Fender....Squier....Indonesia...Rosewood...MightyMite?..CORT...Alder C-grade...

[spantini]

The differences that I hear between a Jazz and Precision bass is mainly in the pickup placement and style. The Jazz can go from warm to spanky and anywhere in between because of the spacing of the pickups. A little bit of blending the two, you can approximate the P-bass sound. The P-bass doesn't have the really the bright spanky sound that you can get with a Jazz because the approximate placement of the single pickup is roughly the same as the neck pickup of a Jazz. Of course the advantage is the ability to have a humbucking winding.

... ...

This makes me wonder what an early 50's P-Bass sounds like with the single PU just north of dead center.

 

[Slouching Raymond]

I once read about plastic coated strings. Never seen any, but they'd be easy on the fingers.

 

[TalismanRich]

Coated strings would be something like Elixer Polywebs and Nanowebs. I use them on my Taylor and Dean acoustics, and they are on a couple of my electrics. Its not so much to be easier on the fingers, but they really cut down on finger squeaks which is great for recording. They are supposed to last longer. They do seem to last a little longer, maybe 1.5 times before they start to go down, but at double the price, it's not an economical proposition. Definitely is wouldn't affect bass strings. I know people who have had their strings on for 20+ years. The ones on my Peavey were the original strings, and I bought that thing at least that long ago.

One could say that using coating strings lets you have the slick and quiet aspect of flatwounds, with the sound of roundwounds. In some cases that's a real advantage.

 

[Slouching Raymond]

Bought a new bass guitar today, Ibanez SR300EB-WK. Very nice to play, and good solid knobs. It was pre-owned, but is in very good nick. Was £219, and I see new is £260.
Should help to steer me away from my expensive Fender addiction. I plan to try flatwounds on it, at some point.

 

[spantini]

I was invited to sit in for a bass player one night while he took a short break. He was using an acoustic-electric - could have been a Fender - with roundwounds and I didn't like that one bit. The action was too high and I couldn't pull my fingers away fast enough or far enough to avoid massive squeaking. Coated strings would have been a great birthday gift for that guy.

 

[CoolCat]

I went to swap pickups on the Squier Affinity.
Some dude sold two packs of bass strings and tossed in the SD Quater Pounders and had the full control wired in....for $40.
So in my accounting mind, the two sets of strings were worth the $40. So the pups were about nothing and the control-set, I looked up pictures and appear to be the All Parts kit, which is $17 new, and includes Switchcraft jack and both pots and the cap and cloth thick wires.

Negative point for the Squier is the pickguard is very odd and forums post about nothing fits the Indo Affinity, so if the screw holes dont line up neither does the pickup holes etc...so you have to grind and cut....something to think about if doing DIY.
Negative mentioned upthread is also this Squier Aff INdo has the "mini pots" so again large normal sized pots wont fit without drilling the pickguard and possibly tight fit in the body routing.
Positive- most companys like Bourn pots have "minis" available too.

Recorded a jam with the old stock pups and then with the new SeymourDuncan Quarter Pounders SP3 ....
Ok the Quarterlbs were louder about 6db for my setup, height. But sliding the Reaper gain added the volume to the stock-pups.

Then tone....the stock pups are smoother, mellow less clarity but sound fine, many would choose that probably. Cort supposedly copied the vintage Fender pups in some ways. The Duncans 1/4lbs...were clear and thick and speak for themselves, they dont need my inputs, a US Made Top Seller for SDuncan and etc..etc..

Now my 2cents I dont think for a Squier PBass the pup upgrade does much, if I had paid $100 for the Pups. The volume and tone can be touched in the Reaper so volume and some treble could closely match that "sound". However if you wanted the 1/4lb sound without tweaks its built in.
Again I got these used 1/4lbrs free basically, so there was no cost added to the Squier $150 PBass. Spending $100! on this guitar seems kind of odd because then its at $250? and a brand new Squier is $299.

Unfortunately Im not drilling and routing anything to try the difference of the AllParts control kit, due to the Squier pickguard having mini holes. (and Im lazy today)

If someone wanted a smoother vintage tone, seems a set of strings like the HalfWounds or Flats could do the same as a pup change. imo...ymmv

 

[CoolCat]

Bought a new bass guitar today, Ibanez SR300EB-WK. Very nice to play, and good solid knobs. It was pre-owned, but is in very good nick. Was £219, and I see new is £260.
Should help to steer me away from my expensive Fender addiction. I plan to try flatwounds on it, at some point.

That SR300EB has a lot of tone controls, should cover about everything in tones.

And for me the upgrade thing seems to happen early on after purchase, not that its bad, but its all about cash and in a resale thing probably wont recoup any money spent on a $150 guitar, although it might be a positive selling point to have "upgraded tuners or etc..".
But thinking about selling right after buying a guitar is kind of whacked too...i suppose?

$250 for a well made axe, new technology better quality etc....a good playing axe is key...good feel comes first for me. Then sounds, pups, tones...type strings ?

 

[CoolCat]

Coated strings would be something like Elixer Polywebs and Nanowebs. I use them on my Taylor and Dean acoustics, and they are on a couple of my electrics. Its not so much to be easier on the fingers, but they really cut down on finger squeaks which is great for recording. They are supposed to last longer. They do seem to last a little longer, maybe 1.5 times before they start to go down, but at double the price, it's not an economical proposition. Definitely is wouldn't affect bass strings. I know people who have had their strings on for 20+ years. The ones on my Peavey were the original strings, and I bought that thing at least that long ago.

One could say that using coating strings lets you have the slick and quiet aspect of flatwounds, with the sound of roundwounds. In some cases that's a real advantage.

I did the Elixir $$$ on my acoustic and am a fan now, because of the less sqeeky issue. I'll take all the help I can get.

 

[CoolCat]

Squier Stock Pup and the SPB3 pup
The first Riff Stock, the answering riff SPB3...its like a bit more treble, on the SPB3. SPB3 is "wet" and the Stock to me is smooth, vintage-ish..

very subtle probably?

 

[spantini]

I went to swap pickups on the Squier Affinity.
Some dude sold two packs of bass strings and tossed in the SD Quater Pounders and had the full control wired in....for $40.
... ...

Those are some heavy strings @ .110 - they may not fully seat into the nut, so keep an eye on that when you start winding them up.

 

[spantini]

I did the Elixir $$$ on my acoustic and am a fan now, because of the less sqeeky issue. I'll take all the help I can get.

My Taylor came with Elixir Light .012-.053 Phosphor Bronze and I'm happy with those for now.

 

[spantini]

Squier Stock Pup and the SPB3 pup
The first Riff Stock, the answering riff SPB3...its like a bit more treble, on the SPB3. SPB3 is "wet" and the Stock to me is smooth, vintage-ish..

very subtle probably?

It's a close call. I can't tell if I'm imagining it or it has been suggested by your comments, but the second one "may" be a hair brighter - and that's based on it's matching run in the lower key. In a mix with hardly any EQing, either would sound the same, IMO.

 

[CoolCat]

Yeah the strings on this guitar now arent so large. I might ask GC if I can swap them for something medium.

I watched some real Guitar Tech "NoMad" something...setting up a Pbass, and I took notes. I agree setups get things close, then tweaking for my playing like picking heavy or finger bass is soooo different. Its just no way to make it perfect to cover everything.
.010 of 1 inch, I dont know, it gets to be more if it doesnt buzz! and the string height is ok....Im good. Im not worrying if its 8/1000 or 10/1000 or even 15 /1000..... Im not a real bass player, I use picks and dont go past the 7th fret most the time. lol

Your right, and I dont want to start filing away on stuff to try something and then be into nuts and frets messed up just for some $20 strings.
Hopefully GC will let me trade them, I'd try a set of Halfwounds for sure, they sound versatile and less metal-bite.

I put the stock Squier pups back in the Squier.
The Peavey Fury I have the sons band bass player uses it a lot because its Maple neck is really nice, and they do punk and metal often so the SP3 might fit that well.

Elixirs ....they seem to be one of those new inventions that "work". I like them. They arent dull at all, but a nano film is pretty...atomic level thin. We do nano level film deposits at work in some tools, 2nm to 500nm etc... different film types, not sure, but Elixir meantions Poly...maybe Poly urethene family?

 

[CoolCat]

It's a close call. I can't tell if I'm imagining it or it has been suggested by your comments, but the second one "may" be a hair brighter - and that's based on it's matching run in the lower key. In a mix with hardly any EQing, either would sound the same, IMO.

listening to it today its subtle. theres a little more treble, but if a drummer was hitting cymbals and other noises going on...its pretty small difference isnt it?
Its a simple riff....AA- C-d-d#-E..(stock) ...AA -C E-d#-D (SPB3)...then repeat...

I heard a lot more differences in the string samples upthread, than I did in this pup swap.

Doing the Guitar Setup closer inspection today, it seems if I set this Squier Affinity lower like the dude says, theres a bit fret buzzing, or a lot.
Im whacking it with a pick too, but these are .100 strings or lights and they are set pretty high the Low E.
My Squier Jazz is so close to the frets but it doesnt buzz as much.

Total hobbyist novice here on Pro Setups....but the neck bow seems high, string height high, measurement at the nut is ok (but there is some ringing on the A string and if I put my finger on the string by the A tuner it goes away? the other strings dont do that). Setting the pickup height I already did using my ears and VU meter on my sweet ISA 430 preamp....its the VU meter. glow..


ADD: weekends past update
So I ran into a deal of another US PBass 2011, beauty mint , case, and all candy like NOS...same original strings, few hours , a closet one the dude said.
Original Fender setup. I played it and of course is a beauty, 2011- rolled edges, etc...etc...
Plugged it in and smooth player, then the sound and VU output, and then out came my steel ruler and all was setup very much identical to my Squier PBass....pickup height 3/32 , string height....etc.. both pretty much the same.

So if the US is a 10 star as the scale to compare to. The Squier Pbass, post setup and all the above holds up amazing well.
In playability the Squier might be a strong 7, if an easy player an 8. 7.5 star..
In sound, the Squier pups might again be 8..9 or 10.
In hardware, Squier tuners and bridge a bit lower, less mass, less smoothness 6?...5?..6....
In cheap-cost Squier at $150 used is 10
In Decal buzz 7, maybe this one a 6 because its not even the "gold" decal...but its a 20th Anniversary neck plate! +1 ?
In materials of neck Rosewood and Alder body....8
In workmanship, 2002 Squier PBas seems nice, but like so many others note, the higher frets (most dont use) maybe buzz more...7 fret work.

Then I liked what one dude did in his video compare. He pie/charted the cost.
This US was $1025. Lets take $250 for the mint Fender case and 100% candy....So guitar is $775, this is swag goof cost numbers.
How much for the added quality tuners and bridge? $150? and then the Holes through the Back is labor and cool...$100..$80?
So theres an added $230 in hardware and holes through the back. Bringing the guitar difference to $545 ish.
Now the rolled neck, perfect fret work I have to give it $200 as if done by a luthier setup.... $345 left to explain.
Resale of the Decal worth $300..lol...thats what the youtube dude said. I have a 0% Paypal, but I dont think I would pay $1800 or even $1500.
Im old and its just getting to be more Antique Collector Roadshow prices than it is making music....and its money.

However sound wise there wasnt a lot of difference at all. If my sons punk band are going to bang stuff, or if I want a Bass
to play and lean against a wall and dont care attitude vibe, not-me- worry about scuffs and dings....Squier PBass kind of wins, imo.
It is again very eye opening to compare one side to side....having a $150 used Squier, I might even watch a video and learn how to
do some fret work at the 17th and on frets...even though I dont use it down there.

As for my 30yr Squier Jazz, its a 10. I dont know why, came off the factory floor that way. ?
This 2002 Squier P-Bass...is an easy 8....for $150, and Ive had US Fenders rating lower in the past.

Its been fun, 2002 Squier Pbass... enjoyed the comments too..... GHS Brite Flats, and all the youtube Guitar setup time is so good to have!
My Squier is within 1/32 of the US setup PB, I think that makes a huge difference.