Squire vs Fender…

[uncle psychosis]

3 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

I'm afraid so  

I had to downsize and it was a great bass, but that supernarrow neck that made me love it initially became the thing that made me not play it anymore...

 

 

Noooooooooooooooo 🤪

[Lozz196]

Just got a Squier CV Mustang bass  - thanks again @martin8708 - and I have to say that after an hour of playing it it really is a superb instrument. I`m sure that the components and body woods are cheaper in relation to the Fenders but in the hand just playing it, well the quality is amazing, it sounds great as well.

Edited July 25, 2023 by Lozz196

[Cosmo Valdemar]

Another one just arrived... early Classic Vibe. Faultless construction.

[Lw.]

Funny this one is still rumbling on. Given all new fender shaped basses are at best licensed copies of what Fender used to make, is it any wonder the different licensees make their copies to different quality levels? 

 

Even if you look at US Fenders, Leo isn't there, the level of management that learnt from him are no longer there, the machines are different. There's not a whole lot that remains of what was & even back when he was there with his team & machines, they still kicked out some duffers. 

 

Not really surprising the far Eastern factories who are directly competing with each other for Fender based trade are upping their game & making some nice basses (looking at you 40th anniversary crowd). Neither is it surprising that that competition is pushing them towards or even beyond what is essentially the American continent B-team. 

 

I think you should just keep the ones you do like and sell the ones you don't, it doesn't matter what logo the licensee has printed onto the headstock. 

 

I've got two Fender type basses - one bolted together in America & one bolted together on the south coast of England, listening to a recording of my playing, no one would be able to tell which is which! 

Edited July 25, 2023 by Lw.

[Jono Bolton]

2 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

Another one just arrived... early Classic Vibe. Faultless construction.

Was that a recent eBay purchase, perchance?

[Cosmo Valdemar]

32 minutes ago, Jono Bolton said:

Was that a recent eBay purchase, perchance?

Maybe... 😄

[Jono Bolton]

8 minutes ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

Maybe... 😄

I was tempted to put a bid in on it but I remembered that I'd had the same one before and it was a bit too heavy for me. It was a great bass though 

[Cosmo Valdemar]

39 minutes ago, Jono Bolton said:

I was tempted to put a bid in on it but I remembered that I'd had the same one before and it was a bit too heavy for me. It was a great bass though 

I've got three of them now, they're all about 10lb but that's still manageable... for now 😄

[Bornin1980something]

I know some professionals have used Squier guitars, but have have any used Squier basses? 

[meterman]

4 minutes ago, Bornin1980something said:

I know some professionals have used Squier guitars, but have have any used Squier basses? 

I’ve toured with a session player who sometimes took out re-logoed Squiers to gigs he wouldn’t want to take a vintage Fender to. Decent gigs as well, JTQ, Incognito, Paul Weller etc.

 

Otherwise I remember seeing Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys playing a white Squier Vista Musicmaster at T In The Park festival in ‘98. Also the bassist from indie band The Cribs who had a signature Squier bass, Joe Dart briefly used a borrowed and modded CV precision, Mikey Way had his signature Mustang, the bassist (and guitarist) from Los Angeles cumbia-punk band Thee Commons played and endorsed Squiers, although they’re with Fender now. Frank Bello had a signature Squier bass, so did Mike Dirnt although he had signature Fenders as well. Have seen many bands at big festivals where the bassists are using Squier Jaguar basses too.

 

There’s probably loads of others but these spring to mind right now.

[Lozz196]

1 hour ago, Bornin1980something said:

I know some professionals have used Squier guitars, but have have any used Squier basses? 

When we played with Sham 69 Dave Tregunna was using a Squier (Precision I think).

[Cosmo Valdemar]

5 hours ago, Bornin1980something said:

I know some professionals have used Squier guitars, but have have any used Squier basses? 

Roger Glover used a Squier Classic Vibe Precision to record the last Deep Purple album.

[hooky_lowdown]

Players in The Smiths and Elastica also played Squiers.

[MacDaddy]

On 08/07/2023 at 19:52, neepheid said:

Turns out that CNC machines in China and Indonesia work in exactly the same way as CNC machines do in Mexico and the USA!

 

 

In Mexico, Fender have a Mexican bloke using the CNC machines.

In California, Fender have a Mexican bloke using the CNC machines...

[MacDaddy]

Not bass, but I've got a Japanese Squier - not Squire! - Silver Series Telecaster.

Maybe I lucked out, but I've tried plenty of USA Fender Telecaster's and haven't yet found one which plays and sounds any better.

[Bornin1980something]

You know, I always assumed that 'Squier' meant 'student' or beginner. Turns out it's the name of an old company Fender asset stripped in the '60s. 

[NickA]

Saw Roy Babbington with Soft Machine a few years back.  He was playing a Squire P J into a line 6 amp.  Nothing fancy except for his playing!

[Jono Bolton]

On 29/07/2023 at 12:29, meterman said:

I’ve toured with a session player who sometimes took out re-logoed Squiers to gigs he wouldn’t want to take a vintage Fender to. Decent gigs as well, JTQ, Incognito, Paul Weller etc.

 

Otherwise I remember seeing Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys playing a white Squier Vista Musicmaster at T In The Park festival in ‘98. Also the bassist from indie band The Cribs who had a signature Squier bass, Joe Dart briefly used a borrowed and modded CV precision, Mikey Way had his signature Mustang, the bassist (and guitarist) from Los Angeles cumbia-punk band Thee Commons played and endorsed Squiers, although they’re with Fender now. Frank Bello had a signature Squier bass, so did Mike Dirnt although he had signature Fenders as well. Have seen many bands at big festivals where the bassists are using Squier Jaguar basses too.

 

There’s probably loads of others but these spring to mind right now.

Matt Freeman of Rancid had a signature Precision that he often used live, as well as his vintage Fenders. I had both the black and white versions and they're the only basses I truly regret selling.

[Jono Bolton]

On 29/07/2023 at 12:29, meterman said:

I’ve toured with a session player who sometimes took out re-logoed Squiers to gigs he wouldn’t want to take a vintage Fender to. Decent gigs as well, JTQ, Incognito, Paul Weller etc.

 

Otherwise I remember seeing Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys playing a white Squier Vista Musicmaster at T In The Park festival in ‘98. Also the bassist from indie band The Cribs who had a signature Squier bass, Joe Dart briefly used a borrowed and modded CV precision, Mikey Way had his signature Mustang, the bassist (and guitarist) from Los Angeles cumbia-punk band Thee Commons played and endorsed Squiers, although they’re with Fender now. Frank Bello had a signature Squier bass, so did Mike Dirnt although he had signature Fenders as well. Have seen many bands at big festivals where the bassists are using Squier Jaguar basses too.

 

There’s probably loads of others but these spring to mind right now.

A Gary Jarman Sig has just turned up on eBay, but you'll never guess the asking price.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186013435791?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=W2i0Yn-fRum&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=UbetCfLcTBW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[meterman]

18 minutes ago, Jono Bolton said:

A Gary Jarman Sig has just turned up on eBay, but you'll never guess the asking price.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186013435791?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=W2i0Yn-fRum&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=UbetCfLcTBW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Thank you, I’m not up on The Cribs music and couldn’t remember the bassist’s name 👍

[Linus27]

I tried a 40th Anniversary Squire Precision today and it was lovely. I need a fretted in my collection for a possible project so I gave it a try and I really liked it. Really well built, sounded really nice and felt great to play. I'd have no problem buying one. I also tried a 74 Telcaster which was incredible but the neck was about twice as thick and it weighed about 4 times as much. It also cost 9 times as much so I won't be buying it hehe

[ezbass]

52 minutes ago, Linus27 said:

I tried a 40th Anniversary Squire Precision today and it was lovely. I need a fretted in my collection for a possible project so I gave it a try and I really liked it. Really well built, sounded really nice and felt great to play. I'd have no problem buying one. I also tried a 74 Telcaster which was incredible but the neck was about twice as thick and it weighed about 4 times as much. It also cost 9 times as much so I won't be buying it hehe

I’ve heard nothing but good things about the anniversary models, I’d like to try one.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

Here's my trio of Teles. Admittedly, the reason I went for the Squire in particular was because the affordable Fender version is no longer readily available, but they are superb basses in their own right. Certainly a lot comfier to play than my old slab bodied Fender.

I recently had a chance to play one of the new US reissues and, apart from the Fender being far more period accurate, there wasn't much difference in feel at all - apart from the Fender neck being fatter.

 

My latest one, the blonde on the left, has a replacement pickup which is a lot hotter - it's got a more solid low end but loses some of that trebly clank that the stock pickup has. I'll know if the pickup's a keeper once I get some new DRs on it.

[ezbass]

40 minutes ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

has a replacement pickup which is a lot hotter

More details required here I think. Great trio there.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

32 minutes ago, ezbass said:

More details required here I think. Great trio there.

It's a Toltec, 10k. I think the stock pickups are 6 or 7k. 

The natural on the right came with a SD Quarter Pound which I really didn't like at all and quickly put the stock pickup back in.