Squier Jazz Basses

[Hit&Run]

According to the squier website the standard series have agathis bodies, and the (cheaper) affinity series have alder bodies.

I had thought that alder was considered 'tonally superior' to agathis, or is this just an old wives tale?

Thanks,
H&R

[Lfalex v1.1]

Not all woods are equal, not even within a species.
A friend of mine had an Agathis-bodied Korean Burns, and it was wonderful.
Basswood bodies don't seem to hold Bongos back- although some may argue that the aesthetics do!

As with all woods, there are good quality cuts and less good quality cuts. The only way you'll ever "see" how good a piece of tree your bass is made from is if you own a natural or translucent finished instrument. Even then, there may be no direct correlation between the appearance of a piece of wood and its impact on the tone of the bass.

Perhaps Squier are using relatively cheap cuts of Alder, such that the Affinities are cheaper than the Agathis-bodied ones?

Are the instruments otherwise identical? Other factors may influence the cost, especially the country of manufacture!

[Hit&Run]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='771441' date='Mar 11 2010, 11:53 AM']Are the instruments otherwise identical? Other factors may influence the cost, especially the country of manufacture![/quote]
They seem to be pretty similar.

I had thought that the cheapest squiers may have alder off-cuts used as a 13 piece body.
Maybe squier thought that an alder body on their entry level jazz bass may sway a few more people away from other 'budget' brands?