastic demand for it.
As for snob value..say what you will; if my bass gets the job done; headstock sticker is meaningless. If someone really wants to be a snob..for a small fee I will open the case of my ZON Sonus 6 Custom lined fretless.
Buy a Squier; blindfolded you won't hear the difference.
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,939
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
Not in my experience.
Agreed from my experience with earlier Squiers.
And IMO that has everything to do with resale value, and reputation. Or more accurately, pedigree. I disagree with the above if it were a blind choice on out of the box basses. I think people would be incredibly surprised if such a thing were ever done.
I don't say this to start anything...but to me, when I started, I thought I had to have a Fender to look cool and to be trendy.
I grew out of that pretty quickly and now own a Warwick and a Carvin...not the most "trendy" bass guitars but I've never looked back. Fenders are great...but don't feel you need one because it's the trendy cool thing. Get what feels and sounds incredible to you.
Fenders are great bass guitars in all aspects....but Squire's tend to have weak necks. This is coming from the multiple friends of mine who had neck issues with their Squires that I personally knew. Fender has relied on the same look, same parts for 50+ years when there are other bass guitar companies out there that don't care about image and who give you better ergonomics and electronics. Which is more important to me than fitting in.
I love Fender so I'm not trying to troll, just saying weigh out everything. American Fenders are amazing...I know that for a fact. But there are a TON of other basses out there that are excellent competitors.
I grew out of that pretty quickly and now own a Warwick and a Carvin...not the most "trendy" bass guitars but I've never looked back. Fenders are great...but don't feel you need one because it's the trendy cool thing. Get what feels and sounds incredible to you.
Fenders are great bass guitars in all aspects....but Squire's tend to have weak necks. This is coming from the multiple friends of mine who had neck issues with their Squires that I personally knew. Fender has relied on the same look, same parts for 50+ years when there are other bass guitar companies out there that don't care about image and who give you better ergonomics and electronics. Which is more important to me than fitting in.
I love Fender so I'm not trying to troll, just saying weigh out everything. American Fenders are amazing...I know that for a fact. But there are a TON of other basses out there that are excellent competitors.
I am not trying to be a spelling nazi or troll, but the hardest part of owning a SQUIER is spelling S Q U I E R..NOT SQUIRE.
I had to check my use of the word in my previous post each and every time..I am a big Chris Squire fan as well as a Squier bass user...
..OK..BACK TO TOPIC...
I had to check my use of the word in my previous post each and every time..I am a big Chris Squire fan as well as a Squier bass user...
..OK..BACK TO TOPIC...
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,939
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
I actually think the Ed Freidland video makes a better point for how similar the Squiers (CV series) sound to the Fenders. Since it's a solo bass and not in a band setting, any 'remarkable' difference would be almost imperceptible once you add in the other instruments - although this would definitely depend on the genre and style being played. Plus the bridges are different.
I have a CV (armed with Chromes) that is a great instrument. Is it the best P in the world? No. It's not. Does it work perfectly well? Yes. Do I 'need' a Fender? No. I don't.
I do, however, fancy getting the Jazz from the same series, which is a lovely bass.
The tuners work fine. No need to change them.
The bridge works fine. No need to change it.
The pickups are great. No need for a change there.
Most Squier mods are unnecessary. Some have been unlucky enough to get a bad tuner or similar, but most mods are more to do with the owner rather than any shortcoming of the bass itself.
Also, there is a difference between the different Squier series out there. An Affinity is not the same as a CV.
Good luck.
That said, If you have the money for the Fender, and you're sure that you're going to stick with bass playing, get it. If you find the right one, you'll have a bass you can play forever.
Otherwise you'll get GAS and 'want' a "real Fender" later on. Happens to a lot of people.
I have a CV (armed with Chromes) that is a great instrument. Is it the best P in the world? No. It's not. Does it work perfectly well? Yes. Do I 'need' a Fender? No. I don't.
I do, however, fancy getting the Jazz from the same series, which is a lovely bass.
The tuners work fine. No need to change them.
The bridge works fine. No need to change it.
The pickups are great. No need for a change there.
Most Squier mods are unnecessary. Some have been unlucky enough to get a bad tuner or similar, but most mods are more to do with the owner rather than any shortcoming of the bass itself.
Also, there is a difference between the different Squier series out there. An Affinity is not the same as a CV.
Good luck.
That said, If you have the money for the Fender, and you're sure that you're going to stick with bass playing, get it. If you find the right one, you'll have a bass you can play forever.
Otherwise you'll get GAS and 'want' a "real Fender" later on. Happens to a lot of people.
+1
Check out a Hamer USA Cruisebass (the non-2TEK models sell for about $400 used)---that's a $1400 bass selling for about what a Squier CV sells for.
It will have the finest woods, not just the type , but GRADE of woods. Thick fretboard, hand dressed frets, Schaller Germany hardware, Duncan USA pickups, perfect balance, etc.
That's a true bargain!
boristhespider9 said:
Lots of good points by Boris about the money. You can find really good, maybe excellent Squier models, but one of the days you'll seriously look for something better. So by the time you gone from Squier, MIM, you could have had enough for a standard. I've chased that dragon and learned my lesson. Spent more than i should before i got my standard. And then there's GAS but that's another issue. You need to actually spend an hour or 2 to really appreciate the differences. You will notice them right away, and with just a quick check you may not think its worth a thousand bucks more. Weve all gome to a music store and pulled many instruments off the wall to kill a little time, but if you can spend some real time with a standard, the light bulb will click and you will get it. (geeze I feel like I'm talking about a woman here). And I really don't mean to put down Squier. Own one myself. Sure you can gig with some of them. But there are very real differences.
The difference between a brand new Squier CV and a Fender MIM is about $200.00, and the difference in quality is IMO negligible. I've tried them both, and I'll take the Squier every day of the week. I'll use the $200 saved and buy myself a Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI.
@Everyone - My God. I assume that as I'll have as much knowledge about basses as you guys do in a few years. Never thought about the technical aspect of a bass...just the way it sounds. I guess i do need to take in consideration the electronics or hardware, etc. But this is some debate....learning a lot. Sounds like you guys know how to take your bass apart and re-do specs. From this debate I'm learning alot about these little upgrades you can do to a non expensive bass to make it compete with the popular brands and probably save money.
Actually, my impression from that Ed Friedland video was that The Squiers sounded pretty much spot on to the Fenders, except for the Squier CV 60's Jazz vs. the Fender Custom Shop 60's Jazz. I could readily discern a difference in the tone between those two. The thing is, I preferred the tone of the Squier. It sounded like a more authentic 60's tone (fuller, with a good bottom end), the Fender had a much more modern sound (more top end) . In that case, if I was looking for a good 60's type sound, I would have went with the 350 dollar Squier over the 3000 dolar Fender.
Thumbs up all the way. I think if half of us knew this from the start we would have not wasted so much money.
One thing you can never add to the bass:
"Fender Jazz (or Precision) Bass"
"Made in the U.S.A."
I've got many of'em, in the past and now (take a look at my profile: I think we already talked about it in another thread)
But let's just compare these two...
Fender '10 American STD Jazz
Squier Bartolini/Duncan CV Jazz
These are just Fender's site photoshop shootings, no pics of my basses, for the American Standard, with Hipshot BT8 on, is at my brother's, the Classic Vibe, already pickup tested, is still awaiting Hipshot BT1 from America that'll be then installed whenever arrived.
On the American Standard Jazz I had nothing in particular to improve. Alder body, amazing neck profile and craftsmanship do all the talkin'...
The basswood Classic Vibe body is very "neutral" so I opted for a combination of two completely different hum cancelling high output "jazzes" Bartolini in the front, low and deep, and Seymour Duncan HotStack in bridge position, midrangey and
"snappy"
I basically enhanced midlow in the front, midhighs in the rear
I love'em both
but not in the very same way
Fender is Fender
Squier is Squier
Cheers,
Wallace
But let's just compare these two...
Fender '10 American STD Jazz
Squier Bartolini/Duncan CV Jazz
These are just Fender's site photoshop shootings, no pics of my basses, for the American Standard, with Hipshot BT8 on, is at my brother's, the Classic Vibe, already pickup tested, is still awaiting Hipshot BT1 from America that'll be then installed whenever arrived.
On the American Standard Jazz I had nothing in particular to improve. Alder body, amazing neck profile and craftsmanship do all the talkin'...
The basswood Classic Vibe body is very "neutral" so I opted for a combination of two completely different hum cancelling high output "jazzes" Bartolini in the front, low and deep, and Seymour Duncan HotStack in bridge position, midrangey and
"snappy"
I basically enhanced midlow in the front, midhighs in the rear
I love'em both
but not in the very same way
Fender is Fender
Squier is Squier
Cheers,
Wallace
Comparing actual on-line prices:
If a new American Standard 4 string Precision is @ $1,149 and a new 4 string Squier Precision is @ $179 then the main difference between the two is @ $970.
Functional differences are minimal other than difficulty spelling Squier..LOL...
Again, "Pawn Shop value" and assumed collector values will be drastically different.
If a new American Standard 4 string Precision is @ $1,149 and a new 4 string Squier Precision is @ $179 then the main difference between the two is @ $970.
Functional differences are minimal other than difficulty spelling Squier..LOL...
Again, "Pawn Shop value" and assumed collector values will be drastically different.
i have 2 Squiers, 1 MIC Fender (modern player), 2 MIM Fenders, 2 MIA Fenders, and 1 Steinberger.
the order of quality is as consistant with the price as is the order i have them typed in. my MIM's are very close to my MIA's, but the Squiers are not even close,... wet or dry!
blind fold me and i'll pick the MIA Fender every time before i play the first note,... it's that simple. this is not a Dis,... i play my Squiers alot, but when i gig...
the order of quality is as consistant with the price as is the order i have them typed in. my MIM's are very close to my MIA's, but the Squiers are not even close,... wet or dry!
blind fold me and i'll pick the MIA Fender every time before i play the first note,... it's that simple. this is not a Dis,... i play my Squiers alot, but when i gig...
