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Why not?
Agathis pretty much sounds just like Alder. It's not as pretty for trans-finishes but often is a bit lighter. Most MIM Fender's were Agathis until fairly recently. I've got one that sounds great. Don't get drawn into the tonewood obsession when it comes to electric instruments. Lots of great instrumnets are made with basswood too!
Fair enough, but I can tell you with considerable confidence that the TMB 100 is a much better instrument.
It is a soft, poor-sounding wood.
Between the readily heard nasal suckout, and the muddy, indistinct tone which is notably lacking in bass, it is a far cry from Alder!
I have yet to see or hear of one!
No love for the Xaviere? You do get one extra fret. And the Alder body is kiln dried.
There are too many reports of poor craftsmanship.
Better and more versatile tone, better feel, better construction and -in my experience- more consistency.
Yeah, none of that jives with my experience with poplar. Poplar get's a bad rap because it often ends up on cheap guitar, but it's a fine sounding wood.
My bad about the timeline though. Looks like they switched in 2001 from alder to poplar on the MIM models. Oddly it looks like perhaps even USA models were poplar for a time.
Does the Talmans neck feel thinner or faster?
When did Poplar enter the discussion?
I have owned 2 different Xaviere P-basses, and posted just yesterday about my recently-purchased Xaviere P-Bass. The Squire Affinity is a lot of bass for the money, but I personally would choose the Xaviere over it. The quality on both of these I have owned was very good - paint finish was slick - hardware is good, fret ends were filed neatly. The advantages over the Squier are the pickups, the nut, the alder body, and the 21 fret fingerboard. Here is my recent Xaviere purchase (with mods to look life a 57 Reissue). My experiences with Xaviere and guitarfetish have been good ones. Honestly, you cannot go wrong with either choice !
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I find that the GFS pickups are a bit "hotter" that the Squier pick-ups. I found this out a couple of years ago, when I tried a set in my Squier Standard model P-Bass. A marked improvement over the factory Squire pickups. They also use cloth wiring, which really has no bearing on the sound or function of the pickups - but is does show (at least in my opinion) a bit more attention to quality.
Actually, since you mention that you really like the Silvertone neck, the Talman may be a better match. Both are rather thick and meaty. The Talman has a rather hot output.
I used to own a Silvertone and have tried Talmans in store, so I think I can qualify the comparison. The Squier will feel less similar and I've never had a chance to try a Xaviere.
I used to own a Silvertone and have tried Talmans in store, so I think I can qualify the comparison. The Squier will feel less similar and I've never had a chance to try a Xaviere.
I haven't played either but I have played other Xaviers and other Squires. My impression is that the Squire had better fit and finish. In addition, should you want to mod it later it is likely to have a wider choice of parts. That said at $200 I would look for a used made in Japan instrument from the late 70's through the 90's. They can be found and are usully far beytter choices.
Another vote for the Squier. I have one, and as someone else pointed out, with a string change and a set up its a nice playing bass. I went ahead and changed out the pickups for a set of dimarzios and the bridge for a high mass Squier and it now sounds and plays great. Fit and finish is excllent
The front to back thickness is pretty middle-of-the-road. The neck width is between a P and J.
Oops, I saw agathis and read poplar. For the record, I think the TMB is made of mahogany.
Dude this is just not the case.
How about showing some appreciation for all the folks who have helpfully shared their experiences with you instead of whining about what is pretty much a troll-free thread.
