Squier Affinity sound...

[trick420]

Hi everyone,

I just traded an old Banjo for a Squier Affinity P-Bass. Looks barely played. Needs some minor setup work but otherwise is solid.

My frame of reference here is that I currently play a Sterling Stingray SUB 5 with flats on it, custom preamp, and I love it. It's mellow for a stingray style bass...

Anyway, I've never been a P-bass guy but here I sit with one. It sounds fine but is VERY metallic and bright. Is that going to be a function of the cheap factory strings? I'm assuming so as there's really not much else to this that I think could be the culprit. It just sounds pretty thin unless I have the tone rolled almost all the way off - and then it sounds like a proper bass...

Just really wondering if the Squier Affinity basses just come with bottom of the barrel strings or if this is more of a "that's just now P basses sound" kind of thing?

Jeff

 

[-Stingray]

You are on the right track. Change strings first before trying anything else.

 

[J Wilson]

Of course a Ray is a different animal, but if you asked me, I'd suggest stringing the same strings from the SUB as a familiar reference.

 

[J Posega]

Change the strings, adjust the string and pickup height, don't expect the same EQ settings on your amp to work best with your P as they do your Ray.

 

[EdO.]

I own and gig both Squier and Fender P basses and on all of them if I turn the tone knob up much, despite the variety of pickups on each they get bright and twangy pretty quickly so my assumption is that it's normal. That's with nickle round wounds on all (not a flats fan). So my tone knob is never up past 3, just enough to give it some definition. A different value tone cap might tame that a bit but never tried it. Different strings will affect it as well. Amp EQ generally fixes it.

 

[aus_bass]

GHS Precision flats. You can thank me later.

 

[C Stone]

Congrats on your new grab. Most likely those pickups are ceramics and if the bass is still wearing stock strings the
are gonna be Fender 7250M’s, nothin wrong with those “Super Bass Strings”

Get a decent set-up with the pickup heights dialed in and Bob’s yer uncle.

Ceramic pickups sound great to me but
I have always been partial to ceramics.
If you add a little “dirt” I think you will pleasantly surprised, should sound killer.

 

[micguy]

Affinity pickups (guitars and basses) are often wound with fewer turns of a bigger gauge wire - they are lower impedance - they save money because they can wind them really fast (bigger wire is stronger, crank the machine up and let if fly). I've had success capacitively loading them to tame the brightness - for a buck or two in capacitors, you can have a much nicer sounding instrument. The raw material for a good sounding bass is there, you just need to know how to dial it in.

 

[sylvanbass]

GHS Precision flats. You can thank me later.

I second this. I think it will transform the instrument for you by feel alone, but with the change of strings and tone they provide, it will also kick it up a notch! I also recommend maybe the La Bella Low Tension Flats as well. Can't go wrong with either really. Good luck!

 

[Derek Kay]

It's hard to compare an active, soapbar PU to a passive, split PU in a different position to the other.

IMO a P bass is more orientated towards a good fundamental, and the even output of the split PU is it's main advantage.

If you recognise that too then each bass will probably have some advantage over the other. I like to combine two advantages with a PJ configuration.

 

[Swerve]

Like others said, trying different strings and adjusting the pickup height can make a world of a difference.

This is true for even more expensive pickups. I didn't care for the CS62's on my Am Standard P until I found the right strings.

 

[TDR1138]

My Affinity P had 500k pots stock. I swapped them for 250k and it made a big difference. Add some flats and you have a great sounding P bass.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

The "cheap factory strings" are Fender 7250s, made by D'Addario. They may not be the most expensive strings out there but they're good strings. Very good allrounders IMO. Like most strings they are a bit bright/metallic sounding when new but they will mellow out relatively fast. Don't expect a massive difference in tone unless you change to a COMPLETELY different type of strings, like flats.

The pickups in Affinity P-basses are cheap ceramic pickups. They're ok but kinda "sterile" sounding for my taste. Pretty much ANY decent alnico pickup will be an improvement IMO. Or a better ceramic, like the DiMarzio Model P for that "P-bass on steroids" tone (which can be a bit hit-or-miss, depending on what kind of tone you're looking for).

Or maybe you just prefer the Stingray tone.

 

[39-Bassist]

As said put on your strings and then test and see if the question is the same.

 

[Gervais Cote]

A set of flats and a good pickup can turn this little bass into a rumbling machine, saw that quite often.
My preference would be some Fender stainless flats with a Fender pure vintage 63 pickup.
That’s what I have on my Squier Classic Vibe sunburst p bass and it gives me that famous Motown sound.
Cheap bass, big sound.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Hi everyone,

I just traded an old Banjo for a Squier Affinity P-Bass. Looks barely played. Needs some minor setup work but otherwise is solid.

My frame of reference here is that I currently play a Sterling Stingray SUB 5 with flats on it, custom preamp, and I love it. It's mellow for a stingray style bass...

Anyway, I've never been a P-bass guy but here I sit with one. It sounds fine but is VERY metallic and bright. Is that going to be a function of the cheap factory strings? I'm assuming so as there's really not much else to this that I think could be the culprit. It just sounds pretty thin unless I have the tone rolled almost all the way off - and then it sounds like a proper bass...

Just really wondering if the Squier Affinity basses just come with bottom of the barrel strings or if this is more of a "that's just now P basses sound" kind of thing?

Jeff

You have gotten useto the flat sound on the Ray which is a bold but not unheard-of choice. Thinking the dead rounds or flats used by Bernard Edwards in his Ray.

If you want to keep the rounds sound, use another brand other than those that came with. Probably some Fender brand came on it.

If not, I would go for some flats La Bella's for old school, Chomes for a more modern fla sound. I would change strings as some have said, before doing anything else. Cheapest, quickest fix.

PS I just read above that someone said these come with 500k pots. If a string change doesn't get you closer to what you are looking for and you can handle a soldering pen, I'd change them our to 250k.

 

[bassdog]

I'd swap the pup for a '63 and 250 pots. Check the cap for Standard/classic Fender P.

 

[DJ Bebop]

You have gotten use to the flat sound on the Ray which is a bold but not unheard-of choice. Thinking the dead rounds or flats used by Bernard Edwards on his Ray.

If you want to keep the rounds sound, use another brand other than those that came with. Probably some Fender brand came on it.

If not, I would go for some flats La Bella's for old school, Chomes for a more modern flat sound. I would change strings as some have said, before doing anything else. Cheapest, quickest fix.

PS I just read above that someone said these come with 500k pots. If a string change doesn't get you closer to what you are looking for and you can handle a soldering pen, I'd change them our to 250k.

PPS That pickup-changing thing, I'd wait on that. Unless you have a discerning ear, and or you are going to play mainly by yourself, you won't hear it in a band situation. I say start with strings, then pots to 250k, then if you are not getting what you want or just feeling adventurous, then a pickup swap, to get the girl u want...



BTW I have swapped out pickups on two P basses. A 62 CS in one with flats and the DiMarzio DP122 Model P in the other with Rotosounds. I was the only one that noticed. But I still liked it.

They still sounded like P basses after it was all said and done.

 

[OneNut]

According to the info page on the Affinity, it doesn't come with 7250 strings (just generics). Put new flats on it and see where you go.

 

[pie_man_25]

You are on the right track. Change strings first before trying anything else.

This.

Any act of troubleshooting that I do starts with a planning process, in which I identify the problem and organize potential solutions in descending order from cheapest and easiest to implement and onward.

You could swap out the pickup, tuners, and nut and replace the body with a one piece Wenge body from warmoth for eight hundred bucks and be no better off than if you started with a forty dollar set of strings that you'd need to buy after a year or two with regular use anyways and still have those options on the table if you're not satisfied.

While you're at it, maybe check out the pickup height and action/intonation.