Squire Vintage Modified vs Squire Affinity

[liv_rong]

Ive been eyeing this one for a while now, maybe will pull the trigger in a month or three.

[Greg_L]

I just bought a Squier VM 70s Jazz bass for Frank's birthday as he has expressed an interest in learning. Black body and scratchplate, bound maple neck with block pearloid fret markers. Up for £180 on an FB gear for sale page but I offered him £150 when he told me the input had stopped working. Drove over to Headingley (Leeds), popped off the control plate, spotted the detached wire, tested that the pickups worked and did the deal. It's a very nice bass for the price. Oh, and it took longer for the soldering iron to warm up than it did to do the repair.
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jazz.jpg

Awesome. Cool deal.

[Bubba]

Awesome. Tell me how that plays, mate. I'm still after one will probably just be delayed till July.

Awesome. Cool deal.

The bass plays really, really well. Typical Jazz, the neck is very, very slim at the nut and it's a lot shallower in thickness than a P bass when you get further up the fretboard.

Greg, you've mentioned before about how you like bound necks, and I'm in agreement. This one is particularly nicely finished off - thin binding and the fret ends have been finished off as well as a properly expensive USA instrument. Seriously, there is no discomfort at all running your hand up the edge and each fret has been bevelled, rounded and polished beautifully on the ends. Definitely working above his pay grade in indonesia!

As you'd expect, corners are cut on the electronics. The pots are about 3/4 size compared to proper ones but they function well enough. There is no anti-shake washer on the back of the input, which is why it eventually came loose and spun around, thereby pulling the wire off the tone pot. It's little things like that that make it cheap, not the construction and finishing. The string height could come down a little and the intonation needs doing.

The bass sounds ok, but needs new strings. I have a set of Swing Bass I could put on it that have only done one gig, but I was kind of saving them.

[JD01]

Awesome. Tell me how that plays, mate. I'm still after one will probably just be delayed till July.

Awesome. Cool deal.

The bass plays really, really well. Typical Jazz, the neck is very, very slim at the nut and it's a lot shallower in thickness than a P bass when you get further up the fretboard.

Greg, you've mentioned before about how you like bound necks, and I'm in agreement. This one is particularly nicely finished off - thin binding and the fret ends have been finished off as well as a properly expensive USA instrument. Seriously, there is no discomfort at all running your hand up the edge and each fret has been bevelled, rounded and polished beautifully on the ends. Definitely working above his pay grade in indonesia!

As you'd expect, corners are cut on the electronics. The pots are about 3/4 size compared to proper ones but they function well enough. There is no anti-shake washer on the back of the input, which is why it eventually came loose and spun around, thereby pulling the wire off the tone pot. It's little things like that that make it cheap, not the construction and finishing. The string height could come down a little and the intonation needs doing.

The bass sounds ok, but needs new strings. I have a set of Swing Bass I could put on it that have only done one gig, but I was kind of saving them.

Oh, well, looks Like Frank gets new strings for his bass too then!

I'll definitely get one of these VM Squires. Just decide between a Jazz, P/J or a P.

[jonny deep]

The bass plays really, really well. Typical Jazz, the neck is very, very slim at the nut and it's a lot shallower in thickness than a P bass when you get further up the fretboard.

Greg, you've mentioned before about how you like bound necks, and I'm in agreement. This one is particularly nicely finished off - thin binding and the fret ends have been finished off as well as a properly expensive USA instrument. Seriously, there is no discomfort at all running your hand up the edge and each fret has been bevelled, rounded and polished beautifully on the ends. Definitely working above his pay grade in indonesia!

As you'd expect, corners are cut on the electronics. The pots are about 3/4 size compared to proper ones but they function well enough. There is no anti-shake washer on the back of the input, which is why it eventually came loose and spun around, thereby pulling the wire off the tone pot. It's little things like that that make it cheap, not the construction and finishing. The string height could come down a little and the intonation needs doing.

The bass sounds ok, but needs new strings. I have a set of Swing Bass I could put on it that have only done one gig, but I was kind of saving them.

Oh, well, looks Like Frank gets new strings for his bass too then!

I'll definitely get one of these VM Squires. Just decide between a Jazz, P/J or a P.

I really like the tone of Greg's P-bass compared to my jazz, but I don't know whether that's because he mic's a real amp and plays better.

[JD01]

I really like the tone of Greg's P-bass compared to my jazz, but I don't know whether that's because he mic's a real amp and plays better.

That's a similar problem to what I have, I'm actually fairly happy with my sound, though it could be a little better, but I have no idea how another bass will sound through my gear, so I don't really know what to choose. My shite bass for what it is, has a P/J setup.

[Greg_L]

I really like the tone of Greg's P-bass compared to my jazz, but I don't know whether that's because he mic's a real amp and plays better.

Ha thanks but I don't think it's any of that. I think it's more that I just really really know my own setup and I know how to get what I hear in my head on to tape. That's just experience and years of trial and error. It doesn't usually happen that easily when I track other people through their own gear.

[Greg_L]

Greg, you've mentioned before about how you like bound necks, and I'm in agreement. This one is particularly nicely finished off - thin binding and the fret ends have been finished off as well as a properly expensive USA instrument. Seriously, there is no discomfort at all running your hand up the edge and each fret has been bevelled, rounded and polished beautifully on the ends. Definitely working above his pay grade in indonesia!

That's great. A nice neck feel make all the difference in the world.

As you'd expect, corners are cut on the electronics. The pots are about 3/4 size compared to proper ones but they function well enough. There is no anti-shake washer on the back of the input, which is why it eventually came loose and spun around, thereby pulling the wire off the tone pot. It's little things like that that make it cheap, not the construction and finishing. The string height could come down a little and the intonation needs doing.

I repaired an American made P-Bass recently that had the same mini-pots. They were the only pots that would fit in the cavity on that bass. It was an odd one, supposedly fairly rare. Made in the early 90s, it looked like "sharpened" pointier P-Bass, sort of like a shreddy Super Strat guitar, but it was all P-Bass and it also had the Jazz bridge pickup. Sounded great once it was fixed.

[Bubba]

I repaired an American made P-Bass recently that had the same mini-pots. They were the only pots that would fit in the cavity on that bass. It was an odd one, supposedly fairly rare. Made in the early 90s, it looked like "sharpened" pointier P-Bass, sort of like a shreddy Super Strat guitar, but it was all P-Bass and it also had the Jazz bridge pickup. Sounded great once it was fixed.

Was it a Fender "Urge" or something like that? I've seen one with a P-bass style curved cotrol cavity, but also one with a tele-style plate.

[Bubba]

Ah, I reckon it was this:




Fender Prodigy, USA made.

[Greg_L]

Was it a Fender "Urge" or something like that? I've seen one with a P-bass style curved cotrol cavity, but also one with a tele-style plate.

I really couldn't tell ya. I don't know what it was exactly or anything else about it. Everything about it was normal P/J bass but with a pointier body and a black headstock. The pots were old and scratchy and cutting out so I replaced them. They were original though, so credit to those mini-pots for lasting 20+ years.

[JD01]

My honer Rockwood looks a bit like that but without the J Pickup.

[Greg_L]

Ah, I reckon it was this:




Fender Prodigy, USA made.

No, it wasn't that. I'll see what I can find out about it.

[Greg_L]

Okay I googled "pointy 90s Fender bass" and I found it!

It's called a JP-90. Fender only made a very short run from 90-93. I remember it wrong though. It's more jazz shape than P shape.


The one I worked on was all black but with a brushed metal pickguard. Very 90s. Good bass though.

[JD01]

That's a touch too pointy but looks pretty good.

[Greg_L]

That's a touch too pointy but looks pretty good.

I swear the one I messed with had a black headstock, but I can't find a pic like that anywhere.

[JD01]

What you think of this for a deal?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-Fender-S ... 2669957042
Looks pretty good to me and I pass by Cardiff every Thursday evening on my way home.

This one is miles away so I'd have to buy it blind:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1990-Young-Ch ... 2309697347

Also this one, but doesn't seem to be much different from the one in Cardiff.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Squier-Standa ... 2509889620

[Bubba]

The Cardiff one looks reasonable and you could check it out.

The Young Chang one is going for Mex money plus it's been fucked with - no mention of pickup upgrades. I'd pass .

Third one, you'd have to buy it blind. I hate painted headstocks on Fenders - I'd pass.

[Greg_L]

What you think of this for a deal?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-Fender-S ... 2669957042
Looks pretty good to me and I pass by Cardiff every Thursday evening on my way home.


Also this one, but doesn't seem to be much different from the one in Cardiff.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Squier-Standa ... 2509889620

First and last seem nice to me. You might wanna yank that giant stupid exhaust port off the first one, but it's a cool bass. I love those maple necks with the huge block inlays.

I think I prefer the P in the bottom link though. A P is the perfect bass. A P with the Jazz pickup is a little extra perfect.

[JD01]

Won't be able to afford to buy the top one before the end of tomorrow. Might message the seller and ask him to give me a shout if it doesn't sell.