The Squier Mini Precision Bass Club

[Mountain Mike]

I am only waiting for the (virtual) Winter NAMM just to see if Fender will bring a version of the Mini P with a maple fretboard, if not I will buy the laurel fretboard one.

Looks like we're going to have to wait a bit longer to find anything out.
Winter NAMM has been postponed, bundled with Summer Namm and will be held in June.
The virtual event appears to be happening still as I just got my notification.
I logged in and found the major players are notably absent including Fender and Gibson.

 

[yaksonator]

For those who’ve replaced the bridge on you’re basses, I’m looking to get a kickass bridge and was wondering if the holes lined up exactly or did you have to make new ones?

 

[Philtastic]

For those who’ve replaced the bridge on you’re basses, I’m looking to get a kickass bridge and was wondering if the holes lined up exactly or did you have to make new ones?

Perfect fit. Even the screws went in no problem.

Edit: That's my experience. Others have said their factory bridge was improperly aligned, so it's not a 100% guarantee, but chances are very good it'll work.

 

[pcake]

~
I agree that if they still had that shade of blue, I would choose it over the other two colours which you linked.

Yes, pain is not something which most of us enjoy, and I hope that yours fades soon.

With me, it's the lower back, which forced me to sit to play, and if I do that, the weight of the bass is not as important as I sometimes make it out to be.

My most recent acquisition is a MIM Jazz, which had a 32" custom conversion neck from Brad Lowe installed by its last owner, and weighs exactly 8 pounds, which is light for a Jazz.

That neck also has a P-width nut of 1.66" [I measured it with a digital vernier], so it more or less fulfills one of my 'bucket list' wishes, from back before anyone even called it a bucket list, of having and gigging a Jazz with a P neck.

And it has black nylon covered [possibly D'Addario, medium blue silks] strings on it, which are a string type which I have not tried in close to 50 years, so that alone may prove interesting when the gigs resume yet again.

I have tried short scale basses during the past few years, after long scale [my Ric] for a much longer period, and now I will be checking out medium.

It might turn out that medium is the 'Goldilocks length' for me, and I'll report on this in due course.

Regarding my Jay Turser JTB-40, I weighed the transparent red one to be 5 LB 8 [on a digital parcel scale], but not the other, which is a sort of a turquoise sparkle finish, however it felt similar, the last time that I lifted it.

Could it be that you were finding numbers for their full scale P-ish version ?

The other reason that I ask is that I cannot find that used black one on GC [sold already ?], nor any other Turser products, and when I first got my red JTB-40, I also looked up new stock to compare, and it seemed that stores only carried the short scale model in the two colours which I eventually snagged, both used.

Hmmmm....
~

i searched for Jay Turser JTB-40 weight. could that have been the long scale verion? who knows?

my squier CV jazz weighs 8 pounds with the standard neck. on the other hand, my husband's weighs in at just about 10 pounds.

~
Glad to contribute !

While most are PJ, I think that Ibanez also have/had a model of Mikro with a single humbucker pickup like a Music Man bass, seen on Sweetwater, and IIRC, I was unaware of the 5-string model which pcake mentioned.

I too have noticed that used Squier Broncos [and Squier Mini-P basses] each seem to be holding their value well when offered used in Canada, on Kijiji at least.

Also bear in mind that almost all stock J pickups [and the Bronco pickup] are of single coil design, and therefore prone to picking up hum, if any is present in the room.

EDIT :

The bass which I took to be a Music Man-ish Mikro is actually a full scale bass.

Same price as a Mikro, and it looks nice, if they ever restock it :

Ibanez Gio GSR100EX Bass Guitar - Mahogany Oil

And I do see the 5-string Mikro listed on Sweetwater.
~

i have that GSR100EX and a second one my husband routed so it could hold mustand pickups.

~
I Binged for more info about that bass, and found this thread :

an unexpected surprise - ibanez GSR100EX

Very interesting !

And what did you think of the final result ?

You could reply over there if you'd rather.
~

the final result? i passed on going fretless with the black GSR100EX, instead adding mustang pickups after my husband routed it for me, and it's awesome! my first one, with the MOL finish, i was playing last night. i still really enjoy it, and it's a more comfortable body than other long scale basses.

 

[Big Dumb]

Love my Squire mini p with chromes, wouldn’t change anything about it. Accept the intonation….. Ive had to move the saddles back once again now that the string are play in.

 

[RodRy]

my squier CV jazz weighs 8 pounds with the standard neck. on the other hand, my husband's weighs in at just about 10 pounds.

What is a "CV jazz"? I have a Squier Affinity Jazz, and really like that one. Mine weighs 9.4 pounds with the strap on it, and I would not be surprised if the strap weighs almost .4 pounds.

i have that GSR100EX and a second one my husband routed so it could hold mustand pickups.

Mustard pickups?? Is that a color or a brand or what?

the final result? i passed on going fretless with the black GSR100EX, instead adding mustang pickups after my husband routed it for me, and it's awesome! my first one, with the MOL finish, i was playing last night. i still really enjoy it, and it's a more comfortable body than other long scale basses.

Never mind...

 

[Mountain Mike]

I was super close to pulling the trigger on a Bronco but then I found out about the Gretsch Junior Jet II bass.
Love the looks; Tele body, 2x2 tuners, classic style.

Damn, never should gone down ths rabbit hole!


Anyway, the Mini P arrived a couple hours ago. Can't wait to take it home on open it up!

 

[DavesnothereCA]

What is a "CV jazz"? I have a Squier Affinity Jazz, and really like that one. Mine weighs 9.4 pounds with the strap on it, and I would not be surprised if the strap weighs almost .4 pounds.

Mustard pickups?? Is that a color or a brand or what ? - Never mind...

~
It appears that you even misread pcake's typo.

Or was that deliberate, so that you could make the joke ?

Sounds like something that I would also premeditate.

But seriously, Mustard Yellow is actually a colour designation which Ibanez uses - check it out on some of their Talman basses at Sweetwater.

And weighing basses with a strap attached ?

I've never done that so far, but now you've got me thinking....

BTW, my latest bass, the MIM Jazz with the Brad Lowe conversion 32" scale neck on it, weighs exactly 8 pounds and 2 ounces with the parts of the Schaller straplocks which belong on the strap attached to it, which is why I said 8 pounds even, a few posts ago.

I do not think that mine having the Lowe neck would make a pound of difference vs yours - some of it likely was in the body as well - however this Lowe neck has Hipshot licensed tuners on it too.

Hard to say for sure, as I have seen plenty of variances of more than a pound among basses of identical model and spec quoted on the Sweetwater site in the past, especially among full scale Fenders and Squiers.

Some other brands are MUCH more consistent from unit to unit.
~

 

[Mountain Mike]

Got the Mini P out of the box.
Feels nice, great size. Got it intonated and started playing around.

The neck needs some work (light sanding) it's a bit rough, the G tuner feels like it could use some tightening.
No dicernable fret sprout, relief looks good, will check for high frets later.
Volume and tone seem to work correctly. There's a slight buzz that goes away when I touch any of the metal parts of the guitar. Thinking it's a grounding issue, will have to pull the pickguard and check the wiring.

The fretboard is dark, almost ebony dark (haven't even oiled it yet). I know it's said to be laurel but I'd put money on this being rosewood.
I know the CITES restrictions have been lifted on instruments so perhaps we're seeing a return to rosewood?

All around nice instrument, fantastic for the price.

Mini with smaller Mini and mini mini.

Gator "GC Electric" case. Fits like a glove, just touching top and bottom, really secure.

 

[andare]

Got the Mini P out of the box.
Feels nice, great size. Got it intonated and started playing around.

The neck needs some work (light sanding) it's a bit rough, the G tuner feels like it could use some tightening.
No dicernable fret sprout, relief looks good, will check for high frets later.
Volume and tone seem to work correctly. There's a slight buzz that goes away when I touch any of the metal parts of the guitar. Thinking it's a grounding issue, will have to pull the pickguard and check the wiring.

The fretboard is dark, almost ebony dark (haven't even oiled it yet). I know it's said to be laurel but I'd put money on this being rosewood.
I know the CITES restrictions have been lifted on instruments so perhaps we're seeing a return to rosewood?

All around nice instrument, fantastic for the price.

View attachment 4548747
Mini with smaller Mini and mini mini.

View attachment 4548749
Gator "GC Electric" case. Fits like a glove, just touching top and bottom, really secure.

If the buzz goes away when you touch metal it's a shielding issue, the shielding is not effective. Check that the ground wire is firmly screwed into the cavity. My Mini is shielded perfectly but my Fender Player wasn't. Shielding paint can be hit or miss. Shielding with copper tape is simple and cheap.

 

[Mountain Mike]

If the buzz goes away when you touch metal it's a shielding issue, the shielding is not effective. Check that the ground wire is firmly screwed into the cavity. My Mini is shielded perfectly but my Fender Player wasn't. Shielding paint can be hit or miss. Shielding with copper tape is simple and cheap.

That is on the agenda.
I already have a roll of copper sheilding tape so I'm ready.

Playing with it some more I found the buzz goes away if I turn the tone down, interesting.

 

[Bassamatic]

Probably - The buzz doesn't go away - the tone control just rolls off the sharp edges so you don't hear it as much.

 

[Big Dumb]

I think we all had the loose tuner. my guess is the whip the workers for cracking headstocks from over tightening. Or the wood is still green and shrinks a bit.

 

[Mountain Mike]

Probably - The buzz doesn't go away - the tone control just rolls off the sharp edges so you don't hear it as much.

That makes sense.

I once owned a bass many moons ago that did this really bad. I thought it was "broken" as I had ZERO clue about instrument electronics at the time. Put a damper on my "trying" to play bass.
It ended up in storage, I probably still have it. I will have to track it down.
I'm long overdue for going through my junk.

 

[Mountain Mike]

...Or the wood is still green and shrinks a bit.

I'm wondering if something similar is happening at Fender Mexico.
I think @andare mentioned it before and I experienced it first hand. The fret sprout on the new MIM Strat I bought was horrible. And this was on an instrument not far south of 1K!

 

[Philtastic]

I'm wondering if something similar is happening at Fender Mexico.
I think @andare mentioned it before and I experienced it first hand. The fret sprout on the new MIM Strat I bought was horrible. And this was on an instrument not far south of 1K!

Seriously. Bought a MIM Tele last month, and it was great out of the box (minus a small crack on the neck pocket), but in less than two weeks the frets had sprouted considerably.

Though given the rate at which they're selling out, it wouldn't surprise me at all if they're just cranking them out as fast as possible, and skipping some important steps, just to get them into stores.

 

[Mountain Mike]

Seriously. Bought a MIM Tele last month, and it was great out of the box (minus a small crack on the neck pocket), but in less than two weeks the frets had sprouted considerably.

There are two states of Fenders concerning neck pocket cracks:
1. Cracked
2. Going to crack.
I just expect it to be there so am never disappointed by the presence/emergence.

My frets were like that out of the box.
I also live in the desert so it was likely to dry even further had I kept it.

I did a steup, put a Graptech nut on it and flipped it.

 

[Philtastic]

There are two states of Fenders concerning neck pocket cracks:
1. Cracked
2. Going to crack.
I just expect it to be there so am never disappointed by the presence/emergence.

My mid-90s MIJ Strat would beg to differ...

My frets were like that out of the box.
I also live in the desert so it was likely to dry even further had I kept it.

I did a steup, put a Graptech nut on it and flipped it.

Nice. It's super dry up here in the frozen Canadian wasteland, too.

 

[Mountain Mike]

My mid-90s MIJ Strat would beg to differ...

Just wait!
Of course that was a bit of hyperbole.

I had an 80's MIJ Strat. Did not appreciate what I had.
In the mid 90's I let it go to a roomate I owed some money to.
Big mistake.

 

[RodRy]

~
It appears that you even misread pcake's typo.

Or was that deliberate, so that you could make the joke ?

Sounds like something that I would also premeditate.

But seriously, Mustard Yellow is actually a colour designation which Ibanez uses - check it out on some of their Talman basses at Sweetwater.

And weighing basses with a strap attached ?

I've never done that so far, but now you've got me thinking....

BTW, my latest bass, the MIM Jazz with the Brad Lowe conversion 32" scale neck on it, weighs exactly 8 pounds and 2 ounces with the parts of the Schaller straplocks which belong on the strap attached to it, which is why I said 8 pounds even, a few posts ago.

I do not think that mine having the Lowe neck would make a pound of difference vs yours - some of it likely was in the body as well - however this Lowe neck has Hipshot licensed tuners on it too.

Hard to say for sure, as I have seen plenty of variances of more than a pound among basses of identical model and spec quoted on the Sweetwater site in the past, especially among full scale Fenders and Squiers.

Some other brands are MUCH more consistent from unit to unit.
~

Yes, 'mustard' was my initial mis-reading of the post, and then I laughed so hard I just had to run with it. Certainly hoping @pcake took it as the joke it was and got a nice laugh as well.

The strap was on the bass when I weighed it just because I was being lazy (a common fault of mine) and I took note of that when I put it into my instrument log. Mine is a bone-stock Squier Affinity Jazz, with a leather and cotton strap which is about 3.25" wide. I agree, one of Brad's necks probably would not shave a pound off the weight of your bass. Wood density is probably the main reason for the difference.


I've been thinking of replacing the tuners with either Graph-tech ratio tuners or some Gotohs. Have done neither. Probably won't because it plays good, stays in tune pretty well, and has no real neck dive.

OK, we should go back to talking about the Squier Mini basses again.

Has anyone tried putting a Hipshot A-style bridge on a Mini?