Members Annoying Twit Posted November 2, 2009 Members Share Posted November 2, 2009 Bullet, Affinity, Standard, DeLuxe, Vintage Modified, Classic Vibe, who knows what other options there are. Can some kind person please put these in some sort of rough order of quality? Or other factors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members X the Dead Pawn Posted November 8, 2009 Members Share Posted November 8, 2009 They already are Bullet - the crappy plywood bodies weak pickups even worse hardware Affinity - Solid wood body a little step up in terms of quality but, still there are major problems with electronics slightly upgraded pickup/s still nothing to write home about but, decent starter bass if your into Fender P's or Jazz's Standard - A usually good wood body again slightly upgraded pickups and more durabilty and are normaly very gig worthy for punk bands and such. Lots of people replace the bridge with Bad Ass Leo Quans and usually keep or replace the pickups. The tuners usually are actually useable compared to the Affinty and Bullets. Still they normally crap out quicker than most basses in thier price range. Deluxe - Basically the same as standard only with different cosmetic options like maybe gold hardware, or tortisoe looking pickguards or a sunburst finish.Basically you pay for different colors. Vintage Modified - A major upgrade in quality usaully basswood bodies superior pots to normal Affinity and Standard series basses. They normally also have a specially designed Seymour Duncan bass pickup. It is very much a studio quality instrument IF YOU ARE ON A BUDGET! Otherwise go for a real Fender. These basses normally last for awhile and are gig worthy out of the box. Classic Vibe - Never played one but, online it says they come with Alinco magnet pickups and a basswood body. They look up to snuff for a gig or a trip to the studio but, I'd never take it too either as it's a Squier. Now these are all my opinions other people may not agree Hell you may not but, I play these basses at Guitar Center everytime I go there. I can tell you this though never trust one Squier to be built like another as their quality control is horrible. The only saving grace to a Squier is their low cost and popularity for modders as the only way to make most Squiers last the long haul is to replace everything wrong with it and usually that's pickups, tuners, bridge, electrnics, and you need to rewire them as most are very improperly shielded and as such are normally only recommended for beginners for the simple fact that by the time a Squier starts to break down you already know what you need to know to be able to know what you what next. By that I mean you know what sound you want to achieve for some it's to get a P or Jazz bass from Fender for most others you test the waters with Ibanez or Musicman or others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted November 8, 2009 Members Share Posted November 8, 2009 Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe are the only ones currently made that I'd gig. The early '80s Made-in-Japan Squiers are great instruments, period. The materials, fit finish, and overall quality are superior to US Fenders of the same era (apart from the MIA reissues). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members X the Dead Pawn Posted November 8, 2009 Members Share Posted November 8, 2009 Personally if you do decide to get a Squier I'd save up atleast for a new P or Jazz Vintage Modified. Or go the cheap route and just start with a Yamaha RBX170 (Like I Did) or a Ibanez GSR200 both are P/J pickups only the Yamaha is passive and the Ibanez is active. But active vs passive can be shortened too Passive = less tone control but, no batteries and Active = more control over tone but, need batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members timmit65 Posted November 8, 2009 Members Share Posted November 8, 2009 Personally if you do decide to get a Squier I'd save up atleast for a new P or Jazz Vintage Modified. Or go the cheap route and just start with a Yamaha RBX170 (Like I Did) or a Ibanez GSR200 both are P/J pickups only the Yamaha is passive and the Ibanez is active. But active vs passive can be shortened too Passive = less tone control but, no batteries and Active = more control over tone but, need batteries. I own two of the Ibanez 200s. Put EMGs or Bartis in and they rock. I Giged with one last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members randombassist Posted November 8, 2009 Members Share Posted November 8, 2009 Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe are amazing! i feel just as comfortable with it as with a American fender...i swear, the sound might not be as good but damm its close Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dert_stylus Posted November 8, 2009 Members Share Posted November 8, 2009 I have the Deluxe made in Korea , and i think it sounds pretty damn good for a Squire, But it does say Fender on the headstock...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PrestiaRules Posted November 8, 2009 Members Share Posted November 8, 2009 agree that Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe are the way to go Squier-wise... I have gigged with the 50s classic vibe and it was fine, good compliments on the tone from other bassists on the bill...... I am taking my Squier 60s CV P as my main bass on an upcoming 10 week overseas trip and will gig it there o plenty....I am swapping the Alpha mini pots for full size CTS pots and swapping out the stock output jack for a switchcraft jack because I have the parts laying around....but really thats a $30 upgrade including time. For a club/bar/festival gig they are great...sound good, play well, look good and cheap enough you don't need to worry about it if you are having a few. OP is looking for Js? I think both the VM and CV jazz are solid values and would be good workhorse instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members s4001 Posted November 8, 2009 Members Share Posted November 8, 2009 Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe are the only ones currently made that I'd gig.The early '80s Made-in-Japan Squiers are great instruments, period. The materials, fit finish, and overall quality are superior to US Fenders of the same era (apart from the MIA reissues). Agreed. I've gigged my SMV a couple times. Not an astounding instrument, but got the job done in a cover band. I really like the neck and action on mine, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cpt. Spliff Posted November 8, 2009 Members Share Posted November 8, 2009 The early '80s Made-in-Japan Squiers are great instruments, period. The materials, fit finish, and overall quality are superior to US Fenders of the same era (apart from the MIA reissues). Thruth. The Japanese Vintage Squiers and cheap compared to Fenders of the same age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Annoying Twit Posted November 8, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 8, 2009 Hi. I'm the OP. I've only just noted that this thread has taken off. I'm on the lookout for a four string bass at some time. I shop in an incredibly slow way once I have something to use. At present I have five and six string basses, so do want a four. I've always been useless about selling and trading things, so I want something that complements what I have. To my ears (which may be full of wax) the RBX170 sounded similar-ish to my Rockbass. Ibanez GSR200, too. The Jazz has a different sound. There's also the matter of complementary necks. The 5 and the 6 have quite wide necks, and perhaps the thin Jazz neck would be something that I'd learn to use for other types of playing. Personally I'd prefer something like the Eastwood Classic 4, as in a previous thread. But I've now discovered that if I wanted one, I'd need to pay full UK RRP, and wait 12 weeks(!) to get one. And that without actually playing one. The shop has had them in stock in the past, so I'll keep an eye on that. There are also Yamaha, Ibanez, and other semi(?)hollow basses with humbuckers on the neck, which I might run into at some point and get a chance to evaluate. But, my musical ambitions are quite modest. So, I'm prepared to make compromises. This thread was inspired by a Squier Jazz bass standard going on sale locally for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super Bass Posted November 8, 2009 Members Share Posted November 8, 2009 Go for a classic vibe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JBassJohn Posted November 9, 2009 Members Share Posted November 9, 2009 Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe are the only ones currently made that I'd gig.The early '80s Made-in-Japan Squiers are great instruments, period. The materials, fit finish, and overall quality are superior to US Fenders of the same era (apart from the MIA reissues). +1. I have one of each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zachoff Posted November 9, 2009 Members Share Posted November 9, 2009 If I were to buy a starter/cheap bass I'd either buy an SX and replace the electronics (this is what I did, but it looks like you're in the UK and I'm not sure how available SX is out there) or buy a used Yamaha BB414. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Annoying Twit Posted November 9, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 9, 2009 If I were to buy a starter/cheap bass I'd either buy an SX and replace the electronics (this is what I did, but it looks like you're in the UK and I'm not sure how available SX is out there) or buy a used Yamaha BB414. It seems that there are quite a few SX Jazz basses knocking around in Europe. People usually ask for what they paid for them, including postage and duty etc. As it costs about as much to import the bass as it did to buy the bass in the first place, they end up being not cost effective. There are a number of shops that do sell SX products here, but I've never seen their basses on the shop floor/shelf. One bass that did fill the SX Jazz bass niche was the Aria STB Jazz (and precision) basses. E.g. http://www.hartnollguitars.co.uk/products.asp?id=134 However, supply of these seems to have dried up completely. I've been told that these are quite good, better than a Squier standard JB, but not as good as a Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified Squiers. The Yamaha BB414 may be a good bass, but I really don't like the way that they look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members X the Dead Pawn Posted November 11, 2009 Members Share Posted November 11, 2009 All I can say is buy what you want cause you'll hate yourself for wasting money on something unsellable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members X the Dead Pawn Posted November 11, 2009 Members Share Posted November 11, 2009 What I meant was you'll hate yourself for buying a peice a crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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