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Squier Classic Vibe 2019

#1,001
mbell75 said:
They have been made in Indonesia for years and I’m not sure what he has found wrong with 10 bad ones, maybe he can answer. Most the ones I have played have been quite good and only a few needed work done but just basic setup work. I’ve never seen one with a bent neck or even fret sprout.
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With all due respect and no offense intended, I wished you good luck because you have proven to have pretty high standards when it comes to instruments at the entry-level price point. If I’m being completely honest, I would recommend that you save up and buy an instrument between $800 and $1400, based on your posts alone. Also, I didn’t necessarily find 10 “bad” Ray4’s... It’s just that I only found one that was an awesome instrument and someone bought it before I got the chance. They are definitely worth the cost, and possibly more. But only one really made think that it was an absolute steal for the money.

Obviously personal preference is a factor here, but I’m not willing to spend the extra money for and American fender vs a MIM or Squier CV/VM, however I currently have an American stingray special on layaway at a competing store (which means I wont get my discount) because that particular instrument spoke to me in a way that was worth the extra $1800. That rarely happens to me.
 
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#1,002
Texican said:
With all due respect and no offense intended, I wished you good luck because you have proven to have pretty high standards when it comes to instruments at the entry-level price point. If I’m being completely honest, I would recommend that you save up and buy an instrument between $800 and $1400, based on your posts alone. Also, I didn’t necessarily find 10 “bad” Ray4’s... It’s just that I only found one that was an awesome instrument and someone bought it before I got the chance. They are definitely worth the cost, and possibly more. But only one really made think that it was an absolute steal for the money.

Obviously personal preference is a factor here, but I’m not willing to spend the extra money for and American fender vs a MIM or Squier CV/VM, however I currently have an American stingray special on layaway at a competing store (which means I wont get my discount) because that particular instrument spoke to me in a way that was worth the extra $1800. That rarely happens to me.
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I’ve owned em all. Cheap, middle of the road, expensive. US made, made in China, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Mexico etc...Price and country of origin doesn’t mean much these days. American made doesn’t automatically make it a superior instrument. I’ve mentioned in another thread I recently played a MIA Jazz with terrible fretwork and a neck with a big hump in it that would have required a major setup job to fix. The US made instruments are more consistent though. You are right, finding the one that works perfectly for you in the key. I made the mistake of buying too many online, won’t do that again. I need to play the exact bass or guitar I will be buying.
 
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#1,003
mbell75 said:
I’ve owned em all. Cheap, middle of the road, expensive. US made, made in China, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Mexico etc...Price and country of origin doesn’t mean much these days. American made doesn’t automatically make it a superior instrument. I’ve mentioned in another thread I recently played a MIA Jazz with terrible fretwork and a neck with a big hump in it that would have required a major setup job to fix. The US made instruments are more consistent though. You are right, finding the one that works perfectly for you in the key. I made the mistake of buying too many online, won’t do that again. I need to play the exact bass or guitar I will be buying.
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Agreed! Choosing a particular instrument (or letting it choose you) is a lost art.
 
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#1,007
lizardking837 said:
Bump! Did anyone confirm that the pickup spacing on the 70's is 'period correct'? It's a dealbreaker for me.
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Looks like 70’s spacing to me.

8E307A9B-6AB2-4839-BEA2-8405266F2191.png
 
#1,009
I get really good deals through ZZounds and I’ve been wanting to purchase the 70s Classic Vibe jazz since it launched back in April but the left handed version keeps getting pushed back on the pre order. They seem like really good basses for the buck and no one seems to have a review of them anywhere.
 
#1,010
I was aware of the CV series but hadn't paid much attention over the years, but this thread piqued my interest. However, after reading here and elsewhere about the new and previous versions I felt that I preferred to try the earlier made in China model Squier Classic Vibe 60s Jazz Bass so I began the hunt. I'm surprised that it didn't take long to find a used but near mint condition 2013 model in white for under $300, in fact it has no wear and the pickguard film with CV sticker is still on it. Best I can tell it is all original and has been barely played. I've only had it a few days and won't gig with it for another week, so the honeymoon is still on, but my initial reaction is that it is a well built, comfortable instrument that sounds very good. I'm aware of rave reviews and at this point agree that it's a great bass, made even finer by the low price that belies its quality and value. I'm happy to have gotten it!
20190623_095308.jpg
 
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#1,012
Very cool, I'm glad they brought the line back. I had a red CV Precision MIC bass at one point, should have held onto it back when I was thinning the herd.

Despite that, I'm pleased with the three Indonesian VM P/J Precisions I bought (2 @$250 each, 1@$150 as a "second"). And they were definitely usable stock. But...typical me...ended up changing out all the hardware and electronics, and afterwards two of the necks as well (I like the slightly larger Precision style neck from Mighty Mite, and interestingly 1 of the 3 basses had a slightly larger neck so I kept it). My awesome local luthier knocked off the value of all the stock parts from the bill (which he resells), which really helped with my mad plans. Not the ideal route, but I have three Squiers that play/sound as good as my old (and heavier) MIJ Fenders/Squiers ever did.

Best of luck to anyone purchasing the new CV line.
 
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#1,013
I’m thinking of getting a Squier Jazz for a project bass, but I’m leaning more towards the VM 60s over the CV60s, mainly for the Olympic white. I do dig the daphne blue, VERY much... but the Olympic white seems more classic to me and compliments my black player jazz really well too. There is still a great deal of the VMs floating about.

Pop in some alnico 2s, a high mass bridge, some nice flats, a set of nice 60s style tuners and concentric knobs, and boom... a custom jazz bass, at the performance of an expensive fender, at a much MUCH friendlier price.

I’m debating which option would be cheaper... buying the Squier, modding it, or buying all the parts from scratch and building it all from scratch myself?
 
#1,014
Texican said:
Good luck... my experience (with at least 10 of them) is that they are even more inconsistent... they’re also made by the same hands in the same Indonesian factory as your Squier Classic Vibe. I’ve been waiting on a good one to come through the door because I can get one for around 200 bucks... still waiting.
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I have to agree with you on the Ray4. I'm a big fan of many cheap basses, particularly the Chinese CV series, but the current version of the Ray4 was a huge disappointment to me. The pickup was nasty, no mids, just muddy boom and harsh zing. The preamp distorted/crackled on low notes unless I lowered the pickup to a point where it sounded anemic. The fretwork was very poor, lots of buzz. It had extremely sharp fret ends. The whole bass was a bit "off centre", meaning the strings were too close to the the side of the fingerboard on the E-side and kept sliding over the edge when I played it.

I took a chance and ordered one online at a sale but unfortunately it was the worst cheap bass I've seen in over a decade. Hopefully mine was a particularly bad one! After a new pickup, a new preamp, a fretjob + a somewhat DIY solution with the bridge to align the strings better down the neck it's actually rather nice. But I spent more money (and lots of time) modding it than it actually cost! Luckily I enjoy tinkering with stuff like this but for anyone looking for a decent bass out of the box it would have been a total disaster!

And for anyone thinking about modding it be aware that the control cavity is very small so many aftermarket preamps won't fit without re-routing (the tiny Nordstrand MM-preamp will fit but with some potential issues because of the cramped space for the pots). Also the heigh/width dimensions of the stock pickup measures like the standard MM size but the tabs for the screws are actually slightly narrower so a standard MM pickup won't fit inside the pickguard without filing it a bit (at least the Nordstrand MM pickup didn't).
 
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#1,015
RumbleMan3 said:
I’m thinking of getting a Squier Jazz for a project bass, but I’m leaning more towards the VM 60s over the CV60s, mainly for the Olympic white. I do dig the daphne blue, VERY much... but the Olympic white seems more classic to me and compliments my black player jazz really well too. There is still a great deal of the VMs floating about.

Pop in some alnico 2s, a high mass bridge, some nice flats, a set of nice 60s style tuners and concentric knobs, and boom... a custom jazz bass, at the performance of an expensive fender, at a much MUCH friendlier price.

I’m debating which option would be cheaper... buying the Squier, modding it, or buying all the parts from scratch and building it all from scratch myself?
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The cheapest route is probably going to be getting a used VM and only changing the things that need it after you've played it for a few weeks. Then Make your other mods over time so that you don’t feel the cost all at once. You may find you like it as is though.
 
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#1,016
Texican said:
The cheapest route is probably going to be getting a used VM and only changing the things that need it after you've played it for a few weeks. Then Make your other mods over time so that you don’t feel the cost all at once. You may find you like it as is though.
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I've had success doing the slow change approach. Rehearsed with the new-to-me basses stock, then started changing things out. 6 months later (after all mods) they are fantastic players with a great (to me) sound.
 
#1,017
Texican said:
At this point I’m convinced that there is one man, on one machine, making every single sub-$500 instrument on earth! Here is my new CV60’s Jazz bass wearing its inspection stamps on a Musicman Sterling inspection card.
View attachment 3405084 View attachment 3405085
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The Cort factory in Indonesia makes guitars and basses for at least a dozen different companies. Squier, Epiphone, SBMM, Ibanez etc...the difference with SBMM is that their guitars and basses are shipped back to Praxis out here in Orange, CA where they undergo an inspection and a setup before they are sent out for purchase. They will even do some work on them if needed. Its that extra step that puts them above the competition IMO. Ive played many SBMM guitars and basses at various stores and even the entry level SUB series all feel great with the same setup. Ive never encountered one with neck or fret issues as I have at least a few times from the other companies.
 
#1,018
RumbleMan3 said:
I’m thinking of getting a Squier Jazz for a project bass, but I’m leaning more towards the VM 60s over the CV60s, mainly for the Olympic white. I do dig the daphne blue, VERY much... but the Olympic white seems more classic to me and compliments my black player jazz really well too. There is still a great deal of the VMs floating about.

Pop in some alnico 2s, a high mass bridge, some nice flats, a set of nice 60s style tuners and concentric knobs, and boom... a custom jazz bass, at the performance of an expensive fender, at a much MUCH friendlier price.

I’m debating which option would be cheaper... buying the Squier, modding it, or buying all the parts from scratch and building it all from scratch myself?
Click to expand...

You could get a Squier VM used or on sale, or theoretically get a Fender or Mighty Mite body and neck for about the standard price of a new Squier VM and assemble it.

Fender Jazz bass body olympic white | eBay

NEW Mighty Mite Fender Lic Jazz Bass NECK Maple C Shape 9.5" Radius MM2909-M | eBay

Good luck either way, let us know what you end up doing :)
 
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#1,019
Texican said:
The cheapest route is probably going to be getting a used VM and only changing the things that need it after you've played it for a few weeks. Then Make your other mods over time so that you don’t feel the cost all at once. You may find you like it as is though.
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Well he probably won't need to change anything then. I have a '13 VM Jazz and it's still bone stock other than strings has the Duncan Designed pups (JB101's I believe) and they're perfectly fine unless one is inclined to change things regardless.

I've been thinking about changing the pups for noiseless ones though but haven't yet as this bass has been much quieter since I shielded it.
 
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#1,020
J0hn said:
Has anyone compared these new CVs to the originals? Owned both? I've wanted to try a CV P bass now for a while and was ready to pull the trigger on one of these new models but I read they are not the same quality the original run was.

I just found a used sonic blue CV precision online for $200 and snatched it up as quick as I could. Figure I can always resell it if I end up not liking it but I've been looking for one forever.
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Its a cheap Squier made by Cort in Indonesia, don't overthink it. Not like the Chinese ones were some holy grail amazing basses because they're not. Just played a MIC CV Jazz against a 2019 Indonesian made CV 70s Jazz at GC over the weekend, pretty much the same bass. Get whichever one is cheaper.
 

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