Damn Squier Deluxe!

[Lowender]

I have a variety of basses -- a great vintage P, an American standrard Jazz, a Ric, a Hofner, Ibanez, a Music Man --something for every aspect of recording every type of music. I've also owned boutique and custom built and have played just about every high end bass on the market -- Lakeland, Sadowsky, Ken Smith, you name it -- and I finally settled on the ones I now own.

I recently did a session where I tried a few different basses and the client wasn't entirely happy with the sound. I finally went with the Squier j Deluxe. (But I put a Fender headstock on that one , otherwise the engineer would never let me use it, but I don't want t make this a discussion about decals). The client said-- "that's it!" And you know, he was right. It simply sounded better.


Then recently I had a friend email me an mp3 and the same thing happened. I played a track. It was good. He was happy. Then I said, wait a minute, let me try a different bass. (The Squier JD). His response? YEAH! [i]That [/i]sound kills!

So there you have it. An instrument that is a quarter of the cost as all the others. For the price of a Fodera I can have forty of them. And they'll all record better than the Fodera. : D

I don't know what it is about that bass. Maybe it's the ebonol fingerboard. It doesn't have a lot of variety and it isn't the prettiest tone you'll ever heard, but damn if it doesn't produce a fat clean punchy sound.

I feel like my bastard son has made me the most proud. : )

Edited July 25, 2013 by Lowender

[Lozz196]

Just goes to show doesn`t it, the ears can be fooled by the eyes. Remove anyone seeing the dreaded "Squier" word, and everyone loves the sound.

[CyberBass]

Similar thing for me. Have had many high end basses, however, the bass I mainly use, love and get the most comments on regarding tone is my squire mike dirnt precision bass.
I haven't changed the headstock decal, doesn't bother me it's not Fender :-)

[Roger2611]

I have had a couple of CV guitars and really couldn't fault them in any way, I do have a CV Precision and to be honest I don't think it is a patch on either of my other precisions, the neck is too skinny and the fret board edge is too sharp...I keep looking at it and thinking I should move it on.

I guess if you get a good one it is excellent but, much with anything else in the Fender family, a poor one can be a real let down

[whynot]

The name skips me this second, but was reading an article a couple of years back on a named session player. In his collection he has some of the cheapest, nastiest basses from the 70/80's as well as the usual highend gear. On some recordings they just sound right he said.

[Cat Burrito]

I nearly did a similar thread myself. I picked up my first new bass in 3yrs as I decided 2 vintage Fenders is OTT so I picked up a Squier CV 50s P bass. I restrung it with my trademark heavy flats and figured it needed a set up. I took it to my local dealer who sorted it out. I plugged it in the shops Ashton practice amp and WOW - I had my sound. I took it to rehearsal instead of my upright bass and it felt like one of my Fenders. I just need to sell that old Jazz now.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='whynot' timestamp='1374774760' post='2153137']
The name skips me this second, but was reading an article a couple of years back on a named session player. In his collection he has some of the cheapest, nastiest basses from the 70/80's as well as the usual highend gear. On some recordings they just sound right he said.
[/quote]
That was Dave Swift I think... He's got a lot of bizarre and unusual instruments.

[Lowender]

I also have a CV strat that every guitar player looks down there nose at -- until they play it. Squier essentially IS Fender -- but instead of being made by Mexican immigrents it's made by Indonesian citizens. : )

[mcnach]

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1374768831' post='2153009']
I have a variety of basses -- a great vintage P, an American standrard Jazz, a Ric, a Hofner, Ibanez, a Music Man --something for every aspect of recording every type of music. I've also owned boutique and custom built and have played just about every high end bass on the market -- Lakeland, Sadowsky, Ken Smith, you name it -- and I finally settled on the ones I now own.

I recently did a session where I tried a few different basses and the client wasn't entirely happy with the sound. I finally went with the Squier j Deluxe. (But I put a Fender headstock on that one , otherwise the engineer would never let me use it, but I don't want t make this a discussion about decals). The client said-- "that's it!" And you know, he was right. It simply sounded better.


Then recently I had a friend email me an mp3 and the same thing happened. I played a track. It was good. He was happy. Then I said, wait a minute, let me try a different bass. (The Squier JD). His response? YEAH! [i]That [/i]sound kills!

So there you have it. An instrument that is a quarter of the cost as all the others. For the price of a Fodera I can have forty of them. And they'll all record better than the Fodera. : D

I don't know what it is about that bass. Maybe it's the ebonol fingerboard. It doesn't have a lot of variety and it isn't the prettiest tone you'll ever heard, but damn if it doesn't produce a fat clean punchy sound.

I feel like my bastard son has made me the most proud. : )
[/quote]

I had the 5 string version... really good bass!
I noticed the bridge pickup alone sounded especially nice, if not typically Jazz. Then I noticed the pickup is placed a bit farther from the bridge than usual, more where a Stingray pickup would be.

That certainly helped me like it, I am sure.

[steve-bbb]

i have a passive affinity J - the output from the pups is hotter than my active status matrix

[Geek99]

I had a squier vm precision that absolutely killed everything around it. It's only imperfection was a rosewood board

[Jazzneck]

My £60 s/h refretted OLP MM Stingrayalike is like this, too.
My best r'n'r/blues gigging bass ever.
All I've done is changed the pickup to a £10 s/h Artec MBR4 MM pickup thanks to The Greek.
(I was going to give it to my grandson....................)

Edited July 26, 2013 by Jazzneck

[LemonCello]

My CV Precision is a killer bass. Best £200 I ever spent!

[AntLockyer]

As I said before my CV is good, but the Fender is so much better and the Aria so much better again.

[discreet]

Thereby proving that despite all the millions of words posted here and elsewhere and all the thousands of varying opinions about this or that bass or combinations of components and endless permutations of options, it boils down to the fact that the electric bass guitar is really a very simple animal indeed and that the most basic designs often work the best.

[risingson]

Nice. I think it would surprise most people out there who care about what it says on a bass headstock just how many records will have been made successfully with very cheap instruments. I too have a Japanese Squier in regular rotation amongst my '71 Jazz and my '78 P and it is excellent, luckily I've never had to work with anyone quite as ignorant to choose which instrument I've ended up using based on the name or price of the instrument though. On the contrary, it's usually the one a lot of people swing towards tonally.

[BottomE]

Yep, been on a thread like this in the past. It matters not what is on the headstock. Its all about the output. Having a load of basses/effects can confuse the issue. I have 6 basses at the moment and record almost every day. Unless i actually put the name of the bass on the recording i often struggle to know which is which.

[Kiwi]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1374873699' post='2154432'] Thereby proving that despite all the millions of words posted here and elsewhere and all the thousands of varying opinions about this or that bass or combinations of components and endless permutations of options, it boils down to the fact that the electric bass guitar is really a very simple animal indeed and that the most basic designs often work the best. [/quote]

If you're accustomed to hearing the basic designs most in the music you like to listen to.

[discreet]

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1374949399' post='2155189']
If you're accustomed to hearing the basic designs most in the music you like to listen to.
[/quote]

Yes I suppose I am, as far as 'real' bass playing (as opposed to electronic or synth bass) is concerned.
But any electric bass guitar is simple in construction compared with an orchestral double bass (for example).

Edited July 27, 2013 by discreet

[Kiwi]

Okaaaay, it's worth bearing in mind that...

1) There are instruments that could be considered every bit as sophisticated as a double bass in terms of attention to materials and construction e.g. Alembic, Smith, Jaydee etc.
2) Some orchestral double basses are made out of non-specific plywood e.g. kay
3) Some owners of vintage instruments exhibit near evangelical levels of post rationalisation to justify why old instruments sound better to them which bear little relation to the ethos behind their manufacture. (And perhaps more to do with the associations those instruments create when played.)

[discreet]

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1374953089' post='2155244']
Some owners of vintage instruments exhibit near evangelical levels of post rationalisation to justify why old instruments sound better to them which bear little relation to the ethos behind their manufacture.
[/quote]

Yes - and generally the levels of evangelism increase in direct proportion to the price paid!

Edited July 27, 2013 by discreet

[Kiwi]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1374953207' post='2155247']
Yes - and generally the levels of evangelism increase in direct proportion to the price paid!
[size=4][/quote][/size]
[size=4]BTW - I own a vintage Fender Jazz. Its a nice instrument, I like it as much as my preEB stingray because it reminds me of the bass sound I've heard on many pop tracks. It sounds right but that feeling isn't due to the design of the instrument, it'[/size][size=4]s due to the familiarity of what I hear. My Spector NS5 is still a better bass for dance/house/RnB although a 5 string Fender Jazz or an Alembic Distillate 5 could probably do the job just as well.[/size]

[size=4]Just because I like the Spector doesn't mean I have to cite its proof of the existence of God just because it makes a sound I'm familiar with.[/size]

[size=4]I'm really curious to find out more about the Squier Jazz Deluxes and see how they stack up to other instruments. I hope someone will bring one to the SE Bassbash next month so I can have a go on it.[/size]

[Lowender]

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1374953482' post='2155253']


[size=4]I'm really curious to find out more about the Squier Jazz Deluxes and see how they stack up to other instruments. I hope someone will bring one to the SE Bassbash next month so I can have a go on it.[/size]


[/quote]

They don't have a lot of tonal variety and don't even sound like a jazz. But it has a punchy midrange that digital recordings love.

[Kiwi]

Are there any youtube clips that show the instrument being used in anger?

[Lowender]

[b]Are there any youtube clips that show the instrument being used in anger?[/b]


It depends. Do radical departures from original versions make you angry? (I do like this bass tone here though some may think it harsh).

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqgCN5dvc_Q[/media]

Edited July 28, 2013 by Lowender