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Squier P5 - USA pickups installed...


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[quote name='NJE' timestamp='1423489974' post='2685393']
They are a mixed bag reading on talkbass, some have come in over 9lbs apparently but I would say mine is just over 8lbs. When i am sitting down there is some neck dive but I come to expect that with a lot of light fender instruments, even my old american standard Jazz 4 had some dive when on my knee.

With the squier it is minimal and on the strap it isnt an issue, I use a nice wide Mono strap and it doesnt move unless I want it to.
[/quote]
Thanks, NJE - although of course in reporting this you've gone and put me in exactly in the same position as others in this thread, i.e. very quickly running out of reasons not to get one! Waah!

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[quote name='jassbass' timestamp='1423827439' post='2689420']
Are these p bass vm 5ers really good enough to gig with? Im so tempted.at the price its hard to believe.not many vid reviews either.thanx jay
[/quote]

Yes they really are, I cant express how much fun mine is to play and how good the playability is. Obviously it sounds great too and I am now a massive convert to P basses.

I play in three bands and rehearse twice a week and gig on average 2-3 times a month and I havent put this down since it arrived. The bridge and tuners are solid, the pots are nice and firm when you turn them, the only things that need changing are the strings!!

A very close friend of mine does a lot of studio work and owns a Lakland 55-02 Deluxe. Whilst the Lakland is a great bass and a 'swiss army knife' for his kind of work, he actually prefers playing my Squiers and was blown away with the new VMP 5. I have to say that for some very bizzare reason I enjoy playing it more than most of £1000 plus basses I have owned.

For the cost, i would suggest just getting one online, you always have plenty of time to return it no quibbles with most stores.

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Sorry to add to the GAS but I got a CAR VM jazz last year and bloody love it. I installed a KiOgon wiring harness and Entwistle pickups and yeah, there's a difference but it's not leaps and bounds above the stock setup. The strings died in under a week so I popped my first ever set of steel Elixirs on there and they're doing great.

I paid £246 for mine in my local PMT - I tried a couple, and this one was the nicest one for me. I loved the look of the natural one but it was much heavier. Maybe 10-11lbs. Mine weighs in at 8lbs 12oz which is nice. No neck diver either. Oh, and I got a custom pickguard for it.

Pic: [url=https://flic.kr/p/pwysEE][/url]
Soundclip: https://soundcloud.com/mornats/trains

Finally.. sorry for giving anyone GAS!

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[quote name='jassbass' timestamp='1424189564' post='2693638']
Just ordered a squire vm p5 in white hope i like it
[/quote]

Good call, mine is white and it looks fantastic! We had some pics taken at the gig on Saturday night and it looked great under lights. The car looked good too, but white and tort is my favourite combo. I like mine so much I have been looking at the Jazz equivalent.

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There was me coming on here to start a thread about how I've just realised I love my VM P V & there's all this going on!

Bought mine new about a year ago and whilst I was impressed with the quality, I wasn't really feeling the P love up against my Jazz. Did a set up, played it a bit, swapped the bridge out after a grub screw went on the B saddle (had a Badass lying around forever so perfect excuse). Played it not much more, tried to flog it on a few times but always decided to keep it in the end.

So this week my J is in for a setup & I'm stuck with just the P. Wow. Having been forced to play it I've come to love it immediately. It really cuts through in the mix with very little tweaking and sounds very classic P with the stock pup. It's immensely playable once you get stuck in & the B sounds & feels really solid. Plus it's light :)

I was thinking of upgrading the pup but I don't think I will based on what I'm reading. I probably will look at having the laqcuer taken off the neck at some point tho, it's really thick & too glossy for me.

Anyone gassing for these, go for it! Loads of great bass for the price :)

[sharedmedia=core:attachments:155120]

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Just got mine today,sounds just like a p bass should.im a jazz basses normally.so itl take some getting used to.very comfortable.the neck and fretboard feel really good even if it cost double.
Only thing the g string tuner is faulty,it works but the paddle bit falls out of the slot.dont want to send it back so might try and buy one.
Otherwise its great,im a novice with p basses but wanted one to go with my 2 carvins.had to tweek setup and lower pups slightly espeically near b string ,it was popping a little

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I am still on the stock string until I get paid, they are ok and the B string is pretty good. Its not super defined and doesn't have bell like clarity, but then again I have never found P basses to have that kind of clarity anyway. Hopefully a set of Dunlop Super Brights will work their magic and make the B better but its perfectly ok for me.

The feel of the neck is just superb, yes I could be picky and pick out some finishing flaws in the lacquer, but its only aesthetics, doesn't affect the playability.

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I think I'm on the slippery slope! I "accidentally" popped into Wunjo's today and tried one of these. Very impressed. I then tried the USA P5. (Also Warwick and Ibanez fret leases in the £6xx price range, but that's another story.) The USA felt better, but did it feel ~£900 better? Very tempted to swap something less loved from the herd and jump on the Squier!

Edited by ras52
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[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1424957484' post='2702306']
I think I'm on the slippery slope! I "accidentally" popped into Wunjo's today and tried one of these. Very impressed. I then tried the USA P5. (Also Warwick and Ibanez fret leases in the £6xx price range, but that's another story.) The USA felt better, but did it feel ~£900 better? Very tempted to swap something less loved from the herd and jump on the Squier!
[/quote]

You hit the nail on the head for me, I LOVE my P5 but I am under no illusions like some folk on the American bass forum that it will be as good/solid as a Sadowsky/Lull/MIA P5, but its only £240.

For me it is an amazing piece of kit and beats a lot of stuff in the £600+ bracket playability wise. It was also my first step into the world of 5 string Precisions and now I think it is the way forward for me (although I think I need a bridge pickup too). I do really fancy a Lull PJ5 now, and that might be the goal eventually but for now I am going to proudly play the hell out of the Squier

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I keep eyeing up these P5s, I don't play much low B, but the odd gig comes in that requires it so I like having a cheap one handy.
I currently have a Yamaha BB 615 that I picked up for £180......so can't really moan at that. If that wasn't about, would buy one of these P5s tonight!

Si

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[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1424957484' post='2702306']
I think I'm on the slippery slope! I "accidentally" popped into Wunjo's today and tried one of these. Very impressed. I then tried the USA P5.
[/quote]

I'm planning on buying the Squier as soon as my bank balance recovers from the Fender Jazz V I bought a few weeks ago but keep wondering if it would be worth saving up a bit longer for the Fender.
The thing is though, when I tried the Squier out I really fell in love with the neck which I believe is the same as the VM Jazz V. I kind of imagine the Fender neck to be a deeper, more typically p bass profile which wouldn't suit me so well though and there isn't one near me to try out. Having played them both, how would you compare the neck profiles between the Squier and the Fender - particularly the front to back depth rather than the nut width (which I believe is the same on both)?

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I didn't do an in-depth comparison, as it was largely an orientation exercise to see how I got on with the extra string. The main difference was that the USA was smoother all round (or should that be "buttery"?) - the neck had a satin finish as opposed to the Squier's gloss. The depth was similar to that of a Classic Vibe 60s P, slimmer than my '78 USA.

According to the Fender website, both the Squier and the USA have a Modern "C" neck shape with a 9.5" radius. HTH!

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