Squier Classic Vibe Club (Part 3)

[Robert Booker]

Thank you very much. Now I just need to find my pickups again. Someone bought up all the bridge pickups of the model I wanted.

Damn, that's a shame. I'd make a suggestion for you but you already seem to have selected exactly what you want which is great. With the tone cap the value used will determine how quickly the highs will roll off. Although it's far more noticeable on a guitar it does have the same impact on a bass.

The higher the cap value the more high end will roll off as you cut back on the tone control. Too high a value leaves you with unusable mud very quickly. Too low and the tone control changes very little across it's travel and the bass retains more high end. A .047uF is kind of the middle ground for many on a bass and if you already knew all of this.......

LOL

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I'll just drop this off and back out slowly.

 

[dland]

I'll just drop this off and back out slowly.

Good video... fair and balanced.

I had a similar experience with my Labor Day Special... truss rod way off, dry fret board, stripped bridge mounting screw (above E string), debris in neck pocket caused a little neck hump/high fret, misc debris in body cavities, along with having to set the E/A bridge saddles VERY high to get close to the action height that I like. I had to spend a few hours cleaning/tweaking setup. With that being said, I am happy with the results and learned a lot along the way... this is my first experience working on a bass, and one of the primary reasons for my purchase (along with learning to "mod" a bass). I have no regrets purchasing for $250... at $450 I would be disappointed.

I like the tone with the stock setup, so much so, that part of me is a little reluctant to change/mod the setup. I also purchased a set of DiMarzio P jazz pickups, Hipshot bridge and a set of tapewound strings, when I purchased the CV. Since I had to fix the stripped bridge mounting screw, last week, I installed the Hipshot bridge and tapewound strings. The Hipshot saddle setup allowed me to easily set the saddles heights to get the action that I like, and the tapewounds have been fun to experiment with. Now I have to decide if/when to install the DiMarzio pickups.

Aside: I am a music hobbyist, so the time spent in the low-end world is meditative medicine, to escape work pressures/stress.

 

[C Stone]

Hit or miss Squier bass, yep it happens. Board material is actually Indian Laurel not Pau Ferro. Mine did have one sharp fret end (treble side 1st fret) 5-10 seconds with an emory board pretty easily sorted that out.

Set up was about perfect and intonation was spot on, the neck feel/finish is great in my hand and the stock pickups do sound great. I find myself reaching for this late 60's J bass over my other Indo's. The fit and finish on the bass I received is surprisingly good.

Doubt I would pay $400 plus for any Indo Squier but at $239 with free ship (Labor Day price) it was nearly impossible to pass it up.

 

[Robert Booker]

I'll just drop this off and back out slowly.

I've never heard any other review he's done so I can only judge him on this one. First let's not compare a bass you paid $240 dollars for to other basses that cost twice as much or nearly twice as much like the Paranormal. Not when it was shipped without the kind of final finishing and setup a bass selling for full price would get. Anyone who didn't expect to be buying a "handyman's special" should more likely blame themselves for that. I would have been more shocked it arrived perfect right out of the box. You got at wholesale price for a reason.

Here's my own experience;

1) Sharp fret ends.....Check. I've also bought guitars/basses for 3x that much that came much the same way.

There are quite a few videos on YouTube showing several different methods for dealing with sharp fret ends and how to resolve that problem. But other than that the frets on mine were level because if not that would have created a much more serious problem and far more expensive one as far as playability goes.

2) Fully loosened truss rod.....Check. OK, so adjust it. Does anyone not do a full setup on a new instrument?

For these two issues I would say that it's not at all uncommon for an instrument to show up needing some attention when purchased online. This one may have needed a bit more than the usual but it was priced accordingly. I also can't see how a full turn differs much from having to do half a turn and once the truss rod was properly adjusted the bass was hardly unplayable. Just somewhat on the uncomfortable side due to the frets.

While the pickups and bridge were as expected I thought it would have been nice to have spent a few bucks more on better tuners but they work well enough. I find those may be one of the more significant differences between the former CIC versions and these Indonesian versions of what's advertised as being the very same bass. I had my own plans to upgrade the pickups and bridge before I bought it but what I got is basically what I expected.

 

[LowEndLobster]

Hit or miss Squier bass, yep it happens. Board material is actually Indian Laurel not Pau Ferro. Mine did have one sharp fret end (treble side 1st fret) 5-10 seconds with an emory board pretty easily sorted that out.

Set up was about perfect and intonation was spot on, the neck feel/finish is great in my hand and the stock pickups do sound great. I find myself reaching for this late 60's J bass over my other Indo's. The fit and finish on the bass I received is surprisingly good.

Doubt I would pay $400 plus for any Indo Squier but at $239 with free ship (Labor Day price) it was nearly impossible to pass it up.

Thanks! Yup I flubbed with the fingerboard wood. I updated the description, thank you!

 

[C Stone]

I've never heard any other review he's done so I can only judge him on this one. First let's not compare a bass you paid $240 dollars for to other basses that cost twice as much or nearly twice as much like the Paranormal. Not when it was shipped without the kind of final finishing and setup a bass selling for full price would get. Anyone who didn't expect to be buying a "handyman's special" should more likely blame themselves for that. I would have been more shocked it arrived perfect right out of the box. You got at wholesale price for a reason.

Here's my own experience;

1) Sharp fret ends.....Check. I've also bought guitars/basses for 3x that much that came much the same way.

There are quite a few videos on YouTube showing several different methods for dealing with sharp fret ends and how to resolve that problem. But other than that the frets on mine were level because if not that would have created a much more serious problem and far more expensive one as far as playability goes.

2) Fully loosened truss rod.....Check. OK, so adjust it. Does anyone not do a full setup on a new instrument?

For these two issues I would say that it's not at all uncommon for an instrument to show up needing some attention when purchased online. This one may have needed a bit more than the usual but it was priced accordingly. I also can't see how a full turn differs much from having to do half a turn and once the truss rod was properly adjusted the bass was hardly unplayable. Just somewhat on the uncomfortable side due to the frets.

While the pickups and bridge were as expected I thought it would have been nice to have spent a few bucks more on better tuners but they work well enough. I find those may be one of the more significant differences between the former CIC versions and these Indonesian versions of what's advertised as being the very same bass. I had my own plans to upgrade the pickups and bridge before I bought it but what I got is basically what I expected.

I agree, I was going to mention that I just figured many that went out would be in need of a full set-up, (but an honest review none the less of what was received). I know they sold out quickly and assumed it may need a full set-up, that being said my bass was definitely "set-up" by someone before reaching my door and it was also tuned down a half step.

They may have ended up blowing these out with this in mind (who knows) skipping a final check to save a few $ and just get 'em out

I suppose many players don't or don't know how to do a set up, @LowEndLobster certainly does but will say I would be pretty disappointed if I received a bass with a loose truss, super high action and sharp fret ends if I was a new player, then again I might just think it's a sucky bass.

Thanks! Yup I flubbed with the fingerboard wood. I updated the description, thank you!

Of course, I wasn't pickin at ya, just mentioned for clarification.

 

[elgranluis]

Anyone who didn't expect to be buying a "handyman's special" should more likely blame themselves for that. I would have been more shocked it arrived perfect right out of the box. You got at wholesale price for a reason.
.

these basses were available before the Labor Day sale. I bought one full price , before the sale , and I bought a second one during the Labor Day sale.I was very pleased with both.

I did find the neck finish less than perfect (it's nowhere near as shiny/mirror finish as my cv 50s squier).

Also , I don't really understand how you could have sharp frets on a bound neck, per lowedlobster's review.

 

[steimlem]

these basses were available before the Labor Day sale. I bought one full price , before the sale , and I bought a second one during the Labor Day sale.I was very pleased with both.

I did find the neck finish less than perfect (it's nowhere near as shiny/mirror finish as my cv 50s squier).

Also , I don't really understand how you could have sharp frets on a bound neck, per lowedlobster's review.

i bought one pre sale as well and it was the only bad experience i've had with a classic vibe bass. it was pretty bad.. but sharp frets were not one of my issues. bridge was lifting up, there were 3 screw holes in the pickguard and body, rust, pickup and control knob issues, huge neck pocket gap and nut gap. was also heavier than a truck. i returned it for a refund almost instantly. then unexpectedly after the sale started they ended up sending me a replacement without me asking for one and the replacement was MUCH better (and free of charge) .. back to the quality i expect from classic vibe.. and also light as a feather. still shocked i got a free bass. seems like their customer service screwed up/jumped the gun on the replacement, but said i could keep it for my troubles. only issue on the replacement is the E string slot on the nut is cut just a tiny bit too high which is easily fixable. also minor enough that i haven't bothered fixing it yet.

 

[elgranluis]

i bought one pre sale as well and it was the only bad experience i've had with a classic vibe bass. it was pretty bad.. but sharp frets were not one of my issues. bridge was lifting up, there were 3 screw holes in the pickguard and body, rust, pickup and control knob issues, huge neck pocket gap and nut gap. was also heavier than a truck. i returned it for a refund almost instantly. then unexpectedly after the sale started they ended up sending me a replacement without me asking for one and the replacement was MUCH better (and free of charge) .. back to the quality i expect from classic vibe.. and also light as a feather. still shocked i got a free bass. seems like their customer service screwed up/jumped the gun on the replacement, but said i could keep it for my troubles. only issue on the replacement is the E string slot on the nut is cut just a tiny bit too high which is easily fixable. also minor enough that i haven't bothered fixing it yet.

i believe I saw your original post about this , the holes in the pick guard really caught my attention.

A free bass ? Are you kidding me ? Congratulations !

 

[steimlem]

i believe I saw your original post about this , the holes in the pick guard really caught my attention.

A free bass ? Are you kidding me ? Congratulations !

Yeh I don't think I updated at all since the replacement came (wasn't expecting it to just show up one day) so I wanted to say that the replacement was much better and on par with what I expect from CV series. Love how light it is too.i haven't weighed it but it's the lightest jazz I've played. When I emailed fender about it showing up they said I could send it back or just keep it if I want, so I kept it of course.

 

[Robert Booker]

these basses were available before the Labor Day sale. I bought one full price , before the sale , and I bought a second one during the Labor Day sale.I was very pleased with both.

I did find the neck finish less than perfect (it's nowhere near as shiny/mirror finish as my cv 50s squier).

Also , I don't really understand how you could have sharp frets on a bound neck, per lowedlobster's review.

You can and mine did. The frets appear to be a little on the long side and actually press into the binding where they overhang the fretboard. It's possible this was a production run that was rejected for resale at full price because of that or other factors so essentially "B" stock without Fender having declared them as such. But that's only a guess.

 

[Robert Booker]

I agree, I was going to mention that I just figured many that went out would be in need of a full set-up, (but an honest review none the less of what was received). I know they sold out quickly and assumed it may need a full set-up, that being said my bass was definitely "set-up" by someone before reaching my door and it was also tuned down a half step.

They may have ended up blowing these out with this in mind (who knows) skipping a final check to save a few $ and just get 'em out

I suppose many players don't or don't know how to do a set up, @LowEndLobster certainly does but will say I would be pretty disappointed if I received a bass with a loose truss, super high action and sharp fret ends if I was a new player, then again I might just think it's a sucky bass.


Of course, I wasn't pickin at ya, just mentioned for clarification.

Agreed. It was a fair review based on the condition of what was received I just believe anyone who bought one should have been at least somewhat prepared for that possibility. As I responded to above they could easily have been considered "B" stock due to the issue with the frets but never advertised as such. Or simply just a way to unload an over order of a lot that was never finish inspected to begin with.

I've never received a guitar or bass from Fender or anyone else shipped exactly as that JBass was which tells me it was intentional on their part ergo the 50% discount just to offload them and let a buyer deal with the issues they discovered. Some were probably returned and yeah it would be a shame if a new player received one who didn't know that what he bought was an exception to the rule.

 

[dland]

Agreed. It was a fair review based on the condition of what was received I just believe anyone who bought one should have been at least somewhat prepared for that possibility. As I responded to above they could easily have been considered "B" stock due to the issue with the frets but never advertised as such. Or simply just a way to unload an over order of a lot that was never finish inspected to begin with.

I've never received a guitar or bass from Fender or anyone else shipped exactly as that JBass was which tells me it was intentional on their part ergo the 50% discount just to offload them and let a buyer deal with the issues they discovered. Some were probably returned and yeah it would be a shame if a new player received one who didn't know that what he bought was an exception to the rule.

Agreed. It was a fair review based on the condition of what was received I just believe anyone who bought one should have been at least somewhat prepared for that possibility. As I responded to above they could easily have been considered "B" stock due to the issue with the frets but never advertised as such. Or simply just a way to unload an over order of a lot that was never finish inspected to begin with.

I've never received a guitar or bass from Fender or anyone else shipped exactly as that JBass was which tells me it was intentional on their part ergo the 50% discount just to offload them and let a buyer deal with the issues they discovered. Some were probably returned and yeah it would be a shame if a new player received one who didn't know that what he bought was an exception to the rule.

I agree. For $250, wasn't sure what to expect and set low expectations... caveat emptor. I cannot say it was a bad experience, after the tweaking I ended up with a nice bass that is fun to play.

 

[C Stone]

Has anyone seen any of the CV mustangs get the new MIC treatment? Cant stand the indian laurel on those

Have not and I like Rosewood and Maple first but wanna ask what you don't like about Indian Laurel.

 

[HeadWind]

I've never heard any other review he's done so I can only judge him on this one.

I didn't watch this video, but I did watch LowEndLobster's review of the paranormal Jazz before I pulled the trigger at the Labor Day price. It was one factor in deciding to make the purchase (his review was positive). My paranormal jazz is great. Yes, needed a setup, but that is pretty standard. Otherwise quite nice. I realize that the paranormal series is not the same as the current CV.

 

[Robert Booker]

It was an honest review of the '60s Jazz I just thought more attention should have been paid to the fact that for 50% off retail it was enough of a bargain to expect there might be a need to do some work on it and there was. Cosmetically the bass was as good ass any CV I've ever owned it just didn't come out of the box in 100% set to go playing condition is all. Regardless it was still a bargain at $240 shipped for this old modifier. I put a $10 vintage pearl pickguard on mine as well along with about $300 + worth of upgrades I already had and I'd gig with it anytime. They're very decent basic Jazz Basses. Not hard to make one that's been around as long as they have.

 

[58kites]

I'm not sure that Indian Laurel or Pau Ferro are inherently bad, I think maybe the quality of the woods being chosen are not top end.
I do wish Squier and Fender would roll the edges of all their fretboards.
Don't care for the Mexican Player Series necks because the fretboard edges are too sharp.
I was pleasantly surprised with my 2019 Indo (Samick) Squier CV 50's Precision, they rolled the all maple fretboard edges nicely so the neck feels great.
I had a Pau Ferro fretboard on a carbon fiber neck Peavey bass and the Pau Ferro felt very, very nice.

 

[JDLowEnd]

Man it stinks to hear that so many people had bad luck with their Labor Day jazz basses. I was shocked how good mine was straight out of the box. A gamble I was glad I took.

 

[Robert Booker]

Poorly finished fret ends can be a bit of nuisance to fix but not the end of the world and a fully loosened truss rod isn't much different than having a new car delivered with an empty gas tank. If someone can fill a gas tank they can surely adjust a truss rod 'til the relief is proper. If I'd spent $2500 I'd be righteously indignant about any unfinished fret ends but for $250 all I did was get out a file and a sanding block and fix them. Took an hour.