Help me choose my first bass guitar

[Nuts]

Hello everyone !
I've been playing guitar for around 20 years, and I want to buy my first bass guitar, mostly for recordings.
At first, I was thinking about buying a 'made in mexico' Fender Jazz Bass, but after reading some threads here about this topic, I'm also considering getting a Squier Vintage Modern Jazz Bass or maybe a Squier Vintage Modern Jaguar.

A few years ago I went with my nephew to help him choose his first electric guitar, and he ended up buying a mexican Fender Stratocaster, although the Squier I was checking sounded the best to my ears from all the other guitars I've checked in that price range.
But I remember that in the 90's Squier had a bad reputation, so I was afraid the guitar will be unreliable... I advised my nephew to get a mexican strat.
So if I have understood correctly, nowadays, the new Fender Squiers are good guitars ? I wish they would have changed the name so older people won't get confused...

Anyway, I debating between a mexican Jazz Bass, a Squier VM Jazz Bass and a Squier VM Jaguar. I want the guitar to be versatile and reliable.
What are your opinions about it ?

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

I have a Squier VM Jazz bass, and it's an awesome guitar. Not just for the price . . . it's a really nice instrument. I've had it for four or five years now, pickups are good, neck is straight and true, electronics have been good, sounds lovely . . . if I had to get picky about something, it's kinda heavy so needs a thick strap to play for more than an hour but that's about all I could complain about. I tore it apart to shield everything when I got it, but haven't had to take anything apart ever since. J basses are versatile . . . roll back the bridge pickup volume and the tone a bit and you can do some passable P-bassy thumps, both pickups on full is a nice scooped kinda tone for slap bass, roll up mostly the bridge and you can do the growly mid-range thing that J-basses do.

 

[dotsdad]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

I have been at guitar for almost 30 years...the jazz bass neck feels more guitar like than the p basss neck. I agree the new squire vm jazz is prett good. I got a medican jazz off craigslist for swme cost. Great bass!

Look for one eith high mass bridge. Also avoid sunburst as those bodies are usually not one piece. Go for natural. Its Ugly but they are a solid piece of wood

 

[Scatabrain]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

+ 1 for Squier. Love mine.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ginormous]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

The quality (or the screening process) for Squiers has gone up. I'm satisfied with my Mexican Jazz Bass (an '03 model I got used).
A pickup swap for some SDs, and it was gold. The only issue I've had so far was the hex screws backing out of the bridge posts during a gig.
I'm saving up for a bridge upgrade anyway, so a decent Gotoh will finish the job.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

If you want a Jazz Bass, go with the Squier VM series. They really are fantastic basses for the price. They have Duncan Designed pickups and are really comfortable 4 string basses. The 5 string Jbass that I played felt really wide.

If you like a StingRay, then the Music Man SUB line is also very good for the money. Active electronics and a nice fat humbucker. i have a 5 string and that feels a lot better than the Jazz did.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

Avoid sunburst as those bodies are usually not one piece.

From Squier Affinity to Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt, very few Fender/Squier bass guitar bodies are one-piece. Only on opaque poly finishes are the joins hidden.

Where solidity is concerned, the only Squier production period to be worried about is Nineties' Korean instruments in opaque colours. Some of those were laminate/plywood. (Older members may recall a Yamaha Pacifica advertisement that illustrated this point.)

With pre-owned Mexican Fender instruments, avoid anything on which the darkest colour of a sunburst finish covers the entire "beergut" contour on the rear of the body. This indicates a spread of at least seven pieces of wood, faced front and back with veneers.

+1 for the Squier Vintage Modified series being as playable as many American-made instruments costing a good deal more.

The Sterling S.U.B. RAY4 and 5 are of exactly the same quality as the Squier VM line. They should be. They are made in the same factory.

 

[dotsdad]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

With pre-owned Mexican Fender instruments, avoid anything on which the darkest colour of a sunburst finish covers the entire "beergut" contour on the rear of the body. This indicates a spread of at least seven pieces of wood, faced front and back with .

Agreed, thats what I meant to say.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

mostly for recordings

Returning to this aspect, if you are going to purchase a Jazz Bass (or, for that matter, a Jaguar), be aware that the traditional Jazz Bass pickup design is a single coil. It can and will induce hum and RF interference. It may be desirable to budget for noise-cancelling pickups.

Reggie/ginormous mentioned upgrading from the stock Fender (Mexico) single coil pickups but omitted to state which SD model(s) he installed.

On a Jazz Bass, if you want either active EQ or active pickups or both, you will be faced by the perennial dilemma of where to put the 9v battery. For simple vol., vol., tone control system "dime" pots, there should be room in the bottom of the control cavity. For anything more sophisticated than a stacked knob treble/bass EQ, there will not be enough space. It will be necessary to have a cavity cut for a battery box. The Squier VM Jaguar, Deluxe Jazz and Dimension Bass models already have this feature.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

Returning to this aspect, if you are going to purchase a Jazz Bass (or, for that matter, a Jaguar), be aware that the traditional Jazz Bass pickup design is a single coil. It can and will induce hum and RF interference. It may be desirable to budget for noise-cancelling pickups.

Reggie/ginormous mentioned upgrading from the stock Fender (Mexico) single coil pickups but omitted to state which SD model(s) he installed.

On a Jazz Bass, if you want either active EQ or active pickups or both, you will be faced by the perennial dilemma of where to put the 9v battery. For simple vol., vol., tone control system "dime" pots, there should be room in the bottom of the control cavity. For anything more sophisticated than a stacked knob treble/bass EQ, there will not be enough space. It will be necessary to have a cavity cut for a battery box. The Squier VM Jaguar, Deluxe Jazz and Dimension Bass models already have this feature.

I forgot about the Dimension bass. Thats a nice instrument too.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

I'm thinking an Ibanez or Squire would be a good place to look for a beginner. Best of luck!

 

[ginormous]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

Reggie/ginormous mentioned upgrading from the stock Fender (Mexico) single coil pickups but omitted to state which SD model(s) he installed.

Forgive my oversight; these were a gift from a dear friend. He had the local shop owner do the work.

After examining the box, these are a set of Antiquitys (Antiquities?).
He must have had some help because he wouldn't have known how to select these pickups on his own.
Yeah, mind blown. :bigeyes:mg::scared:

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

Forgive my oversight. After examining the box, these are a set of Antiquities.

In this context, probably wisest not to have mentioned pickups that would cost more than the host instrument. (Well, they would in my country! Greedy distributor.)

For the Ant II P Bass model, I was quoted an MSRP of 160GBP (240USD).

 

[ginormous]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

In this context, probably wisest not to have mentioned pickups that would cost more than the host instrument. (Well, they would in my country! Greedy distributor.)

For the Ant II P Bass model, I was quoted an MSRP of 160GBP (240USD).

Hence the "mind blown" comment... obviously, beyond the means of most, even me. That's one of the reasons he's such a dear friend. Helped me out more than a few times, without thought of recompence. He heard me clacking and quacking my way through a gig on the Mexi Jazz, and next birthday, there he goes.

Still, there's no harm in saving up for a good pair of Duncans, or whatever's your pleasure.
Example: from the 70s to the late 80s, L.A. sessionista Abraham Laboriel (senior) used a Goya Panther. Off-brand import, probably made by Hagstrom or EKO.
That's scraping the bottom of the barrel and praying you don't hit dirt, as far as a pro's concerned.
But it felt good in his hands, so he had the pickups re-wound, and the control cavity shielded with copper foil.
Quiet enough to record thousands of hours of tunes, tour with guys like Al Jarreau, etc., and still had "his sound".
Had he done so today, he most likely would have swapped pickups.

 

[Nuts]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

Thank you all !
I'm most likely going to buy a Squier Vintage Modified next week, but I still don't know whether I should get a Jazz Bass or a short scale jaguar.
Isn't the jaguar more versatile than a Jazz Bass because of it's PJ pickup configuration ?

By the way, I want to avoid buying another bass in the future, do you think a Squier could be the last bass I'll buy ?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

The JJ v. PJ v. P argument is as old as the electric bass guitar itself. I am not about to launch into that argument here.

In this thread, the important question is 30" v. 34" scale length. This will affect both the feel and the tone.

A secondary consideration is resale. A Jazz Bass will be easy to shift. A Jaguar less so. A short scale Jaguar considerably less so.

If a Fender (Mexico) instrument was within your budget, a whole bunch of superior pre-owned instruments ought to also be within reach.

 

[Nuts]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

If a Fender (Mexico) instrument was within your budget, a whole bunch of superior pre-owned instruments ought to also be within reach.

I can afford a mexican fender, do you have any specific suggestion ?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

The Warwick Corvette. Ideally, a German-made example. Possibly, the Korean-made "Pro Line" version.

Avoid anything with the name Rock Bass written on it. (Sorry, Stratman!)

MEC Dynamic Correction passive, noise-cancelling pickups are a little short on stringy top end detail but they can easily be replaced in the future. MEC active J pickups are better but still leave room for improvement.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

If a Mexican Fender is within your price range, would something like this be available? It would pretty much guarantee you a great bass at a killer price.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Help me choose my first bass guitar

That is a lot of bass guitar for the money.

One downside to the specification is the pairing of EMG-35DC and -35J pickups. There will be a noticeable difference in volume between them. They never quite make the "honk" that a -35J pair would. On the other hand, if the pickup employ the EMG solderless Quik Connect loom, it would be a simple screwdriver job to change a pickup.