Classic Vibes

I needed a solid bass to do some recording. We have a few vintage-y ones around, like a Danelectro, Crown, Kay & Domino, but for commercial music, i need a bass that’s a bit more solid, more importantly, with great intonation. Enter the Squier. Before i found this Classic Vibe Jazz Bass on Craigslist, for a mere $200, i poo-pooed Squires, with their bleached maple, satin-finished necks and limited boring colors, not to mention cheap hardware & electronics.

Well it seems like with this series, they finally got it right. It has a somewhat heavy basswood body, with a very nice, Olympic White paint job, a beautiful piece of quartersawn maple for the neck, with a very vintage, lacquer finish. The fretboard almost looks like endangered brazilian rosewood. Who knows, after all, it was made in China. Another unique feature is the heavy-duty hardware – thick chrome – the machines, control plate and bridge. It’s a far cry from the stamped metal hardware of previous Squires. Even more impressive are the brass saddles on the bridge, chunky, stable and one for each string – imagine that.

I threw a set of D’Addario flatwounds on, 45-100, some foam near the tailpiece and then it really came alive. The action is smooth & easy, very playable, with great intonation and feel. It sounds fantastic too, round, woody and dense – you can hear it in action, in an earlier post “Surf’s Up”. It was completely worth the discounted price and the full street price too ($349 US). The only suggestion i have to Fender, is to make the pickups a bit hotter, but you can use a preamp to juice it up for live or recording. Also the tortoise-shell pick guard could look a little more authentic.

Other than that, i highly recommend snapping up any guitar or bass in the Classic Vibe series. They’re all well worth the price of admission, look cool and play great. If history repeats itself, and it usually does, Fender will surely discontinue them before it’s time, making them collectible in the not-so distant future, and great players at a budget price for now. Do it!