Davout

Quote : 'The body is Alder (I know the Squier CV series are Basswood) and the bass has some weight to it' Some of the CV series are Basswood. I have the Butterscotch Blonde CV '50s P Bass, & it has a Pine body, as has the matching '50s Telecaster guitar. Still plays rather nicely, though. Tony.

[quote name='Hutton' timestamp='1317226298' post='1388385'] Are these two made in Mexico? [/quote] They are made in China, like the Classic Vibe series. The difference is just a 'Fender' logo rather than 'Squier'. Then, of course, you pay a bit more money for that. Tony.

[quote name='danhkr' timestamp='1317386241' post='1390180'] At below £400, I can't see them being Mexican. The blacktop stuff is cheap, this is even cheaper and bordering on Squier VM/CV series prices. They're also bringing back the 'original' japanese made jaguar bass (around £800), so it'd be interesting to see how this one compares to that at half the price... [/quote] It seems Fender are messing about with the logos. These are [b]'Made in China'[/b] just like the SQUIER Classic Vibe range ! I guess it is a marketing ploy to get the impression that you are getting maybe a higher quality instrument for more money. So maybe they are of Classic Vibe quality, but having the big 'F' logo, they can charge an extra £100 ? Don't get me wrong, I love the CV range, & have three of them already, but at around £300 each, whereas the RRP price for these 'Modern Players' is £526. Check out the reviews in 'Guitarist' mag for Jan 2012. Tony.

I've had this exact model(as pictured) for about eight months now, from when they were first issued in UK. I also have two other Squier Classic Vibe guitar models, so you may guess that I am very pleased with the quality of this series. Let's put it into perspective. You are getting a really good quality build of guitar/bass for around UK£ 300. Mine is reasonably lightweight, well set-up, nice finish & comfortable to play. The tone control works surprisingly well for a 'budget' priced model, & goes from a nice deep mellow P.Bass thump to the ring of the low notes on a piano. Such a nice surprise. I did write a much fuller review of this bass earlier in the year, if you want to look it up. Well worth checking out for a first bass, let alone as a spare. Regards, Tony.

Have Fender got a load of spare parts left in the bin & decided to put them all together in a limited range to make a buck ?? Tony.

A lot of the price difference is set by the Marketing departments according to what they think they can get away with in a certain market. There is also the Exchange Rate consideration too. At present the US dollar is rather overvalued, & during the course of the next few months I would guess that the marketplace will start to correct it. I'm afraid the USA will have to get used to similar economic conditions to the rest of us. That's what Globalisation means; it's a Leveller. Tony.

My brother plays a Tokai SG style bass; an EB3 two pickup version. It has a medium scale & slightly more modern lightweight tuners & there is very little neck dive from it. Admittedly it is rather more expensive than the budget Epiphones, but a lot cheaper than the genuine Gibson article. It is a great, well-playing bass & you can tell the diference in quality. I think he picked his up on Ebay for about £200 secondhand, & I believe they are around £400 new. Tony.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1357287' date='Aug 31 2011, 11:06 AM']This statement doesn't sit well with me. You hear this type of comment very often here on BC. I get what you are alluding to mate, but to state that a single coiled bass (with a singularly voiced sound that is instantly recognisable as such) with nothing more than a treble bleed for tone manipulation as having "a tremendous tonal range" is hyperbole in the extreme - I do take into consideration it's your "honeymoon period" though. I have 2 custom built examples of this style of bass. They are fantastic but I recognise their limits - of course their limits are their strengths. You wouldn't play Fear Factory on a '51 P but in the right settings these basses are king. But however you look at it, they have a distinct single coil tone, what they don't have is a tremendous tonal range... actually they don't have much of a tonal range at all... unless of course your Squire somehow surpasses the one I built for myself and my Shuker. [/quote] If you read Kedo's original message, he states that he wants a Precision Bass & that he hasn't got a lot of money to spend, & already has a Custom Shop Jazz Bass. He invites recommendations from our members, & I simply gave him my honest opinion from my own brief experience. I'm sure he will take everyone elses opinions into consideration too. I realise that the Squier P.Bass has it's limitations compared to other maybe more expensive models, but for the cost involved, which seems to be part of his concerns, it is not at all a bad P.Bass. Tony.

[quote name='Donnyboy' post='1354572' date='Aug 28 2011, 05:53 PM']Interesting stuff- to me anyway! Someone once told me that Fiesta Red was actually Salmon Pink( I think Fiesta Red sounds sexier ). I've still got the original green cardboard box for mine & it's got Fiesta Red written on it . I've heard that with age the Red can turn a bit Pinky , but I haven't noticed with mine - it's still vibrant - although the neck has mellowed into a lovely honey'd colour - from memory( not reliable) it was almost white new[/quote] Hi Donny, Fiesta Red was always the official Fender name for this colour. Salmon Pink was other peoples' description of this famous colour when they were not familiar with the actual Fender name. Even Hank Marvin described his first Fender Strat as being 'Flamingo Pink' at the time he first acquired it, but he wouldn't have known the correct Fender term. I guess it is possible for certain paint colours to fade when exposed to the air & bright sunlight over many years, & probably with the Nitro-celulose lacquer they used in the fifties/sixties, which thins & wears away easier than the Polyurethane varnishes they use these days. But who keeps their guitar/Bass out in the open air & bright sunlight. They are normally kept protected in a hardcase or gig-bag, & certainly indoors. The old style lacquers on the Maple necks have certainly faded to a honey colour over the years, & modern 'Vintage-style' instruments are deliberately varnished with tinted varnish to emulate that aged look. Tony.

If you want a relatively reasonable priced P. Bass that is good quality & plays well. check out the [b]Squier 'Classic Vibe' series[/b]. I have recently bought the '50s model in Butterscotch Blonde in this range & it is really nice, & for a bass with one pickup & a tone & volume control it has a tremendous tonal range. There is also a '60s model too. They are in the £300 range, but of course prices vary according to which retailer's website you visit. Tony.

[quote name='Linus27' post='1351517' date='Aug 25 2011, 04:52 PM']Anyone else struggle with the standard Fender colours for their American standard Jazz and Precisions? I mean, for what is really the top of the line before going into the re-issue and specials, the choice is so limited and not very exciting. Black, Olympic White, Candy Cola, Blizzard Pearl, Charcoal Frost and Sunburst. Most are just block colours and pretty uninspiring to. They could at least have a natural option.[/quote] Fender do change the colour options every two/three years, so your favourite may come back in due course. There are other, maybe traditional colours offered in other trhan the 'Standard' series. The Vintage Reissues tend to have the more traditional colours from the early days of Fender. Tony.

[quote name='Cygnus x-1' post='1353111' date='Aug 26 2011, 10:02 PM']Probably a dumb question but, I've never been sure if fiesta red is or was a colour option in it's own right or a darker other red that had faded with age. Maybe someone will tell me.[/quote] Hi Cygnus, Yes, Fiesta Red was one of the original colour options in the late '50s / early '60s. That was the colour of Hank Marvin's original Strat, that is reputed to be the first Strat ever imported into the UK. I actually saw them in music store windows in 1962, & that was the colour, brand new. There was also a colour called Dakota Red, but that was a much darker shade, more like a Fire Engine Red, & definitely Red without a hint of Pink. Tony.

[size=4][size=3]Years ago, way back in the early '60s, when the 'Shadows' became famous & thrilled the teenage generation, Fiesta Red Strats became the 'Got to have' guitars in the UK. Fender were not exporting to the UK originally, as there were Govt. trade restrictions at the time. The Selmer, & Jennings Musical Industries companies caught on to the demand & began to import Fender guitars in smallish numbers, but most of the guitars & basses Fender sent were Sunburst & Olympic White models. To satisfy the demand for Red, it is rumoured that they had many of these guitars re-sprayed in what turned out to be a very Pinkish shade of Red, about the colour of Blackpool candy rock. You can still see this shade on original vintage examples from the early sixties. Having said that, Fender Japan did not exist at the time, so these were USA made guitars. It is also very possible that Fender may have been over-spraying many guitars where a mistake had been made on a colour which was transparent, like Sunburst or Natural. Tony.[/size][/size]

Note that these Mustangs were designed as 'Student' basses & are short scale. Tony.

My brother, who plays bass in my band, has been playing Tokai EB3 style bass for the past few years. He says it's a medium scale bass, & he loves it. Unlike most of these styles of bass, it has a set of lighter weight tuners instead of the usual Elephant-ear ones found on Gibsons & Epis. This has the effect of lessening the headstock tipping effect. He likes the Tokai so much that he has grabbed another one, secondhand, from Ebay. It sounds pretty good to me too for the style of music we play, mainly '60s. It's not exactly a modern slap-style bass & he doesn't play that way anyway, but it has bottom end thump. Tony.