I recently saw Guitar Center was having a sale on what they called a Guitar Center exclusive. It was 3T sunburst Squier Affinity Series P/J. At $259.00 the Price was too good to pass up. Since I didn't have a P/J nor a 3T sunburst currently in my collection I thought, well what have I got to lose. So I ordered it. I figured if it wasn't any good I could always return it.
When it arrived I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The fit and finish was surprisingly good. The fretwork was very good with no sharp fret ends and just some minor levelling needed way up high. There's a very minor amount of buzzing on the A string around the 17th - 19th fret. Hardly Noticeable when playing through my amp so I'm probably just going to leave it and see if it levels itself out after a little bit of playing and if not I've got everything needed to level and re-crown it so it's no biggie. TBH I was expecting it to be a lot worse based on the amount Squier instruments that come across my bench here at home which need quite a bit of fretwork. The Indian Laurel board has a very nice grain pattern. The nut was very nicely done And it was nice for a change not to have to go in and correct something. The slots were the correct width and depth. I almost always have to cut the slots deeper to get it where it should be.
The finish on the body is really good as well. There are a couple of very small little pin head sized dings on the face of the body where they could have sanded it a little bit more and used a bit of filler but they are hardly noticeable unless you are way up close and you know where to look to find them. They did an excellent job of matching the wood grain on the Poplar body and the sunburst finish is very well done. The satin finish on the back of the neck is smooth and it plays fast. I also like the gloss finished face on the headstock. Weight is right in my sweet spot at 8.6 lbs.
I was expecting to be disappointed in the sound and had already planned that if I kept it I would have to plan on swapping out the pickups. I have never been a fan of ceramic magnet pickups especially the ones used in the lower tier instruments like this. They're usually way too hot and harsh sounding. I have often felt it's done that way on purpose. It's like they want to impress the newbies when they hit that first note and it sounds so loud and powerful. I've always favored alnico5 magnets for their warmer tone. But I have to admit I actually liked the sound of these pickups and yes they are pretty loud. But they're punchy without any harshness. In fact I like them so much that for now at least I'm not going to change them.
The black PG had to go. IMO if it's 3TSB it's gotta be a tort guard. Luckily I have plenty of those sitting around. While I was digging those out I also found a KLUSON Fender branded high mass bridge so I put that on there too. I also have a set of tension adjustable tuners (Grover copies) that will fit and I might just put those on there eventually. If so, I'll wait till I decide to roll the fretboard edges. For the final change I have been sitting on a set of LaBella LTF strings so I put those on there. It sounds huge with flats on it and plays great. I'd feel fine gigging with this bass. Of course it's not on the same level as my vintage Precision or my 2008 P but it's a good instrument and it's solid.
As a bassist since 1969 it's hard for me to believe that nowadays you can get a bass that has the quality that this has in an entry level bass. Even at the normal selling price of $379.99 it is a great instrument and ready to take on stage and play with a minimal amount of work. If only we would have had these when I was first starting out. I shudder to think about my first bass. All I can remember is it was some kind of Japanese import like a Teisco bass or something to that effect. It was barely OK and fell apart rather quickly LOL It did sound pretty decent.
When it arrived I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The fit and finish was surprisingly good. The fretwork was very good with no sharp fret ends and just some minor levelling needed way up high. There's a very minor amount of buzzing on the A string around the 17th - 19th fret. Hardly Noticeable when playing through my amp so I'm probably just going to leave it and see if it levels itself out after a little bit of playing and if not I've got everything needed to level and re-crown it so it's no biggie. TBH I was expecting it to be a lot worse based on the amount Squier instruments that come across my bench here at home which need quite a bit of fretwork. The Indian Laurel board has a very nice grain pattern. The nut was very nicely done And it was nice for a change not to have to go in and correct something. The slots were the correct width and depth. I almost always have to cut the slots deeper to get it where it should be.
The finish on the body is really good as well. There are a couple of very small little pin head sized dings on the face of the body where they could have sanded it a little bit more and used a bit of filler but they are hardly noticeable unless you are way up close and you know where to look to find them. They did an excellent job of matching the wood grain on the Poplar body and the sunburst finish is very well done. The satin finish on the back of the neck is smooth and it plays fast. I also like the gloss finished face on the headstock. Weight is right in my sweet spot at 8.6 lbs.
I was expecting to be disappointed in the sound and had already planned that if I kept it I would have to plan on swapping out the pickups. I have never been a fan of ceramic magnet pickups especially the ones used in the lower tier instruments like this. They're usually way too hot and harsh sounding. I have often felt it's done that way on purpose. It's like they want to impress the newbies when they hit that first note and it sounds so loud and powerful. I've always favored alnico5 magnets for their warmer tone. But I have to admit I actually liked the sound of these pickups and yes they are pretty loud. But they're punchy without any harshness. In fact I like them so much that for now at least I'm not going to change them.
The black PG had to go. IMO if it's 3TSB it's gotta be a tort guard. Luckily I have plenty of those sitting around. While I was digging those out I also found a KLUSON Fender branded high mass bridge so I put that on there too. I also have a set of tension adjustable tuners (Grover copies) that will fit and I might just put those on there eventually. If so, I'll wait till I decide to roll the fretboard edges. For the final change I have been sitting on a set of LaBella LTF strings so I put those on there. It sounds huge with flats on it and plays great. I'd feel fine gigging with this bass. Of course it's not on the same level as my vintage Precision or my 2008 P but it's a good instrument and it's solid.
As a bassist since 1969 it's hard for me to believe that nowadays you can get a bass that has the quality that this has in an entry level bass. Even at the normal selling price of $379.99 it is a great instrument and ready to take on stage and play with a minimal amount of work. If only we would have had these when I was first starting out. I shudder to think about my first bass. All I can remember is it was some kind of Japanese import like a Teisco bass or something to that effect. It was barely OK and fell apart rather quickly LOL It did sound pretty decent.
