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Should I modify my Squier or upgrade to another bass?
- Thread starter Inconnu
- Start date
I didn't read all the replies, but in the original statement the model Squier wasn't revealed. If it is an Affinity, I wouldn't bother doing anything to it. If it is a Classic Vibe or VM70's level Squier there are some things that you might do or not. I've over-improved a Squier VM70's and a Fender MIM and helped a buddy with a new Precision CV. I wouldn't bother with a Affinity model at all. But CVs and VM's are pretty good stock.
The thing is that any money you put into a Squier you will not fully recover. Things like pickups and hardware can be stripped out of a bass and sold separately if you put the original pickups and hardware back in and sell the bass with the OEM part separately.
The first thing that will make a Squier or almost any bass better is fret level, crown and setup. Pots? IMO don't bother. Replacing mini pots with full size pots don't create an appreciable difference in function and almost no difference in sound. You can do it if you like, but why? The exception to that would be retiring for parallel/series with a push-pull pot or a switch. A heavy bridge won't do much. I've done that. It looks cool but didn't add to the sound or much to the sustain.
Had I to to it over again with both my Squier and Fender MIM basses is sell them as stock and spend the money for better quality basses. Yamaha or Sire or Ibanez will be a better upgrade for the money than monkeying around upgrading a Squier. If it were me I would sell the Squier as is and just get a different bass. I wish I knew then what I know now. I have two basses that I like, but can never sell without taking a haircut. JMO
The thing is that any money you put into a Squier you will not fully recover. Things like pickups and hardware can be stripped out of a bass and sold separately if you put the original pickups and hardware back in and sell the bass with the OEM part separately.
The first thing that will make a Squier or almost any bass better is fret level, crown and setup. Pots? IMO don't bother. Replacing mini pots with full size pots don't create an appreciable difference in function and almost no difference in sound. You can do it if you like, but why? The exception to that would be retiring for parallel/series with a push-pull pot or a switch. A heavy bridge won't do much. I've done that. It looks cool but didn't add to the sound or much to the sustain.
Had I to to it over again with both my Squier and Fender MIM basses is sell them as stock and spend the money for better quality basses. Yamaha or Sire or Ibanez will be a better upgrade for the money than monkeying around upgrading a Squier. If it were me I would sell the Squier as is and just get a different bass. I wish I knew then what I know now. I have two basses that I like, but can never sell without taking a haircut. JMO
A bridge replacement can make a difference, I experienced this myself, with a clearly stronger depth and sustain than pre-replacement (Babicz mod). I don't think it's a guarantee that it will make a difference, or that any difference will be appealing, idk for sure about that ... but it can. Simplest and most easily impactful mod, imo, is pickup replacement, which can be done quite inexpensively to good effect (look to the off brands, perfectly functional, with a variety of choices). I'm not counting strings change as a mod, as much a maintenance choice as anything ... but a choice which can make a difference.
Maybe a Babicz will be better. It's hard to say and I think depends on the resonance of the body itself. My Squier has a soft maple body and possibly couldn't really take advantage of the heavy bridge. I put a Gotoh heavy bridge in my Squier and the only benefit that I can see is that it looks cool. It did little if anything for the sound. I suppose if one is to keep the Squier forever one might be able to justify upgrading parts. That's what I thought, until the gigs I was doing started requiring a 5 string… after installing a Drop D in my Squier VM Jazz 4.
My opinion is that it's not just (or even mostly) about the heaviness, with a Babicz bridge for example, but the configuration. That's my impression. I've tried heavy bridges that weren't helpful ... I think "it depends ... "
Yeah, well… inflation helping… my Affinity now sells, used, twice the price I paid for it (used), 5 years ago… around here anyways.
Still, money is money and to me, instruments are definitely not an investment in terms of resale value, more of investment in the joy of playing them.
In part but none are investments fir me, never even thought about 'em that way. I have a couple I will not mod (CV's) am very satisfied with them as stock the rest are 'fair game' and most of what I have I either modded or put together myself.
I'm the same way- and have way more guitars and basses than I'd ever dreamed. But the one thing I learned is that while I can enjoy my over-improved less pricey instruments, that money might have been better served with better basses to start with, needling less "upgrades".
What I've found is, again, the most important thing that I've done to improve my Squier and Fender MIM is professional fret level and crown. And while I can strip upgraded parts out of these basses and sell them separately to recover some of that money to put toward better basses, I can never recover the cost of pure labor. But then again, they play and sound way better than as they were stock- so I don't entirely regret doing the upgrades.
