First post ever down here in the Bassment...got my first bass.

[Swampy]

Had to give my buddies bass back that I borrowed for recording. So yesterday I jumped on CL and saw this. Candy apple red Squier J Bass. I know it’s probably the cheapest of cheaps, but it should serve me well. I have no knowledge of bass pickups and whatnots as to bass mods, but I may do something. Hell, I haven’t even plugged this thing in yet....I could sound AMAZBALLZ, but I doubt it.

Im sure I’ll venture back down these creaky stairs often to ask questions.

[Gtrjunior]

Re: First post ever down here in the Bassment...got my first bass.

I bought a MIM Jazz Bass a few years ago and I have nothing at all to complain about. It plays great and sounds great for the $250 I paid.
My opinion only but I thought it sounded better than a friends American P bass.

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: First post ever down here in the Bassment...got my first bass.

Congrats! Nothing wrong with a Squier bass to get you going (looks like an affinity?).

[Swampy]

Re: First post ever down here in the Bassment...got my first bass.

Yes, it’s an Affinty.

[dg27]

Re: First post ever down here in the Bassment...got my first bass.

Nice. My MIJ Squier Jazz has served me well for many years. If you're going to upgrade the pickups I'd recommend either SD QPs (which I have in my Squier) or DiM Model Js, which I have in my MIM Fender jazz.

[ICTGoober]

Re: First post ever down here in the Bassment...got my first bass.

I've had a couple Affinity basses and guitars. The bones of the things are fine, electronics are cheap Asian crap. But in a pinch, you can gig with them.

[dystrust]

Re: First post ever down here in the Bassment...got my first bass.

The hardware on those basses also tends to be on the cheap side. If the tuners seem solid I'd keep them, otherwise I'm a fan of Gotoh GB-7s if you're ok with a modern look or Hipshot Ultralites if you're not. I would definitely upgrade the bridge; a Gotoh 201 should be a direct drop-in and a massive improvement for $20-25.

[FuseG4]

Re: First post ever down here in the Bassment...got my first bass.

Alright!
I have a white VM Squier jazz bass and lol it came from the factory with one Duncan designed and one non-branded picked made totally differently but it still rocks even without hum cancelling!
Anyways congrats!!

[ginormous]

Re: First post ever down here in the Bassment...got my first bass.

If you're just getting started, the biggest difference you can make is a pickup swap.

The hardware will be an issue depending on the brand, but upgrading the pickups will wake up the beast.

My avatar is a net grab of my MIM Jazz. The factory pickups sounded "farty" and gave a rally bad "bump" sound when I played fingerstyle.

I swapped for a set of Duncan Bassline vintage, and boom. It became a real J-bass.

[dg27]

Re: First post ever down here in the Bassment...got my first bass.

The hardware on those basses also tends to be on the cheap side. If the tuners seem solid I'd keep them, otherwise I'm a fan of Gotoh GB-7s if you're ok with a modern look or Hipshot Ultralites if you're not. I would definitely upgrade the bridge; a Gotoh 201 should be a direct drop-in and a massive improvement for $20-25.

Also a fan of GB7s if you like that look and the Gotoh 201.

I have GB7s on my Warmoth and 201s on several of my basses.

[Mincer]

Re: First post ever down here in the Bassment...got my first bass.

I have a Squier bass I absolutely love, and it records really well. Congrats!