NBD: Squier CV 50s P

[ChickWithaRic]

Just delivered 20 minutes ago.

Let the modifiying begin.

Apologies for picture quality. I smashed the glass back of my iPhone and it gives everything a moody misty filter.

 

[IcyApollo56]

Looks great! You'll have to give us a report back on how it plays and sounds

 

[ChickWithaRic]

Looks great! You'll have to give us a report back on how it plays and sounds

Plays like a dream. I bought it direct from Fender, action as supplied was 3/32" across all four strings - a mere 1/64" higher than my normal setup. A little more neck relief than I usually aim for, but I'll be making changes anyway and so I won't mess with it for now.

Fretwork is exceptional, finish is flawless, without weighing I'd say it's in the 9 pounds class, I don't see that as an issue. The C shape neck is lovely, I even like the gloss finish which I normally don't care much for. If Squiers are this good, I don't see much point in buying a MIM.

Sounds great, right out of the box, but I have a pretty long list of upgrades that I hope will turn it into a beast.

 

[C Stone]

"If Squiers are this good, I don't see much point in buying a MIM."

My last few have been great! Excellent fit/finish and nice feel...
Congrats it's a nice grab what are your plans for it?

 

[ChickWithaRic]

"If Squiers are this good, I don't see much point in buying a MIM."

My last few have been great! Excellent fit/finish and nice feel...
Congrats it's a nice grab what are your plans for it?

Here's the list of things I have purchased, a * indicates the item is still in transit...

Fender brass high mass bridge
Full size 500k CTS pots
Sprague orange drop .047 cap*
22 gauge silicone insulated wire
Full copper shielding
Genuine Switchcraft jack socket
Fender vintage neck plate* (no reason, I just like them)
Seymour Duncan SCPB-3*
Hipshot string retainer*
Hipshot O ring knobs* (personal preference)
Schaller strap locks
Graphtec Tusq-xl nut
Gotoh FB30 Lollipops*
Rotosound rotobass 35s

Once all that is in place I'll do a full seven point set up. I intend to play it for at least a week to get a feel for it out of the box, so I can appraise the upgrades properly and recommend/ discourage as appropriate. I may do a pickguard delete, waxing over the screw holes, but I'm liking the look for now.

 

[dedpool1052]

Very cool.

SCPBs are unique.
My favorite iteration of the P, but lefties are few and far between.

Luckily, I get enough of that with my Wunkay.

 

[dedpool1052]

Here's the list of things I have purchased, a * indicates the item is still in transit...

Fender brass high mass bridge
Full size 500k CTS pots
Sprague orange drop .047 cap*
22 gauge silicone insulated wire
Full copper shielding
Genuine Switchcraft jack socket
Fender vintage neck plate* (no reason, I just like them)
Seymour Duncan SCPB-3*
Hipshot string retainer*
Hipshot O ring knobs* (personal preference)
Schaller strap locks
Graphtec Tusq-xl nut
Gotoh FB30 Lollipops*
Rotosound rotobass 35s

Once all that is in place I'll do a full seven point set up. I intend to play it for at least a week to get a feel for it out of the box, so I can appraise the upgrades properly and recommend/ discourage as appropriate. I may do a pickguard delete, waxing over the screw holes, but I'm liking the look for now.

Some solid upgrades right there.

I've heard good things about the SCPB-3.
I believe our own @Chef (R.I.P.) was a fan of it.

 

[C Stone]

Sounds like a plan, those are some good picks for that bass...
Lookin forward to hearing your take on the mods you lined up.

 

[Yahboy]

Here's the list of things I have purchased, a * indicates the item is still in transit...

Fender brass high mass bridge
Full size 500k CTS pots
Sprague orange drop .047 cap*
22 gauge silicone insulated wire
Full copper shielding
Genuine Switchcraft jack socket
Fender vintage neck plate* (no reason, I just like them)
Seymour Duncan SCPB-3*
Hipshot string retainer*
Hipshot O ring knobs* (personal preference)
Schaller strap locks
Graphtec Tusq-xl nut
Gotoh FB30 Lollipops*
Rotosound rotobass 35s

Once all that is in place I'll do a full seven point set up. I intend to play it for at least a week to get a feel for it out of the box, so I can appraise the upgrades properly and recommend/ discourage as appropriate. I may do a pickguard delete, waxing over the screw holes, but I'm liking the look for now.

Lot upgrade parts in your list.

I only swap the stock pup with Fralin split 51p standard 7k winding. No more blury bommy tone, improve tone clarity on E string, better mid to upper mid voicing present and more output, offcause no more humming.

Sound aggressive and punch with EB Cobalt flat, meanwhile woody vintage vibe with la Bella LTF4A. The G string also sound meaty full than stock pup too. Very well string to string tone balance, thanks to Lindy Fralin.

My piece has uneven fret job , poor nut cut and noisy pot. Overall QC can't match the previous china CV bass.

 

[J Wilson]

The great things about Squiers for modding is the low buy-in on generally solid instruments (and often surprisingly good for the price), and that since the Fender aftermarket is so vast, you can get most anything for them that often are drop-in installs (though not always, so you ALWAYS measure first).

Like most inexpensive axes, they cheap out on pots and wiring, but even the best pots, Jack's, etc. are relatively cheap.

These Squiers OG Precision Basses are to me nicer than the original styled ones in that these have the forearm rollover and the tummy cut.

Great shopping list, it's going to make a My-T-Fine axe. Congrats. But you left off a tweed case with orange fur!

I own
three Squiers from the last several years and am pleasantly surprised by how good they are for their price range.

 

[58kites]

Nice bass, it's going to be reeeally good when you're finished adding that selection of parts.

Mine is a Samick built (ISS serial number) from 2019 and I like it a lot.
I did less upgrades...
Pickguard and pickguard screws (obviously).
String retainer.
The Duncan 51P (stacked coil) pickup from their custom shop.
CTS pots, a good poly cap and a Switchcraft #11 output jack.
The bridge and tuners seemed to be okay, so I left them on.

they stay for now.

I prefer my Samick Indo made version to the previous Chinese made ones, I had a used Chinese one here for three days and returned it.
Body wood is better on the Indo ones IMO, and the tobacco burst looks great.
The stock bridge has the standard Fender five screw spacing, Chinese ones didn't.
Fit and finish is as good on mine as the Chinese one I had here.
These fretboard edges feel better (rolled) than the Mexi Player Series do.
I think they are over-tinting the Indo necks a bit, but I really didn't like the super pale necks on the Chinese ones.

 

[ChickWithaRic]

Nice bass, it's going to be reeeally good when you're finished adding that selection of parts.

Mine is a Samick built (ISS serial number) from 2019 and I like it a lot.
I did less upgrades...
Pickguard and pickguard screws (obviously).
String retainer.
The Duncan 51P (stacked coil) pickup from their custom shop.
CTS pots, a good poly cap and a Switchcraft #11 output jack.
The bridge and tuners seemed to be okay, so I left them on.View attachment 4669173 View attachment 4669175 they stay for now.

View attachment 4669158

I prefer my Samick Indo made version to the previous Chinese made ones, I had a used Chinese one here for three days and returned it.
Body wood is better on the Indo ones IMO, and the tobacco burst looks great.
The stock bridge has the standard Fender five screw spacing, Chinese ones didn't.
Fit and finish is as good on mine as the Chinese one I had here.
These fretboard edges feel better (rolled) than the Mexi Player Series do.
I think they are over-tinting the Indo necks a bit, but I really didn't like the super pale necks on the Chinese ones.

Mine is a 2021 Samick manufactured model. I actually had no idea Samick made these, but it does explain the build quality. As the owner of my old local guitar shop said, Samick sure do know how to make a nice guitar.

Mine has the five screw bridge, too, which is a bonus because I'm switching the bridge out for a genuine Fender brass high mass. The finish is great and for once a Squier that I dont have to roll the fretboard edges myself!

I quite the like the dark neck and fingerboard tint, it gives it a roasted maple look. I think these are great value for money, and even though I'm giving mine the full suite of upgrades, there's nothing that jumps out at you as being necessary to "fix" out of the box. It's just that I bought this with the intention of upgrading it, but I certainly won't be throwing any of the original parts away.

 

[ChickWithaRic]

The great things about Squiers for modding is the low buy-in on generally solid instruments (and often surprisingly good for the price), and that since the Fender aftermarket is so vast, you can get most anything for them that often are drop-in installs (though not always, so you ALWAYS measure first).

Like most inexpensive axes, they cheap out on pots and wiring, but even the best pots, Jack's, etc. are relatively cheap.

These Squiers OG Precision Basses are to me nicer than the original styled ones in that these have the forearm rollover and the tummy cut.

Great shopping list, it's going to make a My-T-Fine axe. Congrats. But you left off a tweed case with orange fur!

I own
three Squiers from the last several years and am pleasantly surprised by how good they are for their price range.

The dime pots and cheap thin gauge wiring, plus a complete absence of shielding, are the weak points. The comfort contour body is very nice on these, and there's a pretty good pickup straight out of the box, good growling tones although a little bass shy. Tweed case is on the wishlist.

There's nothing on this bass that you need to fix urgently (other than the shielding), and the Samick build quality and finish is outstanding, it's certainly up to Fender standards. I'll take a well constructed bass with decent fretwork over a sloppy plank with fancy parts any day.

 

[J Wilson]

' 'It's just that I bought this with the intention of upgrading it, but I certainly won't be throwing any of the original parts away.'

Yes m'am, I know the feeling. I bought this:

Squier James Johnston Signature Jazz Bass. Like you said, nothing there that needed updating right off the bat. But as you did, I had bought it WITH the intention of doing a little hot-rod work down in the Speed Shop, so after my parts list and install, we rolled him out into the daylight:

Bear in mind, it was totally gig-ready out of the box. But I always admired that white pickup/white pickguard look from Fender guitars, so I rounded up some take-out Fender Yosemite pickups, white shells, white pickguard, Aerodyne knobs, CTS 250 volume, fader, .045 cap, tone, and a Super Jack, and Corner Music here in Nashville did all the work under the hood. It already had their bigger bridge with brass saddles, and a little lube smoothed the keys right out. I love this little axe, even though it's the first four string I've owned in 25 years.

Here's hoping you get as big a bang out of yours as I do this one.

 

[ChickWithaRic]

' 'It's just that I bought this with the intention of upgrading it, but I certainly won't be throwing any of the original parts away.'

Yes m'am, I know the feeling. I bought this:

View attachment 4669623
Squier James Johnston Signature Jazz Bass. Like you said, nothing there that needed updating right off the bat. But as you did, I had bought it WITH the intention of doing a little hot-rod work down in the Speed Shop, so after my parts list and install, we rolled him out into the daylight:
View attachment 4669634
Bear in mind, it was totally gig-ready out of the box. But I always admired that white pickup/white pickguard look from Fender guitars, so I rounded up some take-out Fender Yosemite pickups, white shells, white pickguard, Aerodyne knobs, CTS 250 volume, fader, .045 cap, tone, and a Super Jack, and Corner Music here in Nashville did all the work under the hood. It already had their bigger bridge with brass saddles, and a little lube smoothed the keys right out. I love this little axe, even though it's the first four string I've owned in 25 years.

Here's hoping you get as big a bang out of yours as I do this one.

Oh... now that's sweet. Those Aerodyne knobs look the business.

 

[J Wilson]

Thanks !

 

[Yahboy]

' 'It's just that I bought this with the intention of upgrading it, but I certainly won't be throwing any of the original parts away.'

Yes m'am, I know the feeling. I bought this:

View attachment 4669623
Squier James Johnston Signature Jazz Bass. Like you said, nothing there that needed updating right off the bat. But as you did, I had bought it WITH the intention of doing a little hot-rod work down in the Speed Shop, so after my parts list and install, we rolled him out into the daylight:
View attachment 4669634
Bear in mind, it was totally gig-ready out of the box. But I always admired that white pickup/white pickguard look from Fender guitars, so I rounded up some take-out Fender Yosemite pickups, white shells, white pickguard, Aerodyne knobs, CTS 250 volume, fader, .045 cap, tone, and a Super Jack, and Corner Music here in Nashville did all the work under the hood. It already had their bigger bridge with brass saddles, and a little lube smoothed the keys right out. I love this little axe, even though it's the first four string I've owned in 25 years.

Here's hoping you get as big a bang out of yours as I do this one.

Look great !! Lollipop tuner and jokomo pearl inlays sticker could make she look greater !

 

[ChickWithaRic]

Update: Seymour Duncan pickup arriving tomorrow, Gotoh tuners and hipshot string retainer before the end of this week. Everything else has been delivered. I won't start until I have a complete kit. I may assemble the wiring loom if I have time.

 

[ChickWithaRic]

Parts are all here, so I can start installing those straight away.

Don't know where, or if, to start a new thread or not.

 

[lowendblues]

I got the blonde one, love it.