I've come to love the mustang basses. My first bass was a 76' Fender Mustang that I got back in 86'. It worked to learn on but I didn't love it for 90's alt rock so I upgraded. It lived in my closet until recently. Dug it out and plugged it in for old times sake. I may not have loved it in the 90's but I definitely do now. Restrung it with Labella flats it sounds fantastic! They're awesome little basses for sure!
I have to say I love my Capri Orange Mustang. It arrived with a very dead E string, the others were great, lovely overtones and all. After changing strings and a prpoer setup this is now an awesome bass. I fear yours could’ve been as great with new strings.
When you find a good barber, you can't let them go. I had to find a new one and it took me about 5 tries (and one time having to shave off my whole beard because the trim looked so bad) to find someone I liked. Yours is a bass player so even better!
I've buy one like this yesterday, good sound good playability, good finished, lightweight and it's wonderful color. Vintage tone. I've also a P Classic 50 and G&L L2000, this Mustang have his personality.
2 out of 5 is pretty harsh for an instrument with that amazing neck, ergonomics, design, vintage bridge and nice pups and tone. Perhaps you could look for another of these bass in Q4 2023, see how things changed, and post an update.
I bought my Squier Mustang in March. I really love this little bass. It‘s as good as my two other vintage Stangs! The body on mine looks much better...The comparisson with the P-Bass for me didn‘t make too much sense, because a shortscale with flats on will never sound similar. I ❤️ me Squier!!!
Thanks O.R! Glad you're liking it and I'm VERY glad yours had better QC than this one. Yeah, the comparison is moreso just for fun and just to hear the difference. It's apples and cantaloupes haha. Did you get the surf green or the white one?
@@LowEndLobster I chose the white one, because it sounded better to me than the green one they had in the Shop. But I like the surf green colour better.
I played this Bass two days ago at guitar center and I absolutely love the bass!!! I’m gonna buy one in the Summer time. Personally I think a 2/5 is a bit harsh but in the end it’s your opinion and who am I to judge? Keep up the great job!
Just bought one of these last week. I absolutely love how it plays! I might change out the pickup for a Nordstrand or something, but I have to hear how it sounds with a set of La Bella flats first. I'm just in love how it feels and how it plays though. Mine have no obvious QC issues from what I can see. Maybe they've improved on that since they were first launched? Don't know when mine was built, but I bought it new so I'm guessing that it was built in 2022.
I remember the original, it had an alder body, it had a dual racing stripe across the upper rear part of the body and a built in adjustable string mute on the bridge
Unusually, as I usually play with the tone rolled way down, I preferred this at 100%. The E string on a short scale very often sounds a bit dead in my experience. But this did sound as though it had shuffled off this mortal coil!!
Thanks Rev! Yeah the E string on this one was really really dead sounding. We did a temporary swap of the mustang for my Gibson, just traded back yesterday.
Fingers crossed these will start showing up as open-box/b-stock resales, I'd likely jump for $300. The Curtis Novak Fat Mustang pickups I've heard are amazing, & I've come to expect the usual Squier Super Set-up routine. Less than $300, absolutely.
Ouch, just watched this in April 2022 after bringing my new Squire mustang home, couldn’t wait to find second hand, life is getting too short! But I think I will be pretty content for a while with this bass, the build quality seems to be way better than the guitar being reviewed, here’s hoping they have lifted their game in Indonesia now they have had the factory running for a while, and that the workers producing the instrument I am so lucky as to enjoy are treated well… anyway this guitar feels nicely balanced and is comfortable to hold, and is in my opinion. I was looking at a similarity priced Hofner violin bass but the construction was screaming gimmick to me unfortunately.
Interesting this fella cos I have Squier Mustang and hofner Ignition as my go to basses, love my hofner and owning a McCartney bass being a Liverpool resident is almost the law BUT the Mustang edges it out as no 1
@@beechclanger I just passed mine down to my youngest son as it seems I have to move along, A little bit of bias confirmation in the morning can be a tonic, lol, so cheers, I have certainly been more than content, I came to love the bass without reserve. I offered him the money from the sale of the guitar and fender amp, as he had always refused to try to learn to play, but to my surprise and pleasure, he wanted to keep the gear. I feel now I can move on with some hope he has an outlet to express his experiences of life that can soothe his soul without causing too much damage to himself or anything else. If by luck I can get through to hear his music, that will be a highlight of my life, my other kids have other outlets. Anyway, excuse my raving on, only passed it on yesterday and am just a little chuffed to have my purchase validated by someone who obviously cares, it doesn’t take much to please me these days, just as well, lol. Cheers!
@@boomerbassmeme I seen that actually just I don't really like the style most bass demoes are in I'd say prefer a rock or metal option than all the same stuff
@@lorcanfitzpatrick6019 For rock and metal on a shorty your best options that I have played are a Jazz, Sterling, or TMB. Jazz and Sterling are growly AF, TMB is versatile-but has a baseball bat neck. I do hear good things about the Sires, never played one though.
Man your reviews are killer and you're always reviewing the gear I'm interesting in. Whether it's this bass, the Sire V5/P5, Squier Jaguar, Darkray, etc. I know you have or eventually will make a review on it. I know you didn't give a stellar review for this bass, but CME is releasing it in Lake Placid Blue with a racing stripe so I'm going to pull the trigger. I'll make sure to use your Reverb affiliate link before I snag it!
The Mustang sounds really good. I have a 2008 MIJ Mustang reissue, very good quality. The MIJ reissue has Seymour Duncan designed pups, not sure if the Squier has the same ones. The dead E string might be the strings. I put Pyramid Gold flats on and they sounded dead. Put on GHS Precision flats and wowzer a big difference.
I just last week got a brand new Classic Vibe Strat HSS. It is freakin glorious. Literally, the only fault I can find on it was one rough fret. It was the highest fret, so it's as if that was the last thing to check and they wanted to go home. Real shame other folks are having less luck with those Indonesians. The few I've seen were more or less flawless builds and definitely superior or equal to Fender MIMs, quality-wise, imho.
I've noticed that you have an almost 'vulf' level of compression going on your channel audio, which obviously is going to affect your bass tones and reviews.
I was noticing this too. None of the CV Mustangs I’ve sampled had that huge “bloom” that you can hear on sustained notes in the initial clip. Clearly, your interface, software or codecs are applying heavy compression.
@@steverolfeca Yup! I fixed it moving forwards. The "inst" setting on my Focusrite was getting a little heavy handed with the compression. Newer vids don't have the compression issue :)
Its the only classic vibe bass that has a string through body. All the classic vibe Telecasters have string through bodys. I also wish they offered it in Fiesta red but I suppose they didn't want to step on the market of the Vintera model. Still a cool bass either way! 😎👍🎸🎶
Thanks for the great video as usual. Question: is this bass half as good as the Vintera 60s and a third as good as the JMJ one? I'm thinking of getting a Mustang bass to add to my Sire U5 and I am between both Vinteras and the JMJ but this one is a lot cheaper, of course. Which one would you recommend? Thanks!
Yeah I agree with you on the "E" string. I think it died last year... Too bad about the fit and finish on this $400 Bass. BTW; I have a Sire M7 coming!
I'd get one of these but I'm split other whether i want it to be a counterpart to my Mustang guitar of the same color, and be a total punk machine, or a flatwound-toting thump beast
Honestly, it's tossable and has some thump- but if your guitar is a Fender, you'll definitely notice a drop in quality. I'd recommend playing one first as QC can be really inconsistent with the Squiers.
I really love the wood on that neck (swooning at the color of the headstock), but really don't like the fretboard. I guess I just don't like Fenders where anything gets in the way of 100% maple on the neck. (Still loving the 54 jazz paranormal I got- still a bargain at 4 bills.)
i personally love the look of the neck, the contrast between the rosewood and maple is really appealing to me as long as the maple is a darker shade and not like the color of the maple in the squier affinity basses
Eh, I wasn't a fan. Lackluster QC, poor balance, and a bit noisy. I used to have a Dano and it was sweet, I'll do my best to snag another at some point :)
@@LowEndLobster I ended up buying it after watching several reviews. QC really seems to be hit or miss. The one I purchased is nearly impeccable, and probably the highest quality sub $500 bass or guitar I have purchased. That being said, I have purchased other Indonesian Squiers where the QC has not been as good. My best advise when purchasing this bass is to do it in person if you have the chance.
Great to hear and great advice. I agree! When dealing with a brand with such inconsistent QC, always try before you buy. You could get a gem or a lump of coal (and there's lots of middle ground)
Maybe you just got unlucky. I got one today in white/tort .The qc is good and it plays like dream. Had to raise the E string saddle a 3/4 turn but that's nothing. This is my first shortie and for 350 pounds sterling I thinks it is good value for money.
Seems the cosmetic issues can be so easily addressed these days. Work on the playability, and decent fret work on these lower cost series, then you can upgrade the electronics if you see fit.
Thanks John! Yeah the bad QC on the body isn't anything that would impact playability. The neck was great, but the sloppiness on the body was the biggest factor preventing this from being a 3/5. It has the tone, just wish the construction/finish was a notch better.
Awesome video, man :) Forgive me if I should /really/ know what it is, but what is the riff you play at 4:15? I've heard you play it in other videos, and I dig it.
Hey William! Sorry to hear about your hand injury. Honestly, I'd go with a more balanced instrument especially if you broke your left hand. These are neck-dive city.
Ah no! Shame about the quality control. I found that the QC is inconsistent too - I've been lucky that the two I've been able to review have been great. Thank you!
LOWENDLOBSTER. Thanks for posting I got a quick question. I am just looking for a bass to jam at my house, preferably a short-scale bass and lighter. I want to play some jazz and indie alternative riffs. How would you compare this bass to the Squier by Fender Limited-Edition Classic Vibe '70s Precision ? Also I was looking into the Hofner Ignition Series Club Bass what are your thoughts? Thanks LOWENDLOBSTER
Hey Juan! With these Squiers, I'd recommend playing before you buy as the quality is relatively inconsistent between examples. I was not a fan of either instrument honestly, they're more about looks (though the P's pickup is nice) and are often neck heavy due to their lightweight bodies. I haven't played any Hofners (other than their travel bass), so I can't really comment on those. My favorite budget short scale at the moment is the Sire U5, though they're selling quickly. Solid balance for a short scale, excellent tones, and beautifully built with simple controls. Hope that helps!
Hey Lobster 🦞 I love the look of the Fender Vintera Mustang bass but I don’t want to drop over a grand $ on it. Can the Squire be upgraded to the Seymour Duncan pickups & would it make a difference? I’ve seen the Duncan pickups on Reverb for about $40 Thanks man! Love your channel!
Eh, the QC stuff can be hit or miss when you go from example to example. The balance of the instrument (bad) is something that you can't escape though. For $400, def not worth it IMO.
@@LowEndLobster I m a guitarist who wants a bass for my productions. I make some Lo Fi bedroom pop with a 4 tracks tape recorder and I m looking for a good Fender tonish 60´s bass sound without busting the bank. At first I saw good reviews for the bronco but it’s seems so so cheap for $200. I m more into the tone than the feel in this case as I m looking for a bass just for recordings and not to gig with
would you recommend this for a beginner?? im a 5'4 girl and ive been thinking about this since a longscale bass is waaay too big for me... been a little hesitant about the bronco lol
I think so. Try before you buy if possible or buy somewhere with a good return policy to avoid qc issues. My beard stylist owns this bass and she's about your height
@@kenmorley2339 I'm not so sure, I find even after quite a few months of learning my hands don't grow. I look at some bass players, most even, their little finger is twice the length of mine! So I'm looking for a medium scale
@@kenmorley2339 Well I won't sell my long scale but I am pretty convinced I'll do better with a medium. Not sure about the mustang though, I'm leaning toward the Jag medium ( and I'll look more like J Mascis!). Soon as this lockdown ends Im off to the shops!
Hey lobster I’m considering putting this style pickup in a bass. What’s the biggest difference you hear between this style p bass pup and the normal one?
As always thanks Lobster for your in-depth reviews, great job!, I must say "COME ON SQUIER!!" what's going on in Indonesia? Fender y'all need to tighten up on the QC!...... Though not a short scale bass Pound for Pound looks like FGN base models are a much better option when it comes to top notch quality and QC and the price.
Thanks Leonard! You're absolutely right about the FGN base models too, for about 100-150 more you get a far superior instrument in playability and build quality.
Thought the mustang sounded good till the p came out That p man so good My squire standard jazz 2003 20th anniversary body is very good, (Indonesia) there is one lacquer bubble that kind of bugs me though. Some issues with electronics after 16 years though Mine is super heavy at over 10lb but
The E isn't bad or that floppy IMO. You definitely notice a difference in string tension, but they're pretty easy to play. I think the biggest selling point is that they're easier to play for smaller people and for some reason Stanley Clarke likes them and he's like 12 feet tall. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@LowEndLobster i am one of the small people as you say. Short and small hands. I also record in dropped d. I understand the ease of playing but i guess it is not for me. I used to play the 4 string tuned to ian hill tuning so i got used to the longer scales. Now i am just old.
@@SwainBjornstrandt Check out the Ibanez EHBs! You get the benefits of the taut B string and shorter scale for the higher strings! Also very compact like a short scale and lightweight as well.
@@LowEndLobster will try to get my hands on one of them. The hype buildup is huge for those. Although i dont prefer indonesian made instruments. They tend to have inconsistent qc. Always problematic right? Hehe. Thats me!!
Eh, it's a short scale but the body isn't super tiny. The Stingray Short Scale is smaller, the G&L Fallout is bigger. This is kind of a middle ground. The big problem is the neck weight vs the body weight. Neck dive city.
I purchased one of these from a major online retailer & only 2 of the 8 bridge screws are stripped. Question: is it worth the hassle of shipping back or would anyone else just solve it quickly by installing larger screws?
I just ordered one after finding an open box deal for $224. I'm waiting for it to arrive. I hope the QC is better than this one. The classic vibe fretless bass and jazzmaster guitar I've had were flawless. Only sold those because I'm running out of space. Should NOT have sold that fretless.
If the Bronco costs $200 than the Squier Mini P bass is even cheaper. The red ones cost $157: www.thomannmusic.com/fender_squire_mini_p_bass_dakota_red.htm Now I have a Mini P bass, but I can't recall those QC issues that you've encountered on the Mustang. Maybe you can compare those 2 and see how that cheaper Mini P bass fares against the pricier Mustang.
@@LowEndLobster Ah yes, the Jackson Minion... hmmm.... that one looks _waaaaayyy_ too much like an 80's hair metal guitar. It's that damn headstock I guess!🤣😁 The funny thing is that I wouldn't mind that headstock on a guitar. It's just weird on a bass for me!😁 That Minion is direct competition for the Ibanez Mikro, by the way. I like those.
Flat wounds, Thomastiks are made for Mustangs (figuratively!) Or Fender's.... If Mustang pickups are (or seem) boomy, all other things being equal, drop them. Once you get reasonable sustain you're in the right spot. This is a prime candidate for a set of Curtis Novack's. The JMJ has Duncan's in it. I don't know if the MIM Vintera is worth the $6-700 premium, you should have a face off!
![Groove Machine or Total Bust? - Squier Classic Vibe Mustang Bass [Demo]](/img/n.gif)
I've come to love the mustang basses. My first bass was a 76' Fender Mustang that I got back in 86'. It worked to learn on but I didn't love it for 90's alt rock so I upgraded. It lived in my closet until recently. Dug it out and plugged it in for old times sake. I may not have loved it in the 90's but I definitely do now. Restrung it with Labella flats it sounds fantastic! They're awesome little basses for sure!
The sound with flats is crazy, love that vintage muted tone
I have to say I love my Capri Orange Mustang. It arrived with a very dead E string, the others were great, lovely overtones and all. After changing strings and a prpoer setup this is now an awesome bass.
I fear yours could’ve been as great with new strings.
I agree. He wasn’t reviewing a new bass. It was a borrowed bass
When you find a good barber, you can't let them go. I had to find a new one and it took me about 5 tries (and one time having to shave off my whole beard because the trim looked so bad) to find someone I liked. Yours is a bass player so even better!
You're absolutely right! Jaci rules :).
I've buy one like this yesterday, good sound good playability, good finished, lightweight and it's wonderful color. Vintage tone. I've also a P Classic 50 and G&L L2000, this Mustang have his personality.
Nice! Hope the QC on yours is better than this one ;P. For real though, these things sound nice and fat. Hope you enjoy it :)
2 out of 5 is pretty harsh for an instrument with that amazing neck, ergonomics, design, vintage bridge and nice pups and tone. Perhaps you could look for another of these bass in Q4 2023, see how things changed, and post an update.
I bought my Squier Mustang in March. I really love this little bass. It‘s as good as my two other vintage Stangs! The body on mine looks much better...The comparisson with the P-Bass for me didn‘t make too much sense, because a shortscale with flats on will never sound similar. I ❤️ me Squier!!!
Thanks O.R! Glad you're liking it and I'm VERY glad yours had better QC than this one. Yeah, the comparison is moreso just for fun and just to hear the difference. It's apples and cantaloupes haha. Did you get the surf green or the white one?
@@LowEndLobster I chose the white one, because it sounded better to me than the green one they had in the Shop. But I like the surf green colour better.
Ollie, is it neck heavy at all? I can't find one in a store to try.
@@bobt5778 not mine, since it’s not really light weight
@@olliesound67 Awesome, thanks!
I actually loved the sound of the CV with flats! I love my MiM P but they are both different and beautiful in their own ways
Thanks Shaun!
I played this Bass two days ago at guitar center and I absolutely love the bass!!! I’m gonna buy one in the Summer time. Personally I think a 2/5 is a bit harsh but in the end it’s your opinion and who am I to judge? Keep up the great job!
Just bought one of these last week. I absolutely love how it plays! I might change out the pickup for a Nordstrand or something, but I have to hear how it sounds with a set of La Bella flats first. I'm just in love how it feels and how it plays though. Mine have no obvious QC issues from what I can see. Maybe they've improved on that since they were first launched? Don't know when mine was built, but I bought it new so I'm guessing that it was built in 2022.
I remember the original, it had an alder body, it had a dual racing stripe across the upper rear part of the body and a built in adjustable string mute on the bridge
Would definitely give that bass a pass. Loving your intro! Slick and professional, who wouldn't want to watch bass info, beard, and cats? 😎👍
Thank you Boomer :)
Unusually, as I usually play with the tone rolled way down, I preferred this at 100%. The E string on a short scale very often sounds a bit dead in my experience. But this did sound as though it had shuffled off this mortal coil!!
Thanks Rev! Yeah the E string on this one was really really dead sounding. We did a temporary swap of the mustang for my Gibson, just traded back yesterday.
LowEndLobster - I think the nato wood body gives it a darker bassier tone than poplar might.
@@LowEndLobster Were the strings a bit light? Perhaps heavier strings would resolve that problem.
Mine is perfect. I strung it w La Bella flats. Fantastic thump!
I'm seriously considering one of these with a Curtis Novak pickup and flats!
Man, that wall is so nice Lobster!
Thanks Robert :)
It would look better with the Bratt on it... 🤣😂
.... You're right hahaha
That ric and the music man looks fantastic!
Great mix on the intro dude; #KeepGoing!
Thank you :)
I liked this one more than I expected, nice classic tone. BTW, I'm looking forward to the video going over all the tones of the Stingray HH!
Thank you! I've been playing that bass a lot, it's very fun :). Stay tuned my friend!
that is such a great fucking tone I'm in love with this
This bass belongs to the singer of my band. I believe everything is still exactly as it was on this video. I should snag it again!
@@LowEndLobster I love how dark and gritty it sounds, def my next bass
Your video gives me things to think about. Great video!
Thanks Mr. Anderson! :)
This is what I'm looking at picking up to review next! This or the shell pink Bronco... we'll see! Great review as per 👏
Thanks Jonny! Love me some pink basses hahaha
When is that review coming out Jonny? Keen to see what you think and what you've done to it 😉
@@andyunwin9260 got the Fender Player Mustang instead!!
@@andyunwin9260 That's wild, I actually repainted a bronco pink, ended up selling it to buy a 70s ibanez, in hindsight I wish I'd kept it
Best bass I have ever had this but love the honesty of your reviews and you are a great player👍
The burp on that thing is fantastic 🤘🏼
I call playing this thing "burpin' the baby" ;P
@@LowEndLobster 🤣😂🤣😂
Fingers crossed these will start showing up as open-box/b-stock resales, I'd likely jump for $300. The Curtis Novak Fat Mustang pickups I've heard are amazing, & I've come to expect the usual Squier Super Set-up routine. Less than $300, absolutely.
cool short scale. great video as usual lobster
Ouch, just watched this in April 2022 after bringing my new Squire mustang home, couldn’t wait to find second hand, life is getting too short! But I think I will be pretty content for a while with this bass, the build quality seems to be way better than the guitar being reviewed, here’s hoping they have lifted their game in Indonesia now they have had the factory running for a while, and that the workers producing the instrument I am so lucky as to enjoy are treated well… anyway this guitar feels nicely balanced and is comfortable to hold, and is in my opinion. I was looking at a similarity priced Hofner violin bass but the construction was screaming gimmick to me unfortunately.
Interesting this fella cos I have Squier Mustang and hofner Ignition as my go to basses, love my hofner and owning a McCartney bass being a Liverpool resident is almost the law BUT the Mustang edges it out as no 1
@@beechclanger I just passed mine down to my youngest son as it seems I have to move along, A little bit of bias confirmation in the morning can be a tonic, lol, so cheers, I have certainly been more than content, I came to love the bass without reserve. I offered him the money from the sale of the guitar and fender amp, as he had always refused to try to learn to play, but to my surprise and pleasure, he wanted to keep the gear. I feel now I can move on with some hope he has an outlet to express his experiences of life that can soothe his soul without causing too much damage to himself or anything else. If by luck I can get through to hear his music, that will be a highlight of my life, my other kids have other outlets. Anyway, excuse my raving on, only passed it on yesterday and am just a little chuffed to have my purchase validated by someone who obviously cares, it doesn’t take much to please me these days, just as well, lol.
Cheers!
With the tone down and with flats...sounds as cool as your t-shirt :)
Hahaha thank you Paul! :)
Lovely sound
For real though every time your claw turns back to normal I see my childhood flash right before my eyes.
The Temple of Time was a special place :)
Truth be told I still haven't gathered the heart to finish the game till now
Yesss I was thinking of buying this or the gretsch junior jet or the sire short scale
Awesome! I wanna try out that Gretsch and the Sire as well!
Julia Hofer from Thomann did a blind on 5 shortys yesterday/this morning. The Gretsch sounded amazing!
@@boomerbassmeme I seen that actually just I don't really like the style most bass demoes are in I'd say prefer a rock or metal option than all the same stuff
@@lorcanfitzpatrick6019 For rock and metal on a shorty your best options that I have played are a Jazz, Sterling, or TMB. Jazz and Sterling are growly AF, TMB is versatile-but has a baseball bat neck. I do hear good things about the Sires, never played one though.
A classic. The closest thing I own to a Mustang is a Traveler TB-4P with 32" scale and a Duncan Designed mini-P pickup.
Thanks Sam! Have another Squier vid coming soon
I really want one of these. Slap on some vintage tuners, some flats and rip it up!
Man your reviews are killer and you're always reviewing the gear I'm interesting in. Whether it's this bass, the Sire V5/P5, Squier Jaguar, Darkray, etc. I know you have or eventually will make a review on it. I know you didn't give a stellar review for this bass, but CME is releasing it in Lake Placid Blue with a racing stripe so I'm going to pull the trigger. I'll make sure to use your Reverb affiliate link before I snag it!
Thank you Chris! I appreciate it very much :)
Mustang basses are super underrated
I dig the shape, I want to try one of those AtilierZ MiniZ's or whatever their called. JJ, mustang shape, 2 band EQ... mmm...
Great vintage tone with those flats!!
Thanks!
i have one of these, tremendous value, i swapped the pups for some dimarzios and it sounds amazing
Hell yeah! What differences did you notice when swapping over to the Dimarzios? Did you replace the pots and stuff too, or just the pup?
sounds a bit fuller (they are supposed to approximate pbass pups) less noisy but not completely silent, i didnt do the pots
also fair warning the demarzo covers didnt fit in the routed hole
i ended up trimming the tabs a little and stuffing them in the stock covers
@@tylerd4884 Good to know! This isn't my bass, but I did notice a little bit of noise from the stock pickups. I'll suggest these to Jaci :)
i just realized im an idiot
nordstrand’s not dimarzio
not sure why i had it wrong in my head
I really like how it sounds
Thanks Ruben :)
Hello. Thank you fot this review. I'm thinking about this vs the Squier Bronco. Do you have a review or comparison with the Bronco?
The Mustang sounds really good. I have a 2008 MIJ Mustang reissue, very good quality. The MIJ reissue has Seymour Duncan designed pups, not sure if the Squier has the same ones. The dead E string might be the strings. I put Pyramid Gold flats on and they sounded dead. Put on GHS Precision flats and wowzer a big difference.
Thanks Sparks!
I just last week got a brand new Classic Vibe Strat HSS. It is freakin glorious. Literally, the only fault I can find on it was one rough fret. It was the highest fret, so it's as if that was the last thing to check and they wanted to go home. Real shame other folks are having less luck with those Indonesians. The few I've seen were more or less flawless builds and definitely superior or equal to Fender MIMs, quality-wise, imho.
Mine is perfect. I strung it w La Bella flats. I’m in love!
Thanks for the cool review!
Glad you liked it :)
Oh man, I really like your shirt 🙂
My fav. movies when I was ( a lot)
By the way... nice Instrument... you helped with my decision
Thank you Raff! So glad you enjoyed the video
Love shorty basses, any chance you could review the Gretsch G2220? I'm not liking Squier quality as much as a few years ago.
Thanks Bob! That one's definitely on my list to grab :)
What strings are they?
I've noticed that you have an almost 'vulf' level of compression going on your channel audio, which obviously is going to affect your bass tones and reviews.
Thanks Martin, I think it's the focusrite. I'm going to be coming with a vid going over my signal chain and settings sometime soon.
I was noticing this too. None of the CV Mustangs I’ve sampled had that huge “bloom” that you can hear on sustained notes in the initial clip. Clearly, your interface, software or codecs are applying heavy compression.
@@steverolfeca Yup! I fixed it moving forwards. The "inst" setting on my Focusrite was getting a little heavy handed with the compression. Newer vids don't have the compression issue :)
Dude I was thinking the same thing!
I friking love Joe Dart.
@@owenmcilvain8503 Me too!
Its the only classic vibe bass that has a string through body. All the classic vibe Telecasters have string through bodys. I also wish they offered it in Fiesta red but I suppose they didn't want to step on the market of the Vintera model. Still a cool bass either way! 😎👍🎸🎶
Indeed! Thank you Tommy!
Thanks for the great video as usual. Question: is this bass half as good as the Vintera 60s and a third as good as the JMJ one? I'm thinking of getting a Mustang bass to add to my Sire U5 and I am between both Vinteras and the JMJ but this one is a lot cheaper, of course. Which one would you recommend? Thanks!
Thanks for the review; this a very interesting looking bass.
Thanks Doc! :)
Yeah I agree with you on the "E" string. I think it died last year... Too bad about the fit and finish on this $400 Bass.
BTW; I have a Sire M7 coming!
Thanks! NICE on the M7! I've really wanted to try out the M series of Sire. Let me know what you think :)
I'd get one of these but I'm split other whether i want it to be a counterpart to my Mustang guitar of the same color, and be a total punk machine, or a flatwound-toting thump beast
Honestly, it's tossable and has some thump- but if your guitar is a Fender, you'll definitely notice a drop in quality. I'd recommend playing one first as QC can be really inconsistent with the Squiers.
@@LowEndLobster i own a Squier Mustang so i think i wouldn't notice much
I really love the wood on that neck (swooning at the color of the headstock), but really don't like the fretboard. I guess I just don't like Fenders where anything gets in the way of 100% maple on the neck. (Still loving the 54 jazz paranormal I got- still a bargain at 4 bills.)
Thanks Kevin! I agree, if there's no matching headstock, then I'm a maple/maple man.
i personally love the look of the neck, the contrast between the rosewood and maple is really appealing to me as long as the maple is a darker shade and not like the color of the maple in the squier affinity basses
Would love to see a comparison between this and the bronco and the fender jmj mustang
I am thinking about buying this bass...do you like it? And could you maybe do the Danelectro DC Bass review in the future? Please?
Eh, I wasn't a fan. Lackluster QC, poor balance, and a bit noisy. I used to have a Dano and it was sweet, I'll do my best to snag another at some point :)
@@LowEndLobster I ended up buying it after watching several reviews. QC really seems to be hit or miss. The one I purchased is nearly impeccable, and probably the highest quality sub $500 bass or guitar I have purchased. That being said, I have purchased other Indonesian Squiers where the QC has not been as good. My best advise when purchasing this bass is to do it in person if you have the chance.
Great to hear and great advice. I agree! When dealing with a brand with such inconsistent QC, always try before you buy. You could get a gem or a lump of coal (and there's lots of middle ground)
Maybe you just got unlucky. I got one today in white/tort .The qc is good and it plays
like dream. Had to raise the E string saddle a 3/4 turn but that's nothing.
This is my first shortie and for 350 pounds sterling I thinks it is good value for money.
Seems the cosmetic issues can be so easily addressed these days. Work on the playability, and decent fret work on these lower cost series, then you can upgrade the electronics if you see fit.
Thanks John! Yeah the bad QC on the body isn't anything that would impact playability. The neck was great, but the sloppiness on the body was the biggest factor preventing this from being a 3/5. It has the tone, just wish the construction/finish was a notch better.
I agree, the neck is always my main concern anything else can be tweaked.
Awesome video, man :) Forgive me if I should /really/ know what it is, but what is the riff you play at 4:15? I've heard you play it in other videos, and I dig it.
Thanks Josh! It's just a little A Minot riff I came up with
Broke my left hand and can't play my full scale basses so this is on my purchase list.
Hey William! Sorry to hear about your hand injury. Honestly, I'd go with a more balanced instrument especially if you broke your left hand. These are neck-dive city.
Thanks dude.🙂
Ah no! Shame about the quality control. I found that the QC is inconsistent too - I've been lucky that the two I've been able to review have been great. Thank you!
Thank you! Just checked out your channel, great vids my friend :).
Were you using the Orange combo amp for this demo? If so, it sounds really good.
Yessir! :) Thank you
Great review. Which flats?
Thank you! I think they were the short scale chromes.
do a vid on the squier bronco bass
i played mine for year now
thing is so bad but i can't playing it
I actually just got a Bronco last week actually, we'll be seeing a vid in the near future ;)
@@LowEndLobster cool bit of a warning tho.
the pickup in it is a 6 pole strat pickup,
not many reviewers talk about it
@@razorback_fan4108 Interesting, thanks for the info!
@@LowEndLobster no problem and thanks for the reviews
You should review the John myung signature bongo bass!!
Those are pretty sweet. I'd love to get my hands on one for a day, but I don't wanna buy it lol ;P
LOWENDLOBSTER. Thanks for posting I got a quick question.
I am just looking for a bass to jam at my house, preferably a short-scale bass and lighter.
I want to play some jazz and indie alternative riffs.
How would you compare this bass to the Squier by Fender Limited-Edition Classic Vibe '70s Precision ?
Also I was looking into the Hofner Ignition Series Club Bass what are your thoughts?
Thanks LOWENDLOBSTER
Hey Juan! With these Squiers, I'd recommend playing before you buy as the quality is relatively inconsistent between examples. I was not a fan of either instrument honestly, they're more about looks (though the P's pickup is nice) and are often neck heavy due to their lightweight bodies. I haven't played any Hofners (other than their travel bass), so I can't really comment on those. My favorite budget short scale at the moment is the Sire U5, though they're selling quickly. Solid balance for a short scale, excellent tones, and beautifully built with simple controls. Hope that helps!
LowEndLobster amazing you’re the best !!!
Which flats did you use for the review? Thx
Hey Lobster 🦞 I love the look of the Fender Vintera Mustang bass but I don’t want to drop over a grand $ on it. Can the Squire be upgraded to the Seymour Duncan pickups & would it make a difference? I’ve seen the Duncan pickups on Reverb for about $40 Thanks man! Love your channel!
Hello, what is your top three affordable short scale basses?
I cant make up my mind between this or an Ibanez TMB100
Hey, Lobster!! What about trying every bass with distortion pedals like Darkglass or Tech 21?
Hey Igor! My Tech21 pedal has a different fate planned for it, honestly not that much of a fan of effects.
So it’s a good bass but maybe a bit expensive regarding the QC. Am I right?
Eh, the QC stuff can be hit or miss when you go from example to example. The balance of the instrument (bad) is something that you can't escape though. For $400, def not worth it IMO.
@@LowEndLobster I m a guitarist who wants a bass for my productions. I make some Lo Fi bedroom pop with a 4 tracks tape recorder and I m looking for a good Fender tonish 60´s bass sound without busting the bank. At first I saw good reviews for the bronco but it’s seems so so cheap for $200. I m more into the tone than the feel in this case as I m looking for a bass just for recordings and not to gig with
You make it sound great
would you recommend this for a beginner?? im a 5'4 girl and ive been thinking about this since a longscale bass is waaay too big for me... been a little hesitant about the bronco lol
I think so. Try before you buy if possible or buy somewhere with a good return policy to avoid qc issues. My beard stylist owns this bass and she's about your height
No go long scale . You will get used to it in a few weeks .
@@kenmorley2339 I'm not so sure, I find even after quite a few months of learning my hands don't grow. I look at some bass players, most even, their little finger is twice the length of mine! So I'm looking for a medium scale
I am shorter than 5 4 , have small hands , arthritis and gout . 34 inches seems normal size to me now . Stick with it .
@@kenmorley2339 Well I won't sell my long scale but I am pretty convinced I'll do better with a medium. Not sure about the mustang though, I'm leaning toward the Jag medium ( and I'll look more like J Mascis!). Soon as this lockdown ends Im off to the shops!
Hey lobster I’m considering putting this style pickup in a bass. What’s the biggest difference you hear between this style p bass pup and the normal one?
Great question James! It's hard to say as I didn't review this in the normal config, only with the flats. However it sounded pretty oldschool though.
As always thanks Lobster for your in-depth reviews, great job!, I must say "COME ON SQUIER!!" what's going on in Indonesia? Fender y'all need to tighten up on the QC!...... Though not a short scale bass Pound for Pound looks like FGN base models are a much better option when it comes to top notch quality and QC and the price.
Thanks Leonard! You're absolutely right about the FGN base models too, for about 100-150 more you get a far superior instrument in playability and build quality.
Thought the comparison test went to the Squier.
Thanks Bob! That's exactly why I provide the clips, let the basses do the talking in the exact same scenario with 0 alterations.
50% tone down on the Mustang sounds the best for me
Great Burp
Thanks Nothin!
Very nice sound! which strings do you use? i'd like to buy this bass and i'd like to know the name and type of strings! thanks a lot ;)
I think they were D'addario chromes? Short scale pack. Hope that helps :)
Mine was pretty noisy, there wasn’t any kind of shielding. Some copper tape and it became dead quiet.
Sounds pretty decent. I'd like to hear it with a set of rounds, though.
Quality issues aside, am I the only one attracted to that bloom on the E string?
You're not alone, the low E sounds like a cannon! So good!
You da man!
what short scale bass would you recommend? max. 700€ Thx!
I'm a simple human. I get that Lobster notification and I mash that like button
Thank you my friend :)
Nice review
The nato wood is different from nyatoh which is a cheap asian wood. Nato is a kind of mahagony.
Thanks Remy!
Does anybody know what flats those are? I love how thumpy sounding they are.
I'll ask Jaci, no idea. They're not chromes, maybe Rotos?
LowEndLobster sounds good, and I love your videos btw. I hope you get big one day!
what's the noise? and how to record using this bass on tone dialed 100% without those nasty noise?
The Indonesian squier vint.modified jazz basses are workhorses
So I hear! The VMs are very highly regarded, it's a shame that they're letting the QC creep down and the price creep up.
I have one, with the Duncan Designed pups. The thing sounds awesome. But it’s all maple at 10 Lbs.
Thought the mustang sounded good till the p came out
That p man so good
My squire standard jazz 2003 20th anniversary body is very good, (Indonesia) there is one lacquer bubble that kind of bugs me though.
Some issues with electronics after 16 years though
Mine is super heavy at over 10lb but
Thanks Ras! Yep, my MIM P sounds really good (stock too!). Kind of puts things in perspective a bit, that's why I like to bring 'er out :).
I dont get the reason for the existence of short scale basses. Isnt the e string way too floppy?
The E isn't bad or that floppy IMO. You definitely notice a difference in string tension, but they're pretty easy to play. I think the biggest selling point is that they're easier to play for smaller people and for some reason Stanley Clarke likes them and he's like 12 feet tall. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@LowEndLobster i am one of the small people as you say. Short and small hands. I also record in dropped d. I understand the ease of playing but i guess it is not for me. I used to play the 4 string tuned to ian hill tuning so i got used to the longer scales. Now i am just old.
@@SwainBjornstrandt Check out the Ibanez EHBs! You get the benefits of the taut B string and shorter scale for the higher strings! Also very compact like a short scale and lightweight as well.
@@LowEndLobster will try to get my hands on one of them. The hype buildup is huge for those. Although i dont prefer indonesian made instruments. They tend to have inconsistent qc. Always problematic right? Hehe. Thats me!!
How small is this compared to other bass guitars?
Eh, it's a short scale but the body isn't super tiny. The Stingray Short Scale is smaller, the G&L Fallout is bigger. This is kind of a middle ground. The big problem is the neck weight vs the body weight. Neck dive city.
I purchased one of these from a major online retailer & only 2 of the 8 bridge screws are stripped. Question: is it worth the hassle of shipping back or would anyone else just solve it quickly by installing larger screws?
Same screw with some toothpick and wood glue.
@@MrAMF50 Did that and move on 👍
Suena muy bien, a simple vista y oído no tiene nada que envidiarle a un Fender
I just ordered one after finding an open box deal for $224. I'm waiting for it to arrive. I hope the QC is better than this one. The classic vibe fretless bass and jazzmaster guitar I've had were flawless. Only sold those because I'm running out of space. Should NOT have sold that fretless.
What is the string name?
I think this had D'addario Chromes? I forget.
My man love the video but your shirt is the main attraction here 😂😂 love it
ahaha thanks Roy :)
If the Bronco costs $200 than the Squier Mini P bass is even cheaper. The red ones cost $157: www.thomannmusic.com/fender_squire_mini_p_bass_dakota_red.htm
Now I have a Mini P bass, but I can't recall those QC issues that you've encountered on the Mustang. Maybe you can compare those 2 and see how that cheaper Mini P bass fares against the pricier Mustang.
I've been itching to do a head to head on the mini P against the Jackson Minion.... those things look so fun
@@LowEndLobster Ah yes, the Jackson Minion... hmmm.... that one looks _waaaaayyy_ too much like an 80's hair metal guitar. It's that damn headstock I guess!🤣😁
The funny thing is that I wouldn't mind that headstock on a guitar. It's just weird on a bass for me!😁
That Minion is direct competition for the Ibanez Mikro, by the way. I like those.
How much does it weigh?
Does this things neck dive?
Like a guillotine
Flat wounds, Thomastiks are made for Mustangs (figuratively!) Or Fender's....
If Mustang pickups are (or seem) boomy, all other things being equal, drop them. Once you get reasonable sustain you're in the right spot.
This is a prime candidate for a set of Curtis Novack's. The JMJ has Duncan's in it.
I don't know if the MIM Vintera is worth the $6-700 premium, you should have a face off!
Love the shirt. Right on lol
Thanks Riccardo! :)
great!!