Could you perform your current role on a Squier Bass ?

[peteb]

Yes, I could. It wouldn't sound as good or be as easy to play as my Xotic jazz, but I've no doubt that I could gig it if I had to. 

If I lived in an african township playing the tourist bars uptown for a few dollars, then a Squier would be a dream bass and a nearly unbelievable luxury. But that doesn't mean that it is as good as a more expensive, far superior bass...

[josie]

No. Not even a Squier Jazz 5, which would be the closest i could get. My GMR 5 has 24 frets - which I do sometimes use all of - and, more importantly, superb sustain and an overall lyrical melodic feel which even my Fender Jazz can't match.

Mind you that's in the indie-pop band I've just left - next port of call looks like being a straight-up blues band where a Squier would be adequate.

[silverfoxnik]

Yep, no problem at all..

When I think back to the quality of basses I had when I first started playing in the late 70s, a modern day Squier would be 'luxury' (to quote Monty Python) in comparison.

[silverfoxnik]

I've had a few Squier basses over the years and they've all been pretty good..

In fact, I have a Squier 90s P bass at the moment and it plays and sounds great! 

Edited March 26, 2018 by silverfoxnik

[Lozz196]

Yep, I have done, and my gigging backup is a Squier Precision so if anything happens to my main bass at a gig I`ll have to. I`ve seen a few pros using cheap Squiers - maybe they prefer them, or maybe it`s down to the huge amounts of beer that get slung in their general direction so they don`t want to ruin their more expensive basses. Who knows, but whatever, they sound fine. My backup is an Affinity, I bought it from Grangur on here and it plays fantastic, in fact I had to raise the action a good bit to suit my ham-fisted way of playing, it was set up so nice, not a fret-buzz or rattle at all, if played "properly".

[Dad3353]

Not a chance. 

Why..?

...

I play drums. 

[lojo]

1 hour ago, TheGreek said:

I don't get this question - why couldn't you? 

I've been in shops before and tried genuine Fenders against Squiers and found the latter felt better, played better and sounded better.

The label doesn't make the difference Shirley.

One answer for NO has been because of number of frets which has nothing to do with label , I'm pleased because I wanted to see if label aside if there where any genuine reasons why anyone could answer NO

2 others have said NO but not posted a reason 

 I spent my first many years doing gigs on instruments that are way under the quality of today's Squiers and was happy, but I seem spoilt these days and don't need to be 

Edited March 26, 2018 by lojo

[Mykesbass]

Shame the 5 string Precision doesn't have a Precision pickup, and I'd have to remove the frets. So sort of a no, but with some compromise, yes.

Edited March 26, 2018 by Mykesbass

[BigRedX]

2 hours ago, TheGreek said:

I don't get this question - why couldn't you? 

I've been in shops before and tried genuine Fenders against Squiers and found the latter felt better, played better and sounded better.

The label doesn't make the difference Shirley.

For me all the things that would make playing a Squier hard work are also present on the supposedly "superior" Fender models, in that the basic design simply doesn't suit me. That might be because I've spent the vast majority of my bass playing doing it on instruments that have very little in common with either a P or J style bass, so I never got used to their idiosyncrasies.

[paul_c2]

Yes, in fact I very nearly bought one. It was a toss up between a new Squier VM Jazz and a secondhand, imported, Japanese Fender Jazz. I went for the Fender in the end because it seemed like a bargain and would retain its value if ever I needed to sell it; whereas the new Squier would have inevitibly taken a depreciation hit.

Also, I'd browsed a lot of adverts for Squiers for sale, where it said "its a great bass but I never play it because I now have a Fender", but I never saw adverts where it said the opposite. So I assumed, somewhat arbitarily, that when it comes down to it Fender are marginally better than Squier. Effectively, buying a Fender was a "safe bet" - I had the money so I did it.

[casapete]

Yes, quite easily too TBH. Especially if it was a PJ layout as well. My main requirement would be that it wasn't

too heavy, as we do 2x60 min sets and my glass shoulder couldn't manage a clunker.

My spare is an unbranded P-bass bought for £15 s/h which I've twice done a full gig with, with no dramas.

 

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, lojo said:

One answer for NO has been because of number of frets which has nothing to do with label , I'm pleased because I wanted to see if label aside if there where any genuine reasons why anyone could answer NO

2 others have said NO but not posted a reason 

I said NO and posted a reason, which wasn't the number of frets, but the design.

But the question has an hidden message which you didn't ask. It is implying but not saying 'because it is a budget instrument'.

If the answer was 'Could you perform your current role on a Fender American Pro', the answer doesn't change, it is still no, for the same reason.

If the answer was 'Would you play live the same thing you play on a fender with a squier', the answer would be Yes.

[peteb]

It is a bit of a loaded question, suggesting that you don't need a more expensive instrument when you could cover most gigs with a budget instrument like a Squier. 

I could drive the 200 miles to London in a 20 year old Fiat Pinto. However it would be more comfortable, safer and enjoyable to do the same journey in a Mercedes!

[Woodinblack]

7 minutes ago, peteb said:

I could drive the 200 miles to London in a 20 year old Fiat Pinto. However it would be more comfortable, safer and enjoyable to do the same journey in a Mercedes!

I wouldn't put it in that category at all. The mercedes is actually more comfortable there. I have played a 2 hour gig with a Squier P bass and I have played a 2 hour gig with a American P bass, and the only difference was the American was a bit heavier so a little more tiring. Not disputing it is a better bass, it is, but not in a fundamental way that makes it harder to play (or frankly at a gig in a pub, sound any different).

[project_c]

I usually play USA Fenders, but I just recently bought a short scale Squier Jaguar which I'm taking to its first jazz gig in a couple of weeks. It's dirt cheap and so much fun to play, and it has a surprisingly growly tone. As luck would have it, I may also be getting another identical Squier Jag from a friend soon (unwanted gift) so I may end up owning two of them.

[peteb]

24 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I wouldn't put it in that category at all. The mercedes is actually more comfortable there. I have played a 2 hour gig with a Squier P bass and I have played a 2 hour gig with a American P bass, and the only difference was the American was a bit heavier so a little more tiring. Not disputing it is a better bass, it is, but not in a fundamental way that makes it harder to play (or frankly at a gig in a pub, sound any different).

You're possibly taking the comfort part of the post a little too literally and I am sure there are a lot Squires around that are actually better than many 80s Fenders, or even the worst 70s ones. But, as you say, most Fenders (and remember other types of basses are available) will be better and will therefore sound / play  a bit better.

You may not think that makes any difference in a pub, but it is little details that make one band better than another. One of these details is how the bass or any other instrument sounds - not a major thing in itself but it all adds up. 

The other thing to remember is that as a bassist you are being judged on your sound and you playing. There may be a band leader in the audience thinking the bass player has got his sound together. In a year's time his bassist may have quit just when your band breaks up and you might get a call... 

[drTStingray]

I voted no - I play active basses in the bands I play in - apparently the bass sound is a particular feature, other people tell me. In fact, the main man in one of the band's complains bitterly about people playing with 'vintage' sound where note pitch is  less audible - he prefers a sound where all the notes are clear.

Squier Jazz or Precision would provide a different sound which would be noticed - it would be thinner sounding and the slap sound would not be bright enough. Additionally it would be more difficult to get a defined enough sound. 

I'm not entirely sure of the point of the question particularly as any personal preference is not allowed - musical instrument choice is, for me at least, a significant part of the process of playing music so personal preference (I.e what suits my playing style - be it neck shape, sound, instrument body shape, reliability etc) is fundamental. So as an example, nice as 50s Precisions are, the neck width and shape is such that playing one regularly would be a chore for me as I have relatively small hands - this would likely affect my playing and I would have to modify some of what I play. 

If push came to shove and I was on a desert island and only a Squier Precision was available then I would definitely play it. But then the same would go for any bass guitar if it was all that was available. 

[chris_b]

Could you? Yes. No problem, as I said earlier.

Would you? Maybe not. Every bass I've bought has been (IMO) "better" than the last one, so I guess a Squier is probably never going to win that one.

Should you? For a few years I've been thinking I've got too much money tied up in my gear. I sold a few items last year but I've still got too much stuff.

Finding a cheaper bass that could easily take over from my current bass is an interesting thought and I've been looking around for a couple of years.

[chris_b]

28 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

I voted no - I play active basses in the bands I play in - apparently the bass sound is a particular feature, other people tell me. In fact, the main man in one of the band's complains bitterly about people playing with 'vintage' sound where note pitch is  less audible - he prefers a sound where all the notes are clear.

Squier Jazz or Precision would provide a different sound which would be noticed - it would be thinner sounding and the slap sound would not be bright enough. Additionally it would be more difficult to get a defined enough sound.

I'm happy if your vote was no, but I'm not sure your man has been listening to the right basses. . . or the right players.

Any inaudible, unclear, thin or dull bass sound is just a bad sound and has everything to do with poor EQ and/or playing and very little to do with the instrument.

[lojo]

2 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

I said NO and posted a reason, which wasn't the number of frets, but the design.

But the question has an hidden message which you didn't ask. It is implying but not saying 'because it is a budget instrument'.

If the answer was 'Could you perform your current role on a Fender American Pro', the answer doesn't change, it is still no, for the same reason.

If the answer was 'Would you play live the same thing you play on a fender with a squier', the answer would be Yes.

Thanks informative answer , no hidden meaning as the label snobbery theme is often debated , but I didn't try to weight it to only be about that but all things . For example I thought some who record often might say the pickups or wiring is sub standard for this (I wouldn't know) so I find it interesting that's not happened 

Hope that makes sense , not sure I'm explaining myself that well ?

Edited March 27, 2018 by lojo

[lojo]

1 hour ago, drTStingray said:

 

I'm not entirely sure of the point of the question particularly as any personal preference is not allowed 

If people can forgive me , the point is nothing more than I'm sick and have spent the last few weeks chatting to various musical friends about the merits of certain basses and guitars , as well as I have been absorbing views on here and elsewhere over the year . At the end of the day it's pointless b*******s that I and some other find interesting 

Personal choice is removed from the question because I wanted to get a real bottom line view as to any real practical reasons a squier couldn't be used and some have been mentioned 

Personally over recent years I've mainly gigged Fenders and Musicmans , with the quailty of some squiers around today , I do question why , especially as I've modded the pickups on 2 of my Fenders to personal taste 

Anyway , I hope at a least a few others find it an interesting bit of fun , certainly not designed to catch anyone out of make issue 

I'll add that I also love basses that have for want of a better word "mojo" , aged looked , older logos etc , and I've paid the prices for such basses , this is not a "your a snob" if you don't play a squier thread 

Edited March 27, 2018 by lojo

[grandad]

I've played expensive Fenders in the past and always worried about bashing and denting them. I feel more comfortable with a cheaper brand. Obviously I still avoid accidents but a £1000 instrument in my hands intimidates me so I tend to own mid-to-low price models, 3 of which are Squier.

With a proper set-up and your own choice of strings, the VM range are great value for money. I'm very happy with mine, decent quality and all made in Indonesia.

[Yank]

No.  I don't believe Squire makes a fretless.

[mcnach]

13 hours ago, lojo said:

Could you perform your current role on a Squier Bass ?

Assume you could walk into a shop and buy any current Squier model , have it set up to your liking and go and perform your current gigs or recording duties ?

Of course you may prefer something else , but would your sound cause any problems for your band members , engineers or audience ? 

If you vote No , please explain , but it can't be for any personal reason (unless you physically couldn't play it) only if you think it would bother someone else as mentioned above 

 

Of course, no problem. 

[AndyTravis]

3 minutes ago, Yank said:

No.  I don't believe Squire makes a fretless.

They make P and J fretless versions