Wait what? That's a Fender Squire??

[southpaw723]

A lot of squiers are nice, but I hate it when people call them Fender Squiers. As if the squier is another fender model like the strat or p-bass. If fender put "Fender" on the headstocks of squiers, people would 1) not feel the need to justify their squier
2) not bash squiers because they have a "real" fender. Believe it or not, some squiers are better than fenders.

 

[NortyFiner]

Maybe I overpaid, I didn't even price shop. I met a store owner who I really liked and decided I was going to buy my next bass from him since he's not one of the big box stores. I talked him down as far as I could and said bag it.

It's a shame that he took advantage of you, hell of a salesman.

I know I got ripped when I traded in my old amp and a bunch of idle pedals at GC for my new GK amp; hell, I knew up front it would happen. I probably could have gotten twice the cash value from private sales, had I taken the time and effort to do so. I could choose to be angry about that. Instead, I choose to see that I conveniently got rid of a bunch of stuff I wasn't using, to a place where others can buy and enjoy it without all the selling and shipping hassle on me. In return for that convenience and small financial sacrifice (small for me, anyway) I got something which I had wanted for a long time, and which I use every time I play. Did I get ripped off? Yes. But was it worth it to me? Yes.

So it goes with the OP. He probably paid more for that bass than he should have, but what the heck. He's happy with it, a local store got a good deal out of it; it wasn't the best financial deal for the OP, but everyone walked away happy so who cares? Deals like that are like poker nights with your buddies; you may lose a little money most nights, but hey, it's your buddies. Ain't no thing.

 

[jd56hawk]

What's the difference between the classic vibe and the vintage modified?

The Classic Vibe is slightly superior in quality, I believe...very nice fit and finish on mine, and the CV has a high-mass bridge as opposed to the standard vintage bent-plate bridge. The VM has the satin smooth neck and the CV has the vintage tinted neck, which is glossy but not as sticky as some...I smoothed mine a bit with a Scotch-Brite pad. The neck on my CV is quarter-sawn and the fretboard is rosewood...frets are very good. The CV has dot inlays but I added custom pearl block fretboard decals...the VM has painted block inlays.
I'm not sure but I believe the pickups are the same...mine sound wonderful...'60s spacing. Your VM has the '70s spacing.
The CV does come in Inca Silver and Lake Placid Blue, too, both with matching headstocks.
Here's a link comparing the two in case I missed anything or got something wrong.
Squier Classic Vibe or Vintage Modified | TalkBass.com

 

[DwaynieAD]

$500? Did you get two for that price? I've got a 70 and a 77 and paid $600. Congratulations! Great basses. Please share how you were able to get a hold of Fender on the spot at night for such great customer service. Is there a special Squier hotline?

I'm pretty sure the 1800 number is manned pretty late.

 

[bassliner50]

There have been some recent, game-changing years for Squier. In 2008, they unveiled the Classic Vibe series who's level of quality has been enough to make some think twice about overseas-produced instruments, not to mention sparking many a vicious debate on those fronts. Then, in 2013, they dropped the "Duncan Designed" pickups for "Fender Designed" ones, created a few new models and started adding a glossy neck finishes to some.

To be a bit more specific, it sounds like you grabbed a "Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass". But for $500? Are you in the U.S. or elsewhere? Here in "The States" they go for $300 and $330 for a five-stringer.

Are these newer "Fender designed" pickups available for sale on their own? Does anyone know?

 

[cnltb]

Wait what? That's a Fender Squire??
No.

 

[MrRobert]

There are real differences in quality between Squire and MIA, maybe less so with MIA. The real question for buyers these days, is what makes an MIA worth twice the price of a Squier? Is the construction, electronics, and fit/finish really twice as good? That's a tough one to argue, I don't see it, but obviously others do. Since many of the parts are made in the same Indonesian factories, you have to decide how much that pretty headstock decal is worth to you.

One of the big differences could be specs... The vintage inspired Squier models do not have the vintage specs that the MIM classics and American Vintage lines offer. Why? I have no idea! But that's the deal breaker on Squiers for me, not quality.

 

[pica]

Mine's not a vintage modified but I dig my Squier James Johnston.

 

[G On Bass]

I recently bought a new Squier VM5 as a back up bass for sketchy gigs. Helluva bass for the money.

 

[jd56hawk]

Are these newer "Fender designed" pickups available for sale on their own? Does anyone know?

I'd have to imagine they are, but if you're thinking about changing pickups and want to stick with Fenders, go for the Super 55s, they're so good they've stopped making them...they were declared simply too dangerous for the layman!
Still available through Amazon, etc... noiseless and quite potent.

 

[Deleted member 269102]

The Classic Vibe is slightly superior in quality, I believe...very nice fit and finish on mine, and the CV has a high-mass bridge as opposed to the standard vintage bent-plate bridge. The VM has the satin smooth neck and the CV has the vintage tinted neck, which is glossy but not as sticky as some...I smoothed mine a bit with a Scotch-Brite pad. The neck on my CV is quarter-sawn and the fretboard is rosewood...frets are very good. The CV has dot inlays but I added custom pearl block fretboard decals...the VM has painted block inlays.
I'm not sure but I believe the pickups are the same...mine sound wonderful...'60s spacing. Your VM has the '70s spacing.
The CV does come in Inca Silver and Lake Placid Blue, too, both with matching headstocks.
Here's a link comparing the two in case I missed anything or got something wrong.
Squier Classic Vibe or Vintage Modified | TalkBass.com

Just a note about the VM inlays. On both my VM Jazz V and my VM 77 neck, the inlays are real inlays, and the binding are real bindings, not painted on. Not sure if this is just on the newer ones (or when they changed to real inlays if they used to be painted)

 

[Bajo Clarkko]

Over the years, I've owned at least 50 or 60 Fender Guitars and Basses. Some were made in the USA, some in Japan, others in Mexico. It's been my experience that USA Made instruments are usually, but not always, better made than the imports.
I currently own Fenders that were made in the USA, Japan and Mexico. I have some Japanese and Mexican Fenders, that were made with wood that probably could have used by the Fender Custom Shop.
Over the years, I've also seen American Fenders that were made with wood that would have been considered mediocre, even by low quality import standards.
When people ask me about American vs Import instruments, I tell them this: THE WOOD DOESN'T KNOW WHERE IT IS WHEN IT BECOMES AN INSTRUMENT. As far as the quality of the craftsmanship is concerned, it will be whatever is required by the parent company. Substandard hardware can be upgraded.
It's pretty much the same with the Squier line, as well. Some will be better than others. Allow your ears, hands and eyes to tell you what is worthy of your hard earned money. YMMV
Cheers.

 

[peledog]

I like Squenders and Fendres.

 

[nerkoids]

Sorry, but the Duncan Design pickups in the older Vintage Modified Squiers sound much better than the Fender Design, IMO. The Duncans are thicker sounding, with more volume and growl. An overall bigger sounding pup.

I've found the reverse to be true in my experience. The newer ones sound vastly improved.

 

[DavC]

i recently sent an email to a friend that works at my local SamAsh ... i asked him to put aside a Yamaha A3CR acoustic/elec for me ... them i was shocked to find out it was Made in China ... !!! *** .. ??

a little research later ... i will not be dismissing MIC instruments immediately ... ! if they're trained correctly and use decent materials , they can be just fine .. !! now i'll have to get on board with stuff MIM also .. !!

 

[Deleted member 269102]

I've found the reverse to be true in my experience. The newer ones sound vastly improved.

Same here. The Fender designed stock pups stayed in my Jazz. I had every intention of swapping them out if needed, but a few hours of playing disabused me of that notion. They were just the growly vintage single coils I was looking for. No need to change a thing.

 

[nerkoids]

Same here. The Fender designed stock pups stayed in my Jazz. I had every intention of swapping them out if needed, but a few hours of playing disabused me of that notion. They were just the growly vintage single coils I was looking for. No need to change a thing.

In my case, they married well with the GHS flats I currently have on my VM. I haven't measured them, but they seem to be pretty hot. I often have to turn down the gain on my interface to keep it from clipping the pre-amp into my computer.

 

[Deleted member 269102]

i recently sent an email to a friend that works at my local SamAsh ... i asked him to put aside a Yamaha A3CR acoustic/elec for me ... them i was shocked to find out it was Made in China ... !!! *** .. ??

a little research later ... i will not be dismissing MIC instruments immediately ... ! if they're trained correctly and use decent materials , they can be just fine .. !! now i'll have to get on board with stuff MIM also .. !!

Yup! CNC machines don't care where they're located

 

[Deleted member 269102]

Yep, they are hotter than I expected as well. They pair REALLY well with the Audere four band pre I dropped in. Cheaper than a new pair of pickups would have been and turned it into a tonal swiss army knife.

 

[nerkoids]

Yep, they are hotter than I expected as well. They pair REALLY well with the Audere four band pre I dropped in. Cheaper than a new pair of pickups would have been and turned it into a tonal swiss army knife.

Coolness.

I will say this: the stock pots in the VM leave a bit to be desired. Mini Alpha pots. They do work, but the tapers are pretty non-existent. I swapped mine out for full-size ones, all audio taper, and not only are the tapers smoother (still not perfect), but I get a bit more discernable top-end out of the neck pup. Also, wanted to have the more standard-looking plastic turn knobs (kept the brass ones for my project P-bass).

Aside from that, not going to change anything on the bass. I was contemplating taking out the 'Jazz Bass' lettering and replacing it with the late 60s Jazz Bass lettering (because it looks so cool), but nah. Why mess with it now? I was thinking of getting some pre-CBS style tuners, but the stock ones are perfectly fine. They're pretty much the same as on the standard MiMs and from what I can see the American Special, and even the Sire basses.