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Watched a guy with a Squier Jazz last night

Slaphound

Slaphound

Jun 16, 2003
2,988
1,235
59
Staten Island, NY
#1
I went to a blues jam last night and the house bassist pulled out a Squier Jazz bass. I don't know the year or the exact model. I don't know if the pups were modified or not either. Ill tell you what though. It did not matter. It did not matter in the least. Once I got over the Name on the headstock, I just settled back and listened to one of the best bassists I've ever heard. Forget that I was at a blues Jam in New Jersey. This cat had it going.

Point is that my next bass is going to be a squier. And then I need to focus on my playing. Because thats what mattered last night. I forgot all about the bass and just listened to the bassist. The Tone was fine. Nothing i noticed lacking, wanting or needed to change.

Just an observation
 
#6
Key word there was BASSIST!
Its the musician more than it is the instrument.
Ever hear those Smithsonian recordings John Hammond did on a specially designed wax cylinder recorder built into the trunk of his car? He drove around the Mississippi delta recording old dudes playing blues guitar- a number of them couldn't even afford real guitars they had home made instruments with an inch or more of action but some of those records sound great!
Instruments matter too but the musician comes first.
 
#7
A really good bass player getting a classic tone out of an inexpensive (budget) bass? This is cool. But you know to a few clueless folks it's not cool enough, he didnt have a real Fender or some kind of custom bass. :rolleyes:
 
#9
I bought a Squier to learn on 14 years ago. It cost me $300 (Australian dollars). It's made in China, says 'P-Bass' (not even 'Precision Bass') on the headstock. I've never changed anything on it except the strings and even then only when they break. Had the same set on for years now.

It sounds incredible and feels incredible. I can not touch it for two weeks, drive 1000kms interstate with it in the boot of my car through changing temperatures and it'll be perfectly in tune when I take it out of the case at the other end. I've done stacks of sessions on it where the engineer or producer will be completely dumbfounded as to how my $300 squier with 4 year old strings on it sounds better recorded than a vintage Fender bass. I've had guys look at it on gigs and say 'Are you joking?'... until they hear it, and then they understand.

I used this bass for 14 years as my main instrument until 3 months ago when I got a Rickenbacker (just felt like a change in sound). I still use the Squier whenever I travel, because it's indestructible, and still use it for sessions.

When you get a great Squier, you get a GREAT Squier!
 
#10
Even with standardized manufacturing there is a lot of variation in how instruments of the same model feel. Couple that with the fact that not everyone will agree on what instrument feels good to them. That's why there are always comments like "that fender sucked but the squier was great!" which always gets a reply comment like "no way! the squires I've played sucked and my fender is great".

Play before you buy and try not to have headstock envy. That being said, players with great feel and timing will always have great feel or timing even if they're playing a cardboard box with dental floss taped to it for strings.
 
#13
nukes_da_bass said:
Key word there was BASSIST!
Its the musician more than it is the instrument.
Ever hear those Smithsonian recordings John Hammond did on a specially designed wax cylinder recorder built into the trunk of his car? He drove around the Mississippi delta recording old dudes playing blues guitar- a number of them couldn't even afford real guitars they had home made instruments with an inch or more of action but some of those records sound great!
Instruments matter too but the musician comes first.
Click to expand...

I am not a pro player by any means, but I do like nice intruments whether it be guitars,basses, drums etc.
That said, I own and love my mix of higher end to low end gear. On the higher end I have my Fender American guitars, Gibson SG, and Pearl Masters drums. On the low end, I have my Epiphone Dot (Gibson ES335copy) and my 3 Squiers, Vintage modified Basses and Classic Vibe 50's Tele. I guess my point is enjoy what you have and share it with others. That's what music is all about.
 
#14
i pulled the trigger on a craigslist VM jazz a while back and threw some DR sunbeams on it. i can't put her down, not even for 5 minutes. every time i walk by her, i want to pick her up and start playing. i can't even imagine how it's gonna be when i put an audere JZ3 in her!
 
#15
I bought a Squier to learn on 14 years ago. It cost me $300 (Australian dollars). It's made in China, says 'P-Bass' (not even 'Precision Bass') on the headstock.
Click to expand...

Funny. My first bass was (is) one just like that. I've never changed the strings on it, just adjusted the action yesterday (after 5 years), and it plays like a dream, nice, thick, "growly" tone on it. Nice instruments are cool, but to me the name on the headstock means jack.
 
#16
Something tells me that Tiger Woods could hit great golf shots with my clubs. And Victor Wooten could play some great bass with my bass. I know Bela Fleck could make a cheap banjo sound like a priceless 1936 Granada. So wouldn't it be logical that a good bass player could make a $200 bass sound good?

I have a guitarist friend who has several high dollar guitars but he takes a $200 Squire hollow body (Gretsch knock off) to gigs...and you'd never know he's playing a $200 guitar.

It's all in the fingers...with a little help from the amp.
 
#20
To me, the issue is not how or if I can get a useable tone from a budget instrument.(I know for a fact you CAN)...but how inspired I am by playing it...and with most inexpensive basses, I am not.

But when I pick up a hi-end instrument, I don't want to put it down. That translates to practincing longer and actually trying techniques that might not always sound great on a lower priced instrument...or more important even then the sound, is the feel of the instrument...how it resonates against my body while playing it, or the shape and feel of the neck, fingerboard and frets.

In no way am I a headstock hooker. I just like quality stuff. I relate musical instruments to cars. My cheapo honda civic gets me from point A to point B with great gas mileage and few maintenence issues...but in no way am I thrilled to be driving it. I don't look forward to it because it is nothing special to me....but that car that has BMW or mercedes on the headstock....makes that rush-hour traffic all the more pleasureable.

And in any event, I doubt I would be on some car forum gushing about my Honda Civic. And all these comments about how a "great bassist can make anything sound good" just goes to prove a long standing point of mine...that this hype about brands like Squire (the "new" SX on this forum) is a form of reverse elitism, as so many of you take such a delicious pleasure in crowing about your 200 dollar basses. I have never fully bought into the hype.

I was at a GC the other day, and it seemed like the entire bass stock consisted of Squires. One after another. No wonder so many love them....they seem to be the majority of basses one can actually try out...but I wonder how many of you would be so in love with these things if you could sample some of the high end models?
 

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