My first impression when I saw pictures of this bass was an "eye-roll." The look didn't appeal to me at first and I was really upset that the high end Squiers were now $560 CAD plus tax which would be around $615. I've also owned a few Jazz basses and could never fall in love with any of them, I always felt they sounded "meek" compared to Precision basses.
Then, I saw an ad at my local store putting these on sale for $450, and I happened to have a few things to trade in, also I been in lock down since Christmas and the idea of going to a store to try a bass was too good to turn down. When I watched Youtube videos, I loved the sound and when I read reviews here, people seemed happy.
I got to the store and fell in love right away. I plugged it into an Ampeg BA115 and it was the sound I was looking for. The classic Jazz sound with a bit of bite to it. I also had a Jazz Player to compare. They sounded quite similar and I admit, if all thing were equal I would have taken home the player (lighter weight and more comfy neck) but the Paranormal was half the price so I snagged it.
I am in no way a bass expert, just a guy that has owned enough basses and knows a few indicators of quality. Here is my subjective review, hope people enjoy.
Sound:
I played around with the knobs and I was able to get a huge variety of sounds. However, I like to find what i like and keep it there. For now I like the neck and bridge pick-up at 100% and the neck tone at 100% and bridge tone at 50%. Like I said earlier the best way I can describe it is the classic jazz sound with some bite. It sounded very close to the Jazz Player I tried with it.
Build Quality:
The million dollar question: How does it compare to the Chinese Classic Vibes?
I owned a Silver CV Jazz bass before and I would say that if it was better quality, it would not be by a wide margin. I can comfortably say that the Paranormal bass that I bought feels much better then any of the Indonesian CVs I played. To be fair, the Indo CVs I tried typically had dried out fret boards and fret sprout, which does not necessarily mean the quality is bad but first impressions are everything. I could not find anything wrong with this bass.
My only small complaint is the weigh. This one weighs 9.8 lbs (I held it while standing on a scale, not sure how accurate that is) It is heavier than I like but not heavy enough to be a deal breaker.
Set-up:
No fret sprout. Intonation great. Action Great. Neck straight. A little rattle on the AA string, for some reason I feel it's coming from the bridge not the nut. I've played much more expensive basses with an A string rattle, I'm sure a good set up will fix it. I couldn't hear it in the store but could hear it when I got home and played in low volumes.
Aesthetic:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think this is a great looking bass. It looks like a high quality bass. The finish is really nice. I think white always looks good on stage.
Overall:
This may be too heavy for some gigs but for the ones where my sets are only 20 minutes or so I could probably handle it. This would be an amazing bass for a beginner. I believe it is a massive upgrade from the $250-$300 range basses. It does toe to toe with the the MIM Fenders. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a Jazz bass in their arsenal but doesn't want to spend a ton of money.
It certainly help that it came in perfect condition and with a decent set up, which I do not always see with Squier Basses. Will I keep this around?(there are only 2 basses I have that I have vowed to never sell, otherwise I rotate around a great deal). Instinctively, I doubt this is a forever bass but we will have to see after I record and play with my band. I am very interested in see how this bass sounds in the mix. I have a feeling it will cut through just fine.
Then, I saw an ad at my local store putting these on sale for $450, and I happened to have a few things to trade in, also I been in lock down since Christmas and the idea of going to a store to try a bass was too good to turn down. When I watched Youtube videos, I loved the sound and when I read reviews here, people seemed happy.
I got to the store and fell in love right away. I plugged it into an Ampeg BA115 and it was the sound I was looking for. The classic Jazz sound with a bit of bite to it. I also had a Jazz Player to compare. They sounded quite similar and I admit, if all thing were equal I would have taken home the player (lighter weight and more comfy neck) but the Paranormal was half the price so I snagged it.
I am in no way a bass expert, just a guy that has owned enough basses and knows a few indicators of quality. Here is my subjective review, hope people enjoy.
Sound:
I played around with the knobs and I was able to get a huge variety of sounds. However, I like to find what i like and keep it there. For now I like the neck and bridge pick-up at 100% and the neck tone at 100% and bridge tone at 50%. Like I said earlier the best way I can describe it is the classic jazz sound with some bite. It sounded very close to the Jazz Player I tried with it.
Build Quality:
The million dollar question: How does it compare to the Chinese Classic Vibes?
I owned a Silver CV Jazz bass before and I would say that if it was better quality, it would not be by a wide margin. I can comfortably say that the Paranormal bass that I bought feels much better then any of the Indonesian CVs I played. To be fair, the Indo CVs I tried typically had dried out fret boards and fret sprout, which does not necessarily mean the quality is bad but first impressions are everything. I could not find anything wrong with this bass.
My only small complaint is the weigh. This one weighs 9.8 lbs (I held it while standing on a scale, not sure how accurate that is) It is heavier than I like but not heavy enough to be a deal breaker.
Set-up:
No fret sprout. Intonation great. Action Great. Neck straight. A little rattle on the AA string, for some reason I feel it's coming from the bridge not the nut. I've played much more expensive basses with an A string rattle, I'm sure a good set up will fix it. I couldn't hear it in the store but could hear it when I got home and played in low volumes.
Aesthetic:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think this is a great looking bass. It looks like a high quality bass. The finish is really nice. I think white always looks good on stage.
Overall:
This may be too heavy for some gigs but for the ones where my sets are only 20 minutes or so I could probably handle it. This would be an amazing bass for a beginner. I believe it is a massive upgrade from the $250-$300 range basses. It does toe to toe with the the MIM Fenders. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a Jazz bass in their arsenal but doesn't want to spend a ton of money.
It certainly help that it came in perfect condition and with a decent set up, which I do not always see with Squier Basses. Will I keep this around?(there are only 2 basses I have that I have vowed to never sell, otherwise I rotate around a great deal). Instinctively, I doubt this is a forever bass but we will have to see after I record and play with my band. I am very interested in see how this bass sounds in the mix. I have a feeling it will cut through just fine.
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