Is a Squier better than a Fender :0

[discreet]

[quote name='El Bajo' post='822873' date='Apr 29 2010, 11:37 AM']Many bassist on the forum buy Squiers and rave about them, so are they better than Fenders?[/quote]

No.

[lemmywinks]

[quote name='skej21' post='822994' date='Apr 29 2010, 01:30 PM']In which case, I personally think the answer is no. The build quality of most Squiers may be good on the scale of basses but is not as good as the hand built early Fender basses. I just feel that a machine-built bass cannot match the feel and quality of something hand-made.[/quote]


I think there's some Warwick players who'd disagree vehemently with you there! There were also some shocking early hand-built Fenders going by some that come up for sale

Also, just how much of a USA Standard Fender is hand made and how much is machined? If you look at the quality of basses coming out of the Cort factory then you'd have to say machine-built basses are up there and getting better all the time. Consistently great quality, a machine doesn't produce a Friday afternoon bass!

That's the thing i like about modern Squiers, the quality control is spot on. I've never heard a bad comment about them.
I owned a Squier Standard Jazz for a while and gigged it alongside my Warwick through a Hartke stack and then my current rig. Held it's own admirably and was extremely well built, couldn't fault it and it was better than the MIM Jazzes i played in shops at the time. I think i paid £170 for it new

[Beedster]

[quote name='skej21' post='822994' date='Apr 29 2010, 01:30 PM']In which case, I personally think the answer is no. The build quality of most Squiers may be good on the scale of basses but is not as good as the hand built early Fender basses. I just feel that a machine-built bass cannot match the feel and quality of something hand-made.[/quote]

Build quality doesn't define a good bass. I've played plenty that were well built, but which either played or sounded crap. I've owned a couple that were not well built (e.g., poorly fitting heel/pocket, neck or bridge off line or wrongly positioned), and they've been good basses where it counts, how they played and how they sounded.

In most respects however I agree with your answer though, that is, I think with upgrades Squiers can be as good, but that means that without those upgrades, they're not. A Squier might play brilliantly off the shelf, but may not stay in tune as well as a bass equipped with decent tuners, or may not have the out and out tone a bass equipped with decent PUPs. I guess the point I was making in my earlier post is that the cost of the required upgrades is rarely as much as the price difference between a new Squier and a new Fender.

C

[Wil]

[quote name='skej21' post='822994' date='Apr 29 2010, 01:30 PM']In which case, I personally think the answer is no. The build quality of most Squiers may be good on the scale of basses but is not as good as the hand built early Fender basses. I just feel that a machine-built bass cannot match the feel and quality of something hand-made.[/quote]

Ever played a Status?

[skej21]

[quote name='Beedster' post='823021' date='Apr 29 2010, 01:55 PM']Build quality doesn't define a good bass. I've played plenty that were well built, but which either played or sounded crap. I've owned a couple that were not well built (e.g., poorly fitting heel/pocket, neck or bridge off line or wrongly positioned), and they've been good basses where it counts, how they played and how they sounded.

In most respects however I agree with your answer though, that is, I think with upgrades Squiers can be as good, but that means that without those upgrades, they're not. A Squier might play brilliantly off the shelf, but may not stay in tune as well as a bass equipped with decent tuners, or may not have the out and out tone a bass equipped with decent PUPs. I guess the point I was making in my earlier post is that the cost of the required upgrades is rarely as much as the price difference between a new Squier and a new Fender.

C[/quote]

Completely agree. The best thing I would think is buy a nice bass in the shop and then just turn it into Trigger's broom. Upgrade the parts you think need changing, then you've spent a similar amount of money as a more expensive bass would be off-the-shelf but got exactly what you want.

[simon1964]

[quote name='skej21' post='822994' date='Apr 29 2010, 01:30 PM']In which case, I personally think the answer is no. The build quality of most Squiers may be good on the scale of basses but is not as good as the hand built early Fender basses. I just feel that a machine-built bass cannot match the feel and quality of something hand-made.[/quote]

Although standard Fenders, even early ones, cannot really be described as "handmade". When Leo Fender designed solid body, bolt on electrics he was was designing something which could be massed produced to a budget. They were bolted together by hand, but not handmade in the sense that a Modern Fender "Master Built" bass or guitar is.

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='skej21' post='822942' date='Apr 29 2010, 12:33 PM']I agree with you about live sound, but to be fair most audiences care more about hearing a song they know than the quality of sound... they just expect things to sound good. However, I do think that the poorer quality of Squier basses is highlighted by the fact that hardly any session players rate, promote or recommend them. It is clear that there is just something special about hig-end/vintage Fenders when you record them (in the special same way that playing through a flat compressor can add warmth to your sound from apparently doing nothing).[/quote]

there are plenty of sig model Squiers. Francis Dunnery used a Squier guitar exclusively during It Bites hey day (not saying it wasn't modded though).

[Conan]

[quote name='Wil' post='823025' date='Apr 29 2010, 01:59 PM']Ever played a Status?[/quote]

Yes. What's your point exactly?

[Wil]

[quote name='Conan' post='823082' date='Apr 29 2010, 03:27 PM']Yes. What's your point exactly? [/quote]

They're machined to absolute precision, not hand built (caveat below), and the quality is staggering.

Hand built is a bit vague, though. Does hand built just mean shaping the body and neck with hand tools, or can it also mean using something like a CNC machine providing the luthier is keeping an eye on things through the whole process? I'm sure most production line instruments are assembled by hand. Hand crafted is probably a more descriptive term for something like a ACG for instance, in which case maybe a Status would be considered hand built, as once the body and neck has been machined and finished all the assembly and final setup is done by hand, meticulously I might add. How though does this differ from Squier's build process? Better quality components, tighter tolerances, attention to detail and more time spent on finishing and setup - that is what matters, not how the instrument got to it's assembled state in the first place.

Edited April 29, 2010 by Wil

[Beedster]

[quote name='Wil' post='823094' date='Apr 29 2010, 03:36 PM']They're machined to absolute precision, not hand built (caveat below), and the quality is staggering.

Hand built is a bit vague, though. Does hand built just mean shaping the body and neck with hand tools, or can it also mean using something like a CNC machine providing the luthier is keeping an eye on things through the whole process? I'm sure most production line instruments are assembled by hand. Hand crafted is probably a more descriptive term for something like a ACG for instance, in which case maybe a Status would be considered hand built, as once the body and neck has been machined and finished all the assembly and final setup is done by hand, meticulously I might add.[/quote]

Yep, 'hand built' is usually completely misleading, and given the fact that most critical engineering is done by machines these days, I'd imagine that a machined bass would be somewhat better than one made by an underpaid guy in Mexico.

[bartelby]

My early 80s Squire Precision sounds nicer and plays nicer than most recent Fender Precisions I've tried.
Of course, that's just my opinion. Do I wish it was a real Fender?
No, I have one of those too...

[Davo-London]

I'm bound to say that MIJ Squiers are excellent period.

I'm not sure the comparison thing is too healthy, but the Ed Friedland video demonstrates it's mostly in our heads anyway. I'm sure the guitarist or drummer would say they can't tell the difference. That doesn't mean there isn't a difference but it puts it into perspective.

Davo

[OutToPlayJazz]

I think the Classic Vibes have mainly sparked this debate over and over again. The answer to the original question is that some of the latest Squiers are of a more consistent quality than some of the lower range Fenders. Of course, we as buyers are going to be swayed even more by the price when the rrp for a Mexican Jazz these days is topping £600. If a Squier at around half the price feels and plays even better than the Mexican instrument & the quality control is amazing, then the answer in that particular case is going to be a resounding yes.

[lojo]

Original Question: Is a Squier better than a Fender?

Some squiers may be better than some Fenders

[quote name='El Bajo' post='822873' date='Apr 29 2010, 11:37 AM']If you have a Squier do you secretly wish it was a Fender?[/quote]

I would guess most people do, the Fender badge is cool, but not everybody thinks that way

[HoweDy]

Squiers are bought by my school solely because they are cheap. I think they are market leaders in THEIR market (inexpensive instruments) in regards to price, quality, sound and reliability etc etc. However when i compare my 5 year old Fender Jazz MIJ to a brand new squier jazz i found the difference between them was pretty big over all the areas. But that's just my opinion i suppose!

On a further note, i played one of these [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/squier-/71293"]http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/squier-/71293[/url] that my friend bought. My jazz is the bass that this squier is based on. I have to say that i was impressed with its sound.

[Herbsley]

"Original Question: Is a Squier better than a Fender?
Some squiers may be better than some Fenders"

I think lojo has basically summed this one up with this statement tbh. If you spend a much larger amount of money on a U.S. or CIJ Fender, then you are undoubtedly getting a better bass.
But, as I tried out another MIM Jazz in a shop just today and felt the familiar sinking feeling of disappointment, I once again had to admit to myself that there are better basses out there for MIM money. To me, today, it really didn't feel that much different to my brother-in-law's Squier Jazz. I just couldn't justify the hundreds of pounds more. Double the price?

So, my apologies to MIM fans but, if the current range MIMs I've tried are anything to go by, I think Squier are looking the better buy.

Just my 2p worth.