Squier Vintage Modified Precision Bass TB

This is the Vintage Modified Precision TB bass put out by Squier. This is not to be confused with the regular Vintage Modified Precision as I believe the TB stands for Telecaster Bass. You will immediately be able to tell by the looks as the headstock is shaped like a Tele and there is only one fat humbucker in the neck pickup.

It happens all the time you go in for strings and come out with a guitar. Sometimes you even forget to get the strings you came for! This bass was brand new on Christmas Eve. $299 You're darn right I told the Mrs. Santa brought it for me! Since the vintage Fender version of these are going up and up in price this is a nice compromise.

The string through body. Something about string throughs just give you an extra bit of sustain. The body contour is nice as I don't believe the vintage ones had this, but it makes the bass a little bit lighter and closer to you.

The 2 saddle bridge is correct for that era, but this is something the could have left out. Each string deserves its own saddle. Currently the bass has nice action and intonates well.

Ash veneer is what gives the bass its looks. The body is a nice sunburst finish and the neck is a smooth semi gloss stain finish.

The hardware is your typical cheaper instrument hardware, but if functions well.

This bass thumps! Throw on some flatwound strings, roll back the tone knob and get that warm, fat bass tone you grew up listening to. Squier is making guitars better than ever these days at an affordable price.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

General Specifications
Model Name: Vintage Modified Precision Bass® TB
Series: Vintage Modified
Color / MSRP* / Part # :
3-Tone Sunburst
$499.99
032-6902-500
Body

Body: Basswood
Body Shape: Precision Bass®
Body Finish:
0326902500
Polyurethane
Neck

Neck Shape: "C" Shape
Number of Frets: 20
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
Position Inlays: Dot Position Inlays
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
Neck Material: Maple
Neck Finish: Polyurethane
Nut Width: 1.6” (40.6 mm)
Scale Length: 34" (86.36 cm)
Neck Plate: Engraved Neckplate
Electronics

Pickup Configuration: Single Pickup
Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
Hardware

Hardware: Chrome
Bridge: Original 2-Saddle Vintage Style Precision Bass® Bridge
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Miscellaneous

Strings: Fender® USA Super Bass 7350MS, NPS, (.045-.105 Gauges)
Unique Features: Ash Veneers, Large Chrome Covered Tele® Bass Humbucking Pickup, '51 Headstock Shape, '51 Slab Style Body Top with Sharp Radius, '51 Style Control Plate, '55 Style Front Arm Contour, '55 Style Pickguard Shape, Dot Position Inlays, Knurled Chrome Dome Control Knobs
Accessories

Control Knobs: Knurled Chrome

UTILIZATION

This is a bass that is nice in theory, great in design, but bad in practice. The Fender Telecaster Bass of the 1970s is an iconic vintage instrument. This bass from Squier looks to be a direct copy of it. However, the Squier version is made of c heaper materials, with much poorer quality craftsmanship. The neck was the worst - the neck was bowed severely right out of the box. The fret edges were sharp, even making me wince in pain while sliding my hand up the strings. The finish is not bad, and the tuners and bridge seem decent, but that neck problem is a deal breaker for me.

SOUNDS

The pickup sounds good, if you like thuddy or growly bass sounds with a minimum of upper frequencies. There is not a lot of clarity to this bass, so it is good for mainly Motown sounds, R and B, blues, or other genres that cut all the high end frequencies out of the bass sound.

OVERALL OPINION

I'm not a fan of this bass. I think Fender should bump the quality control up a notch and make sure they are making a neck that is actually playable. They could charge $100 more for the same bass with a much better fretjob (and lack of neck bow), and it would be a pretty good instrument. Not recommended.

I've only had this bass for a couple of months but have used it before I purchased it, and I can already tell it's going to be one of my favorite instruments ever! The Duncan Design pickups have a great tone that I have never heard on a bass in this price range. The action was a bit high and required some minor adjustments, but other than that I have found no flaws with this instrument. It has a great sound, a smooth, fast neck, and it looks stunning! I owned a MIM Fender Jazz some years ago, and I can say for a fact that the Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass is a FAR superior instrument. Home run, Squier!

UTILIZATION

I Get a great sound with this bass, very easy to get to the last frets and get those notes going! I am not a seasoned bass player, I am still learning and this bass helps!

SOUNDS

Sounds amazing, really couldn’t ask for more out of an affordable bass. It fits perfect when im playing jazz!

OVERALL OPINION

Overall, This is a solid bass,the one I got was pretty much perfect,except one of the tuning keys is a little loose,but it doesn't cause it to go out of tune. Nice finish, very smooth, fret work is good,all knobs tight & smooth. The chrome parts are plated so after a few years of steady gigging they may start to look funky, but that's just a guess.(I plan to take it to most of my gigs,I always take 2 basses.)The binding on the neck is really nice so I wish the "block inlays" weren't just painted on,but hey for under 3 bills...and from the stage it looks like inlays.The quality control seems to be pretty good from the factory. Its a very well made instrument for the money & would be a solid performer for any gigging musician.

I will not rewrite everything, everyone has the same ^^

USE

The handle slides alone it is a real treat! I never had an instrument with a handle as slippery and pleasant, even on gibson les paul fender or scratches on TV in a icb300EX low!

It seems to me somewhat heavy, but the weight esst rparti on the head, and suddenly is not very pleasant if bandouillre is fine.

The access to the treble is good, despite a large cube the end of the handle that can GNER

SONORITS

It suits me perfectly !!
To play Muse, Queen, Metallica, she spends alone.
The slap is not his specialty my taste, so the RHCP pass well enough, but without much prtention ..
But all sounds good!

I play on a Marshall MB15

NOTICE GLOBAL

I use it for 4 months, it is perfect !!
A style that dboite, great face! Nickel!
Magnificent report qualitprix.
I would do the same choice without hsiter!