Hi guys, I have a Squier Mike Dirnt bass which I am planning on upgrading. I already own a Fender American Standard bass and a MIM Jazz Deluxe. I want to upgrade this bass because I just love the looks of it and it was my first bass so I kinda still have that sentimental value thing, so I want to start using it more on gigs etc. A friend of mine has a Fender USA Precision neck, so I was planning on buying that from him, I am convincing him of letting it go for 180 bucks, it's in awesome condition so I'm thinking that would be a great price for me. I wanted to change the neck so I can have the whole Fender look going on for the bass, and since I am planning on keeping this bass possibly for good I am not really worried about resale prices or anything like that. I was also considering upgrading the pickups and maybe the tuners since the fender neck will come without them. Any suggestions on pickups or anything else that I can upgrade to improve the sound? Thanks in advance
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UPGRADING SQUIER BASS TIPS
- Thread starter Joe_Black
- Start date
Hi guys, I have a Squier Mike Dirnt bass which I am planning on upgrading. I already own a Fender American Standard bass and a MIM Jazz Deluxe. I want to upgrade this bass because I just love the looks of it and it was my first bass so I kinda still have that sentimental value thing, so I want to start using it more on gigs etc. A friend of mine has a Fender USA Precision neck, so I was planning on buying that from him, I am convincing him of letting it go for 180 bucks, it's in awesome condition so I'm thinking that would be a great price for me. I wanted to change the neck so I can have the whole Fender look going on for the bass, and since I am planning on keeping this bass possibly for good I am not really worried about resale prices or anything like that. I was also considering upgrading the pickups and maybe the tuners since the fender neck will come without them. Any suggestions on pickups or anything else that I can upgrade to improve the sound? Thanks in advance
i think u should keep the neck on the mike dirnt, the 51 head stock screams class ,and the more modern head shape doesnt look too hot with that body, save that 180, and look at the classifides here, u can buy a set of good tuners, a better bridge, and maybe some better pickups for i say less 120 dollars,plus ud be helping out our fellow tbers.
To be honest with you, the only things I might change if it were mine were pickups, electronics and tuners.
Having said that, I own a Squier Affinity P and it sounds great, stays in tune, and makes no noise when turning the volume and tone knobs. I plan to upgrade the pickups to 62 reissues, but everytime I think to do it I plug it in and play it and can't justify the money.
And though I'm a beginner(not quite a year on bass), I've played guitar for 25 years, and I also play piano. Believe me, if there was something lacking in tone, build, or feel, I'd notice it. I'd love to upgrade it, but it just doesn't really need it. If i were a gigging bassist, I'd gig it right now without the least hesitation.
Having said that, I own a Squier Affinity P and it sounds great, stays in tune, and makes no noise when turning the volume and tone knobs. I plan to upgrade the pickups to 62 reissues, but everytime I think to do it I plug it in and play it and can't justify the money.
And though I'm a beginner(not quite a year on bass), I've played guitar for 25 years, and I also play piano. Believe me, if there was something lacking in tone, build, or feel, I'd notice it. I'd love to upgrade it, but it just doesn't really need it. If i were a gigging bassist, I'd gig it right now without the least hesitation.
I actually just recently posted to a forumn related to this topic regarding upgrading a P-Bass to get a more pop/punk sound. I have a squire PJ bass that was also my first bass and carried that sentimental value for me. The first thing you will want to do before virtually anything is upgrade the pickups you will be amazed at the difference. Since your pass is likley a passive bass (having no active electronics aka battery) you will need to upgrade to a passive pickup. This will save you the hassle of possibly retrofitting your electronics cavity to fit large electronics and a battery connection.
In upgrading your pickups I would reccommend one of three options. If you want to stick with the steel coil pickups I would recommend Seymour Duncans (preferrably Quarter Pounders) They will provide a great big tone and will allow your bass to compete with any active pickup on the market. Otherwise if you want a more round low end sound passive P bass pickups from EMG or Bartolini will certainly do you justice.... but may also cost more. I would recommend looking around eBay for good priced pickups. That is where I purchased my Quarter Pounders for my PJ bass upgrades.
In upgrading the pickups you will also want to go ahead and throw out those old pots in your Squier bass and put in some new pots. You can get upgraded pots from nearly any music equipment store... I personally just bought some All Parts brand pots from my local luther and they sound great with the new pickups. The one thing you will want to be careful of is the size of the cavity in your bass body when getting new pots. I had to dremel out my bodies cavity a little to accomodate the back tone pot on my Squier. But otherwise, installing the pots and pickups only require some minor soldering work and your good to go.
The second item that might be good to upgrade is the bridge... for this I would recommend any bridge that BADASS makes... they are great. You can also get upgraded fender bridges. If you are considering upgrading the neck, and your friends p-bass neck fits exactly to the mounting screws on your body I would go with that if that is the look you are going for. Otherwise, you can find a Mike P-bass neck on ebay as well. It is very important that the mounting holes on your body fit exactly... retrofitting a neck with new holes could cause damage to the body... or down the road to the neck with warping due to poor support.
Finally upgrading your tuning pegs (machineheads) really depends on how loose your current ones are and how well they keep your bass in tune. I would recommend taking a look at either certified Fender tuning pegs or Hip shot brand tuning pegs. Hip shot also has some great bridges, although pricy... are of great quality. I would stray away from All Parts tuning pegs as they are usually low quality and often times don't fit exactly to your old pegs mounting holes.
Hope all that answers your question.... LOL
In upgrading your pickups I would reccommend one of three options. If you want to stick with the steel coil pickups I would recommend Seymour Duncans (preferrably Quarter Pounders) They will provide a great big tone and will allow your bass to compete with any active pickup on the market. Otherwise if you want a more round low end sound passive P bass pickups from EMG or Bartolini will certainly do you justice.... but may also cost more. I would recommend looking around eBay for good priced pickups. That is where I purchased my Quarter Pounders for my PJ bass upgrades.
In upgrading the pickups you will also want to go ahead and throw out those old pots in your Squier bass and put in some new pots. You can get upgraded pots from nearly any music equipment store... I personally just bought some All Parts brand pots from my local luther and they sound great with the new pickups. The one thing you will want to be careful of is the size of the cavity in your bass body when getting new pots. I had to dremel out my bodies cavity a little to accomodate the back tone pot on my Squier. But otherwise, installing the pots and pickups only require some minor soldering work and your good to go.
The second item that might be good to upgrade is the bridge... for this I would recommend any bridge that BADASS makes... they are great. You can also get upgraded fender bridges. If you are considering upgrading the neck, and your friends p-bass neck fits exactly to the mounting screws on your body I would go with that if that is the look you are going for. Otherwise, you can find a Mike P-bass neck on ebay as well. It is very important that the mounting holes on your body fit exactly... retrofitting a neck with new holes could cause damage to the body... or down the road to the neck with warping due to poor support.
Finally upgrading your tuning pegs (machineheads) really depends on how loose your current ones are and how well they keep your bass in tune. I would recommend taking a look at either certified Fender tuning pegs or Hip shot brand tuning pegs. Hip shot also has some great bridges, although pricy... are of great quality. I would stray away from All Parts tuning pegs as they are usually low quality and often times don't fit exactly to your old pegs mounting holes.
Hope all that answers your question.... LOL
Yeah I was actually still considering about the neck since I became accustomed to the feel of it being that it was my first bass and I just loved it. I switched from guitar (12 yrs experience) to bass because of my bands needs so I still consider myself a newbie on this whole bass thing. Also I haven't made any real upgrades on my basses so I'm not really familiar with bass pups modifications and such. The bass does sound good, but I do notice a real difference between this and my USA precision. Also, when turning the volume up it becomes quite noisy (background noise). Any good pickups you guys might suggest for a bass like this? I would like to keep that 51 distinctive tone or maybe something similar and of good quality.
Hey thanks man, that's some great info right there. I will check out those pickups you mentioned and do a little research about them. I will probably make all of those upgrades you mentioned but will keep the neck since a 51 neck are going for 300+ on ebay, maybe longer down the road. Thanks again
I'd think about a set of Fender 62 P Bass pickups.
http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Original-62-P-Bass-Pickup?sku=301602
http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Original-62-P-Bass-Pickup?sku=301602
If you want my honest opinion based on what you are looking to do and the sound you want to achieve I would recommend buying these pickups maybe off of eBay.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/basslines/progressive-1/spb3_quarterpou/
The wiring diagram is also available on the site or here:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/images/products/basslines/501030-100.pdf
The wiring diagram you will need for your bass will be the first page. And just go ahead and grab your self some new pots like these from online or your local guitar center:
http://www.allparts.com/CTS-500K-Split-Shaft-Audio-Pot-p/ep-0086-000.htm
It is a simple, relatively easy upgrade that will be make a huge difference. I gaurentee if you wire the pots right, with the correct grounding to your connector will will get rid of that horrible back noise at high levels.
Good Luck!
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/basslines/progressive-1/spb3_quarterpou/
The wiring diagram is also available on the site or here:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/images/products/basslines/501030-100.pdf
The wiring diagram you will need for your bass will be the first page. And just go ahead and grab your self some new pots like these from online or your local guitar center:
http://www.allparts.com/CTS-500K-Split-Shaft-Audio-Pot-p/ep-0086-000.htm
It is a simple, relatively easy upgrade that will be make a huge difference. I gaurentee if you wire the pots right, with the correct grounding to your connector will will get rid of that horrible back noise at high levels.
Good Luck!
You can go with those Fender 62 reissue pickups if you want, but I can gaurentee you those quater pounder will kick the sh$t out of them. LOL
I am just a big fan of those seymour duncan bass line pickups. Its what all of the bass players in a lot of my favorite bands play.
I am just a big fan of those seymour duncan bass line pickups. Its what all of the bass players in a lot of my favorite bands play.
yeah i love mostly any kind of p pickup ,but the basslines are it for more modern rock ,any type of music really, the 62s are excellent as well but are for more oldies type of tunes
Yeah, that's why I mentioned them. The OP mentioned his Squier's tone was lacking compared to his American P. If he's looking for a tone similar to that, I was assuming the 62s would be closer than the 1/4 pounders, which are probably hotter than the Fenders.
I had QP's on my Squier Dint. Amazing combo. Fix the neck, 1) its an amazing neck and 2) you'll have to modify the body to get pretty much any other neck to fit.
I am going to be installing the 62 Fender pups in my Squire Affinity P soon (waiting for them to arrive in the mail). Having never done this type of mod before - any helpful hints I should know about before doing this? I have read the comment that this is an easy mod, but they all are a little daunting if you haven't done it before 
Any advance help would be appreciated! Thanks.
Any advance help would be appreciated! Thanks.
It's four screws and two wires. You CAN'T screw it up.
I don't even think it matters which wire you use as the ground, which as hot... (but DO use the black one as ground).
Just note where the two pickup wires go on your original pickups, and solder the new pickups wires into the same two places.
I don't even think it matters which wire you use as the ground, which as hot... (but DO use the black one as ground).
Just note where the two pickup wires go on your original pickups, and solder the new pickups wires into the same two places.
Actually, I like everything about the Squiers and don't think anything needs to be upgraded. The bridges and tuners are fine. Why spend hundreds of dollars on something that only cost a couple of hundred dollars?
The pu's in the CV are vintage fender style duncans and the pu's in the Deluxe are quiet and hot. I'd much sooner change pu's in a Fender mexi bass.
The pu's in the CV are vintage fender style duncans and the pu's in the Deluxe are quiet and hot. I'd much sooner change pu's in a Fender mexi bass.
The only components I'm completely compulsive about upgrading are the pots. These (and the input jack) are the "moving parts" of the sound chain and I've seen the cheap dime-sized ones give out tooo many times.
Same with the input jack... if there's ONE part of any bass that's likely going to fail, that's IT!
Same with the input jack... if there's ONE part of any bass that's likely going to fail, that's IT!
I agree. The problem with upgrading inexpensive basses is that the improvement is so subtle for the cost of the upgrade and it does nothing for the resale value. When you upgrade a squire, you're sure to suffer a loss when you resell it.
For the cost of upgrading, you could probably find an old Japanese Ibanez.
For the cost of upgrading, you could probably find an old Japanese Ibanez.
True enough, but it's a great bass to learn to do mods on, and I'm not planning on selling it. I've heard from enough people that they really like the improvement they see from upgrading the pups, so that's another reason I'm changing mine.
