Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass (Short Scale Silver) Reviews

4.1/5.0 based on 9 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

bass man1
from bethlehem, pa
September 5, 2011Music Background:
hobbist

awsome bass

This bass is the total package great tone wicked fast neck and lite . I got it out of the box tuned it and fell inlove

Bruce R.
from Sealy, TX
July 3, 2012Music Background:
Pro Musician

Great Little Bass

I got this little short-scale bass for recording & demo's for songwriting, etc. It works great. It's not perfect cosmetically - it had a ding in the pick guard, some scuffing under the headstock, and the typical little imperfections in the paint (barely noticeable - you have to really look) but functionally, it is great. Stays in tune really good, even with the stock strings. I get the best sound for my taste, using both pickups. The bridge pickup by itself is a little weak. The neck on it is sweet. I am a guitar player, so this really fits the bill size-wise. I would definitely purchase this again if I had it to do over. I am really happy with this bass! I like it because I get a good Fender Bass tone for my recordings/demos.

Steve
from Millersville, Pa
January 28, 2012Music Background:
Semi-pro Musician, Recording Engineer

Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass (Short Scale-Silver)

Right out of the box the set-up was very good. The action height was right where I like it. The intonation was very good. The finish quality is excelent. I could'nt find any flaws. It looks great, plays great, and sounds good. For the small amount of money this bass costs I think it is a great bargain. If you have small hands and short fingers like I do, you probably should check this bass out. You can't go wrong for the price. I love it. Thanks Sweetwater.

Lambert
from San Diego, CA
October 21, 2011Music Background:
pro musician 25yrs +

Great bass for begineer or pro that needs a backup

I was sceptical at first having never played a short-scale bass before.( I play an acoustic fretless and standard 34" scale basses) But when I got it, I was quite impressed. I have large hands and did not feel any discomfort or awkwardness in playing it. The action is low and comforatable, easy to bend strings when playing up the neck. It idoes not weigh very much compared to the 34"' scale basses, so it was nice to have something to use at rehearsals that will ot wear you out when strapped on.

You can hear the tonal difference when dialing in from the p-bass pickup or j-bass pickup . I play jazz, rock/blues mos, reggae most of the time. If you like to play funk styles, this bass will not disappoint. It feels solid and would make a great back-up bass .

Mike Emmett
from Bloomington, IN USA
September 16, 2011Music Background:
I play in garage/ bar bands.

One Fast Bass

I like to play fast, melodic bass. The short scale, narrow neck and versatile pickups on this jag bass lend themselves to fast, melodic bass. This bass is so easy to play; I don't want to to play my other bass.

Matt
from Tampa FL
March 20, 2013Music Background:
Pro Producer/Engineer/Musician/Songwriter

Comfortable feel, Decent sounds, Cheap price

The four star rating is not meant to suggest its on par with high end basses, only that it is a standout in this price range.

I needed something with versatile tonal options, didn't want to mess with active pickups, and needed something cheap that I wouldn't mind getting scratches and dings in.

Lets look at 3 areas: Comfort, Quality, Sounds

Comfort - this is super lightweight, yet somehow manages to maintain decent sustain. The neck on this is thin, fast, and extremely comfortable. Without a doubt the most comfortable bass I've ever played - I could imagine doing long sessions on this without getting tired or needing to eat a bottle of ibuprofren the next day. As a guitar player first and foremost, the short scale increases the comfort and playability greatly.

Quality - the knobs and pots feel terrible... lightweight, sloppy, and in fact one of the knobs fell right off within the first 5 minutes it was out of the box. the jack feels a little loose and the action needs a little fine-tuning. The tuners look and feel cheap but actually seem to hold quite nicely - better than expected. The milling of the body and next is pretty much perfect, and the finish is cleanly done. There are no rough frets or corners, no dimples in the paint, nothing that would suggest the body/finish are cheap. With some inexpensive upgrades to some of the hardware, the bass will be looking and playing like a much more expensive bass. There was no manual or documentation with it other than an "inspected by" sticker.

Sound - the jazz/bridge pickup is not very flattering. There are some useable sounds available with it, but overall its a little blah. the P/neck pickup was really quite decent, giving me a good range of sounds that could easily show up on an album release without any shame. blending of the jazz/P pickups seems to introduce some fairly significant phase issues, but with a little care you can blend together some nice tones. Overall, the bass can be low and full, tight and snappy, clean or slightly crunchy. definitely versatile, and a no-brainer at the price.

I bought this with the intention of making some mods over time, and it certainly is a great bass for doing this with thanks to the solid performance out of the box and a ridiculously low price. I can sink a little money into some electronics and hardware upgrades and will have a bass that performs at a much higher level, but still on a very modest budget.

All in all, its exactly what I expected.

Matt
from Oklahoma City, OK
February 4, 2013Music Background:
Guitar Technician

Perfect starter bass

The rating I gave is based off what a beginner should expect from an inexpensive bass, and not based off quality when regarding any bass on the market. When I got my bass from Sweetwater I expected bad fretwork and a marginally sloppy setup. I was amazed at how close to a professional setup it had, not to mention very few sprung or unlevel frets. I've worked as a guitar tech for a couple of years professionally and I bought this bass to hot rod. The short scale basses from Fender are very fun and easier to play and sound decent enough for practice or recreational recording. Not much else to say about it; its nothing fancy but I will say that although Sweetwater has great customer service and will always treat you right if you don't know what a well playing bass is you should take any new bass from Fender to an authorized service center and just ask them to check it over for flaws and to check the setup. Fender does do a great job with quality control but sometimes some product gets pushed through and overlooked. If your looking to upgrade a bass like this I would recommend changing the pickups at least and maybe a beefier bridge as well as getting the fretwork evaluated. All said out of the box this bass was very good.

butter
from Hi Desert, CA
July 4, 2012Music Background:
50 years behind the mic.

Great short scale bass for the money

This Jag SS bass is a great deal. I spent about 1 hour setting it up, flat-wound strings, minor nut work to fit strings, truss-rod adjust, bridge height and intonation (definitely needs to be set). The bass plays perfectly now and using the P bass pickup only, it sounds awesome. The J bridge pickup, as noted in other reviews, is the only weakness. This is the first bass I've owned. Have played many over the years and this is equal to my favorite Mustang SS which lists for $700.

Keith
from Los Angeles, CA, USA
January 7, 2012Music Background:
musician and sound man

A unique and worthwhile platform for mods, but nothing more

I rated this guitar as it comes out of the box.

I got it specifically to modify, however. Normally, doing this is not worth the money with Squiers, but in this case, it is a unique instrument. Jaguar basses are cool enough as it is, but this one is short scale. I have always loved short scale basses.

The pickups, pots, and jack are pure trash, and so is the hardware. But replace the bridge, tuners, and pickups, and you can have a very nice bass.

A lot of the screw holes are already stripped straight out of the box. They aren't even tight enough to hold the factory screws! (Seriously, these things are made like absolute crap. A five year old could put them together better.) So when you go to replace the hardware, you need to drill the stripped holes, dowel them, level the dowels, and then re-drill them.

By the time you have this thing up to snuff as a gigging instrument, you probably will have spent $500 total. But IMO it is worth it for such a unique instrument in this one particular case. However, if you want a nice bass out of the box, stay away from any Squier except those in the Classic Vibe line. Save up a little more money and buy a used Mexican Fender instead.

I added tuners, a bridge, pots, and Duncan 1/4 Pounder pickups. I also added a P-Bass bridge cover. Now, with about $600 total into it, it is a rippin' bass. The finish quality is abysmal, but it looks good enough from a distance. Like I have said, worth it as a unique base for mods, but trash out of the box. IMO very few Squiers are worth modifying, but this is one of them. The Bronco might be another.