Upgrading a Squier! (Video\Results Included)

[H13]

HEY!

So last year I made a video comparing J, P and Active basses.

In the process of making that video, I got quite attached to the Squier P and J basses that I used.

As a result, I decided I would upgrade those basses to see what I could turn them into!

For the Jazz Bass:
- New pickups (Dimarzio Model J)
- New pots (500k)
- Rewired (V\T\B instead of V\V\T)
- New Bridge

For the Precision:
- New pickups (Dimarzio Model P)
- New Pots (500k)

It might look like the P-Bass got less love, but in reality, theres' not much else you can do with a P-Bass. That's what makes them so freaking awesome.

Overall, I'm very happy with these upgrades and I found it absolutely worth it to upgrade the Squiers. While I need to try a different set of pickups for the P Bass, the experiment demonstrated its value. The Jazz Bass I am thrilled with and believe that I have it "sorted" now.

I have 2 videos about it. The first video is the full longform video where I explain the mods and the choices I made:


The second video is just the demos so you can hear the results without my babble:


I'm keen for any other suggestions\recommendations you have for these basses! In particular I'm keen for suggestions about the P-Bass pickup. But hey! Let me know what you think

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

I recommend a set of CTS 250k pots and a Seymour Duncan Antiquity 2 P pickup. Having owned a ton of 60’s Fender P’s, I feel like nothing gets closer to the sound than this specific pickup.

 

[J Wilson]

Often, this is really the only thing they might need

Like all inexpensive instruments, one place they cut costs are the things you don't see: pots and wiring, and maybe the pickups if they don't suit you

Going to proper CTS, etc., pots and caps and wiring is very inexpensive and you now know the quality of the solder job, ground, shielding, and you can spend as much as you want on 'better' pickups. I find the keys and bridges usually good enough.

I always advise to not go crazy money-wise on a budget instrument. Go on Reverb or the other usual subjects and occasionally you'll see a Squier with a full Bart or EMG install, a serious bridge and real Schaller or Gotoh keys. The seller has to now climb the hill of selling a used Squier . . . for $800, maybe $1000 bucks. Ouch!

You only want to be buried in a cemetery.

 

[TeeSee]

I gotta admit that is a very lengthy and very detailed review. I have to say I enjoyed every minute. With you on the series/parallel, some people think it's a magic switch though a lot find series a little 'weedy' and absolutely no use in a live environment but at least you have the option to do both.
I find pickups to be a sort of rabbit hole that a lot of people get sucked into thinking it's the best way to mod a bass, it is the most expensive way but not always the best and there are a lot of disappointed modders that have bought EMG, SD etc, only to find out it's hard to tell the difference between the coin they've spent and the stock their guitar came with.
But I have to be honest this is a fantastic review and I hope it becomes a firm youtube favourite that new bassists go to. Not only have you shown people ways of modding guitars, you've gone in depth to call their attention to pots which is something a lot of folk overlook but one of the most important components in the signal chain.
Off next to look at your P bass review.
Well done and really enjoying your experiences.

 

[BioDriver]

Often, this is really the only thing they might need

Like all inexpensive instruments, one place they cut costs are the things you don't see: pots and wiring, and maybe the pickups if they don't suit you

Going to proper CTS, etc., pots and caps and wiring is very inexpensive and you now know the quality of the solder job, ground, shielding, and you can spend as much as you want on 'better' pickups. I find the keys and bridges usually good enough.

I always advise to not go crazy money-wise on a budget instrument. Go on Reverb or the other usual subjects and occasionally you'll see a Squier with a full Bart or EMG install, a serious bridge and real Schaller or Gotoh keys. The seller has to now climb the hill of selling a used Squier . . . for $800, maybe $1000 bucks. Ouch!

You only want to be buried in a cemetery.

Or a Pet Sematary

As for OP, I’m going to echo everyone else and say to stick with better quality 250k pots. I’d also recommend doing one thing at a time so you can make sure everything is done right. That way if a problem comes up you’ll spend less time hunting for the cause

 

[TeeSee]

Like all inexpensive instruments, one place they cut costs are the things you don't see: pots and wiring

Absolutely tru dat. Unless your bass has been made by a one eyed carpenter most entry level guitar carcasses and necks are not a million miles away from basses costing $1000's more. Electrics and proper shielding is your best pal, all can be done at a moderate outlay then you think about bridges, tuners and pickups at the expense of the laws of diminishing returns. How far you want to take it is entirely your decision.

 

[Bushhog]

Bill Lawrence P46 pickup is my suggestion. I recently installed one on my American Standard Precision. It made a huge difference over the oem pickup.

 

[H13]

I recommend a set of CTS 250k pots and a Seymour Duncan Antiquity 2 P pickup. Having owned a ton of 60’s Fender P’s, I feel like nothing gets closer to the sound than this specific pickup.

Yeah I'm probably gonna go back to 250k pots on the P-Bass. I thought I wanted that top end and...not really. It ended up being a good demonstration of the pots!

Antiquity 2s are a bit pricey here in Australia (400 bucks...). So I'm hoping I can find something else. Also, while I want that smooth, round low-mid thing, I always like my instruments to have a bit of teeth to 'em so that's why I'm considering the SPB2

I always advise to not go crazy money-wise on a budget instrument. Go on Reverb or the other usual subjects and occasionally you'll see a Squier with a full Bart or EMG install, a serious bridge and real Schaller or Gotoh keys. The seller has to now climb the hill of selling a used Squier . . . for $800, maybe $1000 bucks. Ouch!

You only want to be buried in a cemetery.

Yeah I'm not in this for resale. I'm in this to get cool basses! I always think it's suss when somebody tries to sell an "upgraded" instrument for more than the initial instrument was worth.

I mean my Jazz bass is now a beast. I had the work done professionally by a great tech and it's killer. However if I saw this Jazz bass on Reverb I'd ask: "Well why did it need all that work?" and I'd also ask: "How do I know it was done well?"

I'd always buy an instrument "stock" rather than "shaged with"

Or a Pet Sematary

As for OP, I’m going to echo everyone else and say to stick with better quality 250k pots. I’d also recommend doing one thing at a time so you can make sure everything is done right. That way if a problem comes up you’ll spend less time hunting for the cause

This is good advice, but I have an amazing tech. Rather than piss him off by dropping off a bass once a week for about a month, it was better to just do it in one go. I do admit I still got a bit lucky that everything worked out with the Jazz bass, but with the P-Bass it's pretty easy to figure out what I don't like

Bill Lawrence P46 pickup is my suggestion. I recently installed one on my American Standard Precision. It made a huge difference over the oem pickup.

See, I associate Bill Lawrence with Dimebag Darrel. All love and respect to Dimebag, but his noise isn't a noise I want to make...

 

[Makten]

Sometimes I wonder if people realize that pots are just variable resistors. There's no chance in hell you'll hear a difference between cheap and expensive, unless they crackle or are faulty in other ways (edit: or if they are of different values). Same with wires. All copper is "oxygen free" since fifty years back or something. Whatever cheap cable is in there, is sufficient, as long as it's properly soldered.

Shielding though, is a different story. Especially if it's absent, like in many quite expensive instruments too.

 

[H13]

Sometimes I wonder if people realize that pots are just variable resistors. There's no chance in hell you'll hear a difference between cheap and expensive, unless they crackle or are faulty in other ways (edit: or if they are of different values). Same with wires. All copper is "oxygen free" since fifty years back or something. Whatever cheap cable is in there, is sufficient, as long as it's properly soldered.

Shielding though, is a different story. Especially if it's absent, like in many quite expensive instruments too.

This is true, but at the same time, I've had electronics crap out on me because they were cheap shite. It happened in my G&L SL500 Tribute, in my Yamaha...and my Gibson.

 

[coyote1]

Hmmm. Listened to the sound clip vid up to and including Holy Diver. Almost hate to say this, because I know it’s not what you want to hear. But to my ear the stock pups sit better in the mix on both that and White Room - while on the BB King and Stealer’s Wheel songs there’s no advantage either way.

 

[Jazzdogg]

Bill Lawrence P46 pickup is my suggestion. I recently installed one on my American Standard Precision. It made a huge difference over the oem pickup.

How would you describe the similarities and differences?

A "huge difference" doesn't tell us much.

 

[H13]

Hmmm. Listened to the sound clip vid up to and including Holy Diver. Almost hate to say this, because I know it’s not what you want to hear. But to my ear the stock pups sit better in the mix on both that and White Room - while on the BB King and Stealer’s Wheel songs there’s no advantage either way.

That's fair. Different strokes for different folks

White Room with the new Jazz pickups in particular is my favourite noise. But it's very clangy. Not warm or fluffy at all.

But basically, I'm going to set up my P Bass to be warm and fluffy while the Jazz will be clangy and "Look at me"

 

[Swerve]

As so often is the case with pickup swap videos I either end up liking the original ones better or it’s a wash. I prefer the stock on both of these. The Squier J pickups were really nice.

Last year I swapped ceramic Squier PJ pickups on an Affinity for EMG Geezers and truth be told I thought they both sounded great in their own way.

Awesome job on the videos and great playing.

 

[Aussie Player]

Good choice. Squiers make a sound platform to mod at whim.
Some of the best were Chinese around the 2010-2012 period as they were often light and had quartersawn necks with rosewood fretboards.

American pickups made a noticeable difference with them. I sold a US Jazz 5 which didn't measure up to a modded Squier so they can be a great instrument once upgraded. All my instrumemts are US made now except that Squier which is a keeper.

 

[H13]

As so often is the case with pickup swap videos I either end up liking the original ones better or it’s a wash. I prefer the stock on both of these. The Squier J pickups were really nice.

Last year I swapped ceramic Squier PJ pickups on an Affinity for EMG Geezers and truth be told I thought they both sounded great in their own way.

Awesome job on the videos and great playing.

The Squier Js I quite liked the sound of, but I felt they were a bit...unauthorative. For me, they often got stomped in a mix. They were nice! But I wanted some beef.

Realistically, my "ideal" bass is J bass pick attack and spank, with P Bass mids. I've tried P\Js before and...they just didn't work out for me. However I'm gassing hard for a Yamaha BB734a because the active side of things seems to blend the two pickups together in a way that doesn't happen passively. Will investigate this further.

But yeah, as I said a few times in the video, I don't think the work was "Necessary" but it's always good to know what's possible .

Thanks for the kind words

Good choice. Squiers make a sound platform to mod at whim.
Some of the best were Chinese around the 2010-2012 period as they were often light and had quartersawn necks with rosewood fretboards.

American pickups made a noticeable difference with them. I sold a US Jazz 5 which didn't measure up to a modded Squier so they can be a great instrument once upgraded. All my instrumemts are US made now except that Squier which is a keeper.

I'll admit, I played a couple of Squiers which...suited their reputation

But I genuinely preferred these classic vibes over the Fender alternatives. The flatter fretboard made me happier and...I kinda even preferred the Squier pickups to the Fenders. Which is another reason why I went DiMarzio for this lot of upgrades

 

[erratick]

See, I associate Bill Lawrence with Dimebag Darrel. All love and respect to Dimebag, but his noise isn't a noise I want to make...

Because Dimebag was a guitar player using the L500XL pickups and hi-gain amps and the poster recommended a P bass pickup?

You're missing out if you haven't tried the Wilde pickups in a bass- the P/J set is really well matched. It's my fave PJ set and I've tried a bunch. The strictly P and J sets are high quality, great sound, excellent value for money.

 

[Bushhog]

How would you describe the similarities and differences?

A "huge difference" doesn't tell us much.

The original pickup was to muffled sounding to me. The P46 produces a clarity that gives my bass a completely different sound. Much more pleasing to my ears. And I’m no longer struggling with the eq. Hope this makes some kind of sense.

 

[Bushhog]

Because Dimebag was a guitar player using the L500XL pickups and hi-gain amps and the poster recommended a P bass pickup?

You're missing out if you haven't tried the Wilde pickups in a bass- the P/J set is really well matched. It's my fave PJ set and I've tried a bunch. The strictly P and J sets are high quality, great sound, excellent value for money.

The Dimebag reference threw me for a loop for a brief moment. But, it’s all good!

 

[Exophysical]

As so often is the case with pickup swap videos I either end up liking the original ones better or it’s a wash. I prefer the stock on both of these. The Squier J pickups were really nice.

Last year I swapped ceramic Squier PJ pickups on an Affinity for EMG Geezers and truth be told I thought they both sounded great in their own way.

Awesome job on the videos and great playing.

I just did this on a Squier Sonic P, surprisingly the stock PUP in the Sonic was noticeably hotter than the Geezer and had alot more bottom end. The EMG cleaned up some muddyness in the low notes that I didnt love and gave it a brighter, less compressed sound with more clarity. For jamming and playing live I have NEVER had trouble getting a P bass dark enough, so I like having more top end on tap if I need to cut through better.

Mine just got the Geezer kit and a new pick guard. I tried a high mass bridge but that bass did NOT like it at all, creating a huge dead zone on the E string and a really unballanced sound across the strings, so the stock one went back on.

While I get people's concerns about resale when doing this kind of thing, theres nothing keeping you from returing the bass back to stock form if you decide to part ways. You can use the goodies on your next project or sell them separately. In the case of the Sonic; its comes with a Jazz neck which is a popular mod on basses that cost way more, and the EMG pup which is another popular mod on basses costing significantly more, and the total investment was less than a Squier CV. The total cost was also less than what you'd typically lose selling a MIM Fender if you bought it new.