• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

New 2014 Squier Classic Vibe basses

#61
blindrabbit said:
Yeah, I was very tempted by the photos of it, and then when I went into L&M and picked it up, all desire was instantly crushed by the weight. :(

I guess its a good thing that the CVs are all so heavy (at least every one I've ever touched), because if they weren't I'd probably own a half dozen of them or so...
Click to expand...

Weird...i have yet to encounter a heavy CV P and only one J that would top 9lb (which I owned)
 
#62
BudD said:
Guys, I hate to break it to you. But the pictures in the original posting are from a Dutch music store. And that white Jazz bass with the matching headstock and the little cartoon? That's a Steffi Stephan signature model -- he's a German bass player. It would appear these are instruments for the German/Netherlands market and are not something you're going to see at your local Guitar Center anytime soon. There's a reason they aren't on the U.S. Fender site.
Click to expand...

His and the other Basses are not on the German Fender page either.
 
#63
SpasticTastic said:
It has a 30'' scale, but for some reason they call it the "Jazzmaster Baritone."
Click to expand...

They call it a Jazzmaster Baritone because that is what it is. It has a Jazzmaster body, Jazzmaster pickups, Jazzmaster pickguard. Take a closer look, all three of those are different on the Fender and Squier VIs. To be sure one Fender bass, the Pawnshop VI, blurs the line a little but this is clearly a 30 inch scale Jazzmaster Baritone. The chief difference historically between short scale basses and baritone guitars has not been scale length, the two come in overlapping scale lengths, but number of strings and string layout. Of course the Fender VI blows that distinction out of the water! It is a somewhat confusing situation that has generally confused the moderators here who sometimes put non-Fender VI discussions in the off topic bin and sometimes leave them here in basses where they belong. At the end of the day there really is no difference at all between a "VI" bass and a baritone guitar. Either one could be strung and played as a guitar by a guitarist or as a bass by a bassist. They are truly crossover instruments. So, yes, the Jazzmaster Baritone can fill the same musical niche as a bass VI if the owner so chooses. But it is a Jazzmaster Baritone not a Fender/Squier VI as far as its design elements go.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stealth
#67
Basswood has a surprisingly wide range of density, but I'm surprised that the CV models are coming out with the heavier of the bodies. That could be a good thing though. There seems to be some kind of voodoo with basswood resonance, and I don't have any real experience with it on a bass.
 
#68
pudgychef said:
Maybe we could do a forum member L and M check...then get it shipped to BC (iirc its a 5% charge if you dont buy it) Js only?
Click to expand...

That's not a bad idea. I know it's Fender month now which makes it very tempting to try this out right away, but I have to first pay for my ACG custom build...so maybe I'll keep this plan in mind for August 2015 (I've bought all my recent Squiers and Fenders during L&M's Fender months in recent years).
 
#69
This is how the vintage threaded saddle bridge looks installed in the squier classic vibe p

ImageUploadedByTalkBass1407892638.219183.jpg


You can see the small gap in the outer screws. It's not bad

ImageUploadedByTalkBass1407892651.985552.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: chuck norriss
#72
Just FYI, the new 70s Precision might replace the existing 60s P that many have come to love. Thomann doesn't stock the 60s anymore, and they told me "they're not being made anymore" when I inquired today. Of course, this is basically speculation at the moment, but if anyone is on the fence about getting one, now would probably be a good time.
 
#75
That's my experience too. CV jazz I had had a very dense body for being basswood. Current VM precision is just as solid. I have an ibanez made with super soft basswood that feels like balsa wood. Bridge screws holes got stripped super easy.

Pocket4 said:
Basswood has a surprisingly wide range of density, but I'm surprised that the CV models are coming out with the heavier of the bodies. That could be a good thing though. There seems to be some kind of voodoo with basswood resonance, and I don't have any real experience with it on a bass.
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: 68Luds
#76
I personally don't think it's a matter of difference in quality as it is a different feature set between the two lines. Tone and feel are very subjective. The CV's use vintage size frets and different hardware, wood and pickups. Aside from those differences, I've found quality and weights to be comparatively consistent between the two. I've owned 4 VM5 (2 J's, 2 P's) and two CV J's (one was a James Johnston). On a fundamental level, I didn't find anything that wouldn't be considered subjective in quality differences.
 
  • Like
Reactions: blindrabbit
#79
68Luds said:
What's the better model, cv or vm?
Click to expand...

In my experience, the CV's tend toward a better bass. That's comparing two CV Jazzes I've tried-out to about fifteen or so VM's. To be fair, a few VM's might've been victimized by the lack of a proper set-up. I'd put the majority in the "pretty darn good" category and two (a Jag Special and a 2013 Jazz) in the "killer" tier. But when I hold it up to said CV's, one being "great" and another being "absolutely killer/on par with most Fenders", that's where my money would go if I had to buy one.
 
#80
Looking at that lovely Antigua Jazzmaster has me wondering something. Would it be possible to convert it's body into a short-scale four-stringer bass? I think it would look super-killer-sexy with a Jaguar short-scale neck…the one with the black-painted headstock.

Obviously, it would need a new bridge, perhaps a little work on the neck pocket and filling/drilling new screw holes, but what about the stock pickups. I mean, ultimately it's just magnets under metal strings, right?

Anyway, it's just a bit o' pure speculation, but I'm curious what others here might think of the possible merits and pitfalls.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back