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My Squire vs Fender experience

R

Robotsatemygma

Jan 17, 2010
119
1
#1
So today I sold my guitar amp and went out looking for a new bass. Ended up with a bass amp (expect a NBAD in the amp section later).

While trying out some basses I mainly focused on Fender vs Squire. Now to remind you when I first started playing in high school Squire had the Affinity and Standard series and that was it. And both were utter pieces of donkey ball licking crap. Just horrid excuses for musical instruments. Hearing you guys praise Squire and being older I thought I'd give Squire another run around.

Now I tried out a MIM Standard Jazz, the FSR Ash Standard Jazz (the one I've been gassing for), Marcus Miller Sig, American Standard Jazz, Squire VM 77, Squire 5 string Jazz, and a Squire Classic Vibe 60's Jazz.

The winners? The Squire Classic Vibe 60's Jazz and the Marcus Miller! Wow I cannot rave about them enough. The necks and tone just blew my mind and slammed my jaw to the floor screaming "WE MEAN BIZNESS"! They played almost identically save for a few minor differences. It's obvious the Miller had more quality but that CV wasn't far behind especially for being made in China! Analogy, BMW 3 series vs 5 series. Still a BMW just a different name and fewer bells and whistles. I am fully confident in buying a Squire now.

Why no MIM? Amazingly they just lacked personality. They looked stunning (sunburst and natural ash my 2 finishes of choice on bass) but the necks just seemed to be stale, like the cheap necks the Affinity series came with. I don't know they just kind of turned me off. Now the American Standard was a hoot to play, even though I didn't spend a lot of time with it. It just oozed with mojo and was butter in my hands.

The verdict?

I posted a week or two ago about the Squire VM 70's Jazz (mr maple) versus the Fender FSR Standard Jazz and decided I was going to save for the FSR. Well I'm going to test run the VM again tomorrow and see what happens. But I know if that doesn't work out I'm grabbing that CV!

Oh added bonus... since I actually spent time with other basses I'm still really impressed with my SX. Quality might not be on par with Fender but it still plays like a Fender.
 
#7
I went out to purchase an american fender. ABed a bunch of squiers and fenders, and came home with a squier. and money wasn't an issue. bought a mexican p deluxe shortly after. sold it. had the pretty much the same feelings as you regarding the mexican fenders, but with different words. I still have the squier.
 
#9
I'm with you on the CV.

The Miller bass sounds great but the neck radius is too severe for me. And I don't like that you can't control the tone in passive mode. And it's noisy.

The only think that ever came close to giving me a heart attack about a Sadowsky was the price. For the same amount you can get a CV P and a CV J and a CV strat and a CV Tele and have enough left over for a real Fender... and maybe an Ibanez too.
 
#10
Chrisk-K said:
I think you'll have a heart attack if you try a Sadowsky or a Lakland.
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:p Yea probably. I've never played one before let alone come across one. Minneapolis is pretty sheltered when it comes to high end gear or at least I am. For years it was tough to even find an ESP or LTD to try out and they're pretty common. Everything is either Gibson, Fender, or Ibanez. Unless you go explore the hidden boutique shops then you can find a virtual cornucopia of exotic bliss that costs more then their insurance policy. But you usually get mean mugged until you chop out Satch Boogie at double tempo or in a bass case some Wooten'esque wankery.
 
#11
bassyRyan said:
Care to elaborate?
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There are many threads discussing the ratio of price to playability/sound. Majority of people agree that although a sadowsky is a fantastic instrument. It is not 10 times better than a CV squier. Just because a bass costs more doesnt mean the price is proportional to it's playability and sound. In the same way that an american standard P bass is not 5 times better than a CV squier,as the price would lend one to think. The neck isn't going to feel 10 times better,the action isn't going to be 10 times better,the tuners wont turn 10 times smooth,and the bridge wont be 10 times more stable,the pickups wont be 10 times fatter,or hotter, the finish 10 times better,the fret work wont be 10 times better...well maybe fretwork on a sadowsky, as I hear roger is anal about frets. Catch my drift?
 
#12
Hey ish you would have picked up a 83-84 era squier p-bass...It plays better than any squier out there and better than MOST fender USA also, Great tone from Ash body, neck fast and smooth good pickups...made when Japan took over for a few years....Played a Fender 75 Jazz and that was a beautiful player too (USA) ....new stuff just isn't the same quality, build, sound and playability...Just from my many years of experience and my humble opinion...
 
#14
I can agree with you 5String...to each their own....what's good for one may not be for the other. But isn't a great thing to have a thread with an opportunity to give our opinions? You just have to play them and find what you enjoy....no matter what the cost is...Have a great week.
 
#15
39-Bassist said:
I can agree with you 5String...to each their own....what's good for one may not be for the other. But isn't a great thing to have a thread with an opportunity to give our opinions? You just have to play them and find what you enjoy....no matter what the cost is...Have a great week.
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Also just goes to show how important it is it play before you buy. Not everyone has the same idea of what feels right.
 
#16
plangentmusic said:
I'm with you on the CV.

The Miller bass sounds great but the neck radius is too severe for me. And I don't like that you can't control the tone in passive mode. And it's noisy.

The only think that ever came close to giving me a heart attack about a Sadowsky was the price. For the same amount you can get a CV P and a CV J and a CV strat and a CV Tele and have enough left over for a real Fender... and maybe an Ibanez too.
Click to expand...

I agree on the Miller. Tried a couple but didn't buy them. I got the MIM jazz Deluxe. It's a beautiful bass and a real Fender too in tort-burst which is important for trad looks. But I have to agree that my main gripe with it is that the pickups (though pleasingly silent) have no "personality". One of these days I'll have to fork for some boutiques. I'm also not a big whiner about bass necks and profiles, but I must say I like the necks on my SX basses or G&L much better though many hate those for being too "chunky".

I've never played a Sadowsky but the Laklands I played were totally amazing basses. No question about that. On the other hand I know a local dude who has a Squier that is every bit as killer as any Lakland. He only has two basses: the Squier and an Ibanez. They both rock the house. The point being that you can't just make a rule that this or that model of Squier is the cat's meow. But you CAN make the rule that if you carefully try basses there most assuredly ARE some Squier basses out there able to stand up to any bass. So, do you feel lucky? Well, do ya? :)
 
#17
I've got a coupla recent, Chinese made Squire Classic Vibe basses that I got offa TalkBass that are very good basses ... a 50's P and a 60's P. They both can hold their own with my various FrankenFenders that are made of pre-CBS USA, USA, Mexican and Japanese parts with upscale, aftermarket pickups and hardware. However, both of my Squire CV basses have been tricked out with new pickups ... a Lindy Fralin for the 50's P and a Seymour Duncan Antiquity II for the 60's P as their stock pickups were somewhat wanting, IMHO. I have seen some horrid Squire CV basses on the racks in various GCs along with ones that looked like they could be good with the right tweaks so they're pretty much like Fenders of all nationalities and pedigrees ... you gotta sift through a bunch of'm to get a good one.
 
#18
The instrument market is much like buying diamonds. It gets to a point of diminishing return quickly, and increases exponentially. While a Squier may indeed be a diamond, it`s not flawless. A one-carat diamond with a few flaws can be had for 1k. If you want a diamond that is - for all intents and purposes - the same, save for those few flecks of carbon, well, now the price is 10k. To most ppl, the two diamonds are indistinguishable, but to some in the know, there is a big difference. I personally like cheap basses. Mostly because I have to lol ! It`s hard to justify the huge price jump up from the Squiers, when they are so damn good now. I`ve tried one Lak - a local store had it used for $950. It WAS very, very nice, and probably an excellent deal from what I`ve seen. Would I have bought it if I could afford it? Probably. But I`m just as happy with the VM P I got instead.
 
#19
pnut166 said:
The instrument market is much like buying diamonds. It gets to a point of diminishing return quickly, and increases exponentially. While a Squier may indeed be a diamond, it`s not flawless. A one-carat diamond with a few flaws can be had for 1k. If you want a diamond that is - for all intents and purposes - the same, save for those few flecks of carbon, well, now the price is 10k. To most ppl, the two diamonds are indistinguishable, but to some in the know, there is a big difference. I personally like cheap basses. Mostly because I have to lol ! It`s hard to justify the huge price jump up from the Squiers, when they are so damn good now. I`ve tried one Lak - a local store had it used for $950. It WAS very, very nice, and probably an excellent deal from what I`ve seen. Would I have bought it if I could afford it? Probably. But I`m just as happy with the VM P I got instead.
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Very good analogy. It comes down to you're paying more for a few more hours of fret attention,soldering work,making sure the neck pocket is perfect and pairs up right with the neck,hand polishing,professional set up,hand selected wood for perfect appearance. All of these things minute to many people,but for those who do care,and have the distinguishable funds,are important and therefore pay for those luxuries.
 

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