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Squier Affinity Jaguar Bass...H?!

#342
i just picked up one of these a couple days ago after always finding 34" to be too long for my tiny hands, but never really liking short scales either. this 32" size feels perfect for me.. i love it.

i want to comment quick on the complaints i've heard so far

1-neck dive.. this is real. even sitting down without a strap i need to use my left hand to carry this thing more than i'd like .. this is my biggest complaint

2-noisy pickup.. i must have gotten lucky. mine is dead silent. my tele picks up noise no matter where i am or point the thing..my dual humbucker washburn same thing.. but this jag h, no noise at all.

3-pickup not "bright enough"... funny, my girlfriend who also plays bass (more than me) commented to me that she doesn't like how my new bass is "too metallic" or "high pitched" ... i personally like a more mellow/dark tone and think the pickups sound great on this.. the single pickup with 1 tone knob is simple and effective. with tone up i get just enough high end when i want it.. but usually keep tone down where it shines.

overall this bass is great.. at least the one i got..with the only real complaint being the neck dive. the finish is beautiful, the fretwork is immaculate, didn't have to set up out of the box other than tune the thing. for 250 bucks this is a steal to me. only real competition (still 50 bucks more) is the mezzo which i want to try as well.
 
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#343
steimlem said:
i just picked up one of these a couple days ago after always finding 34" to be too long for my tiny hands, but never really liking short scales either. this 32" size feels perfect for me.. i love it.

i want to comment quick on the complaints i've heard so far

1-neck dive.. this is real. even sitting down without a strap i need to use my left hand to carry this thing more than i'd like .. this is my biggest complaint

2-noisy pickup.. i must have gotten lucky. mine is dead silent. my tele picks up noise no matter where i am or point the thing..my dual humbucker washburn same thing.. but this jag h, no noise at all.

3-pickup not "bright enough"... funny, my girlfriend who also plays bass (more than me) commented to me that she doesn't like how my new bass is "too metallic" or "high pitched" ... i personally like a more mellow/dark tone and think the pickups sound great on this.. the single pickup with 1 tone knob is simple and effective. with tone up i get just enough high end when i want it.. but usually keep tone down where it shines.

overall this bass is great.. at least the one i got..with the only real complaint being the neck dive. the finish is beautiful, the fretwork is immaculate, didn't have to set up out of the box other than tune the thing. for 250 bucks this is a steal to me. only real competition (still 50 bucks more) is the mezzo which i want to try as well.
Click to expand...

You should try the ibby mezzo if neck dive on this Jag H really bothers you.
 
#348
kevmac said:
IMO these are good bridges that I've used before this,and they are much less expensive than Hipshot or Babitz.
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I have also read good things about them, except some basses are harder to get low action with the bridge barrels that are a couple mm bigger than the standard bridge, unless they shim the neck. Will give it a try and see if it sets up as good as yours. Thanks for the info.
 
#349
taosword said:
I have also read good things about them, except some basses are harder to get low action with the bridge barrels that are a couple mm bigger than the standard bridge, unless they shim the neck. Will give it a try and see if it sets up as good as yours. Thanks for the info.
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Yeah I had this exact problem with the Fender Himass bridge with the barrels, ended up returning it.
 
#350
taosword said:
I have also read good things about them, except some basses are harder to get low action with the bridge barrels that are a couple mm bigger than the standard bridge, unless they shim the neck. Will give it a try and see if it sets up as good as yours. Thanks for the info.
Click to expand...
I installed a Gotoh high mass on my Jaguar H and found that I could bottom out the barrels/saddles and still have what some might call high action, so it depends on your expectations. I kept the Gotoh on mine since I don't have a light touch, meaning slightly high action is a necessity for me.
 
#352
Obsesspool said:
I installed a Gotoh high mass on my Jaguar H and found that I could bottom out the barrels/saddles and still have what some might call high action, so it depends on your expectations. I kept the Gotoh on mine since I don't have a light touch, meaning slightly high action is a necessity for me.
Click to expand...
I put mine on and got a tad under 1/8" at the 12th fret with at least a 16th of adjustment left if I want to lower it.I guess if anyone wants it lower than that they'd need to find something else.
 
#353
kevmac said:
I put mine on and got a tad under 1/8" at the 12th fret with at least a 16th of adjustment left if I want to lower it.I guess if anyone wants it lower than that they'd need to find something else.
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Thats sounds about right. I have my shorter scale basses around 1/8" at the 12 fret, and regular scale a little lower. Shorter scales can be a bit harder to intonate and adjust if you try and get to low of action, especially with the E string, at least in my experience with standard bridges.Thanks for the info.
 
#354
taosword said:
Thats sounds about right. I have my shorter scale basses around 1/8" at the 12 fret, and regular scale a little lower. Shorter scales can be a bit harder to intonate and adjust if you try and get to low of action, especially with the E string, at least in my experience with standard bridges.Thanks for the info.
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Learn something new everyday.I didn't know that about short scale intonation.My intonation is good where the action is.And like you my L.S. are a tad lower as I like.Anyway, all's well that ends well in this case.Now I'm struggling with whether or not to fit a preamp along with the new Sentell Quad coil MM pickup I'm having my tech install.I have a Tone Monster and a Darkglass Tone Capsule to choose from but the control cavity as you probably have seen is miniscule and I'm not sure if I want to start routing.I wish manufacturers would take this this into consideration but that's asking for a lot.I guess I'm just the odd bird that never tires of tinkering with my basses.
 
#356
Petros-J said:
Oh boy, I've ordered the Fender Hi-Mass and then I've read your comment.
I hope it will be fine in it's lowest possible setting.[/Q
Isn't that the bridge that is too close to the end of the bass or sticks over? Another thing I am going to try with my Gotoh 201B is I put some 9mm brass Wilkinson bridge barrels on it, which fit, as opposed to the 10mm ones that come with it. If its still too high I could use standard 8mm barrels. I have a guitar tech doing it since things like nut changes, or truss rod adjustments and shimming are not something I do. He will know what is the easiest way to get the string height I like, and proper intonation, and will also be putting my Norstrand MM4.2 with a 3 way switching in, and lighter Gotoh GB640 resolite tuners to address some of the neck dive. All this is not for looks but tone and comfort for gigging. I am not concerned about its worth before or after on the resale market. I just need the 32 inch neck for those 3 set gigs that tax my hands.
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#357
Petros-J said:
Oh boy, I've ordered the Fender Hi-Mass and then I've read your comment.
I hope it will be fine in it's lowest possible setting.
Click to expand...
AFAIK there are at least two Fender "himass" models, the one with "barrel" saddles is 008-1460-049, and the one with "flat" saddles is 099-4407-000. The second one fits fine, allows very low action. It does get close to the end of the body but does not protrude.
 
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#359
steimlem said:
i just picked up one of these a couple days ago after always finding 34" to be too long for my tiny hands, but never really liking short scales either. this 32" size feels perfect for me.. i love it.

i want to comment quick on the complaints i've heard so far

1-neck dive.. this is real. even sitting down without a strap i need to use my left hand to carry this thing more than i'd like .. this is my biggest complaint
Click to expand...

I haven't done this yet, but I've found a "hack" that is surprisingly easy is to simply relocate the upper strap knob a half inch or so further down the horn. It basically pulls the body up a bit and you'd just need to fill the existing hole (which will be exposed if aesthetic details are an issue).
 
#360
Anyone have suggestions for a pickup swap?

I bought the Affinity H because I wanted a cheapie 32", and the one I got plays wonderfully. But the pickups is kinda meh...I'm not much for modern sounds, much less Stingray or slap sounds.

I'm fine w/ cutting a new pickguard if need be, so the shape doesn't matter much. That said, if I can find something more interesting (and vintage sounding?) than the stock p/u but is the same shape, so much the better.

I don't need straight up P or J sounds, but I'm more on that side of things than lots of treble and zing. Is there a more vintage-voiced MM pickup, perchance?
 

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