Customer Reviews

Squier by Fender Vintage Modified Jazz Bass 70'S, Natural

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've had this bass for a few months now, and all I can say is that it's probably one of the best basses I've ever played and/or owned. Right out of the box I could tell it was a quality instrument. Fit and finish were flawless, the action and setup were good, only requiring very minimal tweaking to get it to where I like it. The neck with the satin finish feels great, the fretwork was excellent. And the tone, with the Duncan designed pickups , has a definite vintage Fender vibe. On top of all that, with the natural finish along with the maple fretboard and the Block inlays and binding (don't let anyone tell you they're painted on, they are the real thing) this bass looks simply gorgeous. I would not hesitate to use this at a gig.
If you're looking for a viable alternative to a "real" Fender Jazz bass at a reasonable cost, this is the bass you're looking for. A good bass for beginner OR pro.

I'm a semi-professional bass player with 30 years experience, so I've played a lot of basses in my time. I tend towards using a mellow tone, so my main axe is an American made P-Bass with flatwound strings. I went looking for a back-up bass, and several trusted folks told me to check out the Squier. I'm so glad I did. Not only did I get a nice-looking bass at a great price, but I got a funky, bright-sounding instrument that sounds really different from my mellow P-bass. If the Squier was going to be my main instrument, I might think about changing the bridge to something meatier; I'd probably want to change the tuning pegs, too. I'm a classic rocker, playing Stones and Beatles and Elvis, so I'm not pounding on my bass like some folks do. If I did play that way, I would definitely want to change out the bridge and the tuners. This bass would be great for a student who's just starting out and it will last for years. As for the cosmetics, I really like the natural look, and the old-school fret markers are sweet. Try this bass out, you won't be sorry!

I have played many bass guitars and this one is definitely one of my top favorites. It both looks and sounds great. This bass has a very clean and bright sound. It's hardware and pickups are very good quality, and the 3-piece body is seamless. I love playing this bass and I do so everyday. One of the best features about this bass is the price. For the quality of it, I would be willing to pay twice as much. Compared to a Fender Jazz bass, it is really the same thing, just stamped with Squier. I am expecting this instrument to last me for years to come.

I waited for almost a year after buying this to write a review. I wanted to make sure i put this bass through it's paces before telling people how i felt about it. Though I own many fenders.....I am always picking this squire up to get a quick session in. I love it's feel, I love the look...and more importantly I love the sound. Quality wise this little 300 dollar squire sounds as good as some fender's i've played on that were 3 times the price. If you need a beater bass, or rather wear down on a squire instead of putting your fenders to work....I highly recommend this bass. Hung everything from heavy power slinky's to super thin, bass strings on this and I am just amazed at the sound quality for the price.

I bought this bass after reading all these positive reviews and watching some guys playing it in Youtube. The only fear I had if it was maybe too "funky" for me (a rock head), specially after watching all those videos with guys playing slap. But it also sounds amazing for rock! It's got a very deep sound. With such a versatile instrument, you can turn from heavy to groovy in a second. And it's also beautiful and well-crafted, really classic style.

I rarely write reviews, but after playing my Squier VMJ bass, I felt the need to tell of what an exceptional instrument it is. I purchased this bass on a whim, having never really played Fender instruments before. I went to a local Guitar Center and tried out both the USA Fenders and and the Mexican Fenders. Both sounded and felt pretty good and I was considering buying a used 2009 USA Fender Jazz bass until I saw the Squier VMJ tucked away into a corner. This model had the natural maple body with a perfect seam joining the separate body pieces together. The neck is a maple neck with the black binding and black block inlays and satin finish. The inlays and binding almost look like they are painted on, but they are the real deal. The pickups are the Duncan designed J pickups with 2 volume controls and 1 tone control. First thing I noticed was the weight of the bass. I have a German made Warwick Corvette 5 string, and they are notoriously heavy. The Squier seemed almost as heavy, due to the solid maple body. I like heavier instruments for a better tone. I plugged this into a 300 watt Mark Bass rig and was floored by how good this bass sounds. Crystal highs and booming lows. There was no loss of the bass or distortion when I cranked it up. It was easy to change tones by adjusting the volume controls and rolling off the tone a bit. The neck is more comfortable than anything I have ever played. The price was set at $275.00...what a steal! I took it home and tweaked the neck by giving it a tad more relief and swapping the bridge for a Leo Quan Bad Ass 2 chrome bridge. The bridge added even more sustain and clarity to an already fantastic bass. I also swapped out the chrome control knobs for vintage style black plastic jazz knobs and put on a Fender gold glass sparkle pickguard for some visual flair. I ended up buying the VMJ over the USA model and haven't regretted it. I have played all types of basses over the last 25 years and was shocked at how good the VMJ is. I play it through a 200 watt Acoustic half stack and pedal board with a Tech 21 Sans Amp bass driver and this thing sings. My band mates and sound guys rave at the tone this thing puts out. Do yourself a favor and check this bass out. Even though it's a Squier, it has become my number 1 bass and would be devastated if something happened to it.

I've been teaching my girlfriend how to play bass and it finally hit the time where I decided she needed her own so for the price I thought why not? I was well more than surprised when it arrived! Amazing finish and I love the satin neck SO much! This is a very top of the line Squier IMO. I had to set it up of course but after a few adjustments this thing has a very nice punch to it! Also it shipped right on time and with no issues so that's always a plus. I just might get one for my self since she will be having all the fun with it from now on ha ha! In short, this is a very great bass!

I bought one of these back when they first came out. Mine plays beautiful and sounds like a Fender J-bass. I did have to lower the action and change the strings but that's it. It's been great and my wife, who hates my instruments, even wonders why I didn't buy it before. It's not a classic American Fender Jazz Bass but it plays as well as a MIM Jazz Bass. This is my "goto" bass out of the 3 basses in my arsenal.

This Squir bass is pretty much enough for me becasue I'm not a bassist but a guitarist. Neck without transparent coating is susceptible to benting. I will try a neck-coated one next time but this guitar's sound is just perfect.

I got this with discounts for real cheap at Sam Ash. Unfortunately, this instrument is only worth what I paid for it. In fact, I've now been through two of these, and I'm quite unimpressed. The first one I got had a very nice body with good tone, but a severely warped and bowed neck. Squier replaced the whole bass warranty (they wouldn't just replace the defective neck). As I feared, the new bass doesn't have as nice a body, and the neck still sucks.

The first body was made of two pieces, nicely matched with the seam down the middle. Sadly, the replacement bass has its seam WAY off center, and the two pieces don't match at all. Fugly!

The new neck is horribly bowed and has terrible buzzing above the 12th fret, so I have to raise the action unnecessarily high. Adjusting the truss rod is a scary ordeal. I'm afraid to adjust it too tight - the neck feels so flimsy. Every day I give it a turn to remove some of the bowing, and the next day the neck is bowed again.

If you don't mind high action and some string buzz, this could be a nice cheap bass for you. I bought this because I needed THAT Fender tone for a recording project, and wasn't getting it with my much more expensive Sting Ray 5. The Squier gets the tone alright, but it's no sub for a real Fender Jazz Bass.