What Squier P-bass should I look at?

[isteen]

I'm done with Jazz basses, just sold the one I had.

Now I'm looking for a buddy for my Sandberg P-bass.
It's gonna be a Squier, on that I'm pretty sure, but what model?

First I was thinking on the fretless P, but then there are the Matt Freeman model, the Classic Vibe, the Vintage Modified.....
There are no retailers I can try them all out at, so I try to get you guys to point me in the right direction. What Squier P-bass will be a good choice? I play in two bands (southern rock and a folk/blues band)
The tone are nice from the fretless I'm told - but so are the Matt Freeman.
I'm looking for a fat, rich [i]oomph[/i] from the bass, and an easy playable versatile instrument to handle.

BTW - I will be putting flatwounds on it, the second I get it

What to do, folks?

Edited October 14, 2014 by isteen

[dannybuoy]

Classic Vibe gets my vote. Put TI flats on the fiesta red one and you have a cheap Pino bass!

[Harlequin74]

My back up P bass is the Matt Freeman. Great value, well specd and plays very well

[Geek99]

VM P

[theyellowcar]

Depends on your budget. I personally think the VM Precisions are the best compromise between quality and value, coming in at sub-£270 price points in most cases. I owned one for a little while and it was a cracking bass.

That said, the top of the (Squier) range CV basses are phenomenal. They're a little more, but if you can afford the cash they're worth the investment. It's worth noting that the CV and Matt Freeman basses are virtually the same (hardware, body wood, pickups and origin) it's just the fretboard that differs, so if you're deciding between those two it is safe to make a call based on which you prefer the look of.

[isteen]

Thank you for info, yellowcar - Nice to know

[Geek99]

[quote name='theyellowcar' timestamp='1413356029' post='2577353']
Depends on your budget. I personally think the VM Precisions are the best compromise between quality and value, coming in at sub-£270 price points in most cases. I owned one for a little while and it was a cracking bass.

That said, the top of the (Squier) range CV basses are phenomenal. They're a little more, but if you can afford the cash they're worth the investment. It's worth noting that the CV and Matt Freeman basses are virtually the same (hardware, body wood, pickups and origin) it's just the fretboard that differs, so if you're deciding between those two it is safe to make a call based on which you prefer the look of.
[/quote]
Generally go for half that used on evilbay. Very underrated, I had the White /black/ rosewood one but the natural one looks great too

[Jono Bolton]

A Matt Freeman went on ebay for £170 a couple of weekends ago - I was outbid at the last second. I just bought a Peavey Foundation on ebay but if I'd missed out I'd have gone for a second hand CV, or one of the two Squier Silver Series P Basses on here.

[Shockwave]

Give an Affinity a try in the shop. You might be pleasantly surprised, I abed a bunch of Squier Jazzes a few months and walked away with the Affinity. It blew the others out of the water.

[theyellowcar]

[quote name='Shockwave' timestamp='1413365687' post='2577463']
Give an Affinity a try in the shop. You might be pleasantly surprised, I abed a bunch of Squier Jazzes a few months and walked away with the Affinity. It blew the others out of the water.
[/quote]

The build of the Affinity basses is pretty good, I found the electronics to be noticeably noisier and the pickups to be less powerful than the VM basses, but both of those issues can be resolved with a soldering iron and about £80 spent on a decent wiring loom and pickups. However if I was buying blind I would spend the extra on a VM/CV to reduce the likelihood of picking up a dud.

[HowieBass]

I've got the VM P that used to belong to 'theyellowcar' and it is indeed a cracking bass which incidentally now wears Fender flatwounds - a really decent sounding combination IMHO

Edited October 15, 2014 by HowieBass

[GrammeFriday]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1413328708' post='2577310']
Classic Vibe gets my vote. Put TI flats on the fiesta red one and you have a cheap Pino bass!
[/quote]
+1
But I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

[Shockwave]

I found the pups on mine to be very good. Loads of output and a healthy grind to it if that's your kinda thing. It was a little noisy but not unworkable noisy.

[quote name='theyellowcar' timestamp='1413401927' post='2577986']


The build of the Affinity basses is pretty good, I found the electronics to be noticeably noisier and the pickups to be less powerful than the VM basses, but both of those issues can be resolved with a soldering iron and about £80 spent on a decent wiring loom and pickups. However if I was buying blind I would spend the extra on a VM/CV to reduce the likelihood of picking up a dud.
[/quote]

[isteen]

A guy I know actually bought a Affinity P bass. Got a used US Fender pickup and put it into his Affinity. He's now a happy bassplayer.

Thank you for all your help, I will try out all 3 CV P basses, If I can find a shop somewhere, that has them in stock

Edited October 15, 2014 by isteen

[M@23]

The VM are cool. CVs are pretty special though, if you find a good one.

[Lozz196]

CVs are great, had one, played really well. Matt Freemans sound good, never played one but heard one through my rig and it was really nice, aggressive and twangy.

But my tip would be a 2nd hand Korean Squier from the early 90s. Fantastic necks, and with a quick change of electrics - say a Ki0gon wiring loom - a very decent giggable bass for not much money at all.

[Funky Dunky]

The VM P is great value, and the Classic Vibe is the most authentic-sounding P copy I've heard. You can't go wrong with either of those, but the CV gets my vote for authentic look, sound and feel on a budget.

[Annoying Twit]

I don't claim to be a bass connoisseur, but when I tried the Squier Fretless VM P, and the Squier Fretless VM Jazz, I thought the Jazz felt considerably nicer.

[Funky Dunky]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1413652245' post='2580606']
I don't claim to be a bass connoisseur, but when I tried the Squier Fretless VM P, and the Squier Fretless VM Jazz, I thought the Jazz felt considerably nicer.
[/quote]

i would agree with that. It seems like Squier put more tlc into the VM Jazz. It really is a cracking instrument.

[LemonCello]

Had a Vintage Modified Jazz - Nice.
Had a Vintage Modified P - Not nice.
[size=4]Have a CV Precision - V nice![/size]

[mcnach]

The CV60 Precision is a fantastic bass. For me that would be the one to go for. Or the Matt Freeman one, is maple fingerboard is preferred, as they appear to be made to the same specs.

[twentyhertz]

Yeah, I like the look of the Matt Freeman one.

Also, controversial choice, but I keep toying with the idea of the Pete Wentz one. It has the stupid stupid graphic on the body and the fretboard, but ultimately, it's a Precision with a Jazz Neck, maple fingerboard and a (Duncan Designed) Quarter Pounder pickup, with no tone control... pretty much exactly what I'd spec on my ideal bass.

90's Korean Squiers are pretty cool too. I've got a 96 Korean Precision and a 94/95-ish Jazz and they're great once you give them a bit of TLC - you can usually get them dirt cheap, if usually pretty neglected. Make good project basses in my experience.

[notable9]

My VM P/J bass is absolutely fantastic, definitely a keeper....great Jaco burp from the bridge PU.

I compared it to a MexP and an Affinity P in the shop and it was no contest. My VM was lighter than both, more resonant and fit and finish is damn near perfect. Even the shopowner seemed impressed, it was a big box store and he simply pulled it out of a rack, boxed and sealed from the factory.

Find a good one like mine and you will never look back. Superb instruments.

[spaners]

I love going to music shop's and trying out diferent basses. I travel most weeks for work in the uk and abroad, so try to find music shops to take breaks at.this has given me the opportunity to try literally thousands of basses. In the squire bass range I have found the CVs to be the most consistently above average for tone, playability and finish. They IMHO are almost allways better than MIMs and some times ive picked up a USA after a CV that wasn't as good. I have found the VMs to be generally good but not as consistent as the CVs. I personally have a squier bass special, quiet a few mods done to her that is just fantastic and has been with me longer than any other coz its so good.

[isteen]

Actually I went for a Fender 50's Classic.
I picked out 3 Squiers and 2 Fenders, and sat down with them for an hour.
After one hour, [url="http://www.fender.com/en-DK/basses/precision-bass/50s-precision-bass-maple-fingerboard-honey-blonde-gold-anodized-aluminum-pickguard/"]this one[/url] came out a winner