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Thoughts on Squire Basses for Professional Musicians?
- Thread starter blues_bassist
- Start date
I think it's cool to see musicians who can rock with cheaper instruments. Buying a Geddy Lee bass won't make me sound like Geddy Lee. My guitarists back up to his Les Paul is a $99 Les Paul. He broke a string and switched real quick one night. The tone was a little weak, but he shredded that POS guitar. I had no
Problem gigging an Ibby GSR200 until I got my SR500. I read on hear that someone would be embarrassed to go on stage with a 200 even as a backup. I'll kick ass with that cheap Ibby. I want to get a squire vm. I'd have no problem gigging that. Screw all you gear snobs. My hands and my heart will make anything work.
Problem gigging an Ibby GSR200 until I got my SR500. I read on hear that someone would be embarrassed to go on stage with a 200 even as a backup. I'll kick ass with that cheap Ibby. I want to get a squire vm. I'd have no problem gigging that. Screw all you gear snobs. My hands and my heart will make anything work.
- Apr 21, 2000
- 10,465
- 866
- 60
- Disclosures
- Gallien Krueger for the last 12 years!
It's my old band, Sol Cypher. They're still together. I moved to Macon. That's a stock Squier, btw.
Are you serious? Has anyone actually asked you not to play a certain bass because they were paying you? In 45 years of pro work in every kind of setting that's never happened to me. ...but I never owned a Squier, either (I have used a Silvertone Dano in the studio
). I did get teased once for the color of my burgundy mist Moon JB-5. That ended quickly once they heard it. I like to think I get hired for my output, not my instruments.
- Apr 21, 2000
- 10,465
- 866
- 60
- Disclosures
- Gallien Krueger for the last 12 years!
Are you serious? Has anyone actually asked you not to play a certain bass because they were paying you? In 45 years of pro work in every kind of setting that's never happened to me. ...but I never owned a Squier, either (I have used a Silvertone Dano in the studio
And "Boom!" goes the dynamite!
The ONLY time I've been given another bass in the studio, was when the artist decided to go in a dubby type direction on the last song, and the engineer/producer had an old P bass with dead flatwounds. That was a no brainer!
Are you serious? Has anyone actually asked you not to play a certain bass because they were paying you? In 45 years of pro work in every kind of setting that's never happened to me. ...but I never owned a Squier, either (I have used a Silvertone Dano in the studio
I can imagine a cattle call situation where someone makes a snap judgement of someone's gear that colors how they hear their playing, tone, etc. I seem to recall a Lenny Kravitz audition story where management sent home everyone who arrived with a five string bass. This is lame, but hey, if you wanted the gig...
play whatever you want to play....if its a squier then so be it, if its an alembic and you can afford one go for it!
dont let the man tell you what to play
aston barret rocks out with a $100 bass and i dont see Jah complainin'
Amen to that! Fams could make a 2x4 strung with 5 year old flats sound great!
What a blast, a serious chuckle. A few dissenters, but mainly a bunch of Squier fanboys patting each other on the back "It's okay what you bought".
I bought two Squier Jags for the price of a single Fender Jag. Only gig upright, so Jags stay at home, but I'll bust 'em out at a gig first chance I get to go electric. I bought a Squier Strat, too, and I said to the sales guy, "Yippee, my first Strat!" He gave me an uncomfortable look "It's not a Strat", says He. "He-he" laughs I, yes, it is a Stratocaster, says so right on the headstock, numbskull.
My Jags aren't perfect. There's some paint blob on one, some other minor cosmetic issues all of which can be found on Fenders, too. Either brand I don't care. I'll keep my Squier Jags when I buy some Fender Jags in future.
Hmmm, that gives me an idea...
Yeah, that's what I'll do...
Okay, yep, my plan is complete! I'm going to...
HA HA, yes my brother! I'm going to ...
REBADGE ONE OF MY SQUIER JAGS AS "SQUIRE".
Squier basses are like the Toyota Celica. Good stuff, not a Lexus, but gets you where you're going in style and are solid reliable good cars. I'd rather have the Celica than the Lexus and have spare cash left over to buy some more Squiers.
If you're musical, you can rock anything, and people do. Check out this John Spencer Blues Explosion video where the drummer is rocking a tennis racket against a cardboard box. Sounds great!.
I saw a "Jug Band" in Taiwan with a guy on washtub bass that rocked it with better intonation than a lot of fretless players I've heard.
In one of the MANY other "are Squiers Okay?" threads, a pro musician is rocking a VM P/J bass on Letterman/Leno/Coco whatever talk show I don't remember, because it was the tone he needed. Stock "Seymour Duncan Designed" pups.
I look forward to gigging my Squier Jags someday, the people I play with are adults and could care less what's written on the headstock so long as I'm able to fulfill my role in the music.
What a *BLEEP* ridiculous topic this is, but such fun entertainment, too. "Are Squiers okay?" is like saying "are Nissans okay?"
Imagine... "I can't believe it, my drummer and I car pool to gigs, but he shows up in his wife's Nissan! A frick'n' MICRA! I refused to go. I made him jump in my Toyota Camry and we drove to the gig." Stupid, no? Different brands, different models, different levels of quality, different needs, different purposes, different budgets...
Can hardly wait to get my replacement "Squire" headstock sticker dialled in and laugh my arse off if anybody cares enough to notice.
I bought two Squier Jags for the price of a single Fender Jag. Only gig upright, so Jags stay at home, but I'll bust 'em out at a gig first chance I get to go electric. I bought a Squier Strat, too, and I said to the sales guy, "Yippee, my first Strat!" He gave me an uncomfortable look "It's not a Strat", says He. "He-he" laughs I, yes, it is a Stratocaster, says so right on the headstock, numbskull.
My Jags aren't perfect. There's some paint blob on one, some other minor cosmetic issues all of which can be found on Fenders, too. Either brand I don't care. I'll keep my Squier Jags when I buy some Fender Jags in future.
Hmmm, that gives me an idea...
Yeah, that's what I'll do...
Okay, yep, my plan is complete! I'm going to...
Well, given what I do to mine, I am still toying with the gag of just making myself some "Squender" decals and being done with it. "Fuier" just wouldn't have the same ring.
HA HA, yes my brother! I'm going to ...
REBADGE ONE OF MY SQUIER JAGS AS "SQUIRE".
Sure, up to a point. Gilles Villeneuve is a case in point: when Ferrari wasn't competitive he drove the snot out of his car and did well. However, in a street race a Toyota Celica is still going to outperform a Hyundai Pony. Let's face it, there are guitars that are so poorly made, they're just a waste of wood with high action, badly intonated frets etc, they're usually a brand you've never heard of and found in small shops whose main business is teaching music and woe be the poor student who actually gets one of these barely playable instruments instruments that have nipped many music careers in the bud. Beginners need pro-grade gear more-so than the pros. Same in the bike industry. There are bicycles of such low standard, they only look like a bicycle and from brand new don't function as they should.
Squier basses are like the Toyota Celica. Good stuff, not a Lexus, but gets you where you're going in style and are solid reliable good cars. I'd rather have the Celica than the Lexus and have spare cash left over to buy some more Squiers.
If you're musical, you can rock anything, and people do. Check out this John Spencer Blues Explosion video where the drummer is rocking a tennis racket against a cardboard box. Sounds great!.
I saw a "Jug Band" in Taiwan with a guy on washtub bass that rocked it with better intonation than a lot of fretless players I've heard.
In one of the MANY other "are Squiers Okay?" threads, a pro musician is rocking a VM P/J bass on Letterman/Leno/Coco whatever talk show I don't remember, because it was the tone he needed. Stock "Seymour Duncan Designed" pups.
I look forward to gigging my Squier Jags someday, the people I play with are adults and could care less what's written on the headstock so long as I'm able to fulfill my role in the music.
What a *BLEEP* ridiculous topic this is, but such fun entertainment, too. "Are Squiers okay?" is like saying "are Nissans okay?"
Imagine... "I can't believe it, my drummer and I car pool to gigs, but he shows up in his wife's Nissan! A frick'n' MICRA! I refused to go. I made him jump in my Toyota Camry and we drove to the gig." Stupid, no? Different brands, different models, different levels of quality, different needs, different purposes, different budgets...
Can hardly wait to get my replacement "Squire" headstock sticker dialled in and laugh my arse off if anybody cares enough to notice.
You can play anything you want. On the road a Squier would be a great choice if you want to leave your prized stuff at home for studio work. The main thing is really your own comfort with the instrument. If the fretboard is not how you like, or something about the tone bothers you, than you probably will want to pass on that instrument regardless of price.
I am answering this from a pro perspective. I'd play any bass as long as I felt comfortable with it. RECORDING is when I get more picky and my inner tone snob really kicks in since I can hear every detail. That being said, I am currently recording with a Lakland made in indonesia and a RW Fender from Mejico and they track incredibly well.
I am answering this from a pro perspective. I'd play any bass as long as I felt comfortable with it. RECORDING is when I get more picky and my inner tone snob really kicks in since I can hear every detail. That being said, I am currently recording with a Lakland made in indonesia and a RW Fender from Mejico and they track incredibly well.
^this is a good perspective on the matter. Squiers may not (always) stand the scrutiny of studio recording, but live they tend to be pretty useful and usable.
Squiers are Fender designs, made of wood.
The wood varies from tree to tree and instrument to instrument.
Sure the hardware could be better, maybe the pickups and pots,
but if it all comes together, who really gives a rats ass what it says on the headstock?
I own a fine 66P.
I tend to play way more on my Squier Affinity J5.
The wood varies from tree to tree and instrument to instrument.
Sure the hardware could be better, maybe the pickups and pots,
but if it all comes together, who really gives a rats ass what it says on the headstock?
I own a fine 66P.
I tend to play way more on my Squier Affinity J5.
instruments, like anything else, either move you emotionally or they don`t
most instruments made today are of a decent amount of quality to get the job done.
i have played squiers and liked them.
i never cared for years what i played because i knew my hands would get me there.
i was shown a collection of high end basses the other day and some of the finest ones in the world didn`t call my name; the most beat up one in the bunch did and i bought it.
a lot of us marry girls that make our heart go pitter patter but aren`t necessarily the most beautiful woman-but they do it for US.
i have learned to use my hands and ears and not my eyes when it comes to playing basses.
the headstock name means nothing. if it moves you then that i all that matters.
most instruments made today are of a decent amount of quality to get the job done.
i have played squiers and liked them.
i never cared for years what i played because i knew my hands would get me there.
i was shown a collection of high end basses the other day and some of the finest ones in the world didn`t call my name; the most beat up one in the bunch did and i bought it.
a lot of us marry girls that make our heart go pitter patter but aren`t necessarily the most beautiful woman-but they do it for US.
i have learned to use my hands and ears and not my eyes when it comes to playing basses.
the headstock name means nothing. if it moves you then that i all that matters.
Personally I think they're good! I have a Korean Squier that I've used on many a gig. Maybe a pickup upgrade is a good idea, depending upon the specific model, but at the end of the day a CNC machine works the same anywhere in the world. A good bass is a good bass.
I've seen plenty of great players play Squiers. On the contrary, most of the players here with the latest and greatest gear tend to be the duffers, who spend more time talking about and buying gear than they ever do practicing and gigging. At the end of the day, music is art - do painters scoff at each other's brushes? Do sculptors deride each other for using the wrong sort of chisel? I agree there is snobbery in the music business, but in my experience the ones doing the sniping are the ones who can't do the playing - the real players don't care what you use if you can play.
It's also important to mention that not all squiers are created equal. Also, due to cheaper parts, old squiers tend to be a bit unplayable. If you're intending to use squier for pro purposes get a new one
