discreet Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 (edited) NBD - Squier Deluxe Active Jazz IV *Revisited* I had been very smug and pleased with myself for getting down to just the one bass, a Bitsa Jazz that I assembled from parts and finished myself. Hipshot, Gotoh, KiOgon… all proper premium components, no tat! Very happy with it and its powerful Entwistle JBXNs, which sounds really killer through my 1997 Trace GP7 715 150W combo. BUT… dangerously, I allowed my mind to wander in an idle moment. What was the bass I most missed and most regretted moving on? Being absolutely honest with myself, it turned out to be (weirdly) a Squier Deluxe Active Jazz IV - which I bought and reviewed on this very board some four years ago and then sold, for a reason I can’t now remember. GAS, probably. So, as they’re not the world’s most expensive bass and as I was curious, I ordered one - an end-of-line display/demo model from Andertons. Notable features include a three-band active EQ circuit and an Ebonol fingerboard. As I understand it, Ebonol is a phenolic polymer that mimics the qualities of ebony in that it is hard and dense…but is synthetic and thus completely impermeable. I like it a lot. It’s a slab board basically and renders the underlying maple neck very stable indeed. The neck plays well with practically no relief in it and allows a lower (and more buzz-free) action than I would otherwise entertain with a more conventional wooden board. The neck is arrow-straight and the fretwork is superb. And I mean £1000+ superb. Completely level frets and not even a hint of an edge anywhere. To find this quality on a bass that cost less than £300 is truly remarkable. This board is smooth and fast and this neck alone is worth the price of admission. The controls comprise volume, pickup blend, stacked treble/bass and mid. There is also the so-called 'slap switch', essentially a mid-cut which boosts the lows and top end, ostensibly for slapping… I won’t be doing any of that, but it’s useful to have at your fingertips and in conjunction with the EQ allows for more tone-shaping options. The board radius is 12”, a little flat for me but I don't mind so much as the nut width and shallow neck are (unsurprisingly) very Jazz-like, so a flatter board suits me here. The bass feels good in the hand, isn't overly heavy (around 9lb) on the shoulder and balances well on the strap. It's effortless to play and after a few minutes the controls become completely intuitive and very easy to use. This bass punches WAY above its weight. There are always negatives of course - the bridge and tuners are not premium quality - especially when juxtaposed with the Hipshot Ultralights and Gotoh 201B fitted to my Bitsa. The bridge is a generic Gotoh-alike high-mass top-load affair with saddle-screw runners - and does its job perfectly well. The ubiquitous budget ‘vintage’ clover-leaf tuners work smoothly enough and adequately hold the bass in tune, which is all you can reasonably expect, so no complaints yet. The treble/bass stacked pot is quite a bit taller than the other controls and I can imagine it taking a knock or two. The pots could be smoother and more positive in their action and the midway detentes could be more obvious. But I’m guessing Squier had to cut costs somewhere. These are minor niggles. Would I use this as my main bass? With absolutely no hesitation, despite the fact I don’t much care for sunburst and especially not pickguard-free sunburst. But irrelevant cosmetic issues aside, it plays quite differently to my Bitsa Jazz and has WAY more tone options on tap. You can of course produce the generic vintage single-coil Jazz sound if you want it, but you can also quickly dial in more ‘modern’ sounds - and anything else you can think of - from fat, fingerstyle dub tones through clanky, gritty rock via hefty plectrum twang to full-on growl, burpy funk and mid-free hi-fi slap. It’s all in there. And you'd be very hard-pressed to tell the difference between this Indonesian Squier and a MIM Fender (or dare I say it, a MIA Fender) in a blind listening test. The Squier feels right, plays very nicely indeed and sounds fantastic. It’s essentially a wannabe boutique Super Jazz, but aimed at the budget-conscious entry-level buyer. Or those in my position - the seasoned (yet impecunious) overweight senior cheapskate-cynic. But is it as good as I remember? Very much so, and in some ways it’s better. Four years have passed since I owned one and my priorities have changed, my playing has changed and I see things a little differently now, as I’m sure we all do. But I’m very happy to have this back in the fold. I did have a little fantasy about refinishing it in vintage white (and I may yet do so), tinting the headstock, applying an F-decal and fitting a guard. But I don’t want to drill new guard holes in the body, the decal thing is really only of interest to bass players and other idiots and frankly I’m getting a bit bored with the ‘identity’ thing. Name-band pro players regularly rock up sporting the S-decal and if it’s good enough for them, etc. So for the moment at least it’s going to do its thing completely stock and original as nature (and Squier) intended - apart from the new DR Nickel Lo-Riders I fitted. Hardly a modification, but a very positive improvement on the iffy strings that came with the bass. I can easily see it becoming a bit of a workhorse and it’s already a go-to instrument. It’s one of those basses you just can’t walk past without picking it up and playing it. You won’t be surprised then if I recommend you add this particular arrow to your quiver - it can currently be got at a silly price, especially if you haggle - even if you’re not a Jazz person (and I'm not), you can’t fail to be impressed by the dead-straight and supremely playable neck, the smooth, hard and fast Ebonol board, the extremely versatile and intuitive EQ and the huge range of tones on offer. In short, it’s a bargain. But if you ARE up for it, get one ASAP - Squier seem to have discontinued this model and when they’re gone, they’re gone. Edited November 23, 2018 by discreet 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these basses (again) discreet Yes, I'm amazed at just how good the Indonesian built Squiers are. I've not tried this exact model myself, but I'm quite tempted now. I'm a fan of sunburst myself, and I do like that tobacco tinted Sunburst on this bass, I must say Re the pickguard, or lack of - somehow, that look does seem to suit some Jazz basses, and I think it's also fine on this bass I know Entwistle pickups are great, especially for the money, and the JBXN is a step up from the JBX (a good pickup in itself anyway) But what did you think of the original Squier pickups, in comparison? Were they pretty good anyway? I've had a couple of passive VM Squiers, and the stock pickups are OK - but I wondered how the active version of the pickups fared? OH, and happy NBD by the way 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 Nah nah nah! I`m not having this! Mr Discreet without a P bass in his arsenal? This Jazz bass loving fool is an imposter and I demand that whoever has abducted the real Mr D gets him and his P bass back sharpish!! ( Nice bass by the way) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 These are great - really hoping one turns up cheap under the radar 😉 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 (edited) 7 hours ago, Marc S said: I've had a couple of passive VM Squiers, and the stock pickups are OK - but I wondered how the active version of the pickups fared? OH, and happy NBD by the way Thank you sir... I didn't say much about the stock pickups - I have little information. I'm not sure the pickups themselves are active - just the 3-band EQ. However, they're more than up to the job. They don't seem to cancel each other out with the blend control in the centre position and there's very little extraneous noise. They're powerful enough and have that big, open single-coil punch and warmth. I won't be changing them. I like the plain covers too, they obviate any possible OCD relating to having the strings exactly in line with the pole pieces... Edited November 21, 2018 by discreet 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 It looks very nice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 6 minutes ago, Billy Apple said: It looks very nice Mrs Discreet said, 'That's nice, dear...' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 Just now, discreet said: Mrs Discreet said, 'That's nice, dear...' I bet she wasn't even looking at the bass, but staring wistfully into the distance.. or something 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 Just now, Billy Apple said: I bet she wasn't even looking at the bass, but staring wistfully into the distance.. or something She was actually 'watching' Eastenders with earbuds in while looking at Instagram on her phone. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 I used to have the 5 string version. Apart from the weight, that thing was superb. Those Squier DeLuxe basses are really good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 Oooh, that's rather nice. Thanks for the in-depth review discreet...I've always been tempted. You've given me GAS, you fiend ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 Always thought these were a prime candidate for a status graphite neck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 Love the look, especially no scratch plate. I had an ebonal board on a Washburn guitar years ago and it was very nice to play. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 20 minutes ago, AndyTravis said: Always thought these were a prime candidate for a status graphite neck. I like the idea, but the stock neck and board are really good. A Status neck would surely be an upgrade, but would represent something of an investment... especially at this time of year what with the Festival of Madness in the offing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 24 minutes ago, ahpook said: You've given me GAS, you fiend ! Sorry about that. If you wait a few weeks it'll probably be up for sale, knowing me. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 Nice looking bass. I rate Squier highly and this looks a particularly good one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SICbass Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 I absolutely love my Squier Pro-Tone V. 2-pup Precision-ish loveliness. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 (edited) 10 hours ago, discreet said: Sorry about that. If you wait a few weeks it'll probably be up for sale, knowing me. Weeks? - one week maybe..... tops Sigh... I'm getting GAS for one of these now! Or at least, I'd like to try one Edited November 22, 2018 by Marc S 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 22, 2018 Author Share Posted November 22, 2018 19 hours ago, Marc S said: I know Entwistle pickups are great... But what did you think of the original Squier pickups, in comparison? Sorry, I didn't make it clear - the Entwistles are in my Bitsa Jazz, this Squier retains its stock pickups, which are good, and I won't be replacing them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 54 minutes ago, discreet said: Sorry, I didn't make it clear - the Entwistles are in my Bitsa Jazz, this Squier retains its stock pickups, which are good, and I won't be replacing them. Thanks - nice to know you feel they're good enough to retain. Really wish I could try one of these now. I don't "need" one, I don't "need" one, I don't....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 22, 2018 Author Share Posted November 22, 2018 5 hours ago, Marc S said: Thanks - nice to know you feel they're good enough to retain. Really wish I could try one of these now. I don't "need" one, I don't "need" one, I don't....... Ah go on, take a risk, press the 'buy now' button. You'll have no problem shifting it if by some weird chance you don't like it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 I have this model in black. I took off the stinky poo tuners and fitted Wilkinson black WJBL200 tuners. I love the feel and build of the instrument and the active circuit is very versatile and quiet. Quality in a low-priced instrument. I plan on turning the bass 'stealth black', replacing all the hardware with black hardware. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Holiday romance, it won't last! I nabbed your Sire V7 a month after a similarly glowing eulogy.. 🤘 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 23, 2018 Author Share Posted November 23, 2018 1 hour ago, Drax said: Holiday romance, it won't last! I nabbed your Sire V7 a month after a similarly glowing eulogy... I still regret selling that bass! The Sire V7 is unbelievable value and I stand by my excellent review of it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 23, 2018 Author Share Posted November 23, 2018 9 hours ago, Drax said: Holiday romance, it won't last! I nabbed your Sire V7 a month after a similarly glowing eulogy.. You want to buy this Squier, too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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