Squier Classic Vibe '70s Jazz Bass - Black Reviews

Sounds and feels just as good if not better than my MIM P bass from a decade ago, for the price it is incredible quality! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to beginners and pros alike. Glad I did my research and picked this up rather than spend more on a MIM Jazz bass

1st. A BIG THANK YOU to Jack Welty of Sweetwater. Now, the bass; When I was learning the bass I played a 1970s Jazz Bass, a 1974 P-Bass. I worked for H&H music in Houston, Texas. I've played amazing instruments. Take a look at the photos. The wood used is way above average! I was going to swap out the harness with a Golden Age harness. The pups with Fender'62 p'ups. HOWEVER, the tone and sound is AMAZING! The only mods are a Leo Quan II Badass Bridge, a Fender pearl scratch plate, and Rotosound Swing 66 strings. I just don't have the heart to swap out the electronics. They are amazing as is! Playing this bass is a dream! It feels and plays and sounds like a 1970s Fender Jazz Bass. As a violinist I have very discerning ears! I play by ear. Did someone accidentally put a Squier headstock decal on a Fender custom order? You'd think so!

I've had this 70 s Squier Jazz Bass for a couple months from Sweetwater. It was set up very professionally. I didn't have to adjust anything on it. The quality blew me away. The fit and finish is flawless. It looks so vintage. The pickups sound great too. I highly recommend this bass.

REALLY nice! Loads of tone options. Looks great, plays great, sounds great. Mine is very heavy, on purpose.
Quality is outstanding.

This is the first time I've been pushed to write a review on a new instrument. I spoke to Eric one weekend who asked me what I was looking for in a bass and then walked me through several models to consider. I learned so much from him that I was able to make a great decision in choosing this bass. Both pickups sound amazing. The craftsmanship seems great! I've heard on other platforms that the tuning machines were just average. Well I'm very impressed with how well the tuning holds. I had SW put on new strings and perform a full setup. WOW! I have 7 instruments and have never had one feel this perfect for me. Special thanks to Eric and my excellent sales engineer Kenny Stratton. He has been taking care of all my gear needs for about 3 years. All I have to do is explain what I'm trying to do musically and he has always made sure I make the best possible purchases for my needs. Guitar is my main instrument. I wanted a nice bass to create bass parts for my original songs. This instrument has inspired me to learn bass at a high level that I'm moving towards with guitar.

Squier is stepping up their game for sure. This thing is solid. Plays great right out of the box, pickups are fantastic and have ton of range. If you were blind folded you'd be hard pressed to think was a Squier bass. Only issue I ran into was a little buzz on 13th fret with G string, nothing a little file and level can't sort out. Definitely worth every penny and then some.

I'm a drummer, not a bassist, so I just wanted an inexpensive bass that I could use to record rudimentary bass lines and become more familiar with the fret board. There are cheaper beginner basses available, but a buddy recommended going this route. I'm glad I did. At my level, I can't really speak to the quality of the action or the hardware, though it seems pretty good. It stays in tune despite my gorilla playing. What I can say is that this bass sounds amazing. I plugged directly into my digital mixer/interface and I'm recording tracks in my DAW. I expected I might need to experiment with virtual amps or effects, but I was mistaken! All I've needed are the pickup adjustments on the bass itself. I have no EQ needed, other than some high pass to make room for the kick drum in the mix. A slight amount of compression and minor gating in the DAW completes the processing. The finish is excellent on the instrument and I really can't imagine what more you could ask out of a starter or even an intermediate bass. About the only thing I would change are the strings, which come stock with the round-wound variety. They sound great, but I think flat wound are going to work better for me.

This is a very good instrument for the money. Sweetwater and Nick Graham are the best. Would highly recommend this bass to beginners and professionals alike. Great classic tone and good fit and finish. Very comfortable neck. I'm very happy with this purchase.

This is an incredible bass. I would put it up next to a Fender and its half of the price. It also has that 70s tone that is just so funky. Ita also versitile. You can play any gemre without even having to turn a knob. It just sounds and plays so good.

This is a really sharp looking bass guitar. I was shopping for a jazz bass to use as a backup/project bass, and this fits the bill perfectly. The neck and the body are really nice and solid on this bass, which I think is key, although it was a bit lighter than I thought it would be (not a deal breaker for me by any means). The tuning machines are definitely a weak point though, but can be easily replaced. I haven't had any issues to date with them yet, but it is probably just a matter of time. The electronics are not going to be comparable to higher end basses, but do a good enough job of allowing you to carve out the tones that you want. I was surprised that the set up was actually pretty much spot on for my tastes, and I didn't experience any fret buzz or need to sand down anything which is excellent. In this price range, I don't think there are many if any better options out there to allow you to get that Fender jazz bass feel on a budget. Switch out the tuning machines and upgrade the pickups and you will have a very solid and playable bass for many genres.

Out of all the basses in this price range and quite a bit higher, this baby is the nicest, classiest and best sounding classic Jazz bass you can get. Squier must have upgraded the pups because the sound is pure Jazz bass. If you did not have the Squier name of the headstock you would think this was a higher end Fender bass.
For beginners and professionals alike, just get it!

I've been playing this bass now for about a month and I am really happy with it. My main instrument is a '74 Precision and while nothing is going to compare to an actual vintage instrument, it's amazing how nicely this plays given its price point. Obviously things like the hardware and electronics are not high level (the tuning machines feel cheap), what do you expect for ~ $...? And those things are easy to swap out if you want. What's most important here is the body and neck, both of which are superb. I'm also really impressed with the frets on this bass - super clean and really well set up - no burrs or rough spots.

Sound is spot on too for a 70's Jazz bass - punchy and growly, really cuts through. Front pick up has an almost P-bass like sound. Sweetwater has done a terrific job setting the instrument up and it was perfect (for me) right out of the box. Great experience with Andy, my sales engineer, too.

Having not bought a new instrument since the Jurassic, I am so happy with my new bass and with my experience with Sweetwater!