Fender Squier Affinity P-Bass Review

History:

Purchase: A few years ago my brother talked me into buying a bass guitar. Now, mind you, before that happened I had never seriously considered playing a musical instrument(imitations of Tom Cruise in Risky Business aside). Those who know what I am talking about know that that could not have been a pretty sight. This is not to say that I did not love music. I grew up rocking out to Van Halen, Judas Priest, and Ozzy (way before he became a dottering buffoon dad on that TV show). Then I moved on to the more "sophisticated" sounds of Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana and the like. And now in my "golden years", I can be found most days happily wallowing in the heavy vibes of Staind,Three Doors Down, and Seether. And just when I was beginning to lament that there were no more good rock bands on the horizon, I caught wind of the Lostprophets, 12 Stones and Strata... which brings me back to why I let my brother talk me into buying a bass. I love music and he needed someone to practice with in between his band's weekly jams. Besides, I figured, there were only 4 strings, how hard could it be? Since he is a Fender man he steered me towards the Squier P-Bass and $300 bucks later (guitar, amp, case, strap, tuner and how-to video)I was a bass player.

Pros: The Squier P-Bass is, in my opinion, the best beginners bass on the market. I have played it now for several years and in the last year I have started shopping for my 'next step' guitar. Now mind you, I found some unbelievably fine sounding guitars out there. MusicMan, Spector, and even a used $3000 Lakland, to name a few. But, since my mom's dream of me becoming a rich and famous doctor fell through about the time I dropped out of college to "find myself", I am limited to the workingman's price range. But, the surprising thing I discovered was, there are many $500 guitars out there that don't sound all that much better than my Squier. I admit, I did replace the factory pickups with Bartolini's last year but the better pickups just revealed what a solid little bass this Squier really is for the peanut fare I payed for it. The highs are clear and piano-like, the mids stand out with a little snarl, and the low end makes the old lady next door call the police on a regular basis. What more could you want for an under $200 guitar?



Cons: It is really unfair to criticize any aspect of a guitar that costs less than $200. But if I had to name one thing I didn't like about my Squier, it was the tuxedo look (black body, white pickguard). Now, I know that is a classic look but it just didn't do it for me. The better I got, the more it bugged me. So, I shopped around and found it was not possible to find a 14 hole replacement pickguard in anything but white, unless I wanted a custom made for about 70 bucks. So, I did what any other aesthetically offended yet financially challenged musician would do... I spray painted it black. I sleep much better now.

Squier Affinity P-Bass Quality: For a budget priced guitar, this little Squier is amazingly well made. The fit and finish of the parts is without flaw. The mechanics work perfectly and have never given me a single problem. The volume and tone pots still work like new and the keys still hold their tune for weeks on end. In comparison, a friend of mine paid the same price I did for his Peavy and it has been in the shop for repairs more often than not. After 3 years of play (some of that by wannabe bassists who think physical abuse produces sweet music) this bass still plays like new.

Fender Summary: Biggest bang for the buck. Bar none.

Rating of this product: 5

This Fender Bass Guitars Review Submitted By: I love fat bottoms

Date: 2004-10-07

Usefulness Rating: 4.16667 out of 5. 6 reader(s) voted.