interpol52 Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 (edited) I was reading through the Squier range thread on here and was interested to see how some people have ditched Fender and now now only use Squier basses. Has anyone done this? What are the lessons learned from it? I had a VM Jazz, it was a great instrument and I regret selling it now. I have seen a Candy Apple Red one on Thomann at £200, an absolute bargain! Edited January 1, 2015 by interpol52 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Having played and owned a number of Fenders and Squiers, I would be unwilling to fully commit to either exclusively, and neither do I see the point. There are good and not-so-good in both stables. Play 'em all and buy the one(s) you like best I say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
interpol52 Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 Good point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoJoKe Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 (edited) [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1420141813' post='2646095'] Having played and owned a number of Fenders and Squiers... [/quote] I agree with this... However, I would also add... 1. I was blessed that my first "proper" bass (in 1981) was a "Fender" logo'ed JV Squier '57 precision, which I still have, will never sell and it is still to this day the best balanced, nicest neck, lightest and loveliest precision I have ever owned. 2. As a project bass I bought a Squier Affinity Jazz 5 string. As a "stock" bass while it had reasonable liveliness it seemed a bit gutless, but it had a surprisingly lovely playable neck, so I intended to upgrade the hardware to make it more useable. In the meantime I bought a Lakland JO5 to gig with, to which I added a J-Retro, which is now magical, if a little too heavy, so the Squier project got shelved. I have badly missed having a fretless in my collection, (having owned an Olive Ash Wal Mk1 and a fretless Lakland 55-02, both of which I deeply regret having to sell) so I decided to convert the Affinity Jazz, which I have done over the Christmas Holiday. I am waiting for the neck to settle for a week or so before doing a final setup, but so far I'm absolutely delighted with the results! I will definitely be doing more work on it, a better bridge, pups and a J-retro will bring it alive. I have owned lots of basses, but in each case I have chosen them, not from the brand, but by way the neck feels in my hands long before I plug it in. The playability, sound, weight, balance, and string spacing come next in that order. The name is the usually the last consideration. Edited January 1, 2015 by MoJoKe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterimage Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Neck is a big sell on Me too playabity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 I've done it, but not as a conscious decision. It's just ended up that way. I sold my Fender American Standard Jazz to fund a custom P build, but time, funds and two babies arriving put the skids on that. Meanwhile, I made the move to 5 strings and had a nice Yamaha BB 5er for a bit last year. But I missed the classic Fender look and feel. I was gassing like hell for a Fender USA Standard Precision 5 but there was no way I could get near the funds required so I bought the Squier VM P5 to see me through for a couple of years until I could afford "the real thing". Bought the Squier new for £246 and was completely blown away by the quality of it. It really is a sweet bass to play, the neck profile is perfect, not too heavy (although I have modded it to make it lighter due to my crap old body - not the basses fault!). I've installed a USA pickup just because one came up for sale here for not much money - the bass didn't need it, I just can't help myself! Now I have a bass that I can't put down and it's so inspiring to play. It really is a brilliant P bass. I have given up gassing for the Fender P5 now as I can't justify spending a further grand on one when I just don't need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero9 Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 If you can look past Fender and Squier brands, this will open up the field to Tokai and Warmoth builds. I went the route of a Warmoth body with a graphite neck, which works best for me. There are currently some great deals to be had in the for sale section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilco Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 To a degree, I guess it would depend on what level Fender you have. My experience has been that the MiA's are definitely the best - definitely wouldn't ditch one of those for a Squier. I've had a couple of Jap Fender's & again, wouldn't have ditched those for a Squier either. Between a MiM & a Squier? Possibly, but that would probably come down to individual instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 It makes perfect sense to me. I've never owned a Fender-branded instrument but I've had several Squiers, including 80s MIJ, 90s Korean & a current Indonesian VMJ, all of which have been very good to excellent. Fenders are as basic as it gets, I struggle to understand why such a simplistic mass-produced instrument should ever cost more than a few hundred quid. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I've never ditched a Fender for a Squier but I've "dropped consideration" of an MIA Fender and an MIJ Fender Aerodyne because of the Squier I bought. If you can get a bass that good for £246 I don't see the point in spending almost £900 more. The MIA Fender (USA standard jazz) was a bit lighter than my Squier and sounded a bit sweeter but some pickup and electronic upgrades sorted that. Not that the Squier sounded bad, it sounded really good still. The USA Fender just felt less than average to play. The Squier played and felt like a more quality instrument. I tried two MIJ Aerodyne's over Christmas from the two Windows stores in Metro Centre and Newcastle. One played superbly but sounded dull and average. The other sounded better but I had to ask if there was a problem with the E string as it was flabby as hell and not positioned over the pickup poles. Also there was a 1-2mm gap around the bridge where the recess had been made too big for it. It played dreadfully. I wasn't convinced a setup would have completely solved everything either. [quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1420204054' post='2646639'] Fenders are as basic as it gets, I struggle to understand why such a simplistic mass-produced instrument should ever cost more than a few hundred quid. [/quote] So yeah, this. USA Fenders should be priced around the MIM mark and MIM Fenders should be abandoned in favour of Squier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 [quote name='Wilco' timestamp='1420202764' post='2646615'] To a degree, I guess it would depend on what level Fender you have. My experience has been that the MiA's are definitely the best - definitely wouldn't ditch one of those for a Squier. I've had a couple of Jap Fender's & again, wouldn't have ditched those for a Squier either. Between a MiM & a Squier? Possibly, but that would probably come down to individual instruments. [/quote] I'd agree with this, in fact all the Mexican basses I've tried have been worse than the squier ones including two affinity basses I've owned! That said I had a really nice Mex strat but then that didn't sound or feel quite as nice as the USA strat I replaced it with. Other than some shoddy 70s USA basses no USA ones have been worse than anything below in the range, had some Flappy B strings but even then the actual finish and sound were still good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I've sort of gone down this route. Main bass is a MIM P with an American Special Jazz neck. Backup is a Squier VM Precision fretless which now wears a VM77 Squier Jazz neck. Also have a Squier P5, and very good it is too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 In defence of MIMs, the post 2008 ones are much better than those previous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I've done it and it wasn't a big deal, I just decided the Squier basses were perfectly decent so why have £1000s wrapped up in kit? I actually don't own a Fender bass anymore and haven't regretted it. I used the cash to go away with my girlfriend, recorded our new album on just one Squier (& an upright bass for one song) and shot the promo video on 2 Squiers which is my total bass collection these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyellowcar Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1420362917' post='2648336'] In defence of MIMs, the post 2008 ones are much better than those previous. [/quote] Agreed. The pre-08 stuff was much more variable in quality. I have a cracking '04 Deluxe P, my brother was unlucky enough to get a dog of an '02 Jazz. Everything I've played out of Mexico in the last couple of years (including owning 2, one of which I sold and now regret) has been notoceably better quality. That's not to take anything away from Squier though. The VM P that I sold on earlier this year was a great bass. The Basschatter who bought it from me thinks the same. And apart from a dodgy set up and crap stock strings, my Squier Bass VI is a great instrument - very well constructed and finished. Would I ditch Fender for Squier out of principle? Nope. Would I buy another Squier if it beat the nearest Fender alternative for build, feel and tone? Hell yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I have the advantage of never being that bothered about Fender anyway, I am primarily an Ibanez sort of guy. Which means when I recently decided to get a P bass, I treated them all the same, so for me it isn't 'This fender is £1200, this mexican is £600, this Squier is £400', it is ' I have 3 basses at £1200, £600 and £400, lets see which one is the best and what works for the money'. Turns out in this case that unplugged, the £400 one was the better bass. Don't know what the other two were like plugged in, the price difference is enough to buy new pickups if they weren't as good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1420362917' post='2648336'] In defence of MIMs, the post 2008 ones are much better than those previous. [/quote] OMG, I've only ever played post 2008 MIMs. They must have been dire before then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) The MiM I played above was a new one, It wasn't as good as the squier but I have played worse. There is a Squier Afinity P-Bass I tried at another shop that was worse. Mind you it had an action you could post parcels under. Edited January 4, 2015 by Woodinblack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I had a Squier CV Jazz when they were first released, whilst it was excellent for the price, especially the neck and general finish, it didn't really have the same guts or depth of tone as my 2003 USA Jazz at the time. That said, I've never played a MIM that I'd pay money for, much rather buy a Squier! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) I got rid of my Fenders and Laklands a few years ago, and stuck with my two CV's until it got a Vm PJ (which I never really got on with). I also got a Yamaha 5 string (that I'm going to get do of soon) a few months ago but that's a totally different bass so doesn't really count. I had a bad time trying to get a perfect (to me) finished MIA a few years ago. In fact I started off with a MIM 70's Classic, went on to 2 MIA jazz basses and finished with a Highway-one. Every one of these basses had quality issues (first and last had raised frets). During this time I had a perfect CV Jazz but thought getting a MIA or a MIm would get me something a bit more. It never happend, although I would have been very happy with the MIA if the build quality had matched the price. For me though it's the CV necks. These are slim, have vintage frets and just feel so comfortable. The CV Jazz neck has been on 3 different basses, I love it that much. I can appreciate the better features on the MIA's, but these aren't must haves IMO, just icing on the cake. Edited January 4, 2015 by dave_bass5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Just moving the basses around from upstairs to downstairs and noticed that for an Ibanez fan, i sure do seem to have a few squiers.. [url="http://s405.photobucket.com/user/alienrat/media/heads_zps15a86a4b.jpg.html"][/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I have a Fender US Standard Jazz that I don't use much any more - it's currently on loan to a friend (try before you buy!) I have a Squier P-bass Special - that's definitely a keeper! Says enough I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) My main / favourite bass, is my roadworn Jazz Which I cannot praise enough - it's the best bass guitar I've ever played These are made in Mexico, but finished in the US Now I've owned several US Fenders, including other Fender Jazz basses (Still own one) But the Roadworn is the best of all - Having played many basses over the years, Nothing else comes close to it, of course that's just my opinion but honestly, I wouldn't swap it for a US Jazz - it's better than any I've owned or played I've also got a Squier CV 60's P bass, and it really is amazing! The build quality, playability, weight & balance are excellent considering its' price I'd say maybe the pickups are a tad lightweight - only a tad mind you.... I can fully understand your thoughts on how good the latest Squiers are And I could fully understand anyone gigging with one, rather than taking a US Fender to some gigs But if you're happy with your Fender(s) - you don't have to sell them ..... or maybe keep your favourite I also own an Indonesian Squier, and that's fantastic The newer China-made CV's are even better again EDIT: Although Roadworn's have their critics, it's amazing to play a gig with a bass that you don't mind if it gets another scratch Edited January 13, 2015 by Marc S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) I`ve resisted buying a Roadworn for a while but am sure at some point I will get one - I was very impresses when I played a couple. I think it`s the colour schemes that have put me off in all honesty. Now a white/blonde 57 Roadworn Precision, mmmmmm....................... Edited January 13, 2015 by Lozz196 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyellowcar Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1421171955' post='2658025'] I`ve resisted buying a Roadworn for a while but am sure at some point I will get one - I was very impresses when I played a couple. I think it`s the colour schemes that have put me off in all honesty. Now a white/blonde 57 Roadworn Precision, mmmmmm....................... [/quote] The Roadworn Mike Dirnt was one of the nicest basses I've played in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.