Fender Classic Vibe 70s 5-String Jazz Bass

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It arrived a day earlier than expected, after my previous bass was stolen, I appreciate the help. Very good.

Nice squire bass designed by fender made in China or Indonesia. The first one shipped was made in Indonesia, had a small crack in the neck pocket. Nothing major but I still asked fender what to do. They ask me to return it and did send me a new bass made China. The replacement is significantly better made compared to the one from Indonesia. Fret work was excellent. Still needed to get it setup by a luthier. Intonation, action, truss rod and pickup spacing needed some adjustment.

While this bass is heralded online for its value, it’s somewhat of a dice roll whether or not you’re going to get one without some kind of factory defect. The value comes at the cost of quality control, and while some things are livable and will not affect playability – others are not quite the same.

1. Out of the box there were obvious issues with the finish. Areas on the black pick / finger guard that looked like small bubbles on a bad tint job where there’s a plastic layer over the black. No way to remove or deal with these and they’re not visible from several feet away, but there’s about a dozen small and obvious imperfections if you’re looking at it from arm’s length. Any “beginner” instrument is going to get beat up for sure, but seeing this from the instant you unwrap it just leads to the other points…

2. The jack had a large amount of slop in it and was loose enough that it affected playability out of the box. Any movement would result in small disconnects while playing. Good for a “beginner instrument” because you’re going to get to learn guitar maintenance from the moment you start! The jack is not the kind you can simply twist to tighten, but has a tension bar within that had to be bent into place. An easy fix, but again: out of the box for a “beginner” this immediately caused playability issues and required unscrewing the thing to do maintenance.

3. E and D strings had significant kinks in them on the 15th fret that made the action on that fret essentially unplayable. While these are high up for sure and you’re not usually hammering those notes as a beginner bassist – again, this directly affects playability out of the box and it’s a QC issue. Lol again, good for a “beginner” because you’ll get to learn how to change your strings right out of the box if you want to play those notes!

4. Bad head dive. The poplar body is light and causes significant head dive, thus making the bass very difficult to balance and manage sitting down – even with a strap. The bass is badly balanced due to how light the poplar body is in comparison to the heavier maple wood of the more expensive models. Putting your leg in a normal seated position and resting the instrument in the typical fashion across you leg will see the head immediately dip down. A strap makes this more manageable and standing with a strap is workable. But if you simply sat down and tried to play this bass without a strap, you’re constantly fighting it. There’s just no way to sit and relax and let the bass balance while you play.

Overall: You can read the other reviews to see where other QC issues come up. Tuners and warped necks seem to be another big problem, although mine seemed fine. Besides the QC problems out of the box that required me unscrewing the plate on the thing just to get it fully playable, the balance is probably the most frustrating thing, as you have to know the design of this bass is near identical to Fender’s $1,500 American Standard. Difference is that maple wood is about 50% more dense than poplar. So while the shape is the same, the balance is different.

I may try to return mine after this list of frustrating QC issues. A lot of people warned me not to buy instruments online, and honestly while I’ve had one or two good experiences – this one may have stopped me for good. If you buy, good luck with the dice roll on the QC.

I tried every pricey Jazz Bass with the Fender logo on the headstock that I could try and they exhibited the same ‘uncertainties’ in sound and playability as the Fender authorized knock-offs such as Squire. The Squires in the stores didn’t have this incredible finish and design, so I took a chance ordering this one. The savings enabled me to upgrade the bridge to a Hipshot and the pickups to Fender Pure Vintage ’74. Then a quarter turn of the truss rod and Wow. Now it’s my primary instrument and since it’s not a $2,500 instrument I get to add my own personalized decorative embellishments without destroying resale value.

I bought this “Used-Very Good” for $300.

That was not a very good description. When I pulled it out of the box, my jaw dropped. This thing is MINT! Not a blemish on it. The body wood is perfect. The neck is straight and true. The action is fantastic. And, it still had the plastic coverings on the pickguard, pickups, control plate, and tuners, and all the tags, including the factory tag. The one thing I found was a speck of polishing compound.

Tuned it up and tried it out. It’s not what I expected. It’s better. Even though I haven’t plugged it in yet, playing it revealed you can get nice, round bass tones, or a sharp slap sound. The action is good. The fit and finish on this one is fantastic. No mismatched wood, no frets needing filing, and the tuning pegs are nice and crisp. And the body is NOT light as some have mentioned. It’s downright heavy! It rivals the weight of my 1969 Dan Armstrong!

If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I had a late 60’s/early 70’s Jazz Bass. I had an older friend who had one, and let me play it, and it certainly feels the same and plays the same.

I thank the seller for sending me such a magnificent musical instrument. it is second only to my original Dan Armstrong. I have a 1992 P-Bass lyte as well, and I play it all the time, but this bass has been placed above it.
I’ll admit, the P-Bass Lyte is easier to play, but the sheer pinache of this piece outshines it. Always wanted an all-maple Fender. And, this FEELS and plays like a Fender.

I’ve played other Squier basses. Some were OK, some were really good. This is the best one yet.

And it only took 52 years. Am I gushing? I must be in love.

Maybe I got a gem.

EDIT: I finally brought it to a rehearsal. I got a Crossrock case for it and dragged it down there. I plugged it into my Behring BX4500 with a Peavey 1820 cabinet and we started playing. After the 3rd song the guys were commenting how good it sounded. Classic Fender Jazz Bass. My other basses have narrower necks, and the first few songs were tough, but I didn’t have to switch. They couldn’t believe what I paid for it.

The Crossrock Tweed bass case fit so well it was like it was made for it. Perfect fit, no slopping around inside.

I am quite well pleased with both.