Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Trying to decide which bass to get next
- Thread starter SoulRebel26
- Start date
Save up and get the MIM Geddy- The maple neck, the black blocks... just look at that baby!
If you stick with the contemporary models (after around 2009), you're probably in good shape with Squier or MIM. Fender/Squier really stepped up quality in the last 6 years. I like the variety and aesthetics being offered by the Squier line, and my main performing basses are contemporary MIM Precisions and Jazzes, especially the maple board versions. So much bang for the buck.
With any luck, you can get out there and play a few from both lines and see what I mean.
Please don't fall into the Fender trap ._.
Look at some of the other incredible companies before you instantly settle for a Fender. They're amazing instruments but extremely cliche, in my opinion. I know I'll get replies like 'If he wants a Fender then he should get one' or 'Fenders are the greatest bass company and all others pretty much suck', but I am trying to guide him to other manufacturers.
Thanks,
Funk
Look at some of the other incredible companies before you instantly settle for a Fender. They're amazing instruments but extremely cliche, in my opinion. I know I'll get replies like 'If he wants a Fender then he should get one' or 'Fenders are the greatest bass company and all others pretty much suck', but I am trying to guide him to other manufacturers.
Thanks,
Funk
Im 17 Myself I like Rush Alot A Squire or a MIM will do will well but if you have the extra money buy nice pickups and install them you wont bieleve the difference Its what I did the difference was unbieleveble
My 1983 Squire P-bass plays and sounds as good as many MIA P-basses, and I played an 83 Jazz Squire, similar results. While Squires CAN be good, they'll never have the trade or resale value of a similar instrument with the Fender logo on it. That could be an important consideration, if You want to move to an even higher-end bass in a few years. Used is the way to go as long as you can get a good test play through an amp. Don't forget about brands like G & L when looking.
Agreed. I've never played a single MIM Fender that I've liked, but I have loved every single Squier CV Jazz that I've tried. Personally, I just think they're better basses but YMMV.
Here's my Classic Vibe Jazz bass.
Straight from the GC warehouse, it's every bit as good as this Fender FSR Jazz bass I recently sold.
Do I have anything against MIM Fenders?
Well, here's my Precision.
The most important thing is...try a few basses out first. You might find a brand new Squier that you feel is worth more than the asking price (I still can't believe mine was only $375!) and you might even find a nice used MIM for under $400. As for the Fender name, let's face it, there are plenty of people here that wouldn't even think of playing a Fender let alone spend good money on one. I used to be one of them, until I had a bass epiphany!
Nothing wrong with used basses, providing you check them out thoroughly, but one nice thing about my Squier is that it didn't hang up on the wall at the store month after month after month being mistreated.
One more thing, you can always buy whatever you can afford right now and mod your bass later.
In another week or two when I'm done with it, my Squier is going to be the hottest Squier around and no one with ears will ever say anything about the headstock logo...except maybe: "Damn, I can't @#$%&*+ believe it!"
Straight from the GC warehouse, it's every bit as good as this Fender FSR Jazz bass I recently sold.
Do I have anything against MIM Fenders?
Well, here's my Precision.
The most important thing is...try a few basses out first. You might find a brand new Squier that you feel is worth more than the asking price (I still can't believe mine was only $375!) and you might even find a nice used MIM for under $400. As for the Fender name, let's face it, there are plenty of people here that wouldn't even think of playing a Fender let alone spend good money on one. I used to be one of them, until I had a bass epiphany!
Nothing wrong with used basses, providing you check them out thoroughly, but one nice thing about my Squier is that it didn't hang up on the wall at the store month after month after month being mistreated.
One more thing, you can always buy whatever you can afford right now and mod your bass later.
In another week or two when I'm done with it, my Squier is going to be the hottest Squier around and no one with ears will ever say anything about the headstock logo...except maybe: "Damn, I can't @#$%&*+ believe it!"
Last edited:
Actually, I, for one, wasn't going to jump on you over that. I don't take exception from people offering "outside the box" suggestions. There are a great many excellent brands out there that aren't Fender/Squier.
That being said, I will say with all exclamation, vigor and certitude...there ain't nothin' "cliché" about my Aerodynes!
I think if you want something that looks like Geddy Lee’s Jazz, you should get the Geddy Lee signature Jazz bass, the MIJ or MIM one. They come in Black mainly but they started offering them in Sunburst a few years ago . You can find them used for $600-800, depending on condition and if there are any mods, and if it’s MIJ or MIM. I have a relatively new MIM one, with the sunburst finish, and it’s awesome, definitely my favorite bass.
Ok, sans the opinion wars on Squier vs. Fender, I'll offer you this advice no matter which tier of Jazz bass you go with...PLAY the one you want to buy FIRST. I'm not talking about playing a Jazz bass, I mean playing the Jazz bass you would be purchasing if you got one. If you've been playing for a while, you probably aren't a noob on what feels or plays good to you. I'd recommend going around and playing everything but a jazz, then start playing some jazzes and see which one you like best. You might find a MiM that's great, or a Squier that beats all of them. The important thing is that you are going off the bass as a whole, not just the sticker.
I've had a lot of luck with Ibanez (stupid crazy luck if you ask me) when it comes to sight-unseen purchases. With the exception of my Matt Freeman Squier P and a used Squier 50's P, which just needed some saddle adjustment, I've always played my Fender/Squiers first before buying them. I recently got a VM 70's J in brown sunburst/tort that I fully planned on replacing the pickups and neck on. Guess what? Thing's still stock, it sounded so good I just left it alone. I own several basses, so it's not like it's my first jazz.
The older I've gotten, the more I've embraced the "play it first" philosophy. Ironically, most of the older (60+) gentlemen I talk to at guitar stores are big advocates of this too. I don't run into as many young cats who think that way, but I think the veteran musicians know what's up when it comes to that.
I've had a lot of luck with Ibanez (stupid crazy luck if you ask me) when it comes to sight-unseen purchases. With the exception of my Matt Freeman Squier P and a used Squier 50's P, which just needed some saddle adjustment, I've always played my Fender/Squiers first before buying them. I recently got a VM 70's J in brown sunburst/tort that I fully planned on replacing the pickups and neck on. Guess what? Thing's still stock, it sounded so good I just left it alone. I own several basses, so it's not like it's my first jazz.
The older I've gotten, the more I've embraced the "play it first" philosophy. Ironically, most of the older (60+) gentlemen I talk to at guitar stores are big advocates of this too. I don't run into as many young cats who think that way, but I think the veteran musicians know what's up when it comes to that.
wintremute
mediocrity at its finest
- Oct 16, 2014
- 6,942
- 29,551
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Langstrom Carrot Farms
Since you're young and will be working and paying for this all on your own, I say get the dream right now and go for a Fender. I would suggest a MIJ since Fender Japan isn't around anymore, and you'll get something now that may be more difficult to get in the future.
I agree with some other posters in that there are lots of great basses out there that are not Fender, and you should definitely check them out. However...you're only 16. Get the Fender, scratch that Fender itch, have that Fender dream. Then in a couple of years you'll get GAS like most of the rest of us, and you can go shopping for another brand/model. You have plenty of time ahead of you to experiment. Who knows. You may get that new Fender and be underwhelmed. It happens.
I have two teenage boys, and I very much understand their views on brand and image. When I was a teenager, I was the same way for many things. For example, you couldn't get anything on my foot unless it said Nike. You'd think I owned stock in the company or it was a family business the way I wore them. Now I'm older, and I don't have that same brand loyalty that I had when I was younger, as a different image is more important to me. So for now, get the Fender. You'll be happier.
I agree with some other posters in that there are lots of great basses out there that are not Fender, and you should definitely check them out. However...you're only 16. Get the Fender, scratch that Fender itch, have that Fender dream. Then in a couple of years you'll get GAS like most of the rest of us, and you can go shopping for another brand/model. You have plenty of time ahead of you to experiment. Who knows. You may get that new Fender and be underwhelmed. It happens.
I have two teenage boys, and I very much understand their views on brand and image. When I was a teenager, I was the same way for many things. For example, you couldn't get anything on my foot unless it said Nike. You'd think I owned stock in the company or it was a family business the way I wore them. Now I'm older, and I don't have that same brand loyalty that I had when I was younger, as a different image is more important to me. So for now, get the Fender. You'll be happier.
First of all, don't make the mistake that you need to buy a Fender Jazz Bass because your favorite player plays such a bass. You don't play like Geddy Lee, and you never really will. You'll develop into your own player and you need to make up your mind as to what sounds good.
You have a Squier P Bass right now. The average Squier P Bass, IMO, sounds pretty good. You might end up having buyer's remorse if you just blindly buy a Jazz Bass without having some experience with one, as a P Bass is thicker and bigger sounding and easier to dial in a tone that works with a band. You can split the difference with a PJ Bass, because honestly, IMO, the sound of a Jazz Bass neck pickup is kind of like... it's good but I'd rather have a P. ANYWAY, WITH ALL THAT SAID...
Save up for a Fender. You could just as easily get a VM Jazz Bass for the price of a low end Fender on the used market, or in some cases, like Modern Player Fenders, you might even find a deal on a new one that lets you get a new Fender for the price of Squier. Some weekends at Guitar Center, they have trade-in specials or whatever where you trade in anything and you get 15% off.
And it's not about quality or sound because we all know that a VM Jazz can easily beat a Fender Jazz (not all Fenders are good) and sound is mostly about pickups and strings, and playability is mostly about hardware and setup. Especially if you end up with a Modern Player, they're Chinese made anyway. But it's about the sticker, and it's OK to admit it. You're 16. You're going to show up to a lot of gigs and practices and auditions in your life, and guess what, you might not care about the Squier decal that much, but others will, especially insecure fellow musicians in your age group. You're going to need at least one bass that can help you look the part as well as sound the part. Three years down the line, someone wants to shoot a music video. What would you rather be seen with a Fender or a Squier? See, you might not care, but others might, and your success in the music world often has to do more with how other people see you than how good you are.
Once you have at least one conventionally professional bass, then, I don't think it matters as much what your other basses are. I have a Fender that I'd show up to an audition with, but as soon as I got the gig, I'd not hesitate to break out my Squier or Ibanez. Make sense?
You have a Squier P Bass right now. The average Squier P Bass, IMO, sounds pretty good. You might end up having buyer's remorse if you just blindly buy a Jazz Bass without having some experience with one, as a P Bass is thicker and bigger sounding and easier to dial in a tone that works with a band. You can split the difference with a PJ Bass, because honestly, IMO, the sound of a Jazz Bass neck pickup is kind of like... it's good but I'd rather have a P. ANYWAY, WITH ALL THAT SAID...
Save up for a Fender. You could just as easily get a VM Jazz Bass for the price of a low end Fender on the used market, or in some cases, like Modern Player Fenders, you might even find a deal on a new one that lets you get a new Fender for the price of Squier. Some weekends at Guitar Center, they have trade-in specials or whatever where you trade in anything and you get 15% off.
And it's not about quality or sound because we all know that a VM Jazz can easily beat a Fender Jazz (not all Fenders are good) and sound is mostly about pickups and strings, and playability is mostly about hardware and setup. Especially if you end up with a Modern Player, they're Chinese made anyway. But it's about the sticker, and it's OK to admit it. You're 16. You're going to show up to a lot of gigs and practices and auditions in your life, and guess what, you might not care about the Squier decal that much, but others will, especially insecure fellow musicians in your age group. You're going to need at least one bass that can help you look the part as well as sound the part. Three years down the line, someone wants to shoot a music video. What would you rather be seen with a Fender or a Squier? See, you might not care, but others might, and your success in the music world often has to do more with how other people see you than how good you are.
Once you have at least one conventionally professional bass, then, I don't think it matters as much what your other basses are. I have a Fender that I'd show up to an audition with, but as soon as I got the gig, I'd not hesitate to break out my Squier or Ibanez. Make sense?
The MIM Geddy Lee is a well made, great sounding bass.
Save for the Fender you want. If you end up loving it, don't ever sell it. Believe me, you'll be glad you still have it in 40 years.
At sixteen I was into zappa and Emerson lake and Palmer really big
Then again I'm a weird charecter.
All the MIM fenders are great. In my opinion the best deal in bass guitars currently. I've had my MIM standard p bass for 10 years, and despite the frets being chewed to crap, no problems.
For me it was The Beatles, Yes, ELP, Genesis, Bowie, CSN&Y, Neil Young and the Horse, Uriah Heep, Sabboth, Grand Funk and many, many more. I smile every time I see a young one post here, regardless of whatever type of music they're into.At sixteen I was into zappa and Emerson lake and Palmer really big
