Squier VM Jazz versus Fender MIM Precision for Blues

I've played blues with both a jazz and a precision. Both work fine. With the Jazz you can use the neck pickup for a bassier sound, or both on full for a slightly scooped tone. Both sit well in blues. The bridge pickup on its own doesn't work so well for this, I find. I prefer the feel of a jazz, so if I had to pick I'd personally go for that. Don't underestimate the effect playability will have on the overall experience..

 

Is that the latest version of the VM 70s jazz with the Fender designed (not Duncan designed) pickups? Those Fender designed jazz pickups are VERY aggressive in my experience. I would rather choose a MIM P-bass for blues if my choices were limited to those two basses only.

Edit: I missed the part about upgrading the pickups being an option. That would certainly be an improvement. The VM 70s Jazz is easily as good as a MIM Fender if you upgrade the pickups.

You still have to decide on J vs P though. I would personally prefer P for blues but that would be old school blues (and I generally prefer Ps for just about anything, lol). For more modern styles of blues, perhaps a J would be better.

And then there's the weight... The VM70 maple body is heavy! I've got a VM70 5-string and I could NEVER play regular gigs with that boat anchor around my neck! The 4-string is lighter of course but still... maple body is HEAVY! An alder body MIM should be considerably lighter.

 

The VM pickups ARE quite aggressive. I had someone make that exact comment on a recording I made with one. That was the goal in that recording, but I definitely didn't have to try hard.

You can possibly mitigate that with the volume knobs to some extent, though. You could also just change the pickups.

All of that said, I think if I were in your shoes, I'd just try them both and see which one speaks to me most when playing a particular style. I have always been a J bass fan. But I recently started playing more hip hop and R&B related tracks with my cousin and I've found that in that context it's all about the P bass (for me). I use my J bass on tracks where my P bass simply doesn't have the lower range I might want (or I'm just too lazy to retune it). Like maybe I'm rooted in E but for a particular line I want to use a D1 or something.

They make 5 string P basses, but the ones I find I'm just too cheap to pull the trigger on.

 

Really just a question of budget and neck finish preference.

 

I'd take my Squier VM 70s natural finish to a gig any day over a Jazz MIM, as every one of those I've tried in shops so far we're not up to the Squier's quality and tone. I have very little experience with Precisions, only tried a few in shops, never took one home. But I love the P sound, so I got my Jazzes series/parallel modified to get the best options for me: Jazz playability and tone, plus P-ish sound at the pull of knob.

 

If you’re happy with the Jazz and want to have a single go to bass then I would suggest sticking with the Squier. Having multiple basses causes some weird preferences in my experience. I was in a similar situation to you last year (less than one year experience and wanting a bass for the blues) and ended up buying a Player Jaguar PJ which is now my preference for the blues....... except when it’s not. I am currently learning the Cream version of Crossroad Blues and much prefer the tones I get from a Jazz for it; or even my Yamaha which I mainly use for funky stuff and have stainless steel strings on.

Long story short the Squier VM Jazz is a very capable bass and you have a lot of flexibility with strings, pickup balance, amp eq etc. to dial in your optimal tone for blues.

 

Yes.

 

first and foremost, play whatever you are comfortable with.. most any bass will work with blues, as long as you do your part.

 

I play Blues with both these basses, a P and a J, they both fit In really nice...

 

I tend to like a P for trio settings and pre-1967 blues.



I tend to like a J when there is a B3 involved and when it's newer funkier stuff:







Luckily, my Fender Roscoe Beck sig model does both.

 

I played a Jazz for 20 years doing, rock, blues, and jazz.

 

For blues I slightly prefer a Jazz over a PB. I like the somewhat smoother note attack when it’s strung with flats compared to the PB.

 

i've grown to prefer Jazz basses over the decades ...

but i always install some type of humbucking pickpups so i can take advantage of a variety of tones , minus any single coil hum ...! lately i prefer ' split coils ' ... to me they sound most like singles ... versus dual or stacked coils ..

mostly recently installed a set of DiMarzio Ultra Jazz pups ... hard to beat for the money ...

 

I am a Pbass guy all the way, but I can’t think of one reason you could not use a Jazz for the blues. I can think of many great blues players that used Jazz basses.

 

Played a lot of blues bass ... and was also a blues harp player first like you. My advice is to pick whatever bass feels best in your hands. Both basses, and nearly any bass, can be made to sound good in the mix. But you'll play better and be more inspired with the one that feels best to you.

 

try a 5 string bass for blues

 

Consider Squier CV P (black one), while still you can find it. Many stores still have it, check it out.

 

I saw Albert Collins in 1969.

His bass player played a Fender jazz bass.