Squier CV 70s Jazz Bass: poplar or soft maple?

[Laurie Bass]

I live here in Nashville and those type basses are purdy poplar.

I think they have been pretty popular for many many years.

 

[2F/2F]

Poplar for the black and sunburst models. Soft maple for the natural finish, like yours.

Soft maple is a catchall term for maples other than hard maple/rock maple/sugar maple (different names for the same thing: Acer saccharum).

Some examples of soft maple are red maple, big leaf maple, box elder, and silver maple.

Soft maple is softer than hard maple, but still not a "soft" woof in the grand scheme of things.

G&L used it to great effect in the '80s, for various models. My soft maple G&Ls are some of my favorite basses that I own.

Thank you for pointing out that the natural CV '70s has a soft maple body. I did not know that, and I consider it a major selling point, based on what I said in the last paragraph. I might just go grab one.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

And a wood choice has other impacts:

I own one of the Contemporary Active Jazz Bass Fives. Tremendous axe that punches well above it's weight, but . . . It's an ash body, and for a lot of cats, it's too heavy. Tremendous tone in part because of the ash, but stout, and I'm sure it's cost them sales.

So guess what? This year, Squiers is offering the same axe . . . In a poplar body. Same with it's new PJ brother.

If you're Fender/Squier, do you proudly offer an ash body at this price point but worry about weight, or make the practical choice for a more manageable weight, but get a little flack for using 'cheap' poplar for a great bass with terrific hardware and electronics ?

Pick One.

I'm trying to figure out when exactly this whole obsession with an instrument's weight started driving sales and specs.
When I first started playing bass in '93 (played guitar before that since '87 or '88), no one ever commented on weight back then, no one. You went to a store, played a few different basses, picked one you liked and bought it, mostly because of tone and aesthetics, never weight.
The first bass I ever bought was a natural finish Stingray - Ash body, Bird's Eye neck - and it probably weighed 10 lbs…and it was 10 lbs of awesome.
I then bought its Fretless twin, and it was maybe 9.5lbs. Still awesome though.
Then I traded the fretless for the L2500 I have now (Alder body with Ash top) - 10.5 lbs of awesome.
Those are the body woods I came up with, and those are really the woods I love. I'm not into Empress, Poplar, or Basswood.

Give me Ash or give me Death!!!

(My current Jazz V is a VM maple body with Warmoth neck, 11 lbs of glory)

But getting to the issue of the Squier Contemporary Active hurting in sales, it could have also been that model's flop in initial QC and poor reviews on-line like the Lob's review where it came away with a poor score, like one or two claws…

 

[J Wilson]

I'm trying to figure out when exactly this whole obsession with an instrument's weight started driving sales and specs.
When I first started playing bass in '93 (played guitar before that since '87 or '88), no one ever commented on weight back then, no one. You went to a store, played a few different basses, picked one you liked and bought it, mostly because of tone and aesthetics, never weight.
The first bass I ever bought was a natural finish Stingray - Ash body, Bird's Eye neck - and it probably weighed 10 lbs…and it was 10 lbs of awesome.
I then bought its Fretless twin, and it was maybe 9.5lbs. Still awesome though.
Then I traded the fretless for the L2500 I have now (Alder body with Ash top) - 10.5 lbs of awesome.
Those are the body woods I came up with, and those are really the woods I love. I'm not into Empress, Poplar, or Basswood.

Give me Ash or give me Death!!!

(My current Jazz V is a VM maple body with Warmoth neck, 11 lbs of glory)

But getting to the issue of the Squier Contemporary Active hurting in sales, it could have also been that model's flop in initial QC and poor reviews on-line like the Lob's review where it came away with a poor score, like one or two claws…

I don't know what the sample the Lobster tried, but mine has been flawless. Extremely stable neck, quiet and wide-ranging pickups/electronics package, and a 'Piano Black' paint job that would pass Yamaha QC. Mine runs between 10 and 11 pounds and it's just not a problem for me. I can't wait to try out the soon arriving PJ Precision built along the same lines.

 

[DirkP]

I think poplar is a very good tonewood, it was used for the mexican Fender instruments until it became more expensive than alder (around 2000 IIRC), 'cause there was a high demand for poplar in the furniture industry. In the late 90s poplar was even used on the american standard Fender instruments for a while.

The disadvantage is that it has no grain to write home about. So it makes sense that esp. the natural finished 70s Jazz Basses use maple and on the opaque finishes, poplar is used.

 

[Dust2Dust]

I've got the 5 string version. I got it from my local mom and pop store but I checked the specks on Sweetwater first and it's definitely maple, and HEAVY as heck.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

I don't know what the sample the Lobster tried, but mine has been flawless. Extremely stable neck, quiet and wide-ranging pickups/electronics package, and a 'Piano Black' paint job that would pass Yamaha QC. Mine runs between 10 and 11 pounds and it's just not a problem for me. I can't wait to try out the soon arriving PJ Precision built along the same lines.

Yeah, that PJ one looks killer!

 

[bass_Guest2022]

Thank you all very much!

 

[C Stone]

I'm trying to figure out when exactly this whole obsession with an instrument's weight started driving sales and specs.

But getting to the issue of the Squier Contemporary Active hurting in sales, it could have also been that model's flop in initial QC and poor reviews on-line like the Lob's review where it came away with a poor score, like one or two claws…

Yea no idea when the "weight thing" started. I never thought about weight, not once, not ever. Not until I started lookin through TB and noticed almost obsessive mentions about a basses weight.

I (thank goodness) am healthy and stout and it has never been an issue for me but I can imagine little guys or folks with back problems could have issues with a heavier bass, a couple extra pounds can make a difference.

Onto the the Contemporary Jazz the sales guy actually said to me "people don't like these because they are so heavy" Whaaa? Mine comes in at 10lbs and I have also noticed some sites list thier basses by weight, who'da thunk?

 

[Malak the Mad]

I'm trying to figure out when exactly this whole obsession with an instrument's weight started driving sales and specs.

Yea no idea when the "weight thing" started.

Probably around the time a lot of rockers & rollers hit middle age and our Rock Gods started dropping off, not from drugs and booze, but old age and decrepitude.

Two bits of perspective on that front...<puts on professional bodywork/therapist hat>

1. For about ten years, I'd been wrasslin' with a bad lower back. After a particularly agony-filled weekend, I decided to buy a bicycle to get more exercise and get my pain under control. A day or two later, I told all this to a client who knew about my back issues AND was a fitness person herself. (re: high school gym teacher and workout video performer) The first words out of her mouth was, "Well, congratulations. You've just spared yourself ten years of decrepitude at the end of your life." The discussion drove home the point that the human body is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition. If you don't take steps to maintain it, it will eventually fail you.
   
2. One thing many of my clients and I agree upon is it's not that we can't do all the things we used to do when we were younger. The problem is recovering from those kinds of strenuous activity. Decades of use, abuse and/or repetitive stress takes it's toll and bouncing back becomes more difficult.

A little coda to #1...once I'd finally figured out what was keeping my back out of sorts for all those years, thanks in no small part to a handful of massage therapist colleagues and one physical therapist, an exercise plan was devised to help correct my issue. Five months later, I'm helping a vendor unload boxes full of coffee-table books out of a cargo van and realizing my back hadn't felt this good in over ten years. Go, team!!

 

[C Stone]

Two bits of perspective on that front...<puts on professional bodywork/therapist hat>

1. For about ten years, I'd been wrasslin' with a bad lower back. After a particularly agony-filled weekend, I decided to buy a bicycle to get more exercise and get my pain under control. A day or two later, I told all this to a client who knew about my back issues AND was a fitness person herself. (re: high school gym teacher and workout video performer) The first words out of her mouth was, "Well, congratulations. You've just spared yourself ten years of decrepitude at the end of your life." The discussion drove home the point that the human body is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition. If you don't take steps to maintain it, it will eventually fail you.
   
2. One thing many of my clients and I agree upon is it's not that we can't do all the things we used to do when we were younger. The problem is recovering from those kinds of strenuous activity. Decades of use, abuse and/or repetitive stress takes it's toll and bouncing back becomes more difficult.

A little coda to #1...once I'd finally figured out what was keeping my back out of sorts for all those years, thanks in no small part to a handful of massage therapist colleagues and one physical therapist, an exercise plan was devised to help correct my issue. Five months later, I'm helping a vendor unload boxes full of coffee-table books out of a cargo van and realizing my back hadn't felt this good in over ten years. Go, team!!

Spot on and I wholeheartedly agree I got to keep it movin too.
Besides the physical aspect of it, it definitely helps to get all those synapses firing on the regular...

I just thought about all of this this weekend and I realized I should be using less weight these days when workin out with more reps. It's just harder on the body with no real gains, not as young OR strong as I used to be it's just what I need to do to be at to my best. Thanks Malak glad you got your back issues resolved and you are doin well, keep it movin...

 

[eastcoasteddie]

Probably around the time a lot of rockers & rollers hit middle age and our Rock Gods started dropping off, not from drugs and booze, but old age and decrepitude.

But the obsession has taken hold of all ages, not just us old farts…
There was a video Andy Irvine did where he mentioned bass weight and the said obsession. He said he doesn't like a bass too light, and for him a sweet-spot is 10 lbs. otherwise they feel like toys. And this is exactly how I feel as well. My low-limit is probably 9-9.5 lbs. I like how a moderately heavy bass feels.

I say moderately heavy because I really don't like them heavier than 11 lbs.

I played a 13lb '77 P-bass sitting down and even then it was painful…

I've had back problems that started when I was about 20 years old and have gotten progressively worse. My job as a service technician doesn't help…carrying tools and lifting heavy crap all the time…But I don't gig anymore so weight really isn't an issue anymore…

 

[Dust2Dust]

For me, an old fart, it's not so much about "playing" a heavy bass, I mean, I really don't notice that part, it's hoisting it out of the stand, and then hoisting up further to throw the strap over my head. Reversing the process to put it back in the stand can be a task too. Mine is a little extra-heavy since its a 5-string, otherwise I probably wouldn't be fussing in public.

My bass: "Pick me up and play me!"

Me: "I'm working on it . . . give me a minute"

 

[ptensioned]

For me, verging on old fart-hood, it is more about the realisation that weight makes no difference to tone, at least to my ears. Once I came to terms with that, it became more about choosing light weight over avoiding heavier instruments (also applies to 'high mass' bridges: if you need more sustain, you're doing it wrong). If you pay roughly the same for an 8.5 lb bass vs a 10 lb bass, I'll take the lighter one every time.

It's also a much bigger deal for some players who play out regularly. I didn't notice weight much when I was more active on stage, but playing in a worship band and mostly standing still made it matter more. Add long days with multiple sets, and it matters more still. My Frankenfender with the Squier maple body weighs over 12 lbs, and I never played it on stage for more than a one hour set. It's great for playing sitting down, and records beautifully, though...