NBD Squier Debut Series…

[C Stone]

Thank you!
I just got done practicing and as it sits right now, it is totally useable as is. Way better than any other typical budget bass I have ever played. And at this price too?

Incredible value here.

I agree, incredible value. FWIW plenty of room in the rout to replace the mini pots with full size CTS pots, I replaced them and shielded while I was in there to install some ToneRider TRP1's, normally a fan of stock ceramics just not these ceramics.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I agree, incredible value. FWIW plenty of room in the rout to replace the mini pots with full size CTS pots, I replaced them and shielded while I was in there to install some ToneRider TRP1's, normally a fan of stock ceramics just not these ceramics.

Yeah these pups “work” and sound ok, especially with flats. That said, they definitely are the weakest point of this otherwise truly serviceable instrument.

Just replacing the pots will provide a moderate improvement in tone and provide better function, while you’re at it replace the output jack!

Replacing the volume with a linear taper pot will give more usable range.
Increasing VOL pot value to 500k will increase the output, and brighten the tone.
Rolling back the volume knob to about 1/2 puts you right back to the 250k tone.

I copper shield ALL my basses when I have them open or if I encounter a noise problem.
Added benefit, eliminates the need to cross connect the grounds on the pots if you choose.

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

Had a little time last night to start modding.

I shimmed the neck, one business card, found this.

One of the neck screws was longer. Wonder why? Wrong part? Not a big deal though.

Here it is before and after copper shielding.

Then I alighted the pick guard up to drill new holes for it and the Fender CS 62 pickups I had in my parts drawer.

As you can see, there is a small gap at the input jack, not a big deal but worth mentioning. I had a little bit of trouble aligning the pickups with the CS 62 grounding plate and new foam, but after a few minutes I had it lined up.

I then pulled the film off the pickguard (two layers!),when I get some time over the weekend I am going to install the new pots and wiring, slap on new strings and knobs, then give it a setup.

Here it is cleaned up and ready for the next wave of work.

So far it was $140 for the bass, $40 for Elixir strings, $25 for the pots, jack, cap, and wiring, $14 for the pickguard, and $12 for Fender flat top P bass knobs. The pickup and copper shielding was already on hand.

So $231 total for this project so far. Not bad considering the pickups are $150 on their own, $10 more than the entire bass.

I will post again when job is complete.

 

[MadJack]

...
Then I alighted the pick guard up to drill new holes for it and the Fender CS 62 pickups I had in my parts drawer.
View attachment 7067127

View attachment 7067128
As you can see, there is a small gap at the input jack, not a big deal but worth mentioning. I had a little bit of trouble aligning the pickups with the CS 62 grounding plate and new foam, but after a few minutes I had it lined up.

I was looking at your's and looked back at @C Stone 's pickguard and it doesn't show any gap on his.

It appears that C Stone's pickguard is a little bit wider around the output jack on his than the pickguard you have. It could also be a difference in the routings. Most of the lower end Chinese manufacturers are still using templates instead of CNC to rout the bodies, pickup routs, neck pockets and control cavities. While templates do work well, they are more prone to error than CNC routing. It's possible the template shifted or there is a flaw in that particular template.

The same could be said for the pickguard, as many of the Chinese manufactured pickguards are from templates also.

The issue could also be a combination of both issues and you just had a bad luck of the draw.

Overall, it does look sharp.

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

I was looking at your's and looked back at @C Stone 's pickguard and it doesn't show any gap on his.

It appears that C Stone's pickguard is a little bit wider around the output jack on his than the pickguard you have. It could also be a difference in the routings. Most of the lower end Chinese manufacturers are still using templates instead of CNC to rout the bodies, pickup routs, neck pockets and control cavities. While templates do work well, they are more prone to error than CNC routing. It's possible the template shifted or there is a flaw in that particular template.

The same could be said for the pickguard, as many of the Chinese manufactured pickguards are from templates also.

The issue could also be a combination of both issues and you just had a bad luck of the draw.

Overall, it does look sharp.

Thank you.

Yeah, not a big deal since it’s a budget bass and a back up, if it were either of my AVRI’s, I’d be more prone to covering it. I did want to note it so that if someone searches for a pickguard replacement they can see that there are some issues that could come up. I’m not as OCD as some people, although i do like things to line up.

I did have to push back the copper foil so it wouldn’t show through.

 

[DJ Bebop]

The Red is calling me. Might have to block it’s number

Thinking of getting one of these to throw some light flats on, TI’s maybe.

The recent direction I was going in was and is to, get rid of stuff and maybe get a AV II P bass with the proceeds. But the little money I’ve gotten so far made me look at these and making me want to create a very poor man’s Pino P!

Hold on DJ!

 

[joeLowB]

Had a little time last night to start modding.

I shimmed the neck, one business card, found this.

View attachment 7067124One of the neck screws was longer. Wonder why? Wrong part? Not a big deal though.

Here it is before and after copper shielding. View attachment 7067125View attachment 7067126Then I alighted the pick guard up to drill new holes for it and the Fender CS 62 pickups I had in my parts drawer.
View attachment 7067127

View attachment 7067128
As you can see, there is a small gap at the input jack, not a big deal but worth mentioning. I had a little bit of trouble aligning the pickups with the CS 62 grounding plate and new foam, but after a few minutes I had it lined up.

I then pulled the film off the pickguard (two layers!),when I get some time over the weekend I am going to install the new pots and wiring, slap on new strings and knobs, then give it a setup.

Here it is cleaned up and ready for the next wave of work.

View attachment 7067129
So far it was $140 for the bass, $40 for Elixir strings, $25 for the pots, jack, cap, and wiring, $14 for the pickguard, and $12 for Fender flat top P bass knobs. The pickup and copper shielding was already on hand.

So $231 total for this project so far. Not bad considering the pickups are $150 on their own, $10 more than the entire bass.

I will post again when job is complete.

Nicely done! Good pix. The screw thing is kinda odd...good catch.

Nice job on the cavity shielding. I did mine similarly in early July and this bass is so quiet now. Here's what mine looked like.

Look forward to your impressions with the pickups you will install.


Enjoy!

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

Nicely done! Good pix. The screw thing is kinda odd...good catch.

Nice job on the cavity shielding. I did mine similarly in early July and this bass is so quiet now. Here's what mine looked like.

View attachment 7067645View attachment 7067647

Look forward to your impressions with the pickups you will install.


Enjoy!

Thank you! Nicely done as well. I didn’t experience any noise from the stock electronics, but I had seen in this thread that everyone was doing it so I did too. lol

I hadn’t shielded my AVRI’s, but I did do my Road Worn, not because it was noisy, I did it just because I could.

I had pulled the CS 62 from a bass I traded, so I know the character of them, however out of all my pickups, they were my least favorite. Not bad, just not as fulfilling as my 58, 60, or 63’s.

With this instrument I’m sure they will be just fine.

In all reality I could’ve just left well enough alone as I felt that everything was pretty decent as is.

 

[C Stone]

Not a problem if you are not OCD it
still looks great. Different pick-guard manufacturers foot prints can and do sometimes cover a little differently, I had no issues with an old Squier PG, I think a Musiclily also fit the rout. I dig the gloss PG on the matte black finish, well done!

I also went ahead and shielded mine while I was in there but it didn't need it. Enjoy your new Bass.

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

Not a problem if you are not OCD it
still looks great. Different pick-guard manufacturers foot prints can and do sometimes cover a little differently, I had no issues with an old Squier PG, I think a Musiclily also fit the rout. I dig the gloss PG on the matte black finish, well done!

I also went ahead and shielded mine while I was in there but it didn't need it.

That’s a great copper job!

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Had a little time last night to start modding.

I shimmed the neck, one business card, found this.

View attachment 7067124One of the neck screws was longer. Wonder why? Wrong part? Not a big deal though.

Here it is before and after copper shielding. View attachment 7067125View attachment 7067126Then I alighted the pick guard up to drill new holes for it and the Fender CS 62 pickups I had in my parts drawer.
View attachment 7067127

View attachment 7067128
As you can see, there is a small gap at the input jack, not a big deal but worth mentioning. I had a little bit of trouble aligning the pickups with the CS 62 grounding plate and new foam, but after a few minutes I had it lined up.

I then pulled the film off the pickguard (two layers!),when I get some time over the weekend I am going to install the new pots and wiring, slap on new strings and knobs, then give it a setup.

Here it is cleaned up and ready for the next wave of work.

View attachment 7067129
So far it was $140 for the bass, $40 for Elixir strings, $25 for the pots, jack, cap, and wiring, $14 for the pickguard, and $12 for Fender flat top P bass knobs. The pickup and copper shielding was already on hand.

So $231 total for this project so far. Not bad considering the pickups are $150 on their own, $10 more than the entire bass.

I will post again when job is complete.

Odd no gap on mine? Cheap Kaish iirc:

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Odd no gap on mine? Cheap Kaish iirc:
View attachment 7067697

I briefly installed a higher dollar glitter pickguard also has no gap. Sorry your bass seems to have a larger/ misaligned control cavity

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

Odd no gap on mine? Cheap Kaish iirc:
View attachment 7067697

Yep. That’s the brand.

I wired it up tonight. Tested and confirmed good.

All I need to do now is put on the strings and set it up.

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

Put the strings on and set it up. Action is really low, no fret buzz.

Fender CS 62 pickups are brighter than I remember, still need to dial it them in when I get a little more time.

I weighed it after all the mods; new stings, pickup, electronics, knobs, straplocks, shielding and pickguard added almost 1/4 lb to it. Within ounces from all my other basses. No neck dive.

So far I’m satisfied with this bass as a suitable travel backup.

I will practice with it all week to break it in a little and dial out any issues.

 

[C Stone]

Put the strings on and set it up. Action is really low, no fret buzz.

Fender CS 62 pickups are brighter than I remember, still need to dial it them in when I get a little more time.

I weighed it after all the mods; new stings, pickup, electronics, knobs, straplocks, shielding and pickguard added almost 1/4 lb to it. Within ounces from all my other basses. No neck dive.

So far I’m satisfied with this bass as a suitable travel backup.

I will practice with it all week to break it in a little and dial out any issues.View attachment 7068228View attachment 7068229

Great lookin headstock grain and board on yours. Stoked it's gonna work for you. It looks killer.

 

[birminghambass]

Received mine today. I'm generally not a fan of budget or entry level instruments. I'm also admittedly a bit of a snob when it comes to names on a headstock.
So here it is:

Unboxed and plugged it up.....plays really well! Like, REALLY well. Neck is slim and fast. Setup pretty well already, just a minor tweak and it was done. No fret buzz/high frets. A few sharp ends towards the higher frets, not too bad though. I've had USA and MIM Fenders that were worse players. Tone is meh. Terrible strings and a cheap pickup. But this was expected. Pickup is 1/16th closer to the neck than my USA Ps, still sounds like a P to me.

Fit/finish on this bass is simply astounding at this price point. Bridge, neck, and pickup alignment is all on point. No gap in the neck pocket. No flaws in the finish. Nut is spaced and cut well. Also, sometimes on cheaper instrument you can see the wood seams thru the finish. Not on this one. Compared to my USA P the body is slightly thinner, maybe 1/8". Overall weight is 8.8lbs.
Hardware is fine. Cheap for sure. The tuners look to be the same as the ones on MIM basses.

Overall I'm happy to be wrong on this one. I thought for sure I'd be posting about how cheap basses are cheap for a reason and this one sucks. This bass does not suck. A few minor upgrades and it's giggable for sure. I cannot imagine why anyone would spend extra money on an Affinity as this is easily nicer than any Affinity or Squier Standard I've played.
I was planning on using Amazon's return policy or maybe just using the body for a project. Nope, keeping it as-is.
Here it is next to my 2 other matte black basses.

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

Received mine today. I'm generally not a fan of budget or entry level instruments. I'm also admittedly a bit of a snob when it comes to names on a headstock.
So here it is:

View attachment 7069007

Unboxed and plugged it up.....plays really well! Like, REALLY well. Neck is slim and fast. Setup pretty well already, just a minor tweak and it was done. No fret buzz/high frets. A few sharp ends towards the higher frets, not too bad though. I've had USA and MIM Fenders that were worse players. Tone is meh. Terrible strings and a cheap pickup. But this was expected. Pickup is 1/16th closer to the neck than my USA Ps, still sounds like a P to me.

View attachment 7069009View attachment 7069010View attachment 7069011

Fit/finish on this bass is simply astounding at this price point. Bridge, neck, and pickup alignment is all on point. No gap in the neck pocket. No flaws in the finish. Nut is spaced and cut well. Also, sometimes on cheaper instrument you can see the wood seams thru the finish. Not on this one. Compared to my USA P the body is slightly thinner, maybe 1/8". Overall weight is 8.8lbs.
Hardware is fine. Cheap for sure. The tuners look to be the same as the ones on MIM basses.

Overall I'm happy to be wrong on this one. I thought for sure I'd be posting about how cheap basses are cheap for a reason and this one sucks. This bass does not suck. A few minor upgrades and it's giggable for sure. I cannot imagine why anyone would spend extra money on an Affinity as this is easily nicer than any Affinity or Squier Standard I've played.
I was planning on using Amazon's return policy or maybe just using the body for a project. Nope, keeping it as-is.
Here it is next to my 2 other matte black basses.

View attachment 7069021

All spot on. Mine even came with Allen wrenches for the truss rod and bridge saddles.

I have spent a few hours on mine after modding, and I feel it is a solid player. I wish they would’ve had something like this when I first started.

Here is mine next to my main players.

 

[joeLowB]

Received mine today. I'm generally not a fan of budget or entry level instruments. I'm also admittedly a bit of a snob when it comes to names on a headstock.
So here it is:

View attachment 7069007

Unboxed and plugged it up.....plays really well! Like, REALLY well. Neck is slim and fast. Setup pretty well already, just a minor tweak and it was done. No fret buzz/high frets. A few sharp ends towards the higher frets, not too bad though. I've had USA and MIM Fenders that were worse players. Tone is meh. Terrible strings and a cheap pickup. But this was expected. Pickup is 1/16th closer to the neck than my USA Ps, still sounds like a P to me.

View attachment 7069009View attachment 7069010View attachment 7069011

Fit/finish on this bass is simply astounding at this price point. Bridge, neck, and pickup alignment is all on point. No gap in the neck pocket. No flaws in the finish. Nut is spaced and cut well. Also, sometimes on cheaper instrument you can see the wood seams thru the finish. Not on this one. Compared to my USA P the body is slightly thinner, maybe 1/8". Overall weight is 8.8lbs.
Hardware is fine. Cheap for sure. The tuners look to be the same as the ones on MIM basses.

Overall I'm happy to be wrong on this one. I thought for sure I'd be posting about how cheap basses are cheap for a reason and this one sucks. This bass does not suck. A few minor upgrades and it's giggable for sure. I cannot imagine why anyone would spend extra money on an Affinity as this is easily nicer than any Affinity or Squier Standard I've played.
I was planning on using Amazon's return policy or maybe just using the body for a project. Nope, keeping it as-is.
Here it is next to my 2 other matte black basses.

View attachment 7069021

Nice report! Your experience aligns with many of us.

I'll be interested to hear what pickup and string combination you land on.

Yes...an amazing bass at this price!

.

 

[C Stone]

@birminghambass "Tone is meh. Terrible strings and a cheap pickup. But this was expected."

I wasn't feelin the pickups either although others have been ok with them, I agree they are meh (I replaced mine) strings are NOT Fender 7250's which normally come stock on fenders basses other than that so far it's been a great budget bass. Glad to hear it's gonna work for you...

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Received mine today. I'm generally not a fan of budget or entry level instruments. I'm also admittedly a bit of a snob when it comes to names on a headstock.
So here it is:

View attachment 7069007

Unboxed and plugged it up.....plays really well! Like, REALLY well. Neck is slim and fast. Setup pretty well already, just a minor tweak and it was done. No fret buzz/high frets. A few sharp ends towards the higher frets, not too bad though. I've had USA and MIM Fenders that were worse players. Tone is meh. Terrible strings and a cheap pickup. But this was expected. Pickup is 1/16th closer to the neck than my USA Ps, still sounds like a P to me.

View attachment 7069009View attachment 7069010View attachment 7069011

Fit/finish on this bass is simply astounding at this price point. Bridge, neck, and pickup alignment is all on point. No gap in the neck pocket. No flaws in the finish. Nut is spaced and cut well. Also, sometimes on cheaper instrument you can see the wood seams thru the finish. Not on this one. Compared to my USA P the body is slightly thinner, maybe 1/8". Overall weight is 8.8lbs.
Hardware is fine. Cheap for sure. The tuners look to be the same as the ones on MIM basses.

Overall I'm happy to be wrong on this one. I thought for sure I'd be posting about how cheap basses are cheap for a reason and this one sucks. This bass does not suck. A few minor upgrades and it's giggable for sure. I cannot imagine why anyone would spend extra money on an Affinity as this is easily nicer than any Affinity or Squier Standard I've played.
I was planning on using Amazon's return policy or maybe just using the body for a project. Nope, keeping it as-is.
Here it is next to my 2 other matte black basses.

View attachment 7069021

It surprised me too, I forged ahead with the upgrades, as it was planned to be so: in the end it beats a MIM imho! And a G&L SB1 tribute also (MFD’s in mine) for only a small effort and coin.

I DGAF about the waterslide decal, actually I PREFER a lower / no name that I can skillfully, selectively update to be / play it’s best.