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Squier Owners Club

You sound like me. I buy an inexpensive Asian bass, and by the time I've done all the mods on it to get it to play and sound like I want it, I could've bought a used Fender (or similar) instrument! :bassist: I do it all the time. Have fun!
I would have bought a MIM Fender or MIA Fender if they had new 32” scale to offer but they only have 30s and 34s. Squier is currently the only 32” scale offering they have and it,s only on one model.

So my only options were Warmoth build which would have been around $1500 for all pieces and parts or buying the 32” scale conversion neck at $700 just for the neck (Warmoth 32s have a different neck pocket), or buying $1200+ bass from a brand I’ve never even touched before.

I live in Alaska so not a lot makers to choose from and if I have to foot the bill on shipping from somewhere like the UK or Japan it will cost a small fortune.

Plus my pickup choices, scale choice, and electronics choices are pretty specific.
And I am a modding junkie. Probably should have an intervention for myself
All parts and pieces for this bass will still be under $1k so I don’t feel too guilty.

Side note; Warmoth prices have really increased a lot over the past decade+. Use to be you could piece together a really nice p or j for under 1k. Inflation is a b*#@h.
 
Nice. Let us know if the changes improve the sound at all. My VM Jaguar V is awesome, but the sustain and vibrancy it lacks (compared to my boutique bass) I think is due to the woods sucking up the vibrations, not the hardware.
I should have the bass tomorrow and only thing I’m waiting for now parts wise is 1 meg resistor which I can live without till it shows up.

I plan on making recordings and posting here with post modded sounds.
You’ll have to forgive my playing technique I’m still trying to figure out post injury playing style.
 
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USE HEADPHONES OR DECENT SPEAKERS PLEASE.
Not going to hear much of a difference on tiny little phone speakers.
Squier CV 32” scale PJ bass.
So here is the sound demo.
No EQ just straight into the board with some compression.
Start off with open strings to demo sustain.
Next settings are on 12 bar phrases.
1st 12bar is P pickup only.
2 12 bar is bass in series.
3 has a little pause so I can increase input to go into parallel. Parallel has a lot of scoop but sounds good if turned up.
Lastly testing the tone caps engaged with bass in series. One cap is .047 the other is .022 both are orange drops.

I passed on running solo on the bridge pickup because by itself without pushing the gain or some distortion it’s lackluster but sounds great in series or parallel with the p pickup.

Bass specs.
Ernie Ball medium gauge strings.
Brass nut.
Fender High Mass Bridge with chromed brass saddles.
Dimarzio Split P and Dimarzio Ultra Jazz.
Control plate has series/parallel switch, 3 way pickup selector, and tone cap selector. There is also a 1meg resistor wired between hot and ground to just notch out some ultra high frequency/noise but not aggressive enough to reduce any harmonics.

Important note; bass is not completely intoned or setup yet. It’s a rough setup, I’l let it sit a day and then go for a final setup.

I really love the sound of the split p and it in series. If I were to change anything it would be pickup selector wiring. I would have it go from P to parallel to series and skip the bridge solo.
 
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Have I mentioned on this forum that I'm not crazy about the sound of a Jazz Bass? I probably have, because, frankly, I find it bland, So why do I own a pair of Squier Jazz Basses? Because they're inexpensive and make great modding platforms. Below is the final result of my mod of my Paranormal 54 Jazz Bass. I changed it to a single master volume, installed Dimarzio Sixties Noiseless Jazz Pickups individually wired in series, and added an EMG BTS Control, which is a 2-band active EQ. I'm not crazy about the DiMarzio Sixties Jazz pickups, but almost anything is better than the Chinese originals that came on the bass, and I already had the DiMarzios in stock. The Jazz Sixties pickups are very sensitive and can be a little brittle-sounding. The EMG BTS Control really helps to tame that and gives the bass a richness it didn't otherwise have. I've used that preamp on several basses with excellent results. So the control on the upper horn is a master volume, and the two controls in the control panel are active treble and active bass. Please note, after installing the BTS Control in that tiny control cavity, there is no room for a 9v battery, so if you were to do this, you'd have to either rout out space in the back of the bass for a battery box or, like me, use an outboard power supply. An electronic engineer friend of mine built me a pair of those, one that I can use on the floor that plugs in with a wall wart, or one that uses a pair of 9v batteries and clips onto my belt so I can use my wireless unit. The only other mods I made to this bass were to install a Fender high mass bridge and a set of G&L (no affiliation) ultralite tuners that eliminated neck dive and are much smoother than the original Chinese tuners. Please forgive the smudges and crud on the bass. I'm in the process of moving, and my polishing and cleaning supplies are packed away.
Squier Paranormal 54 Jazz new look 6-29-24.jpg
 
Have I mentioned on this forum that I'm not crazy about the sound of a Jazz Bass? I probably have, because, frankly, I find it bland, So why do I own a pair of Squier Jazz Basses? Because they're inexpensive and make great modding platforms.
Just out of curiosity;
  1. How do the unplugged ergonomics of a Jazz bass body and/or neck work for you? Well, I hope.
  2. Have you tried out a Jazz bass in series mode, turning both pups into one, big humbucking pickup? (If I remember correctly, there are some who've permanently wired a J/J bass this way and controlling it with a simple, 2-knob V/T control.)
 
Just out of curiosity;
  1. How do the unplugged ergonomics of a Jazz bass body and/or neck work for you? Well, I hope.
  2. Have you tried out a Jazz bass in series mode, turning both pups into one, big humbucking pickup? (If I remember correctly, there are some who've permanently wired a J/J bass this way and controlling it with a simple, 2-knob V/T control.)
I find a Jazz Bass very comfortable to play. And yes, my Squier 40th Anniversary Jazz Bass is wired to a single master volume which has a push / pull switch to switch it between parallel and series. I always play it in series except when I record, when I prefer the smoother parallel sound.
 
I find a Jazz Bass very comfortable to play. And yes, my Squier 40th Anniversary Jazz Bass is wired to a single master volume which has a push / pull switch to switch it between parallel and series. I always play it in series except when I record, when I prefer the smoother parallel sound.
And the "Mr. Smarty-Smart Pants With Super-Smart Pants" award goes to... :D
 
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Bob help me, but when I took a peek at Fender's Player II lineup, I saw the mention of the "Fender Days" sale!
:banghead:


I almost never buy a new instrument, but now I have a Fender/Squier Affinity Jazz in that cursed lovely Charcoal Frost Metallic coming my way...and for only $176, no less!! :facepalm:
 
Help ID this bass. Standard, CV, Vintage Modified, or ?

Serial # IC09

Thanks


View attachment 6992098
Definitely a Vintage Modified. The date, Seymour Duncan designed pickups and chrome knobs are all dead giveaways. Also, the neck is probably wearing a clear, satin finish. It was around 2013 that they started giving those necks a glossy, vintage tint.

One big plus...in 2008, FMIC did a big, across-the-board improvement of their quality control, so it's quite likely this one benefited from that uptick.
 
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Definitely a Vintage Modified. The date, Seymour Duncan designed pickups and chrome knobs are all dead giveaways. Also, the neck is probably wearing a clear, satin finish. It was around 2013 that they started giving those necks a glossy, vintage tint.

One big plus...in 2008, FMIC did a big, across-the-board improvement of their quality control, so it's quite likely this one benefited from that uptick.
Thank you!!!
 
Over the years, I have bought and sold several Fender P basses. My favorite is a phenomenal Custom Shop ‘60 bass. Out of nostalgia, I recently repurchase the very first bass I bought 12 years ago: a 2010 Matt Freeman Precision. It’s in mint condition, with the only modification being the strings (TI Flats). I paid double what I originally sold it for, but it’s worth it. It’s very resonant, has low action, and the pickups are excellent. The neck is 🤌😍. This one is staying for good now!
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Over the years, I have bought and sold several Fender P basses. My favorite is a phenomenal Custom Shop ‘60 bass. Out of nostalgia, I recently repurchase the very first bass I bought 12 years ago: a 2010 Matt Freeman Precision. It’s in mint condition, with the only modification being the strings (TI Flats). I paid double what I originally sold it for, but it’s worth it. It’s very resonant, has low action, and the pickups are excellent. The neck is 🤌😍. This one is staying for good now!View attachment 7010563View attachment 7010564View attachment 7010566
 

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Bob help me, but when I took a peek at Fender's Player II lineup, I saw the mention of the "Fender Days" sale!
:banghead:


I almost never buy a new instrument, but now I have a Fender/Squier Affinity Jazz in that cursed lovely Charcoal Frost Metallic coming my way...and for only $176, no less!!
Sadly, I had to return it to Fender. Not because it was bad in any way. Actually, it was quite nice. But, it had to go back, 'cuz on the up-side, I stumbled across a real "White Whale/Sasquatch/Loch Ness Monster" of mine in decent condition (very uncommon for that model) and at a fantastic price...a non-export Fender Aerodyne in U.S. Gunmetal Blue. And since "Nessie" was much higher on my list of priorities, I had to make room, so the Affinity Jazz's return paid for part of this rare find. :smug:

Never fear, true believers! I still have a couple Projekts that proudly wear Squier necks, and that will not change anytime soon! :thumbsup:

F4veR9A.jpeg
 

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