What are your thoughts on serious or professional musicians using Squire products? I'm in a serious band and I'm looking at buying a Squire Vintage Modified Tele Bass but I have a sort of negative view of Squire. So what do you all think of Squire?
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Thoughts on Squire Basses for Professional Musicians?
- Thread starter blues_bassist
- Start date
I was also looking at the Squier VM Tele, but I went with the Fender Modern Player Tele instead. Like you, I have a negative view of Squier (and Peavy) which is a holdover from my high school days in the 80s and probably completely unfounded. Many on this forum swear the new Squires are quality. I know I shouldn't care what's on the headstock and 90% of the time I don't unless it's Squier or Peavy. That's just my personal prejudice.
One of the best musicians I know, and one of the few people in my friend group that actually makes their entire living from music related work plays a squire jazz bass. He's made more money gigging that squire bass than I have using my Fender American Custom (of course he's better than me, and I mainly play in originals bands).
If it's reliable, doesn't sound horrible, and you know how to play it then nobody is gonna care.
If it's reliable, doesn't sound horrible, and you know how to play it then nobody is gonna care.
Yeah I know it sounds shallow to worry about what's on the headstock, but I used Squires in High School and it reminds me of an amateur bass. I'm coming around on it now, though.
Well, if you want the ultimate Fender... I cant rave enough about my Modern Player Jazz bass especially now that I've defretted it. It was only $500, but because of the humbuckers it sounds better than any other JB Fender makes at any price. Without the frets, it has a thick Jaco tone with the bridge PU soloed. The neck PU is huge sounding, like a P bass but a little hotter sounding.
Yeah I did have to level the fingerboard, but that done one could easily gig with just that bass for a long long time. It's actually really well put together for a $500 bass. When I took the neck off to do the defret, it was very tight in the pocket. The finish is really good and it's made out of good wood. Now with the fingerboard levelled, it sets up with a perfect action as good as any expensive bass I've played.
It's like a suped-up jazz bass with better pickups and even a good thick bridge. So if you're on a budget and want a Fender, the MP is really the way to go...
LS
Yeah I did have to level the fingerboard, but that done one could easily gig with just that bass for a long long time. It's actually really well put together for a $500 bass. When I took the neck off to do the defret, it was very tight in the pocket. The finish is really good and it's made out of good wood. Now with the fingerboard levelled, it sets up with a perfect action as good as any expensive bass I've played.
It's like a suped-up jazz bass with better pickups and even a good thick bridge. So if you're on a budget and want a Fender, the MP is really the way to go...
LS
I have no experience with the Tele bass, but I can tell you that I have 2 Squiers (Matt Freeman P and a James Johnston Jazz) that I would play on a regular gig with no complaint. I am floored with what you can achieve with $350 these days.
I have a VM Amber P, and a VM5 jazz...nothing wrong with them, but more to your question..I just saw Grace Potter and the Nocturnals playing to a crowd of about 40,000 in Atlanta last April.
Her bass player was playing a left-handed Squier P. It looked great and sounded great, and no one in the crowd of 40,000 suggested he get a Fender.
Her bass player was playing a left-handed Squier P. It looked great and sounded great, and no one in the crowd of 40,000 suggested he get a Fender.
If you can rock a Squier and express yourself through it, then it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks.
Well Squier basses tend to be inferior. And worse than that, most band leaders, guitarists, and those holding auditions know that a player with a Squier shows that he is not a serious player because a serious player would own a serious instrument. Does Victor Wooten play Squier? No. He plays Fodera. Serious and professional.
My experience is that generally speaking Squier basses on average tend to be inferior. Tonewood is less than optimum as are many other things. However, since I actually own a Squier and play it, let me say that basses are made out of trees and no two trees are alike. The bottom line is that if you start looking, absolute killer "keeper" Squiers exist. Also absolute dead spot dog God awful USA Fenders exist. I've played BOTH kinds.
So what are my thoughts? My thoughts are if you don't have the experience and knowledge to tell a good bass from a bad one, you DO NOT want a Squier. You'll have to try them all and find "the one".
And as for professional and serious musician playing Squier, that means that you MUST be good enough that you can whip out a fender-shaped headstock (which is a plus by the way) that says Squier on it and then have what it takes to DARE anyone to question that. If you have that many hairs on your butt then maybe Squier is for you.
The serious pros I know who gig with Squire (and Ibanez) have what it takes to cut down any other player, they've got hand-picked and hand-tweaked instruments that put any boutique to shame and they've got the attitude (with whatever it takes to back it up) to DARE anyone to question their choice of instrument.
So what you have to ask yourself is are you that serious and professional?
Unless you are a front line player nobody will care if you can play it well. There are serious and professional bassists who use Squiers some with the label on the head stocks and some sanded off.
- Apr 21, 2000
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- Gallien Krueger for the last 12 years!
And why after all these years does a frigging bass forum's spell check underline "Squier" as being misspelled?
I have a VM Amber P, and a VM5 jazz...nothing wrong with them, but more to your question..I just saw Grace Potter and the Nocturnals playing to a crowd of about 40,000 in Atlanta last April.
Her bass player was playing a left-handed Squier P. It looked great and sounded great, and no one in the crowd of 40,000 suggested he get a Fender.
+1. Musicians on professional stages all over the place use Fender. I've seen bassists (and guitarists) on Letterman use Squiers. There are more examples of this than can be listed in this thread. Obviously these guys have enough confidence in themselves and their music that they don't need to hide behind a label to try and make themselves look good.
- Apr 21, 2000
- 10,465
- 866
- 60
- Disclosures
- Gallien Krueger for the last 12 years!
I learned about 16 years ago, it's not the bass, but the bassist. I've taken an SX and a Squier on national and European tours. Also, my SX has been played on 3 major label releases.
I'm just not revved up about playing a Squier. I had a couple in the 90's that I parted out and made Franken-PBasses out of. If you find a good one you like, more power to you. I'm not saying they are bad or cheap, they just aren't for me. All of my basses are MIA. I'm an old guy and that's just what I want these days. Having said that, I do have a MIM Cabronita PBass on the way. I'm curious about the Cabronita and think they look cool.
