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Thoughts on Squier basses? Im skeptical.

What kind of squier bass is this? I picked it up mid road trip from a local
I dont think its an affinity series, but its also not something top of the line, as I only got it for $85. The neck feels relatively thin and the back of the tuners say, " Licensed by Schaller".

View attachment 4184034
90's Made in Indonesia Cort factory (Cor-tek) I believe...Nice grab.
 
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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!

The CV’s from the last few years most likely blow your guitar out of the water. Honestly this era of Squier basses, specifically the CV line is probably their golden era. Buy one, you won’t regret it.
 
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Squier are fine for their price. Sounds like you are ready for a bass that will be better in every way.

some people find Squier fine and bla bla bla but the reality is they aren’t better made than more expensive model or brand.

i understand your stand ... I won’t botter with a bass that cost less than 2k I know I’ll be disappointed so I don’t waste my time
 
You get what you pay for. As a laying around the house bass it's fine but if you're a musician or play a lot then save a bit more and get the Player series. The Squier CV series is their best and some throw in new pickups and upgrade tuners.
 
I didn’t read the whole thread but I think the term “garbage” in the OP was what I would call “needs some setup work, like any instrument, and maaaaaaaaaaybe a pickup/electronics upgrade (but quite possibly the right pickup height, strong choice and amp settings would make it rock as hard as anything).”

Note: my main bass is a Squier Affinity P that cost $50 at a pawnshop. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but it has been an inarguably smooth player, holds a setup and stays in tune. A good, solid, no-frills tool.
 
Out of the Squiers I have owned through the years (buying them cheap, fixing them up and reselling or trading) I have found three keepers, a VM 72 Custom Telecaster, a 32" VM Telecaster Bass, and an Affinity P Bass. They all play as well if not better their more expensive housemates. Good playing Squiers are out there, you just need to be patient and put in the effort to do a few minor upgrades.
 
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Squier are fine for their price. Sounds like you are ready for a bass that will be better in every way.

some people find Squier fine and bla bla bla but the reality is they aren’t better made than more expensive model or brand.

i understand your stand ... I won’t botter with a bass that cost less than 2k I know I’ll be disappointed so I don’t waste my time
Hope you meant Affinity Squires. The current CV and VM are well made instruments the "Made in China" CV's are incredible instruments and most who own them would argue (including myself) that they ARE in fact better made than some more expensive models especially MIM...2 of which I also own...
 
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Two takeaways from this thread-
1. Recent Squiers have really improved.
b. The going rate for an Affinity at a pawn shop used to be fifty bucks.

;)

Mine is a 1999 model, not sure where that falls on the “recent” scale. It was marked at $80; I got it (in 2008) for $50 needed new knobs and strings and a setup, and it’s been great.

The stock pickup and wiring seems to work fine. I even like the sometimes-criticized stock tuners. Either I really lucked out and got a good one, or reports of their general crappery are exaggerated, or my standards are super low...but it seems like a no-nonsense reliable tool so far.

But don’t take my word for it. Let Dixie Dave Collins of Weedeater be the spokesperson:

0D1F51C4-87FF-4ABB-AB16-C9DF71014D79.jpeg
 
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OK, I have not read all of the comments, but I think this advice applies anyway. All basses are individuals just like all guitars. The only instruments I have been disappointed in are ones I did not play before I bought new basing the purchase on favorable reviews. I think the best practice is to play the actual bass or guitar that you are considering buying. I see a lot of negative comments about the Squier Affinity line, and until recently I was right there with them. However, I found an Affinity "P" bass at the pawn shop with the body totally covered with stickers. Tried it and was impressed with the feel and the sound. Because it had been hanging on the pawn shop wall for over a year I got a great deal on it. Seems most others hated those stickers too. I got them all off when I got home and the body was pristine under the stickers. Turns out that mine is a 1998 model made in Taiwan, and the best Squier I have ever played. So my advice is, play the bass before you buy it and keep in mind that much of the sound you produce comes from your playing. Lots of people are gigging with Squiers and I will not hesitate to gig with mine if we ever get over this Covid thing.

Thump on,

One_Dude
 
No idea, but for 85 beans, I say Score!

90's Made in Indonesia Cort factory (Cor-tek) I believe...Nice grab.

Yeah I definitely got lucky. One other guy beat me to it, but he flaked. I guess since it was in the middle of nowhere, the other guy must have changed his mind. I actually had to drive a few miles back to the freeway myself. Totally worth it though. I was on the search for a Squier p and I got one :thumbsup:.

I already have a bit of attachment to it since it has the best neck I've ever used. The fret edges could use a little filing, but I like to my basses as they come nowadays.
The only thing I did add was shielding. I'm sure it'll see the stage during the summer when this semester is over :).. Back to homework for now though
 
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OK, I have not read all of the comments, but I think this advice applies anyway. All basses are individuals just like all guitars. The only instruments I have been disappointed in are ones I did not play before I bought new basing the purchase on favorable reviews. I think the best practice is to play the actual bass or guitar that you are considering buying. I see a lot of negative comments about the Squier Affinity line, and until recently I was right there with them. However, I found an Affinity "P" bass at the pawn shop with the body totally covered with stickers. Tried it and was impressed with the feel and the sound. Because it had been hanging on the pawn shop wall for over a year I got a great deal on it. Seems most others hated those stickers too. I got them all off when I got home and the body was pristine under the stickers. Turns out that mine is a 1998 model made in Taiwan, and the best Squier I have ever played. So my advice is, play the bass before you buy it and keep in mind that much of the sound you produce comes from your playing. Lots of people are gigging with Squiers and I will not hesitate to gig with mine if we ever get over this Covid thing.

Thump on,

One_Dude
They are out there, I grabbed one for $50 that was also covered in stickers :rollno: the guy said he played for a couple months and put in a closet for the next decade and a half (still had factory Fender rounds). I have had a few but this is the only one I kept...
 
Stay away from the "Affinity" line and you should be fine.
My first bass was a Affinity P and it was such a dog.
The price I see locally on the CV stuff would make me want to hold out for a used Mex P or J.
No personal experience with the CV line though, just my opinion.

Some Affinities are fine, but it's more hit-and-miss. The three easiest playing pure Precision basses I've played or owned were a Japanese Fender from 1984, a Japanese Squier from 1983, and an old £100 Encore! But the latter was probably a fluke, and the one I didn't own.
 
Expensive is relative...

A quality set of bass nut files is $80-$100. For those who own a lot of instruments and are interested in learning to make them play as good as possible, it's worth learning how to use them and spending on them. Nut files are really the most expensive part of a good setup kit.

One you've done a couple, it's easy to swap out plastic nuts for better materials or perfectly set up instruments for different string gauges. If you screw it up, new bass nuts are cheeeeeep... :D
Of course. I bought guitar nut files because I had 3 guitars with bad nuts and I kept changing string gauges. I don't see that happening with my basses though. Ideally once the nut is done and the flats are on, that bass isn't getting touched anymore. So I can't justify buying a set of files to use them once only.
 
Mine is a 1999 model, not sure where that falls on the “recent” scale. It was marked at $80; I got it (in 2008) for $50 needed new knobs and strings and a setup, and it’s been great.

The stock pickup and wiring seems to work fine. I even like the sometimes-criticized stock tuners. Either I really lucked out and got a good one, or reports of their general crappery are exaggerated, or my standards are super low...but it seems like a no-nonsense reliable tool so far.

But don’t take my word for it. Let Dixie Dave Collins of Weedeater be the spokesperson:

View attachment 4184175
I can smell that picture and not in a good way. Everything about it is off-putting to me, especially the filthy bass.
 
Got a Squier Cv 70Vs jazz recently. Love it, I had some gotoh tuners and bridge laying around which replaced the stock hardware. The hardware was probably the weakest point of the bass but now it's truly a great instrument. The pickups are surprising excellent though a tad noisy but that maybe down to shielding. They are kind of the best basses to mod and fix up as they can really go from an average bass to an incredible one with just a little work.
 
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!

I'd imagine it's a bit of a crap shoot, tbh.

I own a Squier guitar and it's not brilliant - but it's pretty decent. It's a classic vibe series Telecaster Custom and it plays well and the fit and finish was good overall - with the exception of a poorly-cut nut. I had the nut replaced and it's fine now. The pickups are okay, but nothing to write home about. If I were a more serious guitar player, I'd probably upgrade them (and might do for a project one day).

I'd say it's best to try before you buy (I didn't) and you might find a bass you like. I do think that there is a quality difference at the different price points for Squier gear.
 
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