Davout

[quote name='bh2' post='1291803' date='Jul 4 2011, 08:09 AM']Many thanks for your review Dave (?)... I tried out one of these at my lms (PMT Oxford), more out of curiosity. I was most impressed. Playing through an Ashdown rig I found the tone rich and sparkly, rolling off the tone supplied some nice fat lows. I really was taken by the tonal range. Neck was like butter... lovely vintage tint and I really like the gloss, very well built overall. Vol/tone knobs have a nice feel to them, not loose or sloppy, jack was nicely fitted and secure. Hardware overall was excellent, the machines were nice and tight. Overall it felt like a much more expensive bass. Gripes - didn't like the single ply scratchplate, it was poorly cut with some rough edges, easy enough to replace though - I'd go with w/b/w or white pearl. I'd also swap out the machines for more retro style open gear big backs, just my own personal preference. I was knocked out by it to be honest. Pine is one of the best tone woods available actually.[/quote] [b]Jean-Luc[/b] : Yes, it is definately a Pine body. The idea apparently goes back to the original Fender Broadcaster (Tele) guitars, which I am informed, were originally made from Pine. They shortly afterwards changed to Ash. I think it was more to do with availibility of supplies, rather than which was a good Tonewood. [b]bh2[/b] : My nom de plume is Davout, but I am actually Tony. Thanks for the welcome to the forum from you guys (& gals ?). I should explain that I am actually relatively new to Bass playing, as my main instrument is guitar, which I play in a '60s covers band in the West Mids (UK). I love the look of these retro looking instruments & have already bought a Classic Vibe series '50s Tele & '60s Strat, so I new what the quality of the series was like already. These are great gigging instruments & need very little messing about with before taking them out. And at these prices, it doesn't matter if you accidently 'Relic' them a little while on the road. All I have changed on the Strat is the typical weedy, thin alloy Tremolo block for a nice thick steel one which will not loosen the trem arm with wear after a few weeks use. I got my '50s P Bass from Soundslive online for £299 as a special deal because I was prepared to wait with them for a month until new supplies arrived, but I believe their price is only around £320, anyway. Tony.

You're only allowed in Trumpet-playing, Maracas clacking, Castinet whacking bands with a Made in Mexico Fender ! Seriously, they built the Ensenada fectory in Nortern Mexico to take advantage of their lax paint/chemical emission laws, which are too tight in the USA. Even most of the US made models are sent over the border for spraying. I suppose the cheap labour costs didn't go amiss either. I have spoken to a Fender guy who has been there, & he says they are now a very skilled workforce & are producing some top class instruments. I have a 'Classic Player' series '50s Strat & it is really good. I have compared it to a similar USA Vintage reissue model & it even has the exact same US pickups. I couldn't hear a difference. Tony.

[quote name='Grant' post='1193014' date='Apr 8 2011, 04:09 PM']Sorry, just seen the related earlier thread...[b]RRP[/b][i][/i] £490 for a Squire???? Sheeeyet! Still want one though...[/quote] I got one of these about three weeks ago for £UK 299, & it's just as good as everyone says. Let's put this instrument into perspective. It is made in China by Squier, & cost me £299 ! The equivalent US Fender Vintage Reissue would cost .... er £1,400 ?? Someone tell me. This is a perfectly servicable 50s P, Bass which looks great & plays well. It is definately in the 50s vibe & is quite light in weight too. Tony.

I have now succumbed & bought the above Squier Classic Vibe 50s P. Bass. I guess I have a nostalgia thing about the music from that late 50s - early 60s period. It is the Butterscotch blonde with black scratchplate model, although it is also available in Lake placid Blue. It is equal in quality to the rest of it's excellent 'Classic Vibe' series brothers. When I first opened the cardboard box in which it arrived, I was a little concerned as there appeared to be a lot of fret-buzz, but soon realised that there had been no attempt by Squier to do anything like a basic set-up on it before it was shipped. After tuning it up from the extreme slackness of the strings when it arrived, & adjusting the saddle heights & intonation, the neck obviously adopted the correct concave bow & it was perfect. It has a Pine body, which shows through the partially transparent Butterscotch paint, revealing vertical striped woodgrain. The Black scratchplate is quite thick, which i quite like, as there will be no chance of warping. The Maple neck is excellent & the nut of good quality. The Headstock is in the Telecaster style, with a 50s style round string retainer for the D & G strings. The jack socket is on the side of the body & is similar in type to that of a Tele. The Tone & Volume pots are good & work really well, particularly the Tone pot. The Bridge is a very nice High Mass, solid chromed unit with four big brass saddles. There is no 'String-thru-body' set-up. The pickup is a single-coil unit with flat polepieces, very much like a bridge pickup in a Tele. The exposed coil windings have been wrapped in black insulating tape, so no problem there. It comes with a set of basic round-wound bass strings, which, being new, are quite 'Twangy' at present, but I guess will mellow with time. I will install a set of flats in due course, to reduce fret wear if nothing else. The quality Tone control has quite a tonal range & can give tones ranging from the lower end of a piano to a nice mellow deep smooth thump. The action is great & the feel of the vintage stained neck is really good. Unlike the original slab-bodied Fender '51 P. Bass that Leo actually invented, which it models, it actually has nice rounded body edges & body contours like the later P.Bass models that we are more familiar with. Let's put this instrument into perspective. It is made in China by Squier, & cost me £299 ! The equivalent US Fender Vintage Reissue would cost .... er £1,400 ?? Someone tell me. This is a perfectly servicable 50s P, Bass which looks great & plays well. It is definately in the 50s vibe & is quite lightweight too. See old photos of Gene Vincent's 'Blue Caps', the Treniers, Little Richard's band etc., etc. Gentlemen, I recommend it for your consideration.