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Thoughts on Squier basses? Im skeptical.

#181
LadyLoveStingRay5 said:
:rollno: This isn’t true of all Chinese Squiers.
The original run of Squier Classic Vibe Basses made in China rival US made Fenders. These are excellent basses that are well regarded and sought after. They now sell for twice the original price. Serial numbers starts with CGS.

View attachment 4189014
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Wow! That Bass is a thing of beauty. Does it sound as nice as it looks?
 
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#184
LadyLoveStingRay5 said:
:rollno: This isn’t true of all Chinese Squiers.
The original run of Squier Classic Vibe Basses made in China rival US made Fenders. These are excellent basses that are well regarded and sought after. They now sell for twice the original price. Serial numbers starts with CGS.

View attachment 4189014
Click to expand...

Just received one of these, My first Squier. Electronics have been swapped out, but build quality is beautiful. Mine is a 2014.
 
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#186
Thundertips said:
Do you have a picture of yours?
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F33321EA-FCF0-4704-81CB-289FA68C5DA0.jpeg
 
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#187
Drewsmith00 said:
So ive been looking for a second bass for awhile and the Squier CV 70's Jazz bass V5 has shown up basically everywhere. The reason im skeptical is because I own a Squier guitar (Not bass), which was 120$ used and, is garbage. It worked when i was a beginner, but its definetly not great. Moving over to my bass, again, a piece of garbage, but this time it makes more sense. Its a yamaha TRBX174 which I got used for 80$. After learning basic technique i started to realize its faults, mainly the quality overall, tone (or lack thereof) and the action. The action makes sense, because I got it used, but its really bad, like at the 12th fret, its about 3/8 inch off the fretboard... yeah. Also, im getting a 5 string, no matter what. The yamaha is a 4 string and ive learned all the basics, after being told that I would be an idiot for starting on a 5 string, which i learned is bogus advice. I plan to get it adjusted when I get it, and put rotosounds on it. Any advice? Also im new to this forum so let me know if i need to clarify anything, thanks!
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Find a good local guitar and not the guitar center and try out there more expensive basses if you find you like make sure they set it up for you if they haven't already before they put on the rack any good guitar shop will set it up for you free of charge
 
#191
“Squier Classic Vibe Basses”

I have my own favourite instrument sounds, brands and models etc you will appreciate.

Never the less, a short while ago I wrote to an audio engineering professional, making the following point where I was discussing the Basses mentioned.

“Hope for many aspiring players and confirmation of my firm belief that everything else being equal, the biggest single defining contribution to truly great sound, is the Player.”

What promoted that comment was a professional Bass Player (who owns some quality vintage instruments) who quite regardless, regularly uses Basses many people simply wouldn’t ever wish to be seen on stage with, in professional settings with well known Artists.

I think there’s truly salutatory lessons there, the cardinal of which, is of course, quoted above.

I posted a link for the audio professional, of a Charitable Recording, where I know this particular player, utilised a 5 String Squire Classic Vibe Jazz Bass.

It’s simple Bass Playing, for simple music in which the Bass itself was purely foundational. But I hope it serves to emphasise the excellent point, that others have made so well.

The Christmas Recording was made a few years ago involving:

3,000 School Children who took part.
£50,000 was raised to install clean water supplies to villages in Africa.
DVD and CD along with Live Concerts featuring direct satellite links between the concerts hall and African villages, receiving the water aid.
The man who wrote the song is a distinguished fellow of SMPTE (The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) and so, well placed to organise Satellite link ups. Turn your sound up!

Waiting for Christmas



Below is another similar project, where family friends and relatives went out to Uganda filming to explain how money raised as above, practically transforms the lives of those who otherwise have great difficulty in obtaining clean water to live.

It’s great to see the genuine appreciation of the children expressed at the end.




Its amazing what these instruments are capable of!
 
#192
I had a Japanese Squier from '80s. Well-made but the neck would not settle down and had to be adjusted too often. A professional luthier agreed. I paid so little that I gave it to a friend's son and bought a Geddy Lee Fender Jazz bass from our sax player at the time. Though I can only name one song by Rush, that bass has stood the test of time. I have ribbon-wound strings on it and use a Gruv Gear mute very often.
 
#193
Drewsmith00 said:
So ive been looking for a second bass for awhile and the Squier CV 70's Jazz bass V5 has shown up basically everywhere. The reason im skeptical is because I own a Squier guitar (Not bass), which was 120$ used and, is garbage. It worked when i was a beginner, but its definetly not great. Moving over to my bass, again, a piece of garbage, but this time it makes more sense. Its a yamaha TRBX174 which I got used for 80$. After learning basic technique i started to realize its faults, mainly the quality overall, tone (or lack thereof) and the action. The action makes sense, because I got it used, but its really bad, like at the 12th fret, its about 3/8 inch off the fretboard... yeah. Also, im getting a 5 string, no matter what. The yamaha is a 4 string and ive learned all the basics, after being told that I would be an idiot for starting on a 5 string, which i learned is bogus advice. I plan to get it adjusted when I get it, and put rotosounds on it. Any advice? Also im new to this forum so let me know if i need to clarify anything, thanks!
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This thread is huge so I didn't read all responses, but you sound a bit like on my perspective on that company-I bought a Squier guitar about 2 decades back bc it was what I could afford as an entry level instrument and it was junk. I mean- I was TERRIBLE at guitar, but it was such cheap p.o.s. that I'm sure that didn't help and I wonder if I had really tried to find the right instrument if I would have had a different experience with guitar.

As result- When I went for a bass- I just couldn't quite talk myself into another one of their instruments.

I found a 70s style Jazz that I kinda liked, but the fretboard gloss felt weird to me and I worried about quality issues based on my prior experience with Squier. Likewise- Even Fender's MIM Jazz Basses- I'm sure there are good models out there but I constantly worried about quality.

Quality (and what you're after) are a matter of subjective taste, but I would be willing that you could find several other brands under $500 that would make better instruments-Not just on overall finish quality, but pickups that are probably a bit nicer.

Schecter, Ibanez, Jackson, and my favorite brand at the moment- ESP/LTD would probably all do the job. I almost purchased a ESP/LTD B204 (the 205 is about the same price as the 204 and about in the neighborhood as Squier from a price perspective).

I have read enough reviews on here and on other sites that lead me to believe that not all Squiers have poor quality- I would just say that for me I could never get over the (possible) quality issues on Squier based on my prior experience especially when so many other companies make instruments in that price range (heck you could even get a Fender MIM Jazz Used for that price or another nicer used instrument for that price).

I would say play as many basses as you can because you will start to notice brands have certain quirks. I really like how Ibanez sounds and was pretty set on getting one as my first bass, but I didn't care for the neck- And no, I don't mean there was anything wrong with the neck- It just didn't feel "right" in my hands. Only using that as an example because the instrument quality wasn't my issue- It just sorta didn't feel right (to me).

Finally- Nothing wrong with a 5 string if that's what you want.

I read something similar about starting on a five string- I've only been playing bass for about six months, but I was the opposite- I wanted a four string because I didn't want to over-complicate anything and my logic was that if Cliff Burton, Geezer Butler, Steve Harris, Lemmy, and Tom Araya all used a four string bass, that is was good enough for me (though I'm not in a band yet so I don't need to down tune or need the fifth string at the moment.

Good luck!

Thanks! \m/
 
#194
For Christmas, I treated myself to a Squier 5-string Precision. It is a surprisingly well built bass. The workmanship reveals no obvious flaws, the setup is nice and low the way I like it. And most surprising is the tone. I didn't think I was going to get that much bass for $379.

I own Schecter Stiletto Custom, Schecter Hellraiser Diamond Neck Through, an ESP LTD, Fender American Jazz, Boulder Creek Acoustic/Electric, MTD Artist Series fretless, Ibanez SR375EF fretless, Yamaha TRBX605, Music Man Sterling Stingray, Sire P7, Ibanez BTB575 Neck Through, and the Squier Vintage Modified Precision mentioned above. All are 5-string, and like you, I started with a Yamaha TRBX174EW.

Squiers of old may have been low quality, however the bass I ended up with is nothing of the sort. When I did my research prior to buying (and at the onset of GAS lust), I gained confidence in making the purchase. Then it became a quest to find someone who had it in stock.
 
#196
Thundertips said:
How hard is it to find one of those used Chinese made CV's? I hear so much about them all the time... It makes me want one like that. Haha. Is that Fiesta Red?
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Yes it’s Fiesta Red. They didn’t get the color 100% correct. In certain light it looks more orange , sometimes more pink or salmon , sometimes more red. They also came in Sonic Blue and a rare Limited Edition Bronze only sold through Guitar Center in the US and Long & McQuades in Canada . This was a short run right before they discontinued the line.
There is one seller on EBay that seems to get them quite frequently . Last time I checked , maybe 2 months ago.
They are harder and harder to come by now . Keep your eyes peeled .

Yes they come stock with bent bridge and high mass brass saddles. No complaints .
 
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#200
Drewsmith00 said:
So ive been looking for a second bass for awhile and the Squier CV 70's Jazz bass V5 has shown up basically everywhere. The reason im skeptical is because I own a Squier guitar (Not bass), which was 120$ used and, is garbage. It worked when i was a beginner, but its definetly not great. Moving over to my bass, again, a piece of garbage, but this time it makes more sense. Its a yamaha TRBX174 which I got used for 80$. After learning basic technique i started to realize its faults, mainly the quality overall, tone (or lack thereof) and the action. The action makes sense, because I got it used, but its really bad, like at the 12th fret, its about 3/8 inch off the fretboard... yeah. Also, im getting a 5 string, no matter what. The yamaha is a 4 string and ive learned all the basics, after being told that I would be an idiot for starting on a 5 string, which i learned is bogus advice. I plan to get it adjusted when I get it, and put rotosounds on it. Any advice? Also im new to this forum so let me know if i need to clarify anything, thanks!
Click to expand...
Squier makes some very nice basses...the older CVs are better, though.
If you're skeptical, there are other options.
 

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