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NBD: Squier Rascal

srosenthal13

srosenthal13

Aug 22, 2023
465
1,553
Bay Area, CA
#1
I'd been interested in these since they came out, and a week ago, Sweetwater had the Sherwood Green models on sale for $350. That was a no-brainer.

I'm pretty impressed. It's my first short scale, and it fits my small hands like a glove.

I'm on the fence whether to stick with rounds or put flats on it. My Jag medium scales have flats, and it could be cool to go with rounds on this guy.

Neck feels great in the hand, but I can forsee knocking down the gloss finish.

Frets are pretty well dressed. Not perfect, but no sharp ends, and fairly well leveled.

The Sherwood Green color is awesome in person.

Controls feel decent. I won't swap any of them out any time soon. I'm surprised that the jack is good and tight. My other Squiers had weak-feeling jacks that I replaced early.

Could maybe use some shielding. I'll get around to that eventually.

I gave it my setup, and it will need tweaking for a few days until it settles.

It's a very different sound profile than my P and J Jags, which is the whole point.

Fun times ahead seeing what it records like.
 

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#2
Yeah shielding helps. Dead quiet after shielding. Be careful when removing the pickguard. The pickups are heavy.

I sanded the back of the neck also and I like it much better (knocked the gloss off but didn’t go down to wood)

I also needed deoxit in the switch. Was going to replace it but it is fine now.
 
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#7
Hey, really enjoying following this thread! That Squier Rascal looks like such a cool little bass!

The short scale and unique pickups definitely catch my eye. I’d love to get my hands on one and see how it feels and sounds in person. Thanks for sharing all the details, it’s making me seriously consider trying one out!
 
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#8
CringeWave said:
Hey, really enjoying following this thread! That Squier Rascal looks like such a cool little bass!

The short scale and unique pickups definitely catch my eye. I’d love to get my hands on one and see how it feels and sounds in person. Thanks for sharing all the details, it’s making me seriously consider trying one out!
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Thanks! Totally worth a tryout. I'm really pleased with it so far.
 
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#11
Congrats! Picked up a shell pink one last year and it's a fantastic bass. I know a lot of people like to use flats on them, but considering it's already a fairly dark tone I opted to use short scale DR Sunbeams and they are the perfect string for this bass to my ears. I gigged it at Christmas time with songs that had a lot of walking lines and the 30" scale makes it a total breeze.

Have a LOT of fun with it!
 
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#13
klattman said:
Yeah shielding helps. Dead quiet after shielding. Be careful when removing the pickguard. The pickups are heavy.

I sanded the back of the neck also and I like it much better (knocked the gloss off but didn’t go down to wood)

I also needed deoxit in the switch. Was going to replace it but it is fine now.
Click to expand...
I shielded mine too. I'm an obsessive for shielding, a lot of people say that because the pickups are Humbucking there is no need to do it but I did it anyway :D

IMG_2188.jpgIMG_2205.jpg
 
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#14
TeeSee said:
I shielded mine too. I'm an obsessive for shielding, a lot of people say that because the pickups are Humbucking there is no need to do it but I did it anyway :D

View attachment 7263417View attachment 7263418
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The pickups aren’t the only source of noise. Every wire or component can potentially cause a problem if not grounded/ shielded. I noticed noise before shielding and zero after.

(in the fender rascal I also shielded everything but when the single coils are alone that cycle hum is evident and there’s not much you can do about that… however before shielding it was unbearable even using combinations of pickups. Now it’s dead quiet when when selecting opposing pickups).
 
#15
klattman said:
The pickups aren’t the only source of noise. Every wire or component can potentially cause a problem if not grounded/ shielded. I noticed noise before shielding and zero after.

(in the fender rascal I also shielded everything but when the single coils are alone that cycle hum is evident and there’s not much you can do about that… however before shielding it was unbearable even using combinations of pickups. Now it’s dead quiet when when selecting opposing pickups).
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I was under the impression the pickups were Humbucking? I agree though that shielding will also reduce EMF background from wires, pots, switches etc.
 
#16
srosenthal13 said:
It's a very different sound profile than my P and J Jags, which is the whole point.
Click to expand...

BassBrass said:
My favorite bass since I got it (black sparkle, green wasn't available), using the neck pu is the best-usable Gibson EBO ever. strung it with Fat Beams.
Click to expand...

I think there is a video out on YT where they describe the tone as the best Gibson Squier has ever made, or something like that. In the video he mentions that the tone is so very Gibson.

I have the CAR version as well, and really love the difference in sound from all the other basses I own. I've played several Gibson/Epi basses in stores and just never liked them, but this bass gives me that tone, but in a Fender-ish build. Works for me!
 
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#17
TeeSee said:
I was under the impression the pickups were Humbucking? I agree though that shielding will also reduce EMF background from wires, pots, switches etc.
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The squier rascal has humbucking pickups but i still had noise until I shielded it. Wire loops or ground loops etc can still pick up noise.

I’d recommend shielding always, especially since many basses come with no or woefully inadequate grounding/shielding.

The fender rascal has single coils and also needs shielding/grounding but is only as quiet as the squier when selecting pickup positions 2 (neck plus middle) or 4 (middle plus bridge).

Apart from the pickups the squier and fender rascals are more similar than different. (I actually like the bridge on the squier better).
 
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#18
As an aside - I also have the Jag Medium Scale bass. It is a sure keeper! I found that the T.I. 324 Jazz Flats will fit and WOW am I glad I tried! Since they are pulled to a higher tension for the 32 vs. 30" scale - they are much less tubby than most flats and have an incredibly clear upper bass and low mids. AT first you think there is no bottom but you will realize that it is the clarity that fools you. The first time I used them the sound man was blown away. His comment -"You can actually HEAR the bass!"
 
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