Squier Affinity PJ vs. Xaviere XV PB

[twc1313]

I've had a Talman and an Affinity P/J, the Talman is a great sounding bass and the pickups are much clearer than the Squier. However, the neck on the Talman is a wide, fat beast and was never comfortable for me to play.

The Talman is a very "hot" bass, loud, and a bit ringy/clankly even with the treble turned down. The passive Squier has a more even tone.

The Squier's only downfall is the pickups, but if you put some Geezers in that bass, you have a player that would be all you need. Some guys on here get all riled up about "fit and finish" and tuners and bridges and blah blah blah. To me, the tuners work, hold tune, and the bridge holds the strings in place, other than that, who cares?

The Squier Affinities lately have been pretty darn good basses, and they sound great in a band mix.

 

[Lee Kirkham]

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, if they are using a higher quality wiring on their instruments, that could very well be the reason for the increased output or "hotter" quality to your pickup change. I switched out the wiring in my 2000 Affinity P-Bass (keeping the stock pickups) and instantly experienced increased output and a general overall improvement in tone.

Don't overlook something as simple as better wiring/capacitor when it comes to sound improvement. Trust me, no one was more surprised than me after I made the change. I didn't figured there'd be any change in sound when I made the swap, boy was I wrong.