Fender Squier Affinity Series P-Bass

Granted a "10" in this category supposedly means "tons of features" but let's face it, this is a p-bass so I don't expect a Fender Jaguar bass level of switches and pots. It has exactly what I expect so I give it a 10.

Again, this is a p-bass so I don't expect it to sound like an Ibanez EDA, StingRay or even Fender Jazz with active electronics. This bass sounds exactly like the good old tried and true p-bass that has been around for decades.

I bought this bass used so I can't comment on factory set-up. However this was a home-brew defret job... and pretty well done at that. I adjusted the bass to my liking and it plays very well.

I can't say for sure how long this bass will last since I've owned it for such a short period of time but judging by the quality of wood, workmanship and components this bass should last as long as I want it to. It's as solid as my +20y.o. basses.

Is there such an entity?

To put it as simply as possible, this Squier Affinity P-bass is well built and is made of good quality components that should last indefinitely. Disregard the reviews that claim this bass suffers from weak or noisy electronics, soldered joints mysteriously coming apart time after time, components falling off, etc. The components are not the issue, the "tech" who did the set up or repairs is. With proper set up by a competent individual this low-budget bass will sound great, be reliable and will serve it's owner well.

As bought, 1 single coil p-bass pickup, lightweight alder body, fairly straight fretted neck.
I bought this as a cheap project bass to play around with different configurations.

The single coil made some buzz (to be expected, nature of the beast), but it was surprisingly full sounding for the price.
The bad sounds were the groaning and popping noises when tuning, which was the bridge trying to break free.

As mentioned, the bridge wasn't too secure. Actually, only 2 of the 5 mounting screws were not stripped out. Most of the pickguard screws were also stripped.
When I pulled the neck off to replace it with a fretless one, I found clumps of sanding dust, really thick, rough paint, and a piece of sandpaper left in the neck joint by the assembler. Is this their way of shimming the neck, or just sloppy work?

As it currently sits, with new neck, repaired screw-holes, origional pickup replaced with a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder, and a second SDQP installed closer to the neck for deeper response, I think it'll go the distance.

I suspect I voided the warranty and will get no help from Fender.

I like the lightweight body. I like the spare parts giving me a few different configuration options. I may stick a Musicman pickup in the neck position just to see how that sounds.

2002 four string, 20 fret Affinity model made in Indochina. Standard Precision Bass configuration with a single volume knob and tone knob controlling a passive humbucking pickup in the sweet spot. Thank God the tuners aren't the ugly boxed in ones they're putting on these things now. Speaking of tuners, what's the universal bar for rating tuning stability anyway? I have to tune this thing maybe every other week and I play 2 hours each day with the odd gig here and there. They're just fine. Standard Fender string through bridge and chrome dome knobs. The single play pickguard blew but wasn't a big issue for me because I had gotten a black pickguard off eBay beforehand to give me that classic Sid Vicious look. The maple neck is finished in a light satin lacquer and suits me just fine as I tend to get sweaty palms quicker than some other folks. The rosewood fretboard has a nice grain too but not nearly as nice as my custom frankenstein Jazz Bass, of course. ;) I'll give it a 9 because of the lame pickguard.

This is where I was really shocked. For the longest time I stayed away from newer Squiers because so many agreed they were extremely poor sounding and prone to failure. Well, failures are eventual in all equipment and that's why you should always keep a backup handy. If these stock pickups fail, I'll just buy a set of Seymour Duncan or Fender pickups. If the input jack or pots go out, I'll just get replacements and wire them. I play this asian beauty through either a Bassman 100 or four space rack head with an Ampeg B2 powering a Tech21 PSA-1 pre amp, going through an Ampeg 8x10 cabinet, and I have to say it sounds amazing. I play alot of mod rock and post punk so the extra hot pickups really help me to get that lightly toasted sound quicker. I also dabble in third wave ska, rocksteady, reggae, etc and with the just a pinch of tone I get deep, earth shaking bass without any of the mud. Honestly though, I think it's just the quality of my gear that makes it sound so good. I'll give them an 8 just to be safe.

The body is finished off in a nice creamy white and appears to be hardwood, which I think may contribute largely to that cutting P-Bass sound when the tone knob is dimed. It looks really nice. The pickups were high enough that I could rest my thumb on them when I need to and low enough to avoid strings clicking against the magnets when picking or slapping. The action was nice, but the truss rod did require a quick tweak and the saddles needed to be raised. Straight out of the box it was okay, but I can understand why people may have problems playing it. I like my action low and flat so every bass gets adjusted to my tastes so I can't comment much on this. I'll give it a 7 here.

The hardwood body will get dented very easily but for the price I paid, I wouldn't care much. The finish looks good and will definitely look better with some bits of paint missing here and there. The strap buttons are crap and probably the only other I hate on this entire bass. Other than the single ply pickguard, of course. Unlike a pair of underwear, I wouldn't ever leave the house without a backup bass so that isn't an issue. I would expect it to give out eventually though and suggest those who are starting out with this instrument to be wary of that. Solution? Get two! The instrument gets a 7 to reflect the strap buttons and the bass' potential to crap out on a younger musician who can't afford a backup mid-song.

It's Fender. They're an international music empire. Needless to say, I don't expect much from them unless Leo Fender zombified corpse suddenly rose from its grave and engaged in a hostile takeover of the company. By "hostile" I of course mean a bloody, brain-eating killing spree through their Arizona headquarters. How cool would that be?

I've only been playing for about three years, but my father spoils me because he went to GIT but never got a chance to make anything of his efforts in music because he slept with my mother. Living through your children rocks! Or maybe not. Besides this, I have a Hartke VX3500, an Ampeg SVT-810E, a Versatone Pan-o-Flex (!!!!), an Edwards E-FV-95B Flying V bass, a custom built Jazz Bass that looks like a genuine 70's model, a Peavey Dyna-Bass, and other junk. I started out on a vintage Gretsch Roc Jet guitar that belonged to my uncle, but I quickly made the move to bass because some friends in High School needed a bassist for their band and nobody else they knew were talented enough. Since then I've started playing upright and working on my jazz chops while playing more easily accessible stuff like the genres of music I mentioned above. I don't consider myself to be very good, but it's probably only because my self-esteem is so poor and that the internet gives me easy access to numerous videos and mp3 recordings of much better bassists, both professional and amatuer alike. All I can do is learn from them and be a slave to music in hopes that someday I'll make it in the industry and turn my hobby into a job. Overall, I think this is a great value but I can't imagine what it would sound like through a 15 watt practice amp and that's why I think my review is a bit biased for those looking to buy a bass in this price range. However, if you're a musician who has been at it awhile or just has really top notch gear, give the Squier name a try. You may like it.

Standard Affinity Squier Precision, you know the score.

When I got it, I was pleased with it's sound and it suited me very nicely, but as I progressed along I decided that replacing the pickups would be a safe way to go, I changed the standard squier ones with Seymour duncan quarter pounders and the sound differences were awesome, the bass now has a thick warm tone that's smooth and silky, crank it up and it overdrives perfectly too.

The original action was quite comfortable for me, although I prefer a quite high action, intonation was spot on out of the box. There were no problems with the out of the box bass, it was fine. A spin of the tone control sometimes creates something of a crackle, but I fixed that myself/.

This bass has withstood the toil of live playing, I would probably reccomend straplocks, as the strap buttons are a little loose, but if you carry a phillips screwdriver wherever you take it, you'll be fine. The finish is as solid as a rock, you simply cannot hurt it, which may be a pain in the ass when I choose to strip it down and respray the body sometime soon, but nevermind that. I have gigged it without backup and it's been fine.

N/A

I've been playing a few years and always with this bass. one thing I wished I had asked before I purchased it is whether the wiring was any good, but I fixed that too. If you like repairing things with your own hands, it's quite fun.

If it were stolen or lost, I would probably save up my money for a long time to buy a rickenbacker 4003, something of a dream bass for me.

The bass that I am rating is an Indonesian made Squier P-bass Affinity series model from around 1999. It is a 4 string, 20 fret bass so it is quite basic and average as basses go. Made with 2 knobs, one for volume and one supposedly made for tone. It has two pickups p-bass style with passive electronics. The body style is a basic fender precision copy with an average width neck from the other basses that I have played. This was the bass that came with my Beginner package, which included a Gig bag, amp, instructional video, and cord. This section is just talking about the specifics in general, ill get into nitpicky things later.

When it comes to sound, this is where it starts to fall apart. I play many music styles but mostly funk/jazz/rock. It doesnt seem to be made for anything in particular but it isnt all that well balanced either. I have used it with many different amps and it still has a nagging buzzing sound no matter what you do. On slaping and popping, it isnt all that crisp for either and mucks up the sound no matter what you do. The only time it shows promise is when you turn the knob all the way to one side, providing the player with a somewhat richer sound or crisper sound. The bass sounds better onstage live than in the studio but still doesnt sound great either way. I do like however, the snap sound you can get when you turn the knob all the way to crisp and slap and pop.

When I got the bass, it was in tip-top shape for the first 2 years. nothing was wrong until one day I spun one of the knobs and it fell off! completely off. I couldnt get it to stick on no matter what I did. Eventually the bass just died on me after the electronics broke down and the knobs both fell off. This disappointed me and I eventually got stuck with a $160 repair bill. Damn!

I would consider this review the same as the one above. Also the truss rod has to be adjusted constantly and continually or else it goes all snappy and out of tune easily. I only use this bass on gigs because I cant afford another one.

I have been playing almost 6 years and I have played many basses by many brands. I just bought an OLP MM2. I have been in 4 different musical bands and played about 5 paying gigs outside of school. For someone who just turned 16, I think that that is pretty good. I listen to almost any kind of music and I have quite a bit of knowledge of music theory. Comparing this to other basses, the other fenders that are out there have more character and better durability. they sound better and are just slightly more expensive. Comparing this bass to other brands like Sadowsky, Musicman, Epiphone, Spector, Ibanez, Modulus, etc.........., is like comparing Apples to bruised apples. Although this is a crappy bass, I made the most out of it by Upgrading the electronics, getting new pickups, new pots, and polishing it up. I have had this as my faithful bass for almost 6 years and it has always been there, even if it is a piece of crap. I would not sell this bass because of the history it has. That being said, Ill probably never play it as my main bass.

This Bass has two knobs, ya know? Volume (That one makes it louder, and Softer), and Tone (That one makes it go Ping Ping or Pow Pow) Who can ever know when this was made, I bought it used. 20 jumbo frets, all fairly even and well installed. It's got one split P-Bass style pickup. Maybe i'll replace it one day, maybe I won't. It's got passive electronics, and a Torino (Whatever happened to Candy-Apple) Red Finish. The bridge is in pretty good condition, depending on how this bass holds up in the next 6 months I may or may not replace it with a Leo Quan Badass II Chrome Bridge. The Tuners are sealed and don't slip, though I may replace the Low E tuner because it's slightly soft. The scale is just right for a person of my height 5'6". It's got what you need, nothing you don't.

I play a variety of styles, from reggae to jazz. The bass sounds allright across the spectrum. It's no Stingray, but it nails the melodic round tones above the 12th fret in what i'll call the treble position, and it rumbles low in what i'll call the bass. I say Treble & Bass positions because the tone knob has basically no middle ground. I play through whatever amp is available, and am about to start building a Port-a-Flex replica with my friend.

I bought this bass slightly used, and there was an upside and a down side. The downside is there is a small fleck of red finish missing. The upside is that this bass was also apparently set-up by the previous owner. Thank you, unknown dude!

I've had it a few hours. It's still in one piece. What could go wrong?

Fender = Robots

I've been playing guitar for over nine years, and have a plethora of musical equipment from a Banjolin to a Lowlry Organ. This is just another member of the family. It's my first bass and so it's obviously a budget choice, but it is also a lucky find. I might pull the squire waterslide decal off the headstock, because i'm not a big fan of branding. I play in a band called the IntolerAnts, and it works pretty well for whatever we play. Ever notice how it's only kids in Emo/Punk bands that hate on in-expensive non-mainstream-branded equipment? Peace and Love, kids.

This is a review of a Fender Squier Affinity P-Bass, made in China. I purchased it new at Mars, 6 months before they went belly up. About 70 people before me, have described this instrument. It's no frills bass, with split pickups, volume and tone controls, tuners, frets, pickguard and strap buttons. The neck is maple, the fingerboard is rosewood. There were no accessories included.

I'm a guitar player/vocalist who writes and records music in the folk, alt country vein. This instrument often goes direct to Yamaha 2816, occasionaly into a preamp, or into an SWR LA8 practise amp. I'm not overly impressed with the sound of this instrument. I rate acceptable.

The bass wasn't set up at all, as purchased. It need a truss rod twist, and bridge adjustment to bring action and intonation into line. The finish is pretty damn good for an under $200 instrument. The frets need no work, and the electronics functioned.

I expect that this bass will hold up pretty well, played live.

I don't expect to require customer support. What i can't fix myself, will be handled by a local repair shop. This is chinese,baby fender for christ's sake, not an Alembic!

I've been playing guitar for 30+ years. Other gear includes fender, washburn, taylor, guild, and gibson guitars. Line 6 pod, fender blues dlx amp, ultrasound AG50 amp, and SWR la8 amp. Recording gak includes Yamaha AW2816, dBx 386, lexicon MPX 550,TC VoiceOne, Macintosh with Peak, Akg 535, shure KSM44's,oktava MC012's, sm57 et/

Why did I choose this? Because it was playable, and cheap. I don't love or hate anything about it. It's a useful tool that helps me lay down basic bass tracks. It this was stolen, I would invest in a slightly better bass.

I got mine in 2005 and was crafted in Mexico. It has 20 medium jumbo frets tht work fine for me adn has 4 strings and has volume tone controls. im 13 so i dnt kno all the technical stuff. mine is special its got open gear tuners and a bad ass 2 bridge with 'hot rod' pickups which added to the price a bit

I play greenday in my band and it gives me the perfect sound. I am using a fender bassman 200 ashdown and marshall and i swear they kik ass. i play live and it neva fails me.
all u wanaks out there tht say its crap prob cus u suk a bass and dnt kno wat a bass shuld sound like or how to play.

Every thing was perfect

It will with stand been run ova by a car
trhere is no need for backup

y need support when u r playin gods instrument

Ive been playin for 4 years and it is a kik ass bass. if it were stolen ill find the guy/ggirl and kik their ass to the ground.
i love....it
ppl tht say it suk are wrong as it is a fab axe

Purchased around easter 2005 with the Squire Starter Bass Pack. Solid alder body, 1 piece maple neck, a nice rosewood fretboard. 20 frets 4 strings, made in indonesia. 1 volume and 1 tone knob. Single split coil p-bass pickup.

I liked when i got it, but as time went on i started looking for more definition. But after playing many new basses with active electronics, i found myself liking the sound of this 'starter' bass more and more. Compared to mexican and american p-basses i've tried, well no contest. But in my mind beats the hell out of most thin sounding modern basses. The tone knob takes you from a nice subtle growl and punch to a undefined mudd.

The action came pretty good. It was lowered a little from the shop i bought it from. The pickups were also fine. The input jack is kinda loose, sometimes takes a little jiggle or two no worries tho. There was a bunch of saw dust under every place on the bass but not a real big problem that can't be solved with a screw driver and 5 minutes.

More of a bedroom bass player so i don't know about live playing. The finish is pretty durable, and the tuners do a descent job staying in tune for about a week at a time. Were i to play live i woudl replace the small strap buttons, and because of the sketchy input jack i wouldn't try and gig without a back up. The neck has remained true since i bought it.

Haven't dealt withth them

I've only been playing for about 4 months maybe. Now i really wish that i sprung a bit more cash for one of the squire p-basses that have a bridge jazz pickup. Were it stolen I would probably pick up a used jazz or something along those lines. All and all, this is a good bass at a good price. For my tastes, it sounds better than a lot of other active basses out there.

2002 Squire 20th Anniversary P Bass Affinity / China
BODY Alder
NECK Maple, C-Shape,
(Polyurethane Finish)
FINGERBOARD Rosewood, 9.5? Radius (241 mm)
NO. OF FRETS 20 Medium Jumbo
SCALE LENGTH 34? (864 mm)
WIDTH AT NUT 1.625? (41 mm)
HARDWARE Chrome
MACHINE HEADS Standard Open-Gear Tuners
BRIDGE Standard 4-Saddle
PICKGUARD 1-Ply White
PICKUPS 1 Split Single-Coil Pickup
PICKUP SWITCHING None
CONTROLS Volume, Tone
COLORS (506) Black,
(Polyurethane Finish)
STRINGS Super 7250ML, p/n 073-7250-005, (.045, .065, .080, .100)
UNIQUE FEATURES Dot Position Inlays
INTRODUCED 1/1999

With tone turned down = Booming Mush
With tone turned up = Nice traditional Fender bass sound !
I'm not able to dial in anything usefull in midrange tone but some DiMarzio's PU's might do the trick.
Flatwound strings sound good !

Neck set = excellent / tight no gaps or misfitting.
Frets = very good. No sharp edges and all are set well.
Better than fret work found on many higher priced basses (e.g.Yamaha)
Action: Setup quite well. Obviously will need an occasional trussrod tweak....don't all basses ?
So I figure it deserves a 10

As others mentioned in the prior postings the pickguard is cheap. People have trouble with loose knobs etc...so fix em
At this price point what do you want - Egg in your Beer !

NA

I have owned a number of midrange priced basses. Rickenbacker, Spector NS2, Gibson's, Ibanez, I have built two Warmoth Jazz basses.
This Squire bass has to be the best bang-for-the buck out there !