Mustang Vintera or Squier Classic Vibe?

[12barman]

Hi! I'd be very grateful for an advice.
I want to buy a Mustang bass (not PJ) and I can't afford a JMJ that as I get from posts here and reviews elsewhere is probably the best of recent models. I think I'd have to choose between a used Vintera and a Squier.
The reviews of both models vary greatly, from praise to disappointment. I get the impression that at least some people prefer Squier over Vintera. Is Vintera really not that good? Others say though that Squier isn't good enough for the money it costs. Is this true? Should I just give up and buy me a Bronco?...
What are your thoughts?
Thanks in advance!

 

[blacktocomm]

I have a Squier Mustang and it’s a great bass.

 

[mongo2]

I had a Squier CV and it's a good bass but it's output was low compared to my Mustang PJ LE and the CV lacked the low/mid punch I was looking for.

I was looking for a P bass tone in a short scale and the PJ LE gives me that when using only the P pickup.

 

[felis]

There are some differences between them that may or not be important to you.

The Vintera has a 7.25 radius and the Squier CV has 9.5
I had a MIJ Mustang that had 7.25, and I didn't care for the feel of that radius and never got used to it.
I much prefer the 9.5 of the CV.

The truss rod adjuster on the Vintera is the old fashioned type at the heel,
while the CV's is exposed at the top near the headstock. I prefer the CV type.

I'm sure there are other differences too that someone else may point out.

As for Squiers not being good enough for the price, when the VM's were announced 10 years ago, they were $279.
The current CV's have had several price increases in a short time.
They were announced at $349 in 2019, and relatively quickly went up to the current $459,
but they have some improvements over the VM's.

Anyways - I have both VM and CV Squier Mustangs, and I do think the CV's are priced a bit high
when you do some comparison pricing. But if you really want a Mustang, they're probably worth it.

 

[jd56hawk]

Hi! I'd be very grateful for an advice.
I want to buy a Mustang bass (not PJ) and I can't afford a JMJ that as I get from posts here and reviews elsewhere is probably the best of recent models. I think I'd have to choose between a used Vintera and a Squier.
The reviews of both models vary greatly, from praise to disappointment. I get the impression that at least some people prefer Squier over Vintera. Is Vintera really not that good? Others say though that Squier isn't good enough for the money it costs. Is this true? Should I just give up and buy me a Bronco?...
What are your thoughts?
Thanks in advance!

A used Vintera for what, $800 or $900, as opposed to this for maybe half that?

 

[felis]

A used Vintera for what, $800 or $900, as opposed to this for maybe half that?
View attachment 4553922

Where can you get one of those?

 

[jd56hawk]

Where can you get one of those?

I saw it on Reverb...my number 1 site to shop.

 

[felis]

I knew it looked familiar. I like that one a lot.

https://www.chicagomusicexchange.co...ibe-60s-competition-mustang-bass-lake-1123657

https://reverb.com/p/squier-classic-vibe-60s-competition-mustang-bass

 

[HelpImaRock]

I'm buying the blue Squier from CME.

After playing guitar and bass for 30 years, I just don't think the Vintera is worth it. I don't want the J pickup, dislike pearloid, think tonewood is a myth, and I've never been wrapped up in country of origin the way others are.

Regarding pickup output, I can run it through a boost pedal if necessary. If it really bothers me, then swap it for a Nordstrand pickup.

One last thing to take into consideration is my purpose in buying the bass. I'm clearly buying it as a backup to my Reverend Watt prototype. So I may have different goals than the OP. But also, the CV series fits my "fit and finish" expectations better than a Bronco, or even the VM series with their bleached out satin finished necks. I'm sure it's exactly the same neck, just with a vintage tint. But I'm also willing to pay a little more for that.

A friend did me a solid today and went to CME. They only had one on the floor (but dozens in the warehouse) and he said it was perfectly cromulent. I expect a call back from the salesdude tomorrow. If not, I'll just order one. IMO, the whole thing is really about how head heavy the instrument is and does it have a good neck. Hopefully those aren't concerns.

 

[felis]

I'm buying the blue Squier from CME.

After playing guitar and bass for 30 years, I just don't think the Vintera is worth it. I don't want the J pickup, dislike pearloid, think tonewood is a myth, and I've never been wrapped up in country of origin the way others are.

Regarding pickup output, I can run it through a boost pedal if necessary. If it really bothers me, then swap it for a Nordstrand pickup.

One last thing to take into consideration is my purpose in buying the bass. I'm clearly buying it as a backup to my Reverend Watt prototype. So I may have different goals than the OP. But also, the CV series fits my "fit and finish" expectations better than a Bronco, or even the VM series with their bleached out satin finished necks. I'm sure it's exactly the same neck, just with a vintage tint. But I'm also willing to pay a little more for that.

A friend did me a solid today and went to CME. They only had one on the floor (but dozens in the warehouse) and he said it was perfectly cromulent. I expect a call back from the salesdude tomorrow. If not, I'll just order one. IMO, the whole thing is really about how head heavy the instrument is and does it have a good neck. Hopefully those aren't concerns.

Just a couple quick comments. The Vintera doesn't have a J pickup, but the Player and American Performer Mustangs do:
Mustang Bass | Fender

And about the necks - the VM and CV Squier Mustang necks are different.
The VM has a one piece maple neck without a fret board. I understand that it's the same type construction that the Bronco used.
My CV neck is maple, but it has an Indian Laurel fret board.

Anyways - I think that blue CV Mustang is a good choice.

 

[HelpImaRock]

Just a couple quick comments. The Vintera doesn't have a J pickup, but the Player and American Performer Mustangs do:
Mustang Bass | Fender

And about the necks - the VM and CV Squier Mustang necks are different.
The VM has a one piece maple neck without a fret board. I understand that it's the same type construction that the Bronco used.
My CV neck is maple, but it has an Indian Laurel fret board.

Anyways - I think that blue CV Mustang is a good choice.

Thanks for the clarification on the pickups.

The difference between a maple fretboard and laurel is negligible. A fretboard is only there to hold the frets in place. Yes, I understand what you're saying because I have a Telecaster with a one piece maple neck and board. But honestly, the fretboard radius makes more of a difference for playability than the wood it's made from.

A bigger sonic difference can be had from the choice of strings. Apparently, my favored LaBella LTFs are sold out everywhere. Looks like I'll take a chance on a Dunlop 40-100 flatwound set if I can't find them.

 

[Lowendchamp]

MIM quality is fantastic! I only own MIM P basses but I'm sure the vintera Mustang is good too. I love p/js so my Mustang is the American Performer. If the neck is similar to the vintera though then I highly recommend it because the neck on my MIA is awesome. As far as others opinions, it seems that the ones that complain about the pickups on the vintera series are also the same ones that complain about the noisless J pickup output being too low on the P/ J special. I say that feel is more important when the tone is mostly in your hands.

 

[12barman]

A used Vintera for what, $800 or $900, as opposed to this for maybe half that?
View attachment 4553922

Well, I saw an announcement with a Vintera for 500 euros...

 

[12barman]

Thank you so much for the answers!
If I understand the general feeling right, the Squiers are good. What I don't understand yet it's if there's something really wrong with Vinteras?

 

[2F/2F]

Bang for the buck, brand new: Squier.

Better looks, vintage fretboard specs, better hardware: Vintera.

I have seen better fretwork on Squiers lately than on MIM Fenders...and it ain't even close. Whatever is going on in Indonesia right now, they are doing something very, very right. Of course, if they're making something that good for that little, even after shipping it across the ocean, then lots of highly skilled people aren't making a living wage doing it.

That said, the Vintera necks are so much nicer to play IMO, with the 7 1/4" radius and skinny, low frets. And they come with beautiful, high quality Hipshot lollipop tuners, and look a lot nicer without that plastic truss rod sleeve.

One other thing: IME, the Squier frets wear out faster. Not much of an issue with flats, but if you play very often, rounds can eat 'em up more quickly then you'd think.

But at that point, you can just buy a loose Vintera neck, and put it on (as I did with one of my Mustang PJs, not because of fret wear, but just because I liked the specs better).

 

[eccles77]

Well, I saw an announcement with a Vintera for 500 euros...

If you saw a Vintera Mustang for 500 Euros, jump on it or tell me where and I will jump on it!

Vintera`s go for around 850 Euro`s new so either the seller is deluded or it`s second hand. The neck on the Vintera is chunkier than the Squier and the CV can have quality issues but check it out before you buy.

 

[S.F.Sorrow]

After trying both I ended up buying the Vintera but it was more down to the feel of the neck/radius than the actual quality of the instrument. Whether you prefer the Vintera or the CV will probably be down to personal taste. The Vintera is certainly not worth the extra money based purely on build quality. The Vintera did have a better pickup and a stronger tone but the CV was perfectly fine.

In my experience the quality control is absolutely RUBBISH on the Vinteras. I had to return two before I got a good one. The first one had a warped neck and the second one had cracks in the headstock, radiating out from a tuner peg hole. I will strongly advice you to try before you buy, or at least buy from a store with a good return policy (but I guess this is good advice with ALL Fenders these days, their QC seems to have gone down the drain lately).

The bridge and tuners on Vinteras is rather poor quality for the price. Failing tuners and dropping bridge saddles seems to be common issues with Vintera series basses (I work at a guitar workshop so I tend to notice these things). Squiers actually have better hardware than Vinteras in my experience.

The fretboard on every pao ferro Vintera I've played has felt very rough. Like dry cardboard. A bit like nails on chalkboard. I seems like they haven't bothered with the final sanding. Also the pao ferro Fender use isn't the best quality. It's often kinda orange. Pau ferro can be an EXCELLENT fretboard material but generally not so great on Fenders. I actually prefer the Squier laurel fretboards over Fender's take on pao ferro.

Even with these complaints I still preferred the Vintera over the CV but like I said, it was mostly down to the FEEL of the instrument and also the slightly better pickup. If you prefer 9.5" radius you probably don't want to pay extra for the Vintera though.

As for the Bronco it's a cheap toy and nowhere near the quality of the other two. Unless you want a cheap mod project you definitely don't want the Bronco.

 

[aproud1]

Vintera is for those who want vintage specs (small frets, FB radius, different pickups). If you don't care about those things I would not spring for the Vintera. I love my Vintera jazz but specifically wanted those things.

It's my opinion that just about any bass you buy, especially Fenders and Gibsons, will need some fret touchup and setup work to be truly great. So buy what you really like, invest some time and play the hell out of it. As long as it has good bones and the specs you are looking for you can make it work.

 

[mongo2]

Regarding pickup output, I can run it through a boost pedal if necessary. If it really bothers me, then swap it for a Nordstrand pickup.

Yep.

With the CV I tried the simple solution of increasing the volume at the amp and even running it through my SABDDI for a boost and to improve the tone but getting the low/mid punch I was looking for was not possible and it was already there in the PJ LE. I thought of replacement pickups for the CV but I didn't want to gamble on spending the money trying pickups and still not getting the tone I want that I could easily get from the PJ LE I bought on sale for a very reasonabe price.

As far as the J pickup goes, I'm definitely not a fan of bridge pickups so I never switch it on.

My Mustang PJ LE:

 

[nnnnnn]

I think I'd have to choose between a used Vintera and a Squier.

In that case you may find it easier to find a good Squier because buying new you can try a few different instances of the same model.

In my opinion Squier is doing better colours than the Vintera series at the moment, for a Mustang my first choice based just on looks is the Squier in Olympic White (with tort).

But also, the CV series fits my "fit and finish" expectations better than a Bronco, or even the VM series with their bleached out satin finished necks. I'm sure it's exactly the same neck, just with a vintage tint.

I think the tinted gloss neck looks better, but doesn't feel as nice as a satin finish.

Of course, if they're making something that good for that little, even after shipping it across the ocean, then lots of highly skilled people aren't making a living wage doing it.

The cost of living in Indonesia is less than in three-quarters of the rest of the world, and substantially less than, say, Australia or the U.S., so a living wage over there is proportionately less. Not that I'm suggesting the people making basses there are paid well.