For the sake of circling back to the original topic of Squier owners, I'll note that the bass I used to back up my Warmoth, for many years, was a Pete Wentz signature Squier P bass with a jazz neck on it. I actually needed it as a backup at least once, but I'd sometimes use it instead because it was at least a couple pounds lighter than the Warmoth.
Funny story relating to that bass. On one of my trips to Ukraine, I arranged to borrow/rent a bass from a guy (Andrey) recommended to me by a guy (Vova) who worked at a music store in Odessa, where they don't rent basses. So I met Andrey and got his bass from him at a jam. It was a cheap FSO of some kind, but it was his baby, so I promised to take care of it. Long story completely skipped, I was far from Odessa the night before I was due to return to the States -- the same night I was supposed to meet up with Andrey and return his bass. I ended up returning to my hotel about 3 in the morning, and I had to be at the airport by 7 or so, and there was no chance to return Andrey's bass. I left it at the hotel desk with his phone number, and explained that they had to call this number (please!) and tell the guy that his bass is here at the hotel. And then I flew home.
A couple years later, I was back in Odessa, and I called Andrey. He was surprised, but pleased to hear from me, and we arranged to meet at the club where he worked (he ran sound for the club). So I get there, we meet and sit down with a beer, and start talking. I asked him if he ever got his bass back, and he said no. (!) I immediately felt like crap. I had arranged to pay him $50 to borrow his bass for 3 weeks, and at the end of the three weeks, I just disappeared. And so did his bass, and so did the money I agreed to pay him. So I pulled out $100 and gave it to him on the spot, and told him half of it was what I promised him, and the other half was apology, and that I would replace his bass. That obviously lightened his day. But it turned out that he wasn't mad about the situation when I disappeared, just depressed and deflated. I'd have probably been mad in that situation, and I wouldn't have blamed him for being mad also.
Anyway, at that time at the music store, they had several Washburn basses, including a model very similar to one I own and like, and I offered to buy him one that week. He turned down that offer. He said that this might be the only chance he'll ever have to get the bass of his dreams, which is a Fender, with some kind of case to go with it. So I told him I'll look around back in America, and see what I can come up with.
Back in the States, I had a thought. I'd been very happy with my Wentz signature Squier P, and so I sent him a picture of me playing mine, and asked him if he'd be interested in having a bass like this one.
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He said he'd be very happy with that one, so I resolved to bring it with me the next time I went to Ukraine. However, I soon found another one online, for a price that was very reasonable compared to what I'd been seeing for that model, so I pulled the trigger. I even got a (chrome) Babicz bridge for it to match the (black) Babicz bridge I put on mine, so he was basically getting the very same bass as the one in the photo.
However, the new bass had a twisted neck. That explained why the price was so good. Crap. Well, only one thing for it... To get it to Ukraine, I was going to have to disassemble the bass anyway, to get it in my suitcase. So I pulled the neck off my bass, and packed it with the good parts of the other bass. Off to Ukraine. Once again, Andrey was happy to hear from me, and we arranged to meet at his place of work again.
We actually arranged to do one other thing first. We planned to get together, and go together to the hotel where I'd previously stayed which was the last known location of his old bass, and try to find out what happened. But in a somewhat typically Ukrainian way, that never happened, because Andrey had gone out with a bunch of friends for a birthday party, gotten completely sloshed, and was out of commission the following day -- the day we were supposed to go to the hotel. Oh well. So we never found out about what happened to the bass.
Anyway, we met on our designated night. I showed up with his new bass in a padded gig bag. Andrey was busy, so he didn't see me until I was well inside the building. And then his face lit up. He came over, and I unveiled his bass. I have to say, even though it was used, it was in really good condition. So as he was admiring it, I explained about getting another of the same bass, about the twisted neck, about replacing the neck with the neck from my bass, and the new bridge, making it essentially exactly the same bass as the one in the photo. He also got three sets of string in the deal -- the red ones in the photo off my bass, the black rounds that came with the bass with the twisted neck, and a new set of flats that came when I paid to have the bass set up. He was very pleased with it all, which was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, since I carried a lot of guilt this whole time from losing his bass to begin with.
However, I was not the only one with guilt. After Andrey finished getting acquainted with his new bass, he introduced me to someone. Or rather, re-introduced me. This someone was Vova, the guy who worked at the music store who had originally referred me to Andrey, whose bass I lost. I'd completely forgotten about him! I'd been carrying this burden for two years, and I'd completely failed to think this burden might have been shared by anyone else, but it was. He was the one who originally connected me with Andrey and Andrey's bass, and so he felt responsible when I disappeared without returning the bass. So when I came in and presented Andrey with his new bass, Vova was there to see it, and it was a huge weight lifted off of both of us. Since I had forgotten Vova was an integral part of the story, it didn't occur to me until later that he was there because Andrey told him to be there. At any rate, I was really thankful he was, because it brought closure all around. That was a great night! (Andrey on the right, Vova in the center.)
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