So, technically this is not a new bass as I’ve had it for a couple of months. But now, I think I finally have it where I want it.
This journey started with wanting a 5-string Jazz with 70s spacing and a neck with blocks and binding. I was considering saving up for a Warmoth because I have this irrational feeling that I need at least 21 frets. Once I overcame that, I settled on the Squier. Now the question was where can I find one that only weighs about 9 lbs.
Most of the Squier CV 5s are heavy at around 10 lbs., but I’ve seen light ones on Sweetwater, so I knew they were out there. I finally found one at exactly 9 lbs. at a music store in South Dakota through Reverb (Shout out to Haggerty’s Musicworks). There were no used ones that were light, so I broke my rule of not buying new basses.
Once I got the bass, I realized there were a couple of things wrong with it. For starters, it needed a new setup. Haggerty’s had done one but I prefer low action and I think changing temps had affected the neck. Once that was squared away, I put it on a strap. Right away, I noticed severe neck dive. I also noticed the tuners weren’t the best and that the string trees were too low, creating a lot of unnecessary tension.
At that point, I was thinking of returning the bass. Then I thought about how much a similar build with Warmoth parts or a Fender would cost. Plus, it played really well. I decided to go all in on making this thing mine.
I started with Hipshot Licensed Ultralite tuners and Gotoh string trees. This solved the neck dive, tuning, and tension issues. The pickups sounded fine, but I don’t like single coil hum, so I upgraded to a set of Fended SCNs I found at MusicGoRound. They were also fine, but I still felt something was missing. The bass sounded kind of hollow. I put in an aluminum Hipshot A-Style bridge which helped with clarity. The hollowness was less but still there. I scoured for pickups that would fit the bass and that were on the cheaper end. I finally found a used set of EMG J5s and was able to tuck the battery in the control cavity.
Boom. That was it. This thing sounds killer, looks awesome, and plays really well. It’s also under 9 lbs. which is a huge bonus when playing 1.5-2 hours straight. All in all, I’m in about $750 (Thanks to some bargain hunting) into a Squier which is kind of ridiculous. However, sometimes it pays to customize a bass like this because it’s still about half of what I would need to pay for a Warmoth or similar Fender and it’s almost exactly what I want.
Sorry for the long rant, here are the pics:
This journey started with wanting a 5-string Jazz with 70s spacing and a neck with blocks and binding. I was considering saving up for a Warmoth because I have this irrational feeling that I need at least 21 frets. Once I overcame that, I settled on the Squier. Now the question was where can I find one that only weighs about 9 lbs.
Most of the Squier CV 5s are heavy at around 10 lbs., but I’ve seen light ones on Sweetwater, so I knew they were out there. I finally found one at exactly 9 lbs. at a music store in South Dakota through Reverb (Shout out to Haggerty’s Musicworks). There were no used ones that were light, so I broke my rule of not buying new basses.
Once I got the bass, I realized there were a couple of things wrong with it. For starters, it needed a new setup. Haggerty’s had done one but I prefer low action and I think changing temps had affected the neck. Once that was squared away, I put it on a strap. Right away, I noticed severe neck dive. I also noticed the tuners weren’t the best and that the string trees were too low, creating a lot of unnecessary tension.
At that point, I was thinking of returning the bass. Then I thought about how much a similar build with Warmoth parts or a Fender would cost. Plus, it played really well. I decided to go all in on making this thing mine.
I started with Hipshot Licensed Ultralite tuners and Gotoh string trees. This solved the neck dive, tuning, and tension issues. The pickups sounded fine, but I don’t like single coil hum, so I upgraded to a set of Fended SCNs I found at MusicGoRound. They were also fine, but I still felt something was missing. The bass sounded kind of hollow. I put in an aluminum Hipshot A-Style bridge which helped with clarity. The hollowness was less but still there. I scoured for pickups that would fit the bass and that were on the cheaper end. I finally found a used set of EMG J5s and was able to tuck the battery in the control cavity.
Boom. That was it. This thing sounds killer, looks awesome, and plays really well. It’s also under 9 lbs. which is a huge bonus when playing 1.5-2 hours straight. All in all, I’m in about $750 (Thanks to some bargain hunting) into a Squier which is kind of ridiculous. However, sometimes it pays to customize a bass like this because it’s still about half of what I would need to pay for a Warmoth or similar Fender and it’s almost exactly what I want.
Sorry for the long rant, here are the pics:
