Fender Squier Affinity Series P-Bass

I own a 2004 P bass made in Indonisia, that I bought in mint (used condition), it is your standard Precision 4 string, nothing special. Alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, jumbo frets, and that beautiful p bass neck.

This bass does everything I want it to very well, and has a good amoutn of versitility for what it is it's an amazing bass that I plan on upgrading. I played a Fender American Standard Precision and although it had mroe tone over all it wasn't much different, not enough to warrent replacing this one for 1400 bucks instead of dropping a couple hundred to get near the same sound. The fact that this bass stands up in whatever I compare it to amazes me, however I don't like it for drop tunings and you get alot of hum. Based on a standard tuning and a finger picking style this bass is perfect for any style of rock out there, drop tuned, picked or slaped and you might wanna use something else.

I love the feel of a P bass, I added my own thumbrest and now it's just an amazing bass. The guy I got it off of set it up but not quite to my liking, now I got my action highish, and my pickup as close as I can put it and still slap and I love it. The finish is also very nice, and I've beaten the hell out of this bass (unfortionitly) and it still looks new until close inspection.

This is defenitly a reliable bass, the stock strap buttons are pure garbage (as are all Fender strap buttons) but strap locks do the trick. I'm not rough with my instruments but they do get banged around accidentaly. I think she'll last for a while though, haven't had to adjust the truss rod yet:)

I actualy had to deal with Fender over my tele and strat, they're customer service is alright, the employee who I was emailing seemed a bit snappy and rude but I didn't really care.

Been playing almost 6 years, and as for bass I have this and a Bassman 115 amp. I love the tone I get from it, and this bass plays awsome. For what I paid it's amazing and for what I expected it's surpassed that by about 100 times, I'd expect crap or a weak finish or plywood but it's just been my workhourse for the last year, and my sole bass seeing as I can't stand my old Peavey's sound. I recomend this bass to anyone on a budget or a beginner, but if you want to have the Fender name defenitly go for it because Mexican or U.S. made they're both great basses as well.

Most people seem to have gotten "second hand" squier basses, because i never had a problem with mine besides the volume knob falling off. and thats after my cat knocked it over a bunch of times. Built pretty damn solid except for the volume knobs and input. some spots on the neck are a little hotter then others but thats what compressors are for.

Sounds great thru a 100 watt SWR amp, a little nondescript (but that could be due to the fact that I havent changed the strings in a long time). Although i played a ibanez thru it as well and i'd have to say the ibanez sounded better, with a clearer metallic tone. But in conclusion I dont see why it couldnt be used to play anything you want, If your a good bass player this bass should suffice.

I bought it brand new and my only complaint is the cheap volume knobs (use guitar volume knobs they actually stay on)and input, and the inconsistency of the 'attack' (Some areas are louder then others). and sometimes the top string buzzes a little bit when tuned down.

Well I've played out with my P-bass plenty of times with out back up. I think a lot of people on here got taken for a ride and bought beat up old crummy P-basses. Why would my bass be magically superior to all other squiers. Shame on you all, do you homework

most people that work in music stores are morons. (sad but true) I wouldnt even want them to try and 'fix' it.

well I've been playing bass (Off and on didnt always own a bass)about as long as I've been playing guitar, which is 14 years. If my P-bass was stolen I'd most definitely buy a new one because its cheap and works for anything you need it too(depending on how good you are).I used it to record different kinds of music and played out in bars and such. If I were to buy any other type of bass it would probably a Ibanez of some sort.

Hey this is P-bass, what "features"?? Basic volume/tone control, jack, and how do you call those? yeah strings! (Truth is avg P-bass buyer will not buy it for features ;)

Mine was made in Indonesia, with maple neck/rosewood fretboard, black with white pickup guard. Not sure about actual wood, it is no plywood and feels heavy; listed as Alder, perhaps is. Got used, not sure what year, ~2005ish

After shielding and adjusting it sounds great even with stock strings/pickups, sounds just like the original did in those records from 70s.

Problem with many "budget", "value" guitars/basses that they rarely come set up right (who will spend 1-2hr setting 200$ instrument?) Also if you got it as part of "value" pack don't judge the sound by practice amp it was sold with. It will sound alot better with better amp.

There is alot of hum coming from unshielded pickups; plan on to spend some time on schielding pots/pickups

Action is light and was almost spot on, needed very little adjustment. Bridge on other hand wasn't adjusted, so she would go out of tune when you walk up.

Pickups needed adjustment, and they are somewhat cumbersome to adjust. You might wanna put something under

Pickups, pots and wires need to be shielded

One pickup guard screw was overtighten

hey this is a bass not a sledge hammer!
I am easy on instruments; seems to be durable enough finish-wise.

After initial set up didn't need much attention

Stoke strap is a joke, not sure why they bothered to include it

It is a great value if you like sound of P-bass from old tracks, not care for bells and whistles and willing to spend time on adjusting/shielding

I bought mine new in 2005, obviously it's not got a great deal of features but I was starting out then so it was all that I needed. Now, I still have it, but it's no longer giving me what I want froma bass - it's very basic, but I wouldn't call it bad. It didn't come with any extras.

I've used it a lot to play various styles, it seems to play best with a neutral style of music - not too rockish, not too country. The tone settings on the bass only add bass/treble, so anything more I've had to ask to be altered through PA systems if it's been possible to do that. It also sounded a lot better once I replaced the original strings, and that was just with the standard regular Ernie Ball ones.

Bass set-up at the factory - awful! I have modified nearly everything. Pick-ups needed raising, strings lowering, and the pickguard has been replaced due to faults with the electrics on the inside. The lead contact is pretty loose as well, and I've had endless problems with that in the past. If I had the money I would have just replaced the bass instead of getting it fixed. 3 times I had to get it repaired.

It's never failed me playing live, only at practices when the electrics have gone completely in the past. After four years of owning it, it's in pretty bad condition, this is probably my own fault, because the neck is bruised and scratched, the finish is chipping off, it's not all that pretty anymore.

I've never had to deal with them.

I've been playing four years, still haven't replaced my first bass, so I feel that as a player I've outgrown it, but haven't the money to get something decent. It's been alright for the time I had it. As a beginner's instrument it was very good but that's all.

Hey, it's a typical P bass... 1 volume, 1 tone, thin sheet steel bridge, 1 ply pick guard. This Affinity is a little different than some others I've seen because it's fitted with standard sized tuners. The neck is made from a very nice slab cut of maple with nice even graining.

It sounds like a P bass should.

This bass needed a few minor repairs and a setup but then again I bought this one used from my local Music Go Round so no rating for factory fit and fnish. However the frets needed a little cleaning up and buffing at their ends because I can be a little picky about such things.

Very well built and solid.

This is my second Affinity P bass and once again I'm impressed with the quality and sound for the amount of cash I paid. According to the serial number this bass was made in Indonesia by Cort in 2005 and they really did a good job building it. The fret work wasn't perfect but then again it's to be expected from a bargain bass.

I normally gig with my ATK700 plugged into an Ashdown MAG300H head and GK 410RBH cab but I also take this along as a backup and to play on some songs were I want the sort of tone that can only come from a passive bass. This one is a definite keeper because it plays and sounds so good. I just love seeing the look on people's faces when they find out it's a Squier... and an Affinity no less!

2006 Squier Precision Bass. 4 strings, 20 frets, passive single humbucker, volume and tone knobs, just like everybody said. Bolt-on neck, thinner than most; a pretty fast neck, in fact.

Not a feature-rich device, nor is it meant to be.

It sounds like a Precision! Growly with the tone turned all the way up, muddy with it all the way down. Pick near the bridge for super-bright, finger over the pickup or at the neck for dark and deep. You know, a bass. I haven't plugged into an amp, just direct into my ProFire 2626 and through Native Instruments Guitar Rig - sounds good! No hum, buzz or hiss from electronics that I can detect. The pickup and pots are cheap, though. I suspect that investing in a loaded pickguard for this thing would really make it scream.

I spent 45 minutes or so doing a set-up (been awhile since I've done one on a bass, cut me some slack), and she's a player! Only fret buzz is when fretting on the top 5 or so frets, which I'm calling "acceptable". I can always raise the action a hair if I need to. Didn't touch the truss rod, the action seems pretty consistent all-round. Did I mention that the neck was pretty fast?

Finish is decent, no glaring flaws from 5 feet away. It's obviously not perfect for this price, but hey, who's perfect anyway?

It feels solid, like a P-Bass. The pickguard is flimsy as hell, however, and flexes like mad when inserting / removing a cable; I suspect that it won't last long, as some previous reviewers have alluded to. Body and neck seem solid, though.

Never dealt with Fender on anything.

For the price, this is an amazing guitar. Even for significantly more money I'd be happy. A great beginner's instrument, to be sure, and I suspect that I'm going to get a fair bit of use out of it tracking here. We'll see how it holds up to live abuse!

20 Frets, made somewhere in Asia. Mine is a few years old so I would guess Indonesia. Body appears to be Agathis. 1 Pickup. It's a P-bass. Light. Dents easily. Well at least it is easy to drill a new pickguard into. Loving previous owner took pity on it and sanded down and re-shot with a nitro coat.

With the '62 RI pickup you get killer old school thump and grind for days. So it's a 10. Strung up with Fender flatwounds. Absolutely sings.

Love it.

Want to hear it?

No problem: http://www.myspace.com/zombiesurfcamp

Factory setup never saw it. Neck is a little off center due to what looks like a second rate neck pocket. Plays nice. Replaced bridge awhile back. Stock one was cheap but worked.

Well, the body wood is a little too soft, easy to dent. Other than that, it's fine. I have used it for stage and recordings. I have a lot of premium equipment but nevertheless, this cheap beginner bass is one of my top 3 picks.

Nice and light, good tone. The stock tuners are ugly but they did the job. Replaced them for Hipshot ultralights. Yes... I pimped my Squier P-bass. What can I say it has done right by me so I do right by it.

Playing a long time, toured, recorded, still do it... Honestly own gear that costs five times what I have into this thing, but that's not what matters, what matters is if it plays and sounds good for you... And this starter bass gets me going every time. I bought it for around 200, and put almost that much into it with new bridge, tuners, knobs and pickguard. I have owned probably over a dozen basses, and this is definitely in the top 3. Though it is in the bottom 3 for price. Adding the work the previous owner did you probably have close to 500 in a 200 dollar bass. Funny part is it plays and sounds like one worth even more.

Made in China.
Usual Squier p-bass, brown sunburst finish.
Accessories - tools and only.
Looks excellent!!!

Stock pickup was replaced by Seymour Duncan Quarter-Pound (SPB-3), sound became more punchy, increased frequency range and power. Then I mounted second pickup ( usual cheap J-Bass pickup ) near the bridge for improving high-freq response.
Played open-air with it - great!!! A lot of punch and enough clarity for solos, fast riffs.
Now I satisfied with this sound (playing soft, hard rock, metal, prog rock a little), using tap, slap-pop technique and my instrument doesn't limit study process. Dynamic is proportional for all frets and strings with quality pickups.

mmmm.. That's the problem.
No factory setup, but it's not a problem. Action was perfectly tuned by myself.
I play this bass almost for 3 years, finish doesn't want lay on instrument and fall's out after light hit. And the worst: neck on the backside becomes greeny-grey after few months of playing (not on all instruments).

Once stoke tuner was broken in two after bass was dropped down in in a soft case, but very mastered guy repaired it in a day. Other times it remained safe (even in temperature range -30 --- +40 C degrees)

Not needed

I think it's a ideal solution for cash 200-350$, but no more.
GOOD, reliable and playable BASS for beginners and advanced musicians.

Made in Indonesia, May 2006. Standard equipment you'd expect from a basic P-Bass... one split P-style pickup, 20 frets, 34" scale, volume and tone. Solid blue finish. I'd have preferred the two-pickup style on this, for a little more flexibility, but I needed something that would sound like an entry-level Fender bass and this is fine.

I picked this up for a surf band. Like I said, I needed something that would sound like an entry-level Fender bass, bland and with a little bit of growl, and without all the gut-busting ultra lows and high-end definition. For this purpose it sounds just fine.

The only possible variation in tone using the factory equipment is with the tone knob, which will allow you to roll off what sounds like everything but the bottom two octaves of overtones. I like how it sounds with volume at 10 and tone at 0.

The setup from the factory was horrible. I lowered the bridge and tightened up the truss rod and now it seems to be fine. I'm primarily a guitarist and I don't expect this to play like a Strat (as much as I wish it did, sometimes), but you'd definitely want someone with a little experience to set it up for you if you aren't experienced setting up guitars.

There's a little nick in the underside of the fretboard, but it's purely cosmetic and doesn't interfere with its function as an instrument. I haven't noticed any other finish flaws.

Haven't had it long enough to offer a useful opinion here.

I know the knobs will eventually fail, but hey... the knobs on Custom Shop instruments fail too. Moving parts fail. That's how it goes.

It's Fender. I've never had to call them before. What's it like?

For a beginner this bass is fine. The included strings have an obnoxious metallic twang but I am assuming they will develop an unobtrusive dullness with time.

This bass fit the bill and the price was right.

Older Indonesian Squier P-Bass with the usual precision bass appointments, 4 peice agathis body, maple neck with squirrely grain and some light colored variety of rosewood fretboard. Thin vintage style frets and the body and headstock are slightly thinner than a standard
Fender Precision. Neck feels thinner at the nut also. Bridge is the traditional fender type and is fully adjustable, truss rod is accesible from the headstock. Small diameter 500K pots come in place of the larger 250K usually found on a real precision. Came with a cheap gig bag and awful Squier 15 watt amp. Has all the features I need in a passive 4 string.

Sounds like a real precision with maybe slightly less sustain due to the relatively light agathis body - especially after replacing the stock 500k pots and tone cap with the 250K and 0.047 uF setup found on most Fenders. Basically the tone control is a low pass filter and changing the pots has the effect of increasing the cutoff value so higher frequencies are not attenuated as much. Makes the bass sound much better, actually deeper because higher frequency overtones are now present on the lower notes. The pickup is very high output and sounded a bit harsh to me at first but lowering the PU softened it up nicely with only a small apparent drop in volume. It is a bit noisy due to inadequate sheilding easily fixed if it bothers you.

Bought this bass used and it showed no signs of ever having had a good setup. Action was high and intonation pretty far out, pickups were flat and too close to the strings. It was easy to setup - bridge is decent quality, truss rod works fine, tuners are ok with no slop. Some frets up at the dusty end of the neck still buzzing but I don't play up there too often anyway. Decent finish for a cheap instrument, I really like the thin satin finish on the neck. Neck fits very snugly in the pocket - too snugly as there was a small crack in the body at the corner due to the force fit - no big deal though everything seems stable.

I would say this bass will withstand the rigors of the stage as well as any other Precision type bass - especially after upgrading the wiring and pots I have no problem playing out with it other than the snears of gear snobs. Finish will not wear off easily - thick polyurethane or polyester I suppose, strap buttons are a bit large but are solid. Once adjusted the neck is stable have only had the bass for a month but it has not moved in that time.

No basis for review as I never have called on them for anything

I bought this bass very cheap as a beater to keep in my car trunk. Overall this is fine bass for what it is - a beginners instrument. The hardware and basic materials are solid, design is an industry standard and the pickup is fine. It was easy to get into playing condition. Only negative is the very cheap 500K pots and 0.02 uF tone cap which make the bass sound thin but are an easy fix. Lots of folks talk about modifying their squiers but the basic hardware is just fine and I think the pot replacement for about $7-$15 in materials is the only cost appropriate upgrade. Best feature is the nice feeling neck - a bit smaller than a real Fender and I actually like the thin satin finish better.

Been playing bass seriously for about a year though I have dabbled in support of a guitar habit for about 25 years previously. Other instruments are a Carvin LB70 and an MIA Fender Precision on long term loan from a friend. If this instrument were lost or stolen I would shrug and try to find another cheap beater with similar features.

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 !

Squier Affinity Series P Bass
Alder Body
Maple C-shape Neck with Rosewood Fretboard
34" scale
20 medium-jumbo frets
Volume and Tone chrome controls
1 ply pickguard
Artic White (580)

See their website for more info on this specific guitar:

http://www.squierguitars.com/gear/show_specs.php?product=0310400&feature_id=1:0:0

I give it a 9 for features since they are exactly the same as the Fender Standard P Bass.

It has the nice Fender P Bass growl. I have a Fender Standard P Bass sitting right next to it and they sound identical.

Remember, the P Bass is not meant to be the tonal king of the bass world. Running it into a GK Backline 110 for practice. Shakes the house down when I want it to!

Here is the real SURPRISE.

This is the ONLY guitar that I have ever bought that actually came ready to play from the store. All the others need work (some lots of work).

No fret buzzing, no weird noises, strange vibrations. Just pure P Bass sound.

The control knobs are fitted snugly and turn cleanly. They make no noises in the signal when being adjusted.

I was surprised how well this "cheapo" bass was setup and how nice it played.

The tuners are cheap and will probably be the first to go (many years from now). The bridge looks identical to my Fender P Bass.

Who calls Tech Support for a $159 bass? Come on. Be real.

I have been playing for about 2 years now. I am hardly a professional.

This is a great first bass and a nice backup bass. At this price, you don't have to baby the bass or worry about it being stolen.

But I must say that I was surprised at how well mine plays.

If stolen, I would definitely buy another.

I love the color (Artic White), but am not too fond of the tuners (which work, but...)

4 strings
21 medium jumbo frets
2004
Standard P-bass pickupd
Volume and Tone Control

I play new metal and death metal so this bass isnt really what i was quite hoping for. I need a more sturdy bass because it keeps falling apart. Flat sound. Better for studio, not performance worthy. Really loud. it hums too much

Poor paint finish. Very unstable neck. when playing the 4th String the neck makes a weird sound... Not very good pickups.

My input jack keeps falling off so i have to use tape to keep it on. Not very reliable at all. I dont use this bass on a gig without a backup because after about 3 songs it starts to fall apart

neveer dealt

i have been playing for about 6 months and its already falling apart. DONT BUY THIS!

Standard Precision. Split pickup, one volume, one tone, 20 frets, rosewood fingerboard...Hey it's a precision! Mine is a 1997 model that I've sanded the finish down on and haven't yet had time to finish, it so it has a nice bare wood ingrained with dirt finish at the moment. I'll leave the rating blank for this section because I believe it's a little unfair to give this bass a low rating for features because it is what it is.

The basic sound of this bass is good. I've played it through small amps and large concert rigs and it has a reasonable amount of weight and definition if played that way. It has the very distinctive Precision character.

As a beginner instrument I can't fault the Squier P. The finish on mine was well applied (before I sanded it off), the frets are well dressed and the setup was good. It didn't need much adjusting to get it to play well.

This bass isn't as heavy as some of its cousins (which could be a great advantage for many younger players) but quite simply if you look after it there shouldn't be a problem. One of the split pickups fell away from its cover on mine but that was easily removed and glued back together. The Precision is a pretty simple bass in terms of the way its assembled so if anything does happen it's generally very easy to strip it down and fix basic things. That aside I haven't had any reliability problems whatsoever (although I now play a G&L L2500 for the most part and not so much the Squier but it still gets the occasional outing.)

Never had to deal with Fender/Squier.

I really do have to stick up for the Squier Precision here. I understand this may sound like a bit of a rant and I understand that people have their opinions and their right to express them, but I do find it strange that people who have only been playing for 2 weeks or so can write the Squier off as a piece of c**p. Getting good tones out of a bass required a lot of technique which takes a long time to learn. Sound and feel are the most important aspects of music to me (personal opinion here of course) and it took me a few years to get really good, solid positive tones out of the Squier, but it taught me a lot about technique, and of course if you learn on an instrument that isn't quite as easy to get tones out of as some, when you upgrade to a 'superior' instrument you'll sound much much better! I would urge anyone reading this and thinking of ditching their Squier after a few weeks of playing to spend a little more time learning how to control your instrument. It is, after all your fingers and your heart where the real tone comes from. It just takes a little time to learn how to get it out and no matter what make or model of bass you may be playing, you will always sound like you. I honestly can not say how much of a perfect bass the Squier is to learn on. The music I play ranges from Steely Dan to The Eagles, Dennis Brown, Joni Mitchell, Keb Mo and lots of other stuff. As mentioned above my main bass is a G&L L2500, I also play a fretless Fender Jazz 5 String and a Sting Signature Precision, and I still enjoy gigging the Squier sometimes because even next to the #1200 G&L it plays and sounds well. Apologies if this is slightly off-topic. I just felt I had to say it! Happy playing!

Same as the rest...
Made in China 1998 or so.
Torino Red
4 bass strings
volume & tone knobs
single split pick-up
Has everything you need... nothing you don't
Its a bass guitar... what else could you possibly need?

This bass sounds great. It has been played at least
once a week for three to five hours at a time for two years in a jam band
situation. It is played thru a Kustom KBA100 bass amp.
Between the bass and the amp, virtually any bass tone you want
can be had. I typically use the tone knob to roll off the high end
so my playing is more of a supporting role for the two guitars and
keyboards. If one of the guitarists and keyboardists don't make the session, I turn the tone knob up for a brighter, more prominent sound.

I bought this guitar off the showroom floor at Guitar Center
in San Jose California. I tried other basses, but this one had the
best action, fit and finish. It is a solid wood guitar, not plywood
as others have stated. If you don't like surprises, I suggest
going to a music store and finding a quality instrument as opposed to mail-order where you get what you're given.

This bass can and does withstand live playing. I have, do and will use this bass for gigs without a back-up. The only problem with this bass is the pick-guard. It is too thin... and has cracked
where the input jack is. Tape is now holding the pick-guard
down and together... I will be putting a three-ply pick-guard on
to replace the single ply one. This bass has never broken
or stopped making sound during a gig. Very reliable, very durable within reason. Rarely needs to be re-tuned... I can play it for months at a time without having to tune up. Haven't changed the strings.. still have the original set (keep 'em clean and they last a long time).

I couldn't care less what name is on the headstock. I am not looking to impress anyone with how expensive a bass I play.
As a matter of fact, the less expensive the better for me...
if it breaks or gets scratched... no real loss. I've known people
that play $5,000.00 guitars and are constantly fretting about
tiny scratches or whatever... forget that shit. I compared this bass to about six other basses in the store... bought the best one for me. If it were stolen or lost... I'd shop for another... or give the junkie who stole it ten bucks for it so they could buy crack. No one in their right mind is gonna steal a Squier...

WHAT EVERYONE ELSE SAID

only dislike is the neck is big and it is a little hard to play cause of that, not so much the action.I have been playing guitar a VERY long time this IS my first bass.It sounds good.It is a musical intstrument not a toy.I am glad I bought it.I use it for home recording.

set up quite excellent could not be much better took it home and started recording.no defects

It is built well.For 173 bucks it is built unfreakenbelievable

I dont put much faith in customer support at this price range.

Its everything I hoped it would be, a decent usable bass.Not the best bass in the world.But maybe the best bass in the world at this price.
I wish I had a expensive bass here to give it a side by side.I think it might hold its own with a bass costing 10 times as much.It would lose the shoot off of course but mabe not by a lot.Oh,it feels good too its light and balance is good.It feels good to pick up and play.