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Whats the difference???? Fender vs. Squier

  • Thread starter Thread starter garretibanez
  • Start date Start date

What do you prefer Squier or Fender

  • Squier

    Votes: 23 14.6%

  • Fender

    Votes: 134 85.4%
  • Total voters
    157
#62
It's as though I've connected with my MIM Jazz better than any other bass I've owned.
I tested a few Squiers over the weekend and they all both sounded and felt very cheap.

I've not had the pleasure of playing an MIA, but I'm assuming it's amazing since my lowly MIM is more than I could have asked for and it's pretty beat!
 
#63
JoeyZ said:
...I've not had the pleasure of playing an MIA, but I'm assuming it's amazing since my lowly MIM is more than I could have asked for and it's pretty beat!
Click to expand...

IMHO you shouldn't get your hopes up too much. It sounds like you lucked out and got a great MIM... quality control being the big issue with MIM, some are great whereas many are sub-par for the price. Therefore don't assume that an MIA would be a gargantuan improvement over your MIM. In many instances I had to double check the serial number on a Jazz or Precision that I played at a music store that was labeled as an American Fender because it was so mediocre I could have sworn it was a poor MIM that got past QC.
 
#64
I think the most important thing to remember here is that its not just about trusting a name. No one could make claims that a company gets it right 100% of the time.
Each bass is going to be different, and you need to inspect the quality of a bass before buying it. (that goes for guitars too)

Think of it this way:
You go to a resturaunt that has a lot of really good waiters. Chances are that you will get good service.
You go to a resturaunt that only has a few good waiters. There is still a chance you'll get good service, its just not as good.

The odds are stacked against you when you are messing with lower quality. Doesnt mean that its going to be crap, but... you get what you pay for.
I find that some people try to justify the fact that they are not willing to spend the money and it makes them feel better. Conversely, I find that people who are Fender whores are sometimes covering for lack of skill in their department. When it comes down to it, anyone who dismisses any brand of bass, doesn't know what they are talking about.
Fender being the one of the most trusted and respected brands in the world isn't a conspiracy. Bands don't just use them for looks. It isn't psychological. It is real, complete quality (minus most mexican ones). But digging the tone of a Squier doesn't make you crazy. It just makes you, you.
I am upgrading this weekend to a Fender Highway One from a squier. I couldn't be happier.
 
#65
Another thing to consider is both brand and individual model, for example the a rockbass will differ greatly from an actual Warwick considering the parts and woods used. Same with Gibson, though now if you're interested in a t bird Epiphone offers some pretty viable models in the pro categories. Fender, however, varies less between it's models, I think the differences are more than substantial enough to buy a MIA over an MIM or a Squire, but you can easily get away with a very similar product with either.
 
#66
fender just better quality (all around etc. both have the same strings) starting from hardware from tuners,pickups,bridges etc.as you go up in price range so does the quality of hardware.Like my fender hwy1 hardware badass2 bridge squier dosen't offer this quality of hardware for bridges also the Posiflex™ Graphite Neck Support Rods in the neck its solid, even the pickups,tuners etc. squier dosen't have this quality but they sound good and play good, but really its not up to par with a fender even my fender fsr mim jazz its closer in squier price range but still better quality hardware but still not is good as hwy1 and hwy1 is cheapest MIA fender so price is justified to me anyways.
There sound is better too but how much value will you pay for this?
Now if you have the cash and want the best you get the complete package together and you have a fender.
 
#67
I'm ging to be real with you. Since I started playing bass in the mid 90's until about 2005 I went through a plethora of basses trying to find my sound until I had to put my foot down and said enough is enough.

I'm a newly wed and wish I kept some of the expensive basses I bought, sold and traded on the gear-go-round when I was trying to find my sound.

Now that I have responsibilities and de to the fact it's not just about me anymore, I can't afford the new Fender prices, so I have to settle for Squier. So with a mortgage, bills, taxes, a car note and a wife, I can proudly say Squier is damn good enough for me.

Infact, I probably can make my poor stock squier affinity jazz sound better then your custom shop Fender by my sheer ability of playing with my heart and soul because sometimes you gotta go to war with the army you got!
 
#68
SOUND CLIPS ANYONE?:hyper:

Haha yes, I was yelling. :hiding:

I think that would be a good way to give comparison. Same equipment, same settings, same strings(if possible), and same player. Then the listener can decide what sounds better.

Because God knows, most of these discussions simply boil down to taste, and "what you like".:rollno:
 
#71
i go for the squier..it's more practical to own one.specially this time of crisis...hehe...ive try both a MIA(highway one jazz) and a squier vm jazz...and ended up picking the squier..tone wise,i like it better plus have enough cash left for an upgrade.

ow.this might serve as a tone reference.
 
#76
I think Squires have their place ... I even own one but its def a very cheaply made bass guitar.

It sounds pretty good, AFTER I changed the pups & wiring harness, put in a new nut ... the neck doesn't stay adjusted & it doesn't stay in tune like my 76 P Bass or the Cirrus 5.

Practically every thread you see about Squires people always say I love it now that I replaced this or that.

Are Squire basses as good as US Fenders? .... No Way .... there may be the rare exception but as a rule they are not even close in sound quality or quality of construction.

I think the price difference is justified .... IMHO of course.
 
#77
The only way these sort of arguments can be settled is by the one thing nobody will ever do - blind comparisons. You take a number of basses without being able to tell which is which (headstock and other brand markings concealed), look them over, play them, choose which one you think is best and that will be the winner. Other than that and anyone can talk themselves into anything. The human mind isn't the most reliable thing.
 
#78
mndean said:
The only way these sort of arguments can be settled is by the one thing nobody will ever do - blind comparisons. You take a number of basses without being able to tell which is which (headstock and other brand markings concealed), look them over, play them, choose which one you think is best and that will be the winner. Other than that and anyone can talk themselves into anything. The human mind isn't the most reliable thing.
Click to expand...

+1
 
#79
MonsterTruck88 said:
Not necessarily. I have no idea how much Fender spends on producing a Squier bass vs. a Fender bass, but it is entirely possible that they spend the exact same amount, and simply charge more for the Fender because of the demand for the Fender brand name.

In fact, it's possible (though not likely) that Fender is actually losing money on each Squier it sells, because by selling a Squier cheaply it enables more consumers to become bass players and enthusiasts, and those new players will likely end up buying future instruments from the most popular brand in the world.

Say both a Squier and a MIM Fender both cost $325 to make (obviously this is blatant speculation for the purpose of demonstrating how this model would work) and therefore Fender loses $25 per Squier sold. If 1 in 10 people who bought a Squier end up buying a MIM Jazz Bass for $650, Fender would be making a profit.

Anyway, the point is that just because Squiers and less expensive than Fenders doesn't mean that Fenders are necessarily twice, or 4x, or 5x, as good.
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This is completely backwards and incorrect. Businesses survive on their bread and butter. I have worked in various retail fields and the one consistency is that the cheaper items are always marked up higher than the expensive ones.

Lets take bicycles for example. You go to a store and spend $1200 on a really nice city commuter. Margin is probably 20-25 points. But to commute you also need some fenders, a rear rack, some panniers, blinky lights, maybe some rain pants and a rain jacket for the crappy days, extra tubes, a little hand pump. All those accessories are a minimum margin of 45 points. That is where they get you. Not the big ticket item.

Fender makes ALL of their money on strings and low end basses. I'd be surprised if they made more than 20 points on any MIA bass or guitar.
 
#80
T-Forty said:
This is completely backwards and incorrect. Businesses survive on their bread and butter. I have worked in various retail fields and the one consistency is that the cheaper items are always marked up higher than the expensive ones.

Lets take bicycles for example. You go to a store and spend $1200 on a really nice city commuter. Margin is probably 20-25 points. But to commute you also need some fenders, a rear rack, some panniers, blinky lights, maybe some rain pants and a rain jacket for the crappy days, extra tubes, a little hand pump. All those accessories are a minimum margin of 45 points. That is where they get you. Not the big ticket item.

Fender makes ALL of their money on strings and low end basses. I'd be surprised if they made more than 20 points on any MIA bass or guitar.
Click to expand...

Truth
 

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