Upgrading a Squier or saving up for a Fender.

#21
I picked up a squire p bass awhile back and changed the strings. Still haven’t taken the plunge on a new pickup because it sounds fine. I’ve always bought what I could afford and concentrated on technique more that what shiny new object I was playing. I had an Ibanez 505 and 705 and thought those were both a lot of bang for the buck.
 
#23
EdO. said:
Why do you automatically assume that if you get the Squier that it will require upgrades? Way too many people seem to think that just because it's an "inexpensive" bass that it's somehow lacking. Changing pickups will make it sound somewhat different,,,
You really should give it a chance before you just assume different pickups will somehow be an improvement,,,,Undoubtedly some will come along here and argue that point, however anything gained there will be incremental at best.
Generally stock Fender/Squier tuners will give great service life and hold tune just fine. perfectly good working mans instruments in stock form and just because they're "inexpensive" doesn't somehow necessarily mean they're "cheap". Give it a chance
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All of this! Very little difference between a Squier and a Fender. Especially the better Squiers, VM, vibes. Trust me, Fender is in the business to make a profit so pickups, pots, tuners are inexpensive. Even in $2000+ basses, manufacturers are not using space shuttle material for tuners.
Very little difference between a $300 bass and a $1000 bass other than the finish
 
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#24
Bassistent said:
I want to buy a Fender Marcus Miller signature 5 string but I don't have that much money right now and income is close to non existant. So should I buy a Squier 5 string and upgrade it or save up money and eventualy buy the Fender, what would you guys do?
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I own three Squier basses and the only thing they needed were my strings...bought the newest one just last week.
This is very versatile, very potent, and the neck is unbelievable.
I have to think the CA Jazz bass is every bit as good.
 
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#26
Bassistent said:
This is realy great insight. Ill try the Squier in store and if i like it ill by it. If not I will save up money and buy the Fender.
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Yes, please. If you can try it out in the store, do it. Even better if you can try it out on a setup similar to the one you have at home.

As has been mentioned a ton, the Squiers have come a long way. Even the Affinity Strat I started with 15 years ago wasn't terrible, but that one probably would have benefitted from a new nut and locking down the trem looking back.

Anyway...the Squiers, especially certain series of them, are phenomenal guitars for the money. I'm not surprised they raised the prices on some of them, because they were incredible values. If you compare it to what the MIMs used to cost, it's pretty much equivalent. They give some of the MIM instruments a real run for the money. If you can believe it, there are some examples even being preferred by guys I know with US-made stuff.

The Classic Vibe series, in particular, were/are awesome. I'd record and gig with any of those, easily.
 
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#31
I think it depends on your needs. If you're doing pro-level recording sessions, then the Fender might be required. If you're a bedroom player and just want something that looks nice in the mirror, then maybe the Fender. Any other situation, the Squier will do just fine.
 
#32
Bassistent said:
I want to buy a Fender Marcus Miller signature 5 string but I don't have that much money right now and income is close to non existant. So should I buy a Squier 5 string and upgrade it or save up money and eventualy buy the Fender, what would you guys do?
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If you need it now, it’s Squier. If you want it now and can hold your mud until you can get the MM bass you want, why not? If you already have a bass, save up, but otherwise it comes down to the ratio of want to need and where you land on that curve. :D
 
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#34
Get a used Squier and spend somw of the left over money on strings and a setup.
Save the rest for upgrades IF it really needs anything.
If it works out for you, then great.
If it doesn't you will have learned more about what you need or don't need in a bass
and
you still have the Squier to sell for about what you paid for it to help finance another bass.

I got mine intending to mod the snot out of it.
Years later I haven't found anything about it I can't live with.
 
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#35
I was in your shoes a while ago. It’s a tough decision. While I went with the modified Squier route, and love what the bass became; and I have a few conclusions…

-Squiers are great. I have played a lot, and usually can’t fault them. I have an $150 Bullet Telecaster and haven’t changed a single part, I love it.

-“Upgrades” are a gamble. It’s hard to tell if a specific part X on bass Y will lead to a change you like or even notice. It’s fun, and informative…. But hardly predictable.

-Until you lay your hands on a specific Fender (have you played the one you want?) there is a good chance it’s your ego telling you you “should” play a Fender.

-time in the practice room is the biggest “upgrade” of all. The longer I play stringed instruments, the more music I can squeeze out of the cheaper ones.

So, in the end, I suggest you consider getting the Squier and don’t change a thing. Play it for a while (like 3-6 months,) see if anything even needs changed. See if you like playing a 5 string Jazz. A/B it with “nicer” Jazz basses and see what you think then.

best of luck
 
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#38
Crackle said:
Save up for a Fender. I can tell you I recently got a Squier 40th Anniversary Precision Bass, Gold Edition and it is not good. The neck pocket has tons of overspray and is very uneven, bridge screws are driven in at angles, bad ground connection to the bridge, and more. I mean the bass looks awesome and the neck feels great but under the hood it's disastrous. All QC issues.
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Dunno.

I’ve purchased four Squiers (3 basses one guitar all sight unseen) since 2014 and the build quality of all four was extremely good. So good that I’ve kept three of them. The Matt Freeman PB is easily the single best PB I’ve ever owned. And I’ve owned a number of them (MIA, MIM, MIJ) over the years so I’ve run the gamut of what Fender produces to compare Squier to. I’m also very happy with the CV 60s MIC JB I purchased. (The Inca Silver 2014 release.) I started on a JB and pretty much always had one since I started playing. And this Squier JB can easily hold its own against any of the others. So I’m pretty comfortable recommending Squier based in my own experiences with them.

Guess it comes down to the luck of the draw with you being exceptionally unlucky in this case. :)
 
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#39
I have fenders and Squiers and to be honest if I was blind folded and you handed me one to play I don’t know that I could tell the difference. Maybe what you should do is just experiment with strings on your current bass. It’s cheaper and can change a lot
 
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