Squier V.M. '70s Jazz Bass vs American Ultra Jazz Bass

Gear
24

I think one of the most important factors here is one that will take time to truly evaluate.
Once people can gather again, and once you can bring your bass into social scenarios and jams and gigs…
Having a slick, gorgeous Fender Custom Shop bass will be invaluable vs owning a Squier.

People will want to talk to you about it.
And by people, I mean other bass players.

This brings up a very tangential topic that I will touch on here:
After a show all the fans and love-struck beauties of the crowd go to the lead singer and soloist.
The rhythm section will talk exclusively with other players who will want to talk exclusively about gear.
Drummers will corner drummers and ask about sticks and shells.
Bassists will corner bassists and ask about preamps, pickups and pedals.

With that Custom Shop, you will have well over $1,400 worth of attention.

This is, mostly, humorous… but it’s also 100% accurate.

While you may personally have decided that the value is not there physically - the legend and visual power of the myth of the Fender Bass will work in your favor. People will instantly assume you are a better and more experienced player when you pull out the Custom Shop. Honestly.
People hear and judge with their eyes. I’ll be interested to see if you experience any of this if the world opens up again!

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25

I’ve always been a Fender guy, @Gio . . . :slight_smile: . . that won’t change any time soon.

I will be absolutely certain to let you know, and thank you for your kind words!

Cheers
Joe

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Thanks for doing this @Jazzbass19 I have a squier paranormal and absolutely love it but always thought later down the line would like to upgrade so this is interesting for me thanks.

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27

If you start going down this path, then you have to do a…
Squire pickups cost x, Fender pickups y, subtract.
Rinse and repeat for each component, including wood quality, etc.

By virtue of buying the bass you essentially have said it is worth it, no?

And we are now back to that value question. Cost vs. value are different of course.

I have a super nifty, really cool case that came with my CS P bass that sits in a pile of super nifty vintage and new cases for both bass and sax in a closet. I am sure it cost a lot, the cool orange fabric inside is sweet, the 5 CS picks they put in the case are nice, but I don’t use picks and if I did i already had a pile. I did get a sticker too in a nice faux leather folio that I am not sure what to have it hold for me other than my receipt. All the above are worthless to me, I wanted the bass.

Side note, I recently bought a vintage baritone sax that came with a $2000 (yes, 3 zeros) custom carbon fiber case that the previous owner bought for it. I would never have bought this case (the one I was eyeballing for this type of horn is $1000 btw, and there are cheaper ones) It also sits in the pile of cases mentioned above. I keep it cause I would never buy one and it came with the deal, and although I could replace it with a $200 case, its tough to sell as they are molded for each horn individually.

My point is you had value drivers to buy that bass (and I am super jealous of it, use it well!). One day I will do something similar for J bass, but for now will play ‘plastic surgeon’ on my Squire for fun.

Just enjoy it immensely.

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28

Got it, John @John_E . . . :wink:

Thanks,
Joe

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29

@Gio hit the nail on the head. You are not just paying for the bass to be 4x better in tangible (look/feel/sound) improvements. That’s not going to happen as long as the comparison bass is half-decent. There is a lot more going in relation to value as per the Fender Custom Shop thread.

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Also understood, @JT . . . :wink: . . :+1:

Cheers,
Joe

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31

I wonder if your comparison would be any different if both basses were brand new as opposed to comparing it with your favorite bass that has been your go to for a while, is setup exactly how you like it and you are used to.

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32

Hey, @BassFaceDisgrace . . . :slight_smile:

The way I’m approaching this, is that I’m thoroughly used to the Squier . . . I know how to get the tones out of it that I want, how it feels, etc.

Once I fully understand how to adjust the Ultra bass settings, I can then make an educated comparison between the two.

There’s more going on than just comparing the price. . . I’m hoping to hear a definite improvement in the tone and volume of the Ultra, but I have to learn how to adjust the settings first.

So . . . no, my comparison would NOT be different if both basses were brand new.

Thanks for your post,
Joe

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33

First of all congratulations on your new bass @Jazzbass19. She is a stunning :star_struck:.
Secondly thank you for starting this very interesting thread. It certainly brings many thoughts and questions to the table.
I’m looking forward to hearing more as you get further into playing the MIA bass :+1:

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Thanks, @Mac . . . :slight_smile:

I got off to a slightly rocky start and had a negative first impression because I didn’t properly understand how the control panel operates . . . :roll_eyes: . . I’ve got it figured out now and will report back later on.

The more I play it, the more I like it. . . :+1:

Thanks for your kind words,
Joe

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35

@locket . . Squier basses are a great choice to get started with . . . :slight_smile:

I have a deeper appreciation for my own as I compare it to Fender’s flagship MIA Jazz Bass, too! Thanks for your kind words . . .

Cheers
Joe

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36

Hadn’t heard of that one, but took a look. That bass is super cool! Nice choice!

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Ye @John_E I like it. I just took a risk and bought it online didnt try it out first cause of lockdown but im super pleased with it the tone is lovely.

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Ye it seems that the squire is a bargain. @Jazzbass19

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39

Lobster did a review on the Squire Paranormal, and loved it.

The Paranormal is from the China factory, as opposed to the Vintage Modified, which is from the Indonesia factory, but he said that the Paranormal, out of the box, by design, fit and finish, hardware and pickups , is the best Squire Jazz he has ever played.

Sounds like a winner to me.

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40

I think I saw that I watched a few and everyone seemed to think they were really good so ye thats why I went for it… I havent played any other bass so I cant really say how it conpares to others but I love it, it sounds great to me.

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41

UPDATE #2: I originally had a negative first impression about the Ultra bass, thinking it wasn’t much better tonewise than my $400 Squier. . . It turns out that I misunderstood the tonal controls and got one or two correct only by accident . . . :roll_eyes:

Anyway, using a more methodical approach, I determined how these settings work. All the EQ settings on my amp were set at noon, and all effects on the amp were turned off.

Referring back to the earlier pic of the control panel:

IMG_20210410_105542575
IMG_20210410_1055425754608×3456 2.88 MB

There are four knobs, left to right: volume and pan which are single, and two “stacked” knobs which control the tones, depending on whether ‘passive’ or ‘active’ is chosen with the small toggle switch.

The ‘volume’ knob controls the overall volume. (This used to be the volume control of the regular Jazz Bass neck pickup). The ‘pan’ control (which used to be the volume control of the regular Jazz Bass bridge pickup) allows the user to choose which pickups to use. If it’s turned all the way CW, it’s 100% neck pickup. If it’s turned all the way CCW, it’s 100% bridge pickup. In the photo, it’s set at 50%-50% so BOTH pickups are used equally.

The third and fourth knobs control the tones. If the selector switch is set to passive, as in the photo, the third knob (bass on the outer ring and treble on the inner knob) does nothing at all.

The forth knob (tone on the outer ring and midrange on the inner knob) works two ways:

If the selector switch is set to passive, the outer ring (tone) is operable (just like the tone control on the regular Jazz bass), and the inner knob (midrange) does nothing.

If the selector switch is set to active, the outer ring (tone) does nothing, and the inner knob (midrange) is operable. Further, both the ring and the inner knob on the third knob are also operable. Thus, the tone controls only work when the active mode is chosen.

There doesn’t seem to be any instructions anywhere on how all these settings work, so I had to determine them myself. If anyone else gets an Ultra Jazz bass, I hope this helps them . . . :slight_smile:

I take back my original negative impression about the Ultra bass. It really is fantastic and fun to play, now that I know what I’m doing with it.

Next step is to determine what effect different amplifier settings will have.

But that’s for another day.

Cheers
Joe

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42

Do you notice getting any extra upper harmonics when using the active electronics?

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43

What I did notice was an increase in volume, Eric @eric.kiser . . . :thinking:

No question about it.

@howard and @Krescht both indicated earlier that the volume should be the same in both passive and active modes, but I was very careful in my determinations of how the settings work. I have no issues with a little extra volume, though! :slight_smile:

Cheers
Joe

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