Squier Classic Vibe 60s Precision Bass Fiesta Red

[bh2]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='808898' date='Apr 16 2010, 07:53 PM']Hell! We already know they beat the Fender MIM gear hands down on quality, necks and finish!![/quote]

Hmmm... not so sure about that one.

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='808628' date='Apr 16 2010, 05:00 PM']Cheers lads. [/quote]

Amazing, I have also weighted mine and its 8.8lbs too spot on!

[cameltoe]

[quote name='bh2' post='808914' date='Apr 16 2010, 09:18 PM']Hmmm... not so sure about that one.[/quote]

Me neither. They are very good, and I've tried several alongside Mexican Standards and other MIM gear, but for me the Mexican's did have a bit extra about them.

[faceman]

I don't think it should matter whether it is better than a MIM, MIA, CIJ or whatever, it's how each individual one plays. I often find instruments of each class come in dogs and winners. I had a MIA Jazz three years ago and it was awful - fat neck and just crap to play on. I'd say that my CV Precision beats it hands down but others may disagree.

To me and others, it's a winner because it feels good, looks great and has *that sounds*.

[cameltoe]

We're not the ones who said it did matter, it was you!



I only the other week tried several CV precision and Jazzes, and yes, they do vary a bit. A couple felt like nothing special, but the olympic white 60's jazz felt awesome.

[Grand Wazoo]

I didn't mean to attack the Fender MIM but all the ones I have seen have had lousy neck pockets and paint jobs. In some cased the tuners were not even aligned properly on the back of the headstock, whereas all the CV's I have seen are perfectly manufactured and flawless in terms of constructions, even the wood used sound a lot better, more resonant and a heck of a lot lighter. Only problem with the CV's is the cheap wirings and pots £15 max will sort that out!!!.
Apart from that they are ACE and I really do believe they are a class above MIM but if all of you that forked out for an MIM want to keep convince yourseves you've done well, be my guest, I'd rather buy sensibly than blindly just because it says Fender as opposed to Squire.

Rant over

[Paul S]

Devil's advocate here. Is it worth spending the money? What is the total spend to do this upgrade (including new pups), and how would that compare with buying one that already has a similar spec? Could you get like for like, even secondhand, or does this really give you a standout instrument? Just curious.

Totally agree about individual variation. When I was buying my main bass I tried everything on the wall and, despite my mind and wallet telling me I wanted a Squier, none came up to scratch compared with MIA Jazz or, what I ended up with, the MIJ Jaguar. But the Squier VM fretless Jazz I have (currently for sale - shameless plug) is a diamond.

Edited April 19, 2010 by Paul S

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='Paul S' post='811008' date='Apr 19 2010, 08:37 AM']Devil's advocate here. Is it worth spending the money? What is the total spend to do this upgrade (including new pups), and how would that compare with buying one that already has a similar spec? Could you get like for like, even secondhand, or does this really give you a standout instrument? Just curious.

Totally agree about individual variation. When I was buying my main bass I tried everything on the wall and, despite my mind and wallet telling me I wanted a Squier, none came up to scratch compared with MIA Jazz or, what I ended up with, the MIJ Jaguar. But the Squier VM fretless Jazz I have (currently for sale - shameless plug) is a diamond.[/quote]

Wiring Kit from ebay: £14.99
Seymour Duncan Vintage style pickup: £45.00 delivered.
You can do it yourself otherwise a shop will charge you £30 for a half hour labour.

All in all you are looking at £60 top or £90 if you have it done by a shop.

The result is very satisfactory, if you are someone that can appreciate what's what in a bass you can't fail to notice the extra body oomph you get from these simple mods. The problem with the pickups supplied by Squier is that they are neither here nor there, they don't cut through well in a real band scenario and don't really translate the sound faithfully, everything else on these basses is spot on, ok, I forgot to add the tuners are a bit cheap but replacing these for decent ones can be expensive and at the end of the day we've all got tuner pedals so what if after a 5 song set you have to retune again? We do that normally with the high end gear anyway, don't we??

[faceman]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='811116' date='Apr 19 2010, 10:29 AM']Wiring Kit from ebay: £14.99
Seymour Duncan Vintage style pickup: £45.00 delivered.
You can do it yourself otherwise a shop will charge you £30 for a half hour labour.

All in all you are looking at £60 top or £90 if you have it done by a shop.

The result is very satisfactory, if you are someone that can appreciate what's what in a bass you can't fail to notice the extra body oomph you get from these simple mods. The problem with the pickups supplied by Squier is that they are neither here nor there, they don't cut through well in a real band scenario and don't really translate the sound faithfully, everything else on these basses is spot on, ok, I forgot to add the tuners are a bit cheap but replacing these for decent ones can be expensive and at the end of the day we've all got tuner pedals so what if after a 5 song set you have to retune again? We do that normally with the high end gear anyway, don't we??[/quote]

I've ordered my wiring kit from eBay and going to get an upgraded pickup. Where did you get your Seymour Duncan from for £45.00? Cheapest I have found is £56.00 from GAK but guessing it might be cheaper elsewhere

The reason I'm upgrading? I love the weight, colour and feel of the bass. The neck is sublime but I think upgraded electronics will really help. It has a little more something to it than the MIM standards in my opinion!

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='faceman' post='811232' date='Apr 19 2010, 12:31 PM']I've ordered my wiring kit from eBay and going to get an upgraded pickup. Where did you get your Seymour Duncan from for £45.00? Cheapest I have found is £56.00 from GAK but guessing it might be cheaper elsewhere

The reason I'm upgrading? I love the weight, colour and feel of the bass. The neck is sublime but I think upgraded electronics will really help. It has a little more something to it than the MIM standards in my opinion![/quote]

I have a frendly dealer in US, email him at: [email protected] his name is Jack Matthews, tell him Fran from London sent you, ps.: its no secret by the way anyone can use him he buys directly from S.Duncan, however because I have dealt with him since the beginning of time, and had so many pickups from him he does me a special deal on the shipment cost, you might have to pay a little bitty more. Oh and it takes the parcel 5 days to get here after he has received it from S.Duncan.

Edited April 19, 2010 by Grand Wazoo

[Paul S]

Very interesting. Thanks Fran.

[cameltoe]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='810895' date='Apr 18 2010, 11:07 PM']I didn't mean to attack the Fender MIM but all the ones I have seen have had lousy neck pockets and paint jobs. In some cased the tuners were not even aligned properly on the back of the headstock, whereas all the CV's I have seen are perfectly manufactured and flawless in terms of constructions, even the wood used sound a lot better, more resonant and a heck of a lot lighter. Only problem with the CV's is the cheap wirings and pots £15 max will sort that out!!!.
Apart from that they are ACE and I really do believe they are a class above MIM but if all of you that forked out for an MIM want to keep convince yourseves you've done well, be my guest, I'd rather buy sensibly than blindly just because it says Fender as opposed to Squire.

Rant over [/quote]

Look, you are not helping my GAS for a CV squier at all!

The main difference I've found when i've tried the CV's is the neck doesn't feel as good. I love the way they look, and you're right, if the output is a bit weak it's nothing that a few quid won't sort out. They're lighter cos they're made of Basswood instead of Alder, which I guess is a personal preference thing. I'd prefer the lighter weight, but from the CV's I tried only last tuesday they don't seem to sound as good unplugged, which may be down to the wood.

I also tried a couple of 'standard' Squiers, (1 affinity, and one 'special' with the Jazz and P pickup) and the CV's are head and shoulders better than those.

Yes I'm arguing cos I own an Mexican Standard, but aside from the CV 60'S Jazz, (which was close) the others I tried didn't feel or play quite as well as my MIM. I say [i]quite[/i].

They are finished exceptionally well though, and I'd give you that over a Mexican standard.

I was in my music shop to find a suitable replacement for the Mexican Standard, and after trying a couple of MIM Classic 50's series precisions (which felt a good notch above a Mexican Standard, and I recommend you try at some point) I put a deposit down on a Road Worn precision, (again, MIM) which felt absolutely amazing, and unlike anything else in the shop. Absolutely blew both the Classic 50's out of the water.

I've got no problem with wearing a squier badge at all, and it seems to be the first defence by any squier owners as to why we're not all playing them. I simply chose the bass that felt best in my hands, and most comfortable to play. I HATED the concept of the Road Worn series, and was determined not to buy that bass. It was also in Fiesta Red, which had turned a nice shade of Salmon Pink with all the 'Ageing'! But I bought what I thought was the best I had tried in quite some time, and not 'blindly' at all.

Having said all that, I'm absolutely gagging for the Squier CV 50's precision, and will probably get one at some point.

[cameltoe]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='810895' date='Apr 18 2010, 11:07 PM']I didn't mean to attack the Fender MIM but all the ones I have seen have had lousy neck pockets and paint jobs. In some cased the tuners were not even aligned properly on the back of the headstock, whereas all the CV's I have seen are perfectly manufactured and flawless in terms of constructions, even the wood used sound a lot better, more resonant and a heck of a lot lighter. Only problem with the CV's is the cheap wirings and pots £15 max will sort that out!!!.
Apart from that they are ACE and I really do believe they are a class above MIM but if all of you that forked out for an MIM want to keep convince yourseves you've done well, be my guest, I'd rather buy sensibly than blindly just because it says Fender as opposed to Squire.

Rant over [/quote]


Ahhh you've got a CV 50's Precision haven't you?

I need this bass.

What's it like when stood up with a strap? Does it balance well? No dreaded neck dive?

From my last two basses (not precisions) I've had real comfort issues due to poor balance, neck dive, weight etc. A regular precision fits me like a glove, I could go round wearing one all day. I'm hoping it'll be the case with these.

[Musicman20]

Where is the cheapest place these are coming up? Instead of getting a second hand backup I might just get one of these and leave the electrics as they are. Im not fussed if they arent perfect electrics wise, as long as they dont weigh a tonne and are pretty good QC wise im happy. if I want perfect tone ill use one of my USA ones...but I can see why people want to upgrade the parts!

[OutToPlayJazz]

They're actually quite light in weight, Gareth. All the bodies are basswood. They also come with the multi-coloured string balls (is that D'darrio strings?) as standard. Obviously they're never going to sound like the best Precision money can buy, but as a backup bass they sound more than good enough for the money. The quality control on these Chinese instruments is excellent as well.

I'd really like to hear both one of these CV's and the Mex Classic 50's model with a really top notch pickup set in them, like a Wizard Big Thumper or something like that.

[Musicman20]

Thanks Rich!

Im fairly tempted by the Oly White Jazz CV 60s as a backup as ive seen them for £249....cannot go wrong with that price. As long as I can play it alright, the rest will do.

[OutToPlayJazz]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='811482' date='Apr 19 2010, 04:08 PM']Thanks Rich!

Im fairly tempted by the Oly White Jazz CV 60s as a backup as ive seen them for £249....cannot go wrong with that price. As long as I can play it alright, the rest will do.[/quote]

Yes, I've thought of one as these as a backup, but I really can't justify it - I have six electric basses as it is! Shhhhhhhhhhh!

[Musicman20]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='811487' date='Apr 19 2010, 04:11 PM']Yes, I've thought of one as these as a backup, but I really can't justify it - I have six electric basses as it is! Shhhhhhhhhhh![/quote]

Ah! Yes, I have a lot of changes going on at the moment bass wise, but I could really do with a 'cheap but decent' option. £250 is about my max really.It would just give me peace of mind when im rehearsing and ive got to get the Metro all the time.

[OutToPlayJazz]

I know what you mean, Gareth. Definitely a good option when you're travelling late at night on public transport. If you're faced with muggers, you can always beat them over the head with a cheap bass without thinking twice about it

The peace of mind thing is also good - That's one of the practicalities of the Road Worn Jazz I just got over my other instruments. I don't care if it gets scratched or chipped!

[Rich]

Top review
I've moved it to the Reviews section, where I've amended its title slightly so that it appears alphabetically.

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='cameltoe' post='811452' date='Apr 19 2010, 03:44 PM']Ahhh you've got a CV 50's Precision haven't you?

I need this bass.

What's it like when stood up with a strap? Does it balance well? No dreaded neck dive?

From my last two basses (not precisions) I've had real comfort issues due to poor balance, neck dive, weight etc. A regular precision fits me like a glove, I could go round wearing one all day. I'm hoping it'll be the case with these.[/quote]

Yeah mate and they are lovely too, a breeze to p,lay, and as for your question, It hangs perfectly, does not neck dive not even when playing sitting down, it balances well on your leg. Try one mate or if you are ever in London, get in touch.

here are my Squier beauties in all their splendor:

[size=4][b]50's Precision[/b][/size]


[size=4][b]60's Precision[/b][/size]


[size=4][b]60's Moo-Mooo Jazz[/b][/size]

[Musicman20]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='811591' date='Apr 19 2010, 05:41 PM']Yeah mate and they are lovely too, a breeze to p,lay, and as for your question, It hangs perfectly, does not neck dive not even when playing sitting down, it balances well on your leg. Try one mate or if you are ever in London, get in touch.

here are my Squier beauties in all their splendor:

[size=4][b]50's Precision[/b][/size]


[size=4][b]60's Precision[/b][/size]


[size=4][b]60's Moo-Mooo Jazz[/b][/size]
[/quote]

Bloomin heck the whole set!

Which is best....the Jazz or Red Precision? Both are very tempting...

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='811611' date='Apr 19 2010, 06:03 PM']Bloomin heck the whole set!

Which is best....the Jazz or Red Precision? Both are very tempting...[/quote]

The Jazz is the more resonant out of the 3, superb clear and loud, the 50's Precision is orgasmic to play, I am not kidding you, it reaches deep within you with warmth, the 60's Precision is perfectly period reminescent and with the new pickup it cuts through the muddiest of mixes, you can keep the volume down but you can't fail to recognise it thumping away with a distinctive tone and voice, I wouldn't give any of them up, I love all 3 of them in a different way.

Oh and I've got quite a range of quality basses including a Stingray 5, a Bongo 5, and a Musicman Ernie Ball 25th Anniversary, but when it comes to the vintage vibe the 3 Squiers are the dog's danglies.

[Musicman20]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='811679' date='Apr 19 2010, 07:00 PM']The Jazz is the more resonant out of the 3, superb clear and loud, the 50's Precision is orgasmic to play, I am not kidding you, it reaches deep within you with warmth, the 60's Precision is perfectly period reminescent and with the new pickup it cuts through the muddiest of mixes, you can keep the volume down but you can't fail to recognise it thumping away with a distinctive tone and voice, I wouldn't give any of them up, I love all 3 of them in a different way.

Oh and I've got quite a range of quality basses including a Stingray 5, a Bongo 5, and a Musicman Ernie Ball 25th Anniversary, but when it comes to the vintage vibe the 3 Squiers are the dog's danglies.

[/quote]

Ah yes! We discussed the Ray 5s...dont you have a Big Al coming?! Thats going to be awesome....

Have you got a preference on the rosewood vs maple on Stingrays?

I think if I go Classic Vibe itll be the Jazz...

[cameltoe]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='811591' date='Apr 19 2010, 05:41 PM']Yeah mate and they are lovely too, a breeze to p,lay, and as for your question, It hangs perfectly, does not neck dive not even when playing sitting down, it balances well on your leg. Try one mate or if you are ever in London, get in touch.

here are my Squier beauties in all their splendor:

[size=4][b]50's Precision[/b][/size]


[size=4][b]60's Precision[/b][/size]


[size=4][b]60's Moo-Mooo Jazz[/b][/size]
[/quote]


Well I'm in London next month, as it happens.

That 50's P is just beautiful. Is it a Seymour Duncan in there?

I need to do some thinking really. I bought the Fret King Perception that was advertised on here a while back and it's an absolutley stunning bass, plays beatifully, but it's a bit too heavy for me, and it sits awkwardly on me too.

I'd love to trade it for one of those, second hand really, so as not to lose too much money.

I noticed there's one in the For Sale section for £200. Problem is I'd love to try it first.