Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass (Short Scale Candy Apple Red) Reviews

4.4/5.0 based on 7 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

Mark
from OH USA
May 16, 2013Music Background:
Experienced Bass Player for 24 years

Very Impressed!

First off, when reading any review about a cheap product there has to be a lot to write off because most reviewers are beginners. I am Not! I have played bass guitar for over 24 years and my baby is a German made Warwick Streamer. I have played just about any bass you could think of and to be honest have never been much of a fan of Fender throughout my years of playing. Anyways, I was in the market for a 30" scale bass just to toy around with...I've toyed around with some at local guitar stores but thought they were just toys and and sounded awful. So, I come across Sweatwater here and read the reviews and it got me intrigued. I went ahead and bought the Squire Vintage modified jaguar short scale ( it almost makes me laugh when I think that I actually bought a Squire!!)
Ok, So here is my take on the bass:
People raved about the neck and commented on how good it was....Well, It is! Very Nice for the money! Granted it's not an ovankol with an adjustable nut like a Warwick but for a Maple neck and rosewood, it is quite nice....you would normally expect the frets to cut into your hand on a bass this cheap, but hey...the other reviewers were right...Nice job Squire! I tend to like my action a little higher than what some people choose because an extremely low action seems to lack a little punch for me...if I wanted the action extremely low I would have to shim the neck a bit....I lowered the action to see how low I could get it and it wasn't much lower than the stock action as it was shipped, although the stock action works great for me. So if you like super low action you may need to shim the neck to get it. Overall the neck has true tone on each note and every fret....I've had some basses that were cheaper over the years and had considerable dead spots....this one is very , very good for the price....you wont be disappointed....in fact you will be awed!
The body Finish was superb, I can not find a flaw anywhere....and you normally would expect that in this price range.
Of course the bridge and tuners are not the highest quality out there but for the price are suitable and do what they are supposed to do.
The only downfall on this bass is....just what others have said...the bridge pick up or "J" pick up in other words is quite lacking. There is definitely an output difference between the P and J pickups.
The P pickup does sound good. I actually expected this from the other reviews and am going to put a set of Dimarzios in and cant wait to do that!
I have yet to play this in a band situation as of yet and look forward to see how this bass comes through in the mix.
One thing I want to add is that I play bass with a pick...started on guitar for a couple of years and in fact I like the edge that I get playing with a pick.
This bass does carry the low end nicely as others have stated and I was a bit skeptical about that, in fact it might be a touch too much! Will have to see in a band situation how it plays out.

If you are a beginner...buy it! Very much worth the price!
If you are an experienced musician like I am ...it is up to you. I bought this primarily because I wanted a 30" scale to mess around with and expecting to replace the pick ups but may only replace the J at first because the P sounds pretty good. I also expect to replace the bridge to give it a bit more mass...and BTW , it does have a little neck dive, it's not horrible...kinda wants to sit at about 2 to 3 O'Clock when held....but since it is a 30" scale it doesn't really bother me much.

So, overall I gotta give out the kudos to Squire!...although I never liked them before, I am considering getting the 34" scale version next. Oh and ordered the bass and received it in two days! Got tthe box candy from Sweatwater and had to LOL! Real Candy! Nice touch Sweetwater....will do business with again!

Matt wright
from LA, CA
March 27, 2013Music Background:
Pro- semi retired

At twice the price, it would be a good deal

For the price of this guitar I'm amazed at the quality, I was just looking for a knock around. It plays great, sounds great. beginners can get a great starter guitar for the price of an ipod. That's cool to an old guy like me.

Matt B. Wright
from LA, CA
March 8, 2013Music Background:
Pro, semi retired.

Man, this is almost too good to be true

As a old guy, I have to say, If they had guitars this good, for this money, I'd be better today. I'm a guitar player, I wanted a knock around bass. I thought, worse case, i put better pickuos in, no need. It sounds great. A great short scale option.

Marshall Smith
from GA
June 23, 2012Music Background:
Drummer & Bass Guitarist

Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass

A lot of bass for the price and surprisingly good sound. I get a fairly decent range of tones using a Vox pathfinder amp. I really like how light weight this bass is (weighs about as much as a strat) I don't know why they call it a "Jaguar Mod" because it is more like a jazz-master. Overall this is a beautiful bass that sounds like a much more expensive model.

Andrew Mac
from Indiana
September 20, 2011Music Background:
hobbyist

Nice bass, great price

My daughter grew too big for the mikro ibanez bass. We saw this bass in a store and tried it out. It is lightweight and comfortable, sounds full.
I play USA jazz basses, but I would not hesitate to use this bass in a pinch. Sweetwater's service was great.

Mattis
from Norway
September 12, 2011Music Background:
Hobbyist (Marabakke on iTunes)

Great all round bass

My first and only bass through 10 years was an Epiphone Thunderbird, bought mostly for it's bad (b)ass look. It served me well for a studio bass, but I never found that simple, clean bass sound on it. It was always rumbly and deep, and had a very long neck that was hard to get used to for a guitar player.

I started to look for an affordable, verstaile bass and this baby popped up in my search. Short scale, feels almost like a strat, with both P and J pickups. Good looking, comfortable to play, no noticeable neck dive with a leather strap (compared to the Epi Thunderbird that really sags). It sounds great. Best from the P pickup. The J pickup is a little low and I dunno... thin sounding. But it works well to blend between the two pickups to dial in the sound you want. I was looking for a decent pop/clean bass sound and found it here.

The finish is pretty good, not perfect. Just a few small specks of uneven/missing paint - you can't see it unless you're looking for it. The neck needed a bit of adjustment and I could probably releave it a bit more to get string height down a tad. The bridge is okay, but rattled a tiny bit in the beginning, not anymore. Tuners are good. All in all a good looking budget bass, perfect for studio use (short scale in front of a computer is a good idea). Recommended.

Witnar
from Cedar Park, TX
August 1, 2011Music Background:
Hobbyist and amateur musician

Gotta Love A Short Scale

The bass is put together well enough that it feels solid, and doesn't feel like it's going to fall apart. A little more care in assembly would have been nice, like the rear pickup was pretty dead because someone had banged two of the volume pot posts together and they were shorting out. This was an easy fix, and now the bass plays quite well. I popped in some GFS Vintage pickups and some new pots, and now it sounds like a much higher quality bass. I really love short scales, and no, I don't have small hands. The fact is short scales have a string sensitivity to bends and vibrato that 34" scale completely lacks.