The Squier Mini Precision Bass Club

[DavesnothereCA]

....What could possibly go wrong?

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I'll tell you what could go wrong - ME !

Parts of what I posted tonight about Thomann and the Squier Mini P bass were correct, but other parts were out in left field.

I DID look it up on the Thomann site a few days ago [in another browser on this same computer, and I left several tabs open to continue, but had not done so], and the prices WERE quoted in Canadian funds, but the reason for me being on the site in the first place was to research another brand of bass, and THAT was what I had in the cart at the time for $116 CAD, NOT the Mini P, and I misassociated the two in memory.

Rechecking now, yes, I had the Mini P open in another Thomann tab, but must never have put it in the cart, or I expect that I would have gotten the same error message as I got tonight when I went that far.

I find it interesting that Thomann will not ship Fender to Canada, but they WILL ship Ibanez.

OTOH, Sweetwater will not ship either of those two brands to Canada, IIRC.

BTW, the nut width spec error for the Mini P bass is on the Thomann site too.

I did see the correct number posted on SOME seller's site when this thread was younger, but I forget where now.
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[DavesnothereCA]

You want one regardless. You can hear it calling... Pick me up, Dave! Stroke my neck, Dave! Make me moan, Dave! You know you want to. Give in to temptation.

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OK, maybe a red one for my wall, but you are just the person I ought to ask about THESE [Warning, Topic Drift] :

https://www.thomann.de/intl/ca/harley_benton_hbp90bk_shortscale_ebass.htm

PB-Shorty BK - Harley Benton
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[Volker Kirstein]

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OK, maybe a red one for my wall, but you are just the person I ought to ask about THESE [Warning, Topic Drift] :

https://www.thomann.de/intl/ca/harley_benton_hbp90bk_shortscale_ebass.htm

PB-Shorty BK - Harley Benton
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Dunno. I have a HB Shorty (back routed "Bronco" body w/split coil & rosewood fretboard), not a HB PB-Shorty. I have not heard anything bad about the PB-Shorty. The place to ask would be here:
I own a Harley Benton club
and/or
The Official Short Scale Bass Club -- Part 4

HB, in general, is mega bang for your buck. Since it's a Euro brand, and most people aren't really interested in having a "budget" bass shipped to the western hemisphere, they're always undermentioned in the "what's the bast bass for...?" threads. HB basses are easilly on par with, if not better than, Squier and Ibanez offerings within the same class.

Pricewise, it's no comparison. HBs are inexpensive.

 

[MakoMan]

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Actually, I'm mostly AFK, but leave the computer logged in 24-7.

I certainly can AFFORD one of these, in fact I could afford TWO, one in each colour, and I'd gladly pay the price of two, maybe more, to have just one [standard short scale] bass, ANY make of bass, which matched my other requirements/wishlist as mentioned upthread.

BTW, for those looking for best price on them, I think that we Canadians can do better by ordering the Mini P from the thomannmusic.de site, rather than from L&M or Amazon.ca , for example, even when paying the Fedex shipping to here from Germany (not sure how it works out if you are in USA though).

When I checked, the bass was $116 CAD, and shipping was $92 CAD, and I expect that someone would be holding out their hand for about $14 of HST.

I discovered this before we had confirmed that the neck at the nut is too narrow for me.

OTOH, L&M wants $250 CAD plus 13% HST on that, plus shipping or driving there, which for me would be about $30 of fuel [the REAL GAS].

And if you DO want two of them from Thomann, the shipping costs no more than for one, so you could split an order with a friend, or have one in each colour all to yourself, or have spare parts - all KINDS of reasons !
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You're in Canada? For some reason I missed that earlier. In that case, just find yourself a Jay Turser Mini Bass and you will have exactly what you want - 1-5/8 nut and full 30" scale. I got mine for 50 bucks used off Kijiji. They are pretty easy to find and a full pound lighter than the Mini P, despite the body being larger.
That said - I myself prefer a wider nut and was a bit disappointed when I first got the Mini P. However it has grown on me. I find the neck is perfectly scaled for the body. It is what it is and is much easier for me to play than a sub short scale.

 

[pcake]

You want one regardless. You can hear it calling... Pick me up, Dave! Stroke my neck, Dave! Make me moan, Dave! You know you want to. Give in to temptation.

i'm not sure i would have bought mine if it hadn't been for you, Volker, but i'm happy i did

 

[Diver]

I want a P bass now, damn you mini P!

 

[DavesnothereCA]

You're in Canada? For some reason I missed that earlier. In that case, just find yourself a Jay Turser Mini Bass and you will have exactly what you want - 1-5/8 nut and full 30" scale. I got mine for 50 bucks used off Kijiji. They are pretty easy to find and a full pound lighter than the Mini P, despite the body being larger.

That said - I myself prefer a wider nut and was a bit disappointed when I first got the Mini P. However it has grown on me. I find the neck is perfectly scaled for the body. It is what it is and is much easier for me to play than a sub short scale.

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Is your JT for sale ?

I've looked at JTs before, but either forgot or did not notice that model.

Do they still offer it new ?

As for the Squier Mini P, I suppose that I could get used to playing one, but I would be forced to practice.

And, more seriously, what if I sometimes still wanted to play my Ric ?

The Mini P would wreak havoc with my muscle memory.

Though as you said [and I as I discovered at Thomann], there ARE other affordable choices which DO have the main physical elements covered [standard short scale, so less hunting for proper length, type, and gauge of strings - light enough weight - and of course the wider nut measurement].

Then, if I have to spring for better hardware and/or electronics for it, I can do all of that work myself.

BTW, one of the first things I was asked on TB [because of my screen name], before I included 'Canada' to the left of my posts, was whether I was from Canada or California.

And did you know that that some of the earlier P basses had a 1.75" nut width ?
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[Volker Kirstein]

Muscle memory? Pshaw! I switch between 20.5", 28.5", 29.5", 30", & 34" scales with no issues. I'll soon be adding a 19.6" scale mini "Bass VI" to the mix, as well.

To be fair, I pretty much only play 1-5, walks, root thumps, and boxes. In the money. None of this upper register wankery, or 7 fret stretches to impress the other bassists. By keeping it K.I.S.S., scale changes are not an issue.

Also, practice more..

 

[Diver]

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And did you know that that some of the earlier P basses had a 1.75" nut width ?
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when you say nut width, where are you measuring it?

 

[pcake]

when you say nut width, where are you measuring it?
View attachment 3994082

 

[DavesnothereCA]

when you say nut width, where are you measuring it?
View attachment 3994082

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[MakoMan]

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Is your JT for sale ?

I've looked at JTs before, but either forgot or did not notice that model.

Do they still offer it new ?

As for the Squier Mini P, I suppose that I could get used to playing one, but I would be forced to practice.

And, more seriously, what if I sometimes still wanted to play my Ric ?

The Mini P would wreak havoc with my muscle memory.

Though as you said [and I as I discovered at Thomann], there ARE other affordable choices which DO have the main physical elements covered [standard short scale, so less hunting for proper length, type, and gauge of strings - light enough weight - and of course the wider nut measurement].

Then, if I have to spring for better hardware and/or electronics for it, I can do all of that work myself.

BTW, one of the first things I was asked on TB [because of my screen name], before I included 'Canada' to the left of my posts, was whether I was from Canada or California.

And did you know that that some of the earlier P basses had a 1.75" nut width ?
~

I actually have two Jay Turser Mini Ps... one rare metallic surf blue one that is completely stock and a transparent red one that has been modified with new pots and SD Quarter Pounders... but no, neither is for sale. Sorry!
However they are available new!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Diver]

I actually have two Jay Turser Mini Ps... one rare metallic surf blue one that is completely stock and a transparent red one that has been modified with new pots and SD Quarter Pounders... but no, neither is for sale. Sorry!
However they are available new!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

not usually a fan of red, but I really like this finish!

 

[DavesnothereCA]

not usually a fan of red, but I really like this finish!

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I AM a fan of red, and I really like this finish !
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[DavesnothereCA]

I actually have two Jay Turser Mini Ps... one rare metallic surf blue one that is completely stock and a transparent red one that has been modified with new pots and SD Quarter Pounders... but no, neither is for sale. Sorry!

However they are available new!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

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Hey, it was worth a try , and I do live fairly close to the capital.

As I said in my last post, I like the trans red finish.

I do not recall seeing this model on the JT website, last time I was there.

And after what I have said about Fender and specs, I note that the seller at your link quotes almost none, just a pretty pic.

I do see their paid ads cluttering up Kijiji listings a lot.

Hopefully the JT site tells more about the specs.

So exactly what is the weight of your two JTs, and are they both 1-5/8" width at the nut ?

One of these might challenge the Harley Benson shorty which I've been considering over the past few days.
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[DavesnothereCA]

I actually have two Jay Turser Mini Ps....

....they are available new!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

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....Hopefully the JT site tells more about the specs....
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It does not.

Frightfully little info - but no FALSE info.

JTB-40 3/4 Size P-Style Electric Bass Guitar | Jay Turser

So I will need to depend on folks here all the more to tell me about their JTB-40 basses, please, and especially from folks like you, because you also have a Squier Mini P for comparison.

Has anyone seen the JTB-40 with a Maple fretboard, such as shown here ?

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

This next site is the only one to tell me the scale length, and it says that it is 25.5" - is that an error ? - I thought that you said that these are 30" scale.

[This invalid link has been removed]
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[MakoMan]

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Hey, it was worth a try , and I do live fairly close to the capital.

As I said in my last post, I like the trans red finish.

I do not recall seeing this model on the JT website, last time I was there.

And after what I have said about Fender and specs, I note that the seller at your link quotes almost none, just a pretty pic.

I do see their paid ads cluttering up Kijiji listings a lot.

Hopefully the JT site tells more about the specs.

So exactly what is the weight of your two JTs, and are they both 1-5/8" width at the nut ?

One of these might challenge the Harley Benson shorty which I've been considering over the past few days.
~

The trans red is even prettier in person. Both my Turser Mini Ps weigh exactly 5 lbs. And yes they are both 1-5/8 at the nut. Quite a chunky neck. You can see in the pic below how much wider the neck is on the Turser compared to the Squier.
There is definitely some neck dive with the light body, but it doesn't bother me a bit. We played an outdoor party on Saturday for 6 hours and did 5 full sets. I used the stock Turser for the gig because I knew it was going to be a long night.
If you are patient, one will pop up used. I got both mine of Kijiji a few years apart.
FYI I wrote Fender customer service two days ago about the nut spec on the mini P, but never heard back

 

[DavesnothereCA]

The trans red is even prettier in person. Both my Turser Mini Ps weigh exactly 5 lbs. And yes they are both 1-5/8 at the nut. Quite a chunky neck. You can see in the pic below how much wider the neck is on the Turser compared to the Squier.
There is definitely some neck dive with the light body, but it doesn't bother me a bit. We played an outdoor party on Saturday for 6 hours and did 5 full sets. I used the stock Turser for the gig because I knew it was going to be a long night.

If you are patient, one will pop up used. I got both mine of Kijiji a few years apart.

FYI, I wrote Fender customer service two days ago about the nut spec on the mini P, but never heard back

View attachment 3994802

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Thanks.

So a solid body bass which weighs like a Hofner.

And at that weight, a person could experiment with heavier bridges and lighter tuners, and/or moving the lower strap button to where many Schecters and Spectors have it, on the E side of the bridge.

Yes, I can see the neck width comparison - one of these ought to fit me fine.

And also from the pic, the JT is clearly a 30" scale as you said earlier, not 25.5" as that one website suggested.

Even more important, some of us are getting the occasional gig.

Hey, you are more proactive than I am, regarding Fender's website errors.

That said, I found two more nut width discrepancies over there during the past few days, one for a certain Mustang model, as I was also considering getting one, and another for one of their signature P or J basses, I forget which now.
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[Volker Kirstein]

How many of us have one of these wee beasties? I'm guessing at least 10, maybe even 2 dozen. @Frank Vozak mentioned in another thread that there's probably enough of us to make it a club, so to speak, if we so desire.

Does TB need another club? Specifically, a Squier Mini P club?

Should this thread become The Squier Mini Precision Bass Club? I'm sure the mods could/would edit the title. I don't want to be responsible. Someone else can do the grunt work: assign numbers and such. If you want it, pick up the ball and run with it. Good luck! Godspeed!

 

[pcake]

How many of us have one of these wee beasties? I'm guessing at least 10, maybe even 2 dozen. @Frank Vozak mentioned in another thread that there's probably enough of us to make it a club, so to speak, if we so desire.

Does TB need another club? Specifically, a Squier Mini P club?

Should this thread become The Squier Mini Precision Bass Club? I'm sure the mods could/would edit the title. I don't want to be responsible. Someone else can do the grunt work: assign numbers and such. If you want it, pick up the ball and run with it. Good luck! Godspeed!

good idea!

seems like if people who own one list off now, assigning numbers won't be too challenging.