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Squier CV vs. VM precision

I

IWillFlyOneDay

Feb 26, 2007
80
3
#1
hey guys, forgive me if this thread has been made before - I spent a while on the search function and couldn't find quite the answer I was looking for.

I'm on the market for one of the Squier P-basses. I've heard really great things about both. A couple of people in threads I've been reading on here mentioned the CV (I'm specificially interested in the 60's) are of better quality than the VM. Is this true, or is it a subjective thing?
 
#3
I own CV and VM Squiers - The CV is better fit (neck pockets, for example are amazing) and finish (flawless is the word I would use).

On my VM there are some slight blemishes in the paint, the neck pocket is not as cleanly cut out, the pickguard had some flash that I had to trim off, and the pots needed to be tightened up.

Both are amazing for the money, but the CV is, in my opinion, outstanding.

(BTW - CV is made in China while VM is made in Indonesia / I think that the Chinese have their quality control at much higher standards) - again MHO.
 
#4
SolarMan said:
I own CV and VM Squiers - The CV is better fit (neck pockets, for example are amazing) and finish (flawless is the word I would use).

On my VM there are some slight blemishes in the paint, the neck pocket is not as cleanly cut out, the pickguard had some flash that I had to trim off, and the pots needed to be tightened up.

Both are amazing for the money, but the CV is, in my opinion, outstanding.

(BTW - CV is made in China while VM is made in Indonesia / I think that the Chinese have their quality control at much higher standards) - again MHO.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input! I think I will probably pay the extra money and go for the CV. I've heard so many awesome things about them.
 
#8
pudgychef said:
I prefer the CV as well - just all around a step up imho (and I like glossy necks)

I think the pickups in both are way better than they deserve to be at that price....

I vote CV but like the VMs just fine as well...
Click to expand...

This. Both would suit you well, but the CVs do seem to edge out the VMs a little bit. The first time I tried the CVs and VMs I was very impressed. I hadn't played a Squier in years, and one of my biggest complaints about Squier had always been the fret work. These on the other hand are done very well, and just overall excellent instruments within this price range.
 
#9
The CV series is primarily basswood, while the VM series contains soft maple, basswood, and basswood with an ash veneer.

I have a VM Precision TB. It's great, satin neck, beastly pickup. The VM P and J basses have Duncan designed pickups that are pretty punchy.

The CV's I try are always smoother to the touch and more finished feeling than the VMs, but the VMs are priced very competitively and with a little elbow grease can be brought up to my standards. So it's really a matter of what components you want, and how refined a product you need.

Both are GREAT bargains!
 
#11
I would go with whichever bass appeals to you the most. I really don't think the quality of the CV line is so far above the VM's as to make a substantive difference. To me the differences end up being a matter of personal preference, I.E. Cv's high mass bridge over the VM's standard bent plate bridge (I prefer the latter) VM's Duncan Designed pickups over CV's standard pickups (the former for me), vintage versus jumbo frets (no preference on my part) the CV's Glossy neck over the VM's satin finished neck (again no preference) and color schemes (the only CV model's finish that appeals to me is the 50's P butterscotch blonmde) . The tuners on the CV are supposedly better, all I know is the ones on my VM's are perfectly fine, and seem like good quality hardware, thew same goes for the bridge and everything else.
When I was shopping for a backup bass to my MIA Jazz, I had zeroed in on both the VM and CV Jazzes, and form what I read the CV seemed to be held out as the better bass, but I found the white/tort/rosewood to be much less attractive to me than the natural/black/maple VM, so I went with the VM, and I am quite happy with that decision, it's as good a quality bass as you could hope for, and I doubt I would have been any happier had I gotten the CV. Getting the CV would have been a compromise lbetween looks and a minor bump in overall quality, the VM was anything but that. The exact same would go for my amber VM P as well.
That's my experience anyway, FWIW.
Having said all that, go with your gut feelings, either one of these, the CV or VM will do you good.
 
#13
I agree with C.Linton, it is pretty much a question of personal preference and feeling when you will be playing both basses, make sure you try both out!!!

I have the Amber VM P Bass (now discontinued but you can still find it around...) I love the color and the feel and I am very happy to have as a back up bass for my Roger Waters!
 
#14
I was down to the same VM vs CV decision. I totally agree with C.Linton about the looks. I really don't like the color choices we're seeing in the CV's. I absolutely LOVE the look of the natural VM Jazz with the block inlays.

But in the end, the glossy finish and the smaller frets won me over and I now own the 60's CV J and the sonic blue 60's CV P and I couldn't be happier with them now that I've had them a couple months and played them a lot and got the setups right to where I want I want them.

I even put flats and tort pickguard on the P. Heh. I'm a walking TB cliche.
 
#15
paparoof said:
I was down to the same VM vs CV decision. I totally agree with C.Linton about the looks. I really don't like the color choices we're seeing in the CV's. I absolutely LOVE the look of the natural VM Jazz with the block inlays.

But in the end, the glossy finish and the smaller frets won me over and I now own the 60's CV J and the sonic blue 60's CV P and I couldn't be happier with them now that I've had them a couple months and played them a lot and got the setups right to where I want I want them.

I even put flats and tort pickguard on the P. Heh. I'm a walking TB cliche.
Click to expand...

that's a nice pair of basses!

it can be tempting to choose with one's eyes...I am with you..if one feels/sounds better, you grab that as appearance matters much less (imho) than performance...:bassist:
 
#16
paparoof said:
I was down to the same VM vs CV decision. I totally agree with C.Linton about the looks. I really don't like the color choices we're seeing in the CV's. I absolutely LOVE the look of the natural VM Jazz with the block inlays.

But in the end, the glossy finish and the smaller frets won me over and I now own the 60's CV J and the sonic blue 60's CV P and I couldn't be happier with them now that I've had them a couple months and played them a lot and got the setups right to where I want I want them.

I even put flats and tort pickguard on the P. Heh. I'm a walking TB cliche.
Click to expand...

I love the 60's CV Jazz, such a great looking bass. I think you raised a good point here....looks and playing preference could both be a big deciding factor here. Overall though, I still don't think you could go wrong with either.
 
#18
Yup, the Nasdaq symbol will be "FNDR" - 200 million IPO.

I think that a lot of us knew that these prices couldn't last - They gained huge market share with the Squier line as of late, and there were rumors a year ago that these were being sold for slim profits to increase visibility and to boost customer confidence in quality.

And now, here we go.

I think that you better get your Squier now before prices go up.

And if you are looking at a Fender buy it now before the "Board of mis-directors" ends up choosing the quantitiy vs. quality route.

All of this improved quality was for a reason - now we are headed into another CBS era.
 
#19
pudgychef said:
that's a nice pair of basses!

it can be tempting to choose with one's eyes...I am with you..if one feels/sounds better, you grab that as appearance matters much less (imho) than performance...:bassist:
Click to expand...

LucienBel said:
I love the 60's CV Jazz, such a great looking bass. I think you raised a good point here....looks and playing preference could both be a big deciding factor here. Overall though, I still don't think you could go wrong with either.
Click to expand...

In the end it's all about what's comfortable in the players hands. I know people who prefer the satin finish on the VM necks.

Looks are a huge deal but they're only one of your your first filters (after cost of course) when perusing the intertubes for a new bass. Those pointy BC Rich basses may be the most comfortable basses in the universe, but I'll never know - I won't pick one up because they're ghastly.

The comfort thing is second, but WAY more important. I find it takes me about 10 seconds of playing a bass to know when it feels right in my hands. It just clicks and you're like "yep, this is the one".

So once I was in the store with the VM's and CV's side by side, comfort became everything. *To me* the satin on the VM necks just feels like it hasn't been finished yet. Both these CV's just felt right *to me* instantly. There was no question at all. I didn't need to plug them in cause I already knew they were going home with me.

I did anyway, just to make sure everything was functioning properly. I was all set to replace pickups and stuff if I needed to, but I'm very happy with the sounds I'm getting from the stock electronics.

They're both getting gigged tomorrow night. Wish 'em luck!
 

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