Squier to Fender Upgrade - Worth It?

[BobKos]

For the OP - It used to be that price and quality were in lockstep. The more you spend the better the instrument. In the case of Squier / Fender that is not really the case. Your existing Squier with the TLC you have done to it may well outplay 50% of the new Fender ANYTHING basses available today. And I'm guessing probably only 10% of the new production USA / MIM / CIJ basses are outstanding examples of their class. That makes the odds of somebody randomly ordering a Fender bass as a gift and ending up with one with quality commensurate to the money spent not good. If you can be part of the purchase process that would be ideal if not awkward. There really is a vetting process involved in getting a great bass and especially from Fender.. You really need to play a bunch and find the one that speaks to you and also has the quality you need / expect. For the situation as presented I think you should choose a different kind of gift or decline altogether. As previously mentioned, it would be a tragedy to have an expensive gift from caring family members become an unused artifact that you have to pretend you like - for a LONG time..

This is coming from someone who owns a number of production grade basses including 7 Fenders.

I don't know the budget involved, but a blind order from companies like Valenti, Lull, Bluesman Vintage, Nash, EBMM, Alien Audio, Sandberg, etc will most likely net a high quality bass that will be appreciated and enjoyed for years. These are expensive by most standards but the quality and craftsmanship make them a true value in the market and are well worth the money spent. THAT would be a memorable, appreciated gift!

 

[lbbc]

As others have stated, play as many basses as possible at music stores. If a Fender is what you want, plays better than what you have AND affordability isn't an issue...go for it.

I, personally, was never a Fender "fanboy", but I absolutely love the Fender Coronado II semi-hollow Bass that I picked up this year. My suggestion is to also try G&L L2000....that was my "go to" bass for years!! It might "check all the boxes" for you!! Good luck!!!

 

[drewphishesp]

if thats what you want, get it, sometimes we like to have nice things

 

[hbarcat]

Just going by the information in original post, it seems to me that the primary motivation is impressing others, especially fellow church band members, with a "genuine" name brand instrument of "traditional" pedigree.

If that's the case, then the answer is obvious: shop around for an American made Fender Precision or Jazz bass. Don't even bother looking at anything else.

 

[ThinCrappyTone2]

Hello Chaps,

Please forgive me if I start with some context:

I have a "big" birthday coming up next year and it's been suggested by family members that if there was a "big" present I wanted to ask for, so that everyone could gang together and get me something special, that that would be "advisable" D). But - they need some notice, hence it being mentioned now.

This coincides with a couple of other things going on in life currently.

One is, I've been having a bit of "brand-envy" since the start of the year. Last Christmas was apparently very kind to my church band bandmates and everyone now seems to turn up with superb, expensive instruments from Fender, Gibson, Taylor etc. My current collection includes nothing that cost more than about £400 new.

The other is that, presumably because I've been working hard at (re-)learning bass for the last 4 years or so (see here if interested: Picked up a bass again after 22 years...), I feel I've actually reached a place where I'm confident in my ability to play, perform, hold down a groove and so on. People are starting to comment on how good my playing is (without prompting!) and I'm starting to take more of a lead in the band simply because bandmates are asking my opinion more, using my suggestions etc. Although I was already a capable musician in other areas (singing, organ, piano, music theory) I think they've "noticed my progress", if I can put it that way. I'm now refining, rather than learning technique.

So, although I haven't decided whether I should cross my fingers for a new bass or ask for something completely different (other interests, etc.) I am starting to do a little preliminary research to see what's possible.

What I have:
95% of the time, I'm playing one or other of two basses. One is an Ibanez SR405-EMQM. It's like my "do everything, versatile" bass. It's beautiful, the neck is amazing and it's really comfortable to play. I'm very happy with it and it's not the subject of this post, but I mention it so you can see that I've got "modern bass" covered.

The other bass that I'm playing is my Squier Vintage Modified 5-string J-Bass. This was my first instrument; I always wanted a 5-string J, even back when I was 11 or 12 years old. (I just thought they were soooo cool!) I'm quite fond of it now, although, looking back, it did take me a long while to get it to produce the sound I was after. It's the one with the natural, all maple body / neck. It now wears D'Addario Pro Steels (EPS-165-5) and has had a cap switch and a series-parallel switch added to give it a little extra tonal versatility. The best bit is that my youngest daughter always turns up and dances when I slap on it - she likes the sound at least as much as I do!

What I (might) want(?):
I think I might want to upgrade from the aforementioned to an equivalent Fender J-bass. I like the look of the Player Plus Jazz Bass V (see: Fender Ultra Jazz Bass : How I purchased a LEMON) as it's available with a maple neck and seems to be sensibly priced. It would have to wear steel roundwounds of some kind to give that slappy, spanky tone. But as you can tell - I'm very unsure.

I've doing quite a lot of reading here to try and sort out some of the disparate thoughts I've had on that subject. Some of these include:

• "Now I'm playing at a decent standard, I can justify having an expensive guitar..."
• "A Fender should be even more comfortable and easy to play than a Squier..."
• "A Fender is just a Squier with a different badge on the headstock. I've just got brand-envy..."
• [Response to the above] "But I play my basses almost every day - it's OK to have nice things, even if I am just paying for the name..."
• "Steel strings may ruin that Squier yet - do I really want to ruin an instrument 3x more expensive...?"
• "Am I really good enough to justify buying a "professional" instrument?
• "Would I have to get rid of the Squier if I owned a Fender?"
• "If I'm happy with the tone of the current bass, why do I want [need] another?"

And so on.

I've also been searching the forums for information about these basses. Some of it has shown a worrying lack of QA on various Fenders recently, e.g.:
Fender Am. Prof. II Precision vs Player Precision
Should I modify my Squier or upgrade to another bass?

Other posts have reminded me that the upgrades I did to the Squier did get me the tonal colours I wanted and that the VM series basses were unusually good (and said by some to be as good as the cheaper "Fender" branded basses), e.g.:
Is MIM Fender p bass just a “better” Squier
Picked up a bass again after 22 years...

Mostly, I don't want to ask my family to contribute to a bass that doesn't give me something over and above the bass I have already. I think that a label on a headstock by itself isn't enough. Maybe ease of playing would be enough, but the Squier has been professionaly set up and plays well. Maybe having an active J-bass would be fun in the way that the Ibanez is fun. I don't know.

Can anyone help me tease out some good sense from all of the thoughts above? It'll be much appreciated if so.

Thanks in advance,

Adam.

Get a nice Fender. You’re worth it. You earned it. And it will make your family happy to present it to you and see your joy

 

[jd56hawk]

The only problem with upgrading a bass is what happens when you want to upgrade your Fender?

Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[dalkowski]

It's your money, so buy what you like. However, I'll proudly say that pound for pound my Squier CV Mustang KOs its Fender analogue. (Full disclosure, I also own a 70s P that I'll never ever part with.)

Above all, enjoy the hunt!

 

[Cave Puppy]

Get the Fender if you want it. If you don’t, you’ll always want it. It was worth it for
me. I’ve built several basses from various Squier parts (mostly for proof of concept experimental builds) and have found, without fail, the geometry and tolerances are not consistent. Neck pockets vary, bridge alignment off, pickups mounted crooked, crappy pickups, poor quality necks… I finally splurged and got an actual Japanese made Fender Aerodyne that I really like (after pickup replacement). I’m glad I did. Now I don’t want a Fender anymore because I have one.

 

[CallMeAl]

I think that you gotta get your hands on some and find out for yourself. It’s all about the neck imho, and it can vary bass to bass.

I switched the neck on my Squier bass to a Fender neck and I’m very happy with the “upgrade.” OTOH I have a Squier bullet telecaster that is just fantastic, and haven’t found any Fender guitar that makes me want to replace it (however nice they are.) strings and pickups can so easily be changed, find one that feels good in you hands.

Oh, and happy birthday!

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hello Chaps,

Please forgive me if I start with some context:

I have a "big" birthday coming up next year and it's been suggested by family members that if there was a "big" present I wanted to ask for, so that everyone could gang together and get me something special, that that would be "advisable" D). But - they need some notice, hence it being mentioned now.

This coincides with a couple of other things going on in life currently.

One is, I've been having a bit of "brand-envy" since the start of the year. Last Christmas was apparently very kind to my church band bandmates and everyone now seems to turn up with superb, expensive instruments from Fender, Gibson, Taylor etc. My current collection includes nothing that cost more than about £400 new.

The other is that, presumably because I've been working hard at (re-)learning bass for the last 4 years or so (see here if interested: Picked up a bass again after 22 years...), I feel I've actually reached a place where I'm confident in my ability to play, perform, hold down a groove and so on. People are starting to comment on how good my playing is (without prompting!) and I'm starting to take more of a lead in the band simply because bandmates are asking my opinion more, using my suggestions etc. Although I was already a capable musician in other areas (singing, organ, piano, music theory) I think they've "noticed my progress", if I can put it that way. I'm now refining, rather than learning technique.

So, although I haven't decided whether I should cross my fingers for a new bass or ask for something completely different (other interests, etc.) I am starting to do a little preliminary research to see what's possible.

What I have:
95% of the time, I'm playing one or other of two basses. One is an Ibanez SR405-EMQM. It's like my "do everything, versatile" bass. It's beautiful, the neck is amazing and it's really comfortable to play. I'm very happy with it and it's not the subject of this post, but I mention it so you can see that I've got "modern bass" covered.

The other bass that I'm playing is my Squier Vintage Modified 5-string J-Bass. This was my first instrument; I always wanted a 5-string J, even back when I was 11 or 12 years old. (I just thought they were soooo cool!) I'm quite fond of it now, although, looking back, it did take me a long while to get it to produce the sound I was after. It's the one with the natural, all maple body / neck. It now wears D'Addario Pro Steels (EPS-165-5) and has had a cap switch and a series-parallel switch added to give it a little extra tonal versatility. The best bit is that my youngest daughter always turns up and dances when I slap on it - she likes the sound at least as much as I do!

What I (might) want(?):
I think I might want to upgrade from the aforementioned to an equivalent Fender J-bass. I like the look of the Player Plus Jazz Bass V (see: Fender Ultra Jazz Bass : How I purchased a LEMON) as it's available with a maple neck and seems to be sensibly priced. It would have to wear steel roundwounds of some kind to give that slappy, spanky tone. But as you can tell - I'm very unsure.

I've doing quite a lot of reading here to try and sort out some of the disparate thoughts I've had on that subject. Some of these include:

• "Now I'm playing at a decent standard, I can justify having an expensive guitar..."
• "A Fender should be even more comfortable and easy to play than a Squier..."
• "A Fender is just a Squier with a different badge on the headstock. I've just got brand-envy..."
• [Response to the above] "But I play my basses almost every day - it's OK to have nice things, even if I am just paying for the name..."
• "Steel strings may ruin that Squier yet - do I really want to ruin an instrument 3x more expensive...?"
• "Am I really good enough to justify buying a "professional" instrument?
• "Would I have to get rid of the Squier if I owned a Fender?"
• "If I'm happy with the tone of the current bass, why do I want [need] another?"

And so on.

I've also been searching the forums for information about these basses. Some of it has shown a worrying lack of QA on various Fenders recently, e.g.:
Fender Am. Prof. II Precision vs Player Precision
Should I modify my Squier or upgrade to another bass?

Other posts have reminded me that the upgrades I did to the Squier did get me the tonal colours I wanted and that the VM series basses were unusually good (and said by some to be as good as the cheaper "Fender" branded basses), e.g.:
Is MIM Fender p bass just a “better” Squier
Picked up a bass again after 22 years...

Mostly, I don't want to ask my family to contribute to a bass that doesn't give me something over and above the bass I have already. I think that a label on a headstock by itself isn't enough. Maybe ease of playing would be enough, but the Squier has been professionaly set up and plays well. Maybe having an active J-bass would be fun in the way that the Ibanez is fun. I don't know.

Can anyone help me tease out some good sense from all of the thoughts above? It'll be much appreciated if so.

Thanks in advance,

Adam.

My thought on the deal is if you have an instrument you like, is presentable, plays in tune, plays well, is dependable, and sounds great, consider yourself lucky. There are posters on this board that have been looking for decades swapping out basses to find that sweet spot at no small expense. If you are geeked about the brand of Squire, they do sell replacement Fender decals.

That said…..

One other point. A gift out of love blesses not only the recipient, but the giver as well. With them knowing of your dedication to the music ministry, a brand new professional level bass would be more of a blessing for them than if you asked for a lifetime supply of bass strings and finger ease.

If possible, I suggest being involved with the vetting the specific instrument to be gifted. You don’t want a gift that you don’t like and them showing up each week for service seeing you playing a different instrument.

 

[MtManiac]

Ignoring the brand on the headstock, a Squier *is* a Fender. The various models differ primarily by features.

Your Player Plus will have an active preamp that will sound different from the preamp on any active Squier, and of course a passive Squier will not have one at all. One isn’t “better” so much as the Player Plus preamp will be more usable outside the bedroom, such as in a broader variety of gigging situations. Your mileage may vary, and maybe you’d be totally happy with the preamp on a Contemporary Active Squier. For non-maple fretboards, you’re choosing between laurel and pao ferro.

As you move into the MIA models, you have yet again new options. A tone circuit and pickups unique to the Performer, plus they have a J pickup, lightweight tuners, and iirc rosewood is an option.

The Pro II has fluted tuner shafts, a bone nut, rounded fretboard edges, a very comfortable neck profile, a high mass bridge, graphite rods in the neck, and a truss rod that flexes in two directions. They also come with a kick ass case.

The Ultra/Elite/Deluxes seem to change in bigger ways from model year to model year. My favourites are the ~2014-2016 Deluxe models with an asymmetrical neck profile, compound fretboard radius, and passive/active switches.

Since they’re hinting strongly, I say go big, go American, but open the door for a used model where you’ll find the most value and the best price resilience to inflation.

Just decide what features you want - do you need a preamp? Do you need a fiver? Maple or rosewood? What colour?

 

[G On Bass]

IME, you're probably not going to get a Hallelujah Chorus when you pick up a Fender compared to your Squier (I didn't), but if you want to scratch that itch, get the Fender.

Been there, done that with a long-time desire for a Ric, then I went through the 'I should own a Fender' thing. Neither bass stuck around for long as neither bass really worked for me. The Ric was uncomfortable and the Fender 5 string was at best 'OK' compared to all the other 5's I've owed. I preferred my Squier Vintage Modified 5-string J-Bass and would get another one of those in a heartbeat. Whatever you do, try to hang on to the basses you have that you like.

But I'm glad I bought those basses and put those questions to bed for good, leaving me to focus on instruments I love. You may end up loving the Fender.

 

[azureblue]

I used to have a 3 digit P Bass. Being hand made, it had its quirks and wasn't easy to play. But that sound ---. And that sound, and the inspiration it gave me, is why I played it for years. I just loved to play the thing. I've played Squeirs that played better than that bass. I had an early Omega Alembic that I payed huge for. And as much as I tried to like it, I just could not connect with it. I had so much hope that it would be "it", but when I sold it and bought a bass that I still have and love, I didn't regret it.
You are not playing a logo. Your chops and creativity are not dependent upon the name on the headstock. The one thing I have learned is to buy the bass that speaks to you. You have to love it from the first time you pick it up. If it happens to be one that is finished in pink metalflake, so be it.

 

[mdogs]

As a definite Fender fanboy, I have or had Fenders from Japan, Mexico and America. They all had/have their pluses and minuses. What I don’t have and never will have are Fenders with 5 strings or that are active, they do nothing for me.

I don’t believe that I have played a US Fender in the last 20 years that I thought was bad. Many that are setup poorly, but they weren’t bad. BTW, fret sprout IS NOT a quality issue (just getting that out there before someone says it is)! I have a pretty expensive Lakland that is going to the shop today to get fret sprout fixed. I have had the bass for about 2 years and didn’t have a problem until just a couple of months ago, now it has razor blades sticking out the side of the neck.

One of my US Fenders is a Performer Precision, it is an awesome bass and plays like a dream. I would take a look at them, there are a couple of differences with the Pro II, the bridge and the HSC mainly. The bridge is a more traditional Fender and you get one of the crappy Fender gig bags, neither of which matter at all to me.

 

[Mickey666]

I usually find that Fenders are like Harley Davidsons... over priced, over hyped, and not nearly as dependable as the Asian brands.

YMMV

 

[mrcbass]

Hello Chaps,

Please forgive me if I start with some context:

I have a "big" birthday coming up next year and it's been suggested by family members that if there was a "big" present I wanted to ask for, so that everyone could gang together and get me something special, that that would be "advisable" D). But - they need some notice, hence it being mentioned now.

This coincides with a couple of other things going on in life currently.

One is, I've been having a bit of "brand-envy" since the start of the year. Last Christmas was apparently very kind to my church band bandmates and everyone now seems to turn up with superb, expensive instruments from Fender, Gibson, Taylor etc. My current collection includes nothing that cost more than about £400 new.

The other is that, presumably because I've been working hard at (re-)learning bass for the last 4 years or so (see here if interested: Picked up a bass again after 22 years...), I feel I've actually reached a place where I'm confident in my ability to play, perform, hold down a groove and so on. People are starting to comment on how good my playing is (without prompting!) and I'm starting to take more of a lead in the band simply because bandmates are asking my opinion more, using my suggestions etc. Although I was already a capable musician in other areas (singing, organ, piano, music theory) I think they've "noticed my progress", if I can put it that way. I'm now refining, rather than learning technique.

So, although I haven't decided whether I should cross my fingers for a new bass or ask for something completely different (other interests, etc.) I am starting to do a little preliminary research to see what's possible.

What I have:
95% of the time, I'm playing one or other of two basses. One is an Ibanez SR405-EMQM. It's like my "do everything, versatile" bass. It's beautiful, the neck is amazing and it's really comfortable to play. I'm very happy with it and it's not the subject of this post, but I mention it so you can see that I've got "modern bass" covered.

The other bass that I'm playing is my Squier Vintage Modified 5-string J-Bass. This was my first instrument; I always wanted a 5-string J, even back when I was 11 or 12 years old. (I just thought they were soooo cool!) I'm quite fond of it now, although, looking back, it did take me a long while to get it to produce the sound I was after. It's the one with the natural, all maple body / neck. It now wears D'Addario Pro Steels (EPS-165-5) and has had a cap switch and a series-parallel switch added to give it a little extra tonal versatility. The best bit is that my youngest daughter always turns up and dances when I slap on it - she likes the sound at least as much as I do!

What I (might) want(?):
I think I might want to upgrade from the aforementioned to an equivalent Fender J-bass. I like the look of the Player Plus Jazz Bass V (see: Fender Ultra Jazz Bass : How I purchased a LEMON) as it's available with a maple neck and seems to be sensibly priced. It would have to wear steel roundwounds of some kind to give that slappy, spanky tone. But as you can tell - I'm very unsure.

I've doing quite a lot of reading here to try and sort out some of the disparate thoughts I've had on that subject. Some of these include:

• "Now I'm playing at a decent standard, I can justify having an expensive guitar..."
• "A Fender should be even more comfortable and easy to play than a Squier..."
• "A Fender is just a Squier with a different badge on the headstock. I've just got brand-envy..."
• [Response to the above] "But I play my basses almost every day - it's OK to have nice things, even if I am just paying for the name..."
• "Steel strings may ruin that Squier yet - do I really want to ruin an instrument 3x more expensive...?"
• "Am I really good enough to justify buying a "professional" instrument?
• "Would I have to get rid of the Squier if I owned a Fender?"
• "If I'm happy with the tone of the current bass, why do I want [need] another?"

And so on.

I've also been searching the forums for information about these basses. Some of it has shown a worrying lack of QA on various Fenders recently, e.g.:
Fender Am. Prof. II Precision vs Player Precision
Should I modify my Squier or upgrade to another bass?

Other posts have reminded me that the upgrades I did to the Squier did get me the tonal colours I wanted and that the VM series basses were unusually good (and said by some to be as good as the cheaper "Fender" branded basses), e.g.:
Is MIM Fender p bass just a “better” Squier
Picked up a bass again after 22 years...

Mostly, I don't want to ask my family to contribute to a bass that doesn't give me something over and above the bass I have already. I think that a label on a headstock by itself isn't enough. Maybe ease of playing would be enough, but the Squier has been professionaly set up and plays well. Maybe having an active J-bass would be fun in the way that the Ibanez is fun. I don't know.

Can anyone help me tease out some good sense from all of the thoughts above? It'll be much appreciated if so.

Thanks in advance,

Adam.

If you want the Fender, then get it.

But, from my perspective, my Squier is every bit as good as my Fender. Close my eyes and hand me one of them and I probably couldn't tell you which one it is. The Squier might be a little lighter than the Fender, but that's really the only difference I feel or hear.

Maybe ask for a an amp upgrade for your gift? Happy Birthday.

YMMV

 

[Crazy_Jake]

When I bought my Vintage Modified 70's jazz I played every other jazz in the store - several of those were Fenders MIA, MIM, MIJ etc- to my ear and hands the VM jazz felt the best. Try them out - dont pay attention to the label - let your ears and hands answer the question for you
Good Luck

 

[Major Seven]

Hello Chaps,

Please forgive me if I start with some context:

I have a "big" birthday coming up next year and it's been suggested by family members that if there was a "big" present I wanted to ask for, so that everyone could gang together and get me something special, that that would be "advisable" D). But - they need some notice, hence it being mentioned now.

This coincides with a couple of other things going on in life currently.

One is, I've been having a bit of "brand-envy" since the start of the year. Last Christmas was apparently very kind to my church band bandmates and everyone now seems to turn up with superb, expensive instruments from Fender, Gibson, Taylor etc. My current collection includes nothing that cost more than about £400 new.

The other is that, presumably because I've been working hard at (re-)learning bass for the last 4 years or so (see here if interested: Picked up a bass again after 22 years...), I feel I've actually reached a place where I'm confident in my ability to play, perform, hold down a groove and so on. People are starting to comment on how good my playing is (without prompting!) and I'm starting to take more of a lead in the band simply because bandmates are asking my opinion more, using my suggestions etc. Although I was already a capable musician in other areas (singing, organ, piano, music theory) I think they've "noticed my progress", if I can put it that way. I'm now refining, rather than learning technique.

So, although I haven't decided whether I should cross my fingers for a new bass or ask for something completely different (other interests, etc.) I am starting to do a little preliminary research to see what's possible.

What I have:
95% of the time, I'm playing one or other of two basses. One is an Ibanez SR405-EMQM. It's like my "do everything, versatile" bass. It's beautiful, the neck is amazing and it's really comfortable to play. I'm very happy with it and it's not the subject of this post, but I mention it so you can see that I've got "modern bass" covered.

The other bass that I'm playing is my Squier Vintage Modified 5-string J-Bass. This was my first instrument; I always wanted a 5-string J, even back when I was 11 or 12 years old. (I just thought they were soooo cool!) I'm quite fond of it now, although, looking back, it did take me a long while to get it to produce the sound I was after. It's the one with the natural, all maple body / neck. It now wears D'Addario Pro Steels (EPS-165-5) and has had a cap switch and a series-parallel switch added to give it a little extra tonal versatility. The best bit is that my youngest daughter always turns up and dances when I slap on it - she likes the sound at least as much as I do!

What I (might) want(?):
I think I might want to upgrade from the aforementioned to an equivalent Fender J-bass. I like the look of the Player Plus Jazz Bass V (see: Fender Ultra Jazz Bass : How I purchased a LEMON) as it's available with a maple neck and seems to be sensibly priced. It would have to wear steel roundwounds of some kind to give that slappy, spanky tone. But as you can tell - I'm very unsure.

I've doing quite a lot of reading here to try and sort out some of the disparate thoughts I've had on that subject. Some of these include:

• "Now I'm playing at a decent standard, I can justify having an expensive guitar..."
• "A Fender should be even more comfortable and easy to play than a Squier..."
• "A Fender is just a Squier with a different badge on the headstock. I've just got brand-envy..."
• [Response to the above] "But I play my basses almost every day - it's OK to have nice things, even if I am just paying for the name..."
• "Steel strings may ruin that Squier yet - do I really want to ruin an instrument 3x more expensive...?"
• "Am I really good enough to justify buying a "professional" instrument?
• "Would I have to get rid of the Squier if I owned a Fender?"
• "If I'm happy with the tone of the current bass, why do I want [need] another?"

And so on.

I've also been searching the forums for information about these basses. Some of it has shown a worrying lack of QA on various Fenders recently, e.g.:
Fender Am. Prof. II Precision vs Player Precision
Should I modify my Squier or upgrade to another bass?

Other posts have reminded me that the upgrades I did to the Squier did get me the tonal colours I wanted and that the VM series basses were unusually good (and said by some to be as good as the cheaper "Fender" branded basses), e.g.:
Is MIM Fender p bass just a “better” Squier
Picked up a bass again after 22 years...

Mostly, I don't want to ask my family to contribute to a bass that doesn't give me something over and above the bass I have already. I think that a label on a headstock by itself isn't enough. Maybe ease of playing would be enough, but the Squier has been professionaly set up and plays well. Maybe having an active J-bass would be fun in the way that the Ibanez is fun. I don't know.

Can anyone help me tease out some good sense from all of the thoughts above? It'll be much appreciated if so.

Thanks in advance,

Adam.

There is no good sense here. You want the fender. It may be what I call the "other side of the fence"
syndrome, It will always bother you. If possible get the fender but DONT SELL THE SQUIER.
You WILL regret it.
I am in the same situation. I initially felt guilty buying the fender J. but I am already 68. What good
would saving that money really do? The fender is not light years better than the squier but is luxurious
in comparison so makes me feel different and colors my playing attitude. Like leather seats in your car
instead of vinyl.
Be careful to pick a good one, they do vary. If in the long run you are not impressed enough,
the name recognition alone will make it easy to sell. Its worth doing. Even just to find out.

 

[Lardass5000]

2022 G-Level J4
American Black Walnut
18v EMG BQC preamp w/ sweepable mids
EMG X series JCSX pups
KSM strings thru bridge

 

[Lardass5000]

The only problem with upgrading a bass is what happens when you want to upgrade your Fender?

Lather, rinse, repeat.

AGREE! Very strongly!