I'd check your local Craigslist. I just skimmed mine (Austin) and there are six basses at or under $100. Any one of these might be a gem. Ok, maybe none are. At least the necks have settled in since they've been under tension for years/decades.
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Squier affinity P bass, is it worth it?
- Thread starter Isotope717
- Start date
I dont own a Squire bass.... but
Earlier this year, I got one of the brand new "Affinity " telecaster guitars, and I'm blown away by the quality. After a pro setup, and new strings, I'd take the Pepsi challenge with the CVs or the Mexicans.
The only Affinity bass I've ever played was my brother in laws. It was about 5 years ago, and was one of those that come in a starter pack with little amp,strap and tuner from GC.
And it was...pretty bad.
But these new Affinities are different animals. Compared with 250$ basses of my youth? Probably better by a multiplier of 10x.
Earlier this year, I got one of the brand new "Affinity " telecaster guitars, and I'm blown away by the quality. After a pro setup, and new strings, I'd take the Pepsi challenge with the CVs or the Mexicans.
The only Affinity bass I've ever played was my brother in laws. It was about 5 years ago, and was one of those that come in a starter pack with little amp,strap and tuner from GC.
And it was...pretty bad.
But these new Affinities are different animals. Compared with 250$ basses of my youth? Probably better by a multiplier of 10x.
They really are good solid basses . If you have a good amp/cab , it's all good .
I had an Affinity P that I bought really cheap locally - needed some repairs (tuning machine and bridge saddle). I absolutely hated the feel and sound of the bass. Ended up giving it to my brother.
Totally worth it. For any bass, especially inexpensive ones, there will be individual examples that are superior or inferior to others, but most of the ones I've tried, especially in three last few years, have been pretty darn nice. A few years ago, I worked have joined the chorus of people saying you should go for the Classic Vibe series instead. CVs are still great, but it seems as though in recent years, their consistency has declined somewhat, while Affinities have improved, so nowadays, I,'d go with what feels and sounds good.
They definitely do what a P or P-J are supposed to do. Incidentally, I built a parts bass that included an infinity P neck, and I tried to replace the neck with another brand's budget Jazz Bass neck, and the sound was immediately much worse. The Affinity P neck went right back on. If you have an Affinity that you like, upgrades work great with them, due to their fairly light bodies and standard-size parts.
They definitely do what a P or P-J are supposed to do. Incidentally, I built a parts bass that included an infinity P neck, and I tried to replace the neck with another brand's budget Jazz Bass neck, and the sound was immediately much worse. The Affinity P neck went right back on. If you have an Affinity that you like, upgrades work great with them, due to their fairly light bodies and standard-size parts.
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the Affinity P is a good beginner bass, you may also look into the Sterling SUB 4 for around the same price.
The more recent Affinity models are more consistently good than the older ones, so try to get a newer one. With older used models, there is also the problem of abuse, given that they have often been owned by beginner players who do not know how to look after them. My only electric bass right now is a recent Affinity Jazz. It is a perfectly giggable bass as is. It looks and sounds almost indistinguishable from higher priced models, even if the quality of the parts is not quite as high. In the end, P and J basses are very basic instruments--cheap good ones are easily made these days.
Full disclosure.
Some are good, some are great...for $200, anyway, and some simply aren't worth it at half the price, bad frets, necks that haven't been properly aged and just might warp, tuners that are in need of readjusting every few songs, etc.
And I'm in no way a Squier hater...I just paid $500 for a used one.
Bassobruto might be right, though.
I haven't tried one out in over a year or more.
The new ones might be a little bit better.
You want a good $200 P bass?
This one costs much less and just might serve you better.
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Seems strange (just a little) that you prefer P over a J neck considering your coming from guitar most guitar player seem to prefer the narrower J neck for the guitar to bass transition definitely buy what feels best to you. Affinity's of late are fine for starter bass as are Harley Benton's and SX's...try to play a few as they can be hit or miss...
My 2004 Affinty is a great bass, it was "Crafted in Indonesia" (IC) prefix and is a solid bass as far as Affinity's go...Hope that helps.
Seems strange (just a little) that you prefer P over a J neck considering your coming from guitar most guitar player seem to prefer the narrower J neck for the guitar to bass transition definitely buy what feels best to you. Affinity's of late are fine for starter bass as are Harley Benton's and SX's...try to play a few as they can be hit or miss...
My 2004 Affinty is a great bass, it was "Crafted in Indonesia" (IC) prefix and is a solid bass as far as Affinity's go...Hope that helps.
I just searched online, and it seems that the Harley Benton basses are sold in the UK.
Yes, but the P bass only costs $129...another $45 or so for shipping...and arrives in two weeks.
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I’m pretty good at setting up instruments. Been doing it for 20 years.
Short of a twisted neck or bad truss you should be good getting any budget bass to work for you then.
So which Squier caught yer eye?
I am diggin the charcoal but have no shortage of basses as it is and I am right in the middle of putting together another as we speak. BTW Guitar center has Labor Day sales on Squier basses right now.
I was looking at the squire affinity P bass. I like the 70s style models, but they look too fancy. I don’t want to pay $200 more just for block inlays.
Everyone mentions to try it out in a store first, but unfortunately my local GC doesn’t have many P basses. They carry absolutely zero American made basses. It’s such a strange thing. If I wanted to spend 2k on a bass I’d have to order it or take trip someplace to try some basses. The GC here carries a lot of the new Jackson basses, and Music Man sub basses. And they have a couple Fender player series.
That is unfortunate. Aside from trying one out to see what "style" of bass is going to be a fit for your payability and comfort I and I think most here meant, (just to clarify) try them out in the sence that you could play multiple of same production basses and maybe one feels good so buy that particular bass that is in hand...
If you have to order a bass Guitar Center and Sweetwater usually make it very easy to return a "dud" if you were to get one that shows up that is sub par.
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Twisted necks are one argument for buying used. If a neck is still straight after 3 or 4 years, chances are it'll stay straight for a good long time if cared for reasonably.
No - like my comment above, it all depends on things like if the neck is still straight. That's the big thing on a bass; everything else on a bass is fixable for a reasonable price. If a bass has a straight neck, I can fix anything els that may need tweaking relatively easily/cheaply. If a bass has a bad neck, I don't care who made it or when, I wont offer you a nickel for the thing.
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