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Squier VM P basses w P&J pickups....any glaring weak points?

D

DavidEdenAria

Dec 13, 2013
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On a Hill
#1
Right now I don't own any Fender basses but have been around lots of vintage Fender guitars and know most have very few weak spots...in other words things that need changed right off.

I mostly own Japan and USA guitars in general and a few MIM Fender guitars I have upgraded pickups on.

SOOO, I find this nice Squier VM P bass in black for $149........I can always return it but am I going to want to mod this thing and start in changing tuners, then the bridge, then the pickups...you get the picture!

I own several Peavey USA basses I bought for under $150 that need absolutely nothing...tuners, pots, bridges, pickups....but I did my homework on these....same with my Japan Ibanez SR800, it needs nothing and Dean Edge fretless 35 scale with EMG's, again needs nothing.. everything works and has held up.

I see SOOO many folks changing parts out on Fender MIM and Squier basses.

Be honest, what, if any thing should be addressed on the Squier VM P bass.

What is the FIRST thing you would change?

What changes have you made that really did not make much difference?

Normally I would search out a MIM or Japan P-J Bass for dirt cheap...but I NEVER see them for under $250....but I would jump on one with decent upgrades for $225 to 250.

Thanks in advance.
 
#3
Sometimes the tuners can be good enough but you CAN feel that it is not top quality. Is that enough reason to change them out? I don't know. Weight of the tuners can be a factor, and ease of tuning another factor. If it does not hold the tuning and it's not a nut problem, then definitely change them. I don't like the stiff and somewhat uneven tuning feel of my tuners on the VM Squier P 5-string, but I solve it by dropping the tuning a fair bit and then retuning up to pitch, and then it stays in tune. So, do I need to change mine out? Maybe not, but I've been thinking about it, for weight reduction :)

Pickup. I changed mine. The stock was very fat, but a bit harsh, imo. I had a Wyldepickups P46 at home, so I had it put in. Now the sound is magnificent. Not so fat, and not so harsh as the original. More even across the spectrum.

Bridge. Didn't change it. It really doesn't need that. Personal preference for another bridge may play a role if you want to change it, but the stock is fine.

So in summary, if you are not picky, you don't need to change anything. For the price you get a pretty good bass.
 
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#4
I am going to spend some more time with it, if it hasn't sold.

First impressions seemed good overall.

My problem is I start realizing potential and before you know it the pickups are ripped out first.....I do wonder about the tuners holding tune and the quality of the electronics.

Everything I own is USA or Japan mainly....a few MIM and a few Korean, so I have no experience with other countries guitars to be honest.

My main concern is whether I should spend another $100 for a used MIM Fender...nice thing about many Fenders is there are a lot of quality used replacement parts.

I don't like to lose money and I like a variety of guitars in general....otherwise I would probably buy some kind of USA P bass and only own 1 or 2...but that aint me LOL!

I like dozens of guitars and I can easily see myself with a dozen basses too.
 
#5
I recently swapped the neck on my VM p for one from a Squier Matt Freeman bass, and the DD pickup for an EMG GZR. The thing is, I didn't NEED to mod it. I could have left it dead stock, and it was a perfectly viable bass. The only reason I did the swaps, was out of curiosity than any real need .(and yes, I am very happy with the results)
 
#7
The Squires are an excellent value as is, you can sink a lot of money into it on upgraded parts and not really increase the resale value, which sounds like it may be a concern for a guy with 12 guitars. Any improvements made will be incremental at best, I say enjoy it for what it is, a good entry level, backup, or beater bass that you dont have to worry about too much at $149.
 
#8
For my VM Jazz Bass I upgraded the pickups to Dimarzio Ultra Jazz, I'm upgrading the wiring right now and other then that there are no real changes to be made. The bridge may get changed simply based on cosmetic reasons and the tuners may get swapped out for a Hipshot drop tuner - not necessary changes but items on my list none the less.
 
#10
I changed the pickup in mine (put in an EMG GZR). The bass already had a lot of punch and sustain, but the new pickup really opened up the tone (the Duncan Designed pickup had a more mid-focused, narrower range). The frets however, were a mess. They weren't dressed at the factory, so that had to be done by a tech. The tuners are fine, no need to replace them. All in all, a much better bass than the MIM it replaced.
 
#11
Roda said:
I changed the pickup in mine (put in an EMG GZR). The bass already had a lot of punch and sustain, but the new pickup really opened up the tone (the Duncan Designed pickup had a more mid-focused, narrower range). The frets however, were a mess. They weren't dressed at the factory, so that had to be done by a tech. The tuners are fine, no need to replace them. All in all, a much better bass than the MIM it replaced.
Click to expand...
See that's the thing, a few of my buddies tell me the VM and CV Fenders in general are as good or often better platforms than the MIM guitars.

To me there has to be some appeal with the NECK in general with any guitar....which is probably why I have wound up with so many Japan guitars (and a few basses)...the necks are often well finished in general.

How nice are the necks in general and how RESONANT are these VM and CV Fenders? Especially compared to MIM Fenders?

If this were a straight up P bass with one pickup for say $100 or less, I would have ripped that off the wall and taken it home LOL!

However I don't know if I want to go down the road with possibly needing to replace a pair of pickups.
 
#13
I've had American P's and J's and I prefer my Squier 60's CV Pbass. Its very well put together the neck is killer and I really have no complaints. I changed the pup but it wasn't necessary the stock was fine. By the VM and enjoy an incredible bass for almost nothing. Its almost like stealing!
 
#14
I believe CV 60p is better choice if you can find one used.
Mine CV p come without single neck dead spot. Tuner is fine. Fretwork is good without any sharp end and buzzing.
electronic is fine ,smooth and quite.
Pickup is warm but little scoop.
Just I don't like the himass bridge , swap with vintage threadsaddle and bring bACK the organic p sound.

Just my 2 cent.
 
#16
+1 for CV over VM. Go for it.
On my CV J, bought five years ago, which was in itself a good bass for the price, I rewired it (V plus series/parallel - BAL - T), shielded the cavity, and changed pups (DiMarzio Model J, then SD QP) and believe me it's a beast.
OK, the resale value isn't increased, but I plan to keep it as my main backup. No fkaws: good neck, hi-mass bridge, maybe the tuners aren't so hard but good enough to stay in tune for a whole gig.
I also own a CV 60 P, and I left it stock (except pickguard an knobs): the sound is good, no more to tell.
 
#17
IIRC, The Squier VM's are manufactured in Indonesia at either the Cort factory (ICxxxxxx serial#)or the Samick factory (ICSxxxxx serial). The Classic Vibes are manufactured in China and every single one I've had my hands on, whether a Precision or a Jazz, has been outstanding. As 1stnamebassis said, they can put a MIA or MIM to shame, out of the carton.
The VM you are looking at should have the Duncan Designed AlNiCo pickups, which may lack a bit to some folks but are a good, all-around pickup - especially if yours has the jazz pickup (I don't believe you stated one way or the other); you can dial in a bunch-o-sounds.
The VM's I've had are of nice quality, usually. I had one that was just waaaaay below par and seemed everything was wrong with it. Who knows...... Anyway - - -
If the electronics work as they should (I'm sure you know how they should behave), it feels comfortable, etc. than go for it. For $149 you shouldn't have anything to lose.
 
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#19
covermego said:
IIRC, The Squier VM's are manufactured in Indonesia at either the Cort factory (ICxxxxxx serial#)or the Samick factory (ICSxxxxx serial). The Classic Vibes are manufactured in China and every single one I've had my hands on, whether a Precision or a Jazz, has been outstanding. As 1stnamebassis said, they can put a MIA or MIM to shame, out of the carton.
The VM you are looking at should have the Duncan Designed AlNiCo pickups, which may lack a bit to some folks but are a good, all-around pickup - especially if yours has the jazz pickup (I don't believe you stated one way or the other); you can dial in a bunch-o-sounds.
The VM's I've had are of nice quality, usually. I had one that was just waaaaay below par and seemed everything was wrong with it. Who knows...... Anyway - - -
If the electronics work as they should (I'm sure you know how they should behave), it feels comfortable, etc. than go for it. For $149 you shouldn't have anything to lose.
Click to expand...
I edited the title...it indeed has the P&J pickups...I dont need another P bass, my pair of Peavey Fury basses cover that fine.

WOW what were the problems with your VM bass....electronics issues?

Its just the overall quality that I fret over (no pun intended!).....as I stated I am used to USA & Japan guitars overall.

I worry about things going wrong overall with a cheaper P&J bass....more electronics to deal with.
 
#20
Check out my NBD post. Squier VM P bass w/ Lindy Fralins. To everyone who says Squier sucks... just listen to or even play a VM P with upgrades... I'm glad I didn't wait forever on a good deal for an MIM with no upgrades or even a new one.
 

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