Squire classic vibe?

[Joebethell]

So I had a spare 5mins at work today stuck in the centre of Hanley so popped into Academy of Sound they don't have many basses usually but now and again a secondhand instrument comes in or the odd fender that's worth a look.
Strangely this time a Squire stood out from the crowd.
It was an Inca silver classic vibe with matching headstock, looked really nice good neck pocket and for the money looked like a bit of a steal?
Now I didn't have time to plug it in but does any Basschatter have any experience with theses are they worth a punt as a gigging back up as I'm tempted to go back and give it a play/maybe buy.

Edited February 26, 2016 by Joebethell

[discreet]

I've not played one, but they seem to enjoy a fair amount of love on this board.

[Lozz196]

Good basses the Squier CVs, plenty good enough to have as a backup, or to gig at venues where you`d rather not take along your US £1000+ Fender.

[Joebethell]

Cheers I should go back for a play then I reckon.

[mikeycrikey]

I played the same model in PMT Manchester. I had read many great reviews of these basses and it was under consideration to come home with me.
Once I tried it I was left very unimpressed with it. It may have been the set up , which was way too high for me but the tone and sound also left me feeling disappointed. Compared to my Farida Jazz which is made in the same factory at the squire it came a distant second.
This was a brand new model which had a pretty high price tag and would definitely of benefited from a good set up. I assume the one you are considering is a a fair bit less than the asking price of a new one.
In fairness I thought the CV looked great and the build quality looked spot on

[Joebethell]

I didn't get round to plugging it in but it was new and the build looked good for around 400pounds? Did need a good setup though but that's every bass in a shop I have ever picked up even some very well respected ones.

[mikeycrikey]

Brand new model is £390 from PMT online. Worth considering

[Jackemmings]

Really great basses. Had a cv in pino pallidino red with tortoise shell pickguard. Such a great neck with a cracking tone. Recently sold it to fund a new purchase. The guy who bought it was going to use it as a backup to his highway one precision, and since has sold his highway one as he says he much prefers the cv.

[NoirBass]

I love the CV basses. I now just gig CV's (a 60's P and a James Johnston J) and all the expensive stuff stays at home.

With my MIJ Fender basses I would always change the pickups and pots, no need with the CV's as the stock Pups are great - Buy it!

The guitars are excellent too.

[Grand Wazoo]

I've had all the CV models they made. The Olympic white Jazz, the Fiesta Red Precision, even the blonde natural 50's Telecaster style one. The good thing about them is that they are probably made in one of the best factories in China, the woods used are good and the built and finish are excellent for the price. However corners are cut in two areas, the pickups and wiring are cheap, and the machine heads are also substandard, they'll do but, they are not for the long run the pegs slip and don't stay in tune that well. On the other end they come with some excellent bridges, which are as close as possible to a Fender high mass bridge. And if you got a bit of cash they make a great benchmark for modding. In all of my CV's I've changed pickups / pots and wiring, as well as original reverse tuning Fender machine heads and a proper bone nut because the plastic one that they come with, it's also a bit meh!

After that you've got a bass that can be on par with both American and Japanese Fenders and miles better than all those Mexican Fender put together

[Jono Bolton]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1456561101' post='2990231']
I've had all the CV models they made. The Olympic white Jazz, the Fiesta Red Precision, even the blonde natural 50's Telecaster style one. The good thing about them is that they are probably made in one of the best factories in China, the woods used are good and the built and finish are excellent for the price. However corners are cut in two areas, the pickups and wiring are cheap, and the machine heads are also substandard, they'll do but, they are not for the long run the pegs slip and don't stay in tune that well. On the other end they come with some excellent bridges, which are as close as possible to a Fender high mass bridge. And if you got a bit of cash they make a great benchmark for modding. In all of my CV's I've changed pickups / pots and wiring, as well as original reverse tuning Fender machine heads and a proper bone nut because the plastic one that they come with, it's also a bit meh!

After that you've got a bass that can be on par with both American and Japanese Fenders and miles better than all those Mexican Fender put together
[/quote]

I'd echo all the positives here, but disagree with the negatives. The pickups are (supposedly) made by Tonerider; apparently their pickups are made in the same factory. The pickup in my Matt Freeman (from the same factory) is great. The neck is cracking. The wiring and pots are cheap but perfectly usable. I bent a tuner and replaced them with a set of Schaller BMLs (which drop straight in), but found that originals held the tuning a lot better than the Schallers do, and were a lot more accurate. YMMV, but I've found that it was fine as stock. I wouldn't have replaced the tuners had I not bent one. A lot of reviews say the high end Squiers like the CVs are good "for the money" which I actually think does them a disservice; they're good instruments full stop.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Jono Bolton

[bassix]

More than adequate for anyone's requirements I'd say, especially as a backup. Doesn't stop me wanting a US precision at some point though!

[Woodinblack]

I have a CV 70s P. Now I am not a P fan but after playing it I loved it and bought it, and at the same time I tried an American and a mim P. The CV was the most comfortable to play and frankly the best looking (not that I would have bought an American P anyway at the price). I have played it live and often have it as a backup, especially if I have to do jam songs. The only thing I will say is the pots could be better but the neck is perfect and it has a really low action, which it had from the shop. I doubt I would part with it

[ratman]

I picked up a Sonic Blue CV 60's P here last year. It's my go-to gigging bass now. The pick ups sound great with my rig. This one came with a Tonestyler 10 tone control which is way more versatile than the standard treble roll off. The only major thing I've changed is the neck, I put a Mighty Mite J on it, I prefer J necks on my P basses. I get a lot of positive comments about the sound and it looks great too.

[such]

Those Squire basses are as good (or better) as most of their Fendre counterparts.

[dave_bass5]

I have been gigging my CVP and CV Jazz since about 2009. Probably done well over 500 gigs with the P 9moslty with the CV Jazz neck on it). I've never had an issue with the bass, other than bum notes :-)
I have never had a tuning issue, with either bass. Never gone out of tune at gigs or at home. In fact normally its just the G string that needs re tuning when i get to a gig, as it gets knocked in the very thin gig bag i use. I dont have to touch the tuners after that.
The wiring is wiring, its not caused any issues, and although ive changed pups on each bass a few times the joints that haven't been touched are still going strong.
The high mass bridges are nice but the string spacing is 20mm. Im not sure if that's the same as the MIA basses but I prefer the more normal 19mm so had to change both bridges.

Now of course all the above can be improved on, they make great project basses, but none of the above would stop you from using the bass as intended as it comes.

Im pretty sure the Matt Freeman is slightly different to the CVP (im talking about the Fiesta Red 60's version, not the 70's version).

[scalpy]

Anybody know why they stopped making the 60s P? I lusted after the sonic blue with tonerider tone control example mentioned above.

[Cato]

[quote name='scalpy' timestamp='1456762219' post='2991974']
Anybody know why they stopped making the 60s P? I lusted after the sonic blue with tonerider tone control example mentioned above.
[/quote]

They've cut the whole CV bass range right back.

Speculation is that they were eating into Mex Fender sales.

Although it's also possible that they're just making way for other models.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Cato

[scalpy]

Thank you,makes sense.

[12stringbassist]

I can swear by the 50's CV on the left above. Good sound, lovely playable, glossy neck and fingerboard.
Being a single pickup bass, it's got its limitations. But it keeps up with any of my other basses when it goes out to play.
It goes from bright clank to deep hum quite easily.

The 50's VM on the right with a big Mudbucker pickup is really only useful for blues type stuff. It has no twang whatsover to it.
But it looks really cool.

[dave_bass5]

I had a VM PJ for a while. Lovely looking bass and fit and finish were great. I always felt the tone lacked something though. Even putting a Fralin (taken out of my CVP), and later a Geezer Buttler pup in never really helped.

[bassfunk]

I Bought a CV 60's Jazz bass 2nd hand from a Basschatter. I put a set of wizard pickups in it and consequently sold my mex Jazz deluxe. The neck is excellent, the rest of the bass is put together really well. It's a great backup that I'd have not qualms about gigging.

[Marc S]

I have a CV 60's P bass in Fiesta Red. In fact, it's my 2nd one. I had one, sold it due to having too many basses
I instantly regretted selling it, as it was so good. Tried carrying on without it, but in the end, I bought another

Lovely bass, superb build quality, comfortable to play with slim, fast neck. Yes, it's covered in a thick lacquer of Poly,
but it feels great, and doesn't get sticky when your hands get hot & sweaty, like some glossy finishes.

I'd disagree that the tuners are sloppy or go out of tune. The 2 I've had hold tune really well. The pickup was pretty damn good IMO, although I've had my CV P turned into a PJ, by the superb Cardiff luthier / instrument builder Dave Dearnaley
I only replaced the P pickup, as I had a set of Entwistle PJ pickups, and thought I'd stick to using the pair.
Dave Dearnaley reckons the build quality is fabulous, and said he could see why they stopped this particular range - as they were so good. He also said the pots on it were fine, but not quite as good as the CTS pot he installed for the extra pickup - That was his only criticism

If you see one of these knocking around 2nd hand - go for it
It's a tad heavier than my US Standard P, and the pickup is a teensy weensy bit less "grunty"
But pound for pound, these are the best value for money basses I think I've ever seen

Edited March 7, 2016 by Marc S

[thebuckets]

Ive just picked up one of these mint condition sonic blue and pups seem fine but im still gonna try a new kiogon loom with cts pots and an entwistle pbxn pup. I agree they seem great quality for the money

[Telebass]

[quote name='such' timestamp='1456680369' post='2991342']
Those Squire basses are as good (or better) as most of their Fendre counterparts.
[/quote]
Subtle...