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Squier vs. fender

#2
I play a vintage mod. jazz freteed w/ dimarzio 123's. I love it. Befor any mods I liked it more then a mim. Fender is usally know to have better electronics and a lot of thier bodies are alder and that is what a lot of people prefer.
 
#8
hmm, that depends, on your budget, the amount you play, how long you've been playing, whether you like the feel, etc.

Tbh, if i had a high bass budget at the moment, i'd get something a little left-field, away from the classic brands. Maybe a Warmoth custom or something.
Basically, my point is, dont just limit yourself to Fender or Squire if you want a new bass. Explore! :p

_Kar.
 
#10
I don't know...I'm almost infatuated with my MIM, I've used a few squiers and nothings ever really come close to how good it feels/sounds.

I say if you're going for a squier, skip it and pick up a used MIM.
 
#11
It's like anything else, (generally speaking), you get what you pay for. Not to be taken as gospel, but for the most part, if an instrument is more money, it probably has better parts and is better constructed. That said, the current Squire's seem much better built than those of 20 yrs ago, and so are the current Fender's. If you're just wanting to goof around with it, save your money and just buy what you can afford, so long as you like how it feels, and sounds.
 
#13
There is a difference. Of course there is. Squier have been knocking out some decent stuff recently but they are far from perfect. Fender also has it's fair share of quality control issues, but most of the time I have found them to be very acceptable instruments.

My Squier is a decent bass. It has a number of flaws, though. First of all, the bridge is misaligned. Not so much that it causes problems, but if you look closely you can see it's off by about 1.5 or 2.00mm. That's quite an irritation. The frets are rough at the edges. Cleaning the fretboard with a cloth, it snags. One fret has a buzz which is virtually unable to be cured and won't go away with any amount of leveling. The neck screws and plate are awful quality. The screws are too thin and fall right through the holes in the neck plate, so essentially the plate is useless. Electronics are a bit cheap. The block "inlays" and binding are painted on. The body wood (soft maple) is a little too soft and lacks any kind of attractive grain.

I was never expecting an 100% perfect bass, but these are annoying problems that probably wouldn't appear on, say, a Japanese-built Fender. You do indeed get what you pay for, but Squier still shouldn't be overlooked. It depends om what you expect, your budget, and whether or not you mind tweaking and replacing parts, etc., etc.

I would rather pay a little more and get a CIJ Fender, but my budget won't currently allow it. The Squier will do for now, though.
 
#15
Dee_01 said:
My Squier is a decent bass. It has a number of flaws, though. First of all, the bridge is misaligned. Not so much that it causes problems, but if you look closely you can see it's off by about 1.5 or 2.00mm. That's quite an irritation. The frets are rough at the edges. Cleaning the fretboard with a cloth, it snags. One fret has a buzz which is virtually unable to be cured and won't go away with any amount of leveling. The neck screws and plate are awful quality. The screws are too thin and fall right through the holes in the neck plate, so essentially the plate is useless. Electronics are a bit cheap. The block "inlays" and binding are painted on. The body wood (soft maple) is a little too soft and lacks any kind of attractive grain.
Click to expand...

:rollno:
 
#19
I know some people here like Squire basses, and I don't think they are terrible instruments, but honestly if I were on a tight budget I would go for something else like a Yamaha or and Ibanez. I think they give more bang for the buck.

If you really like the classic fender look and sound, then I would save up and get a MIM Fender. It's not just the name. Squires are nowhere near the same league as even the MIM Fenders IMHO. The American Fenders are far superior instruments, and probably some of the best crafted basses available today. You get what you pay for.
 
#20
Projectile said:
If you really like the classic fender look and sound, then I would save up and get a MIM Fender. It's not just the name. Squires are nowhere near the same league as even the MIM Fenders IMHO.
Click to expand...
There's definitely a greater level of hit and miss there. The Squier P-bass Special I currently have I would say is at least close if not on par with the MIM Fender I used to own. In fact, I'd even go as far to say that the pickups in the Squier sound better than the pickups in the Fender did.
 

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