Squier Classic Vibe '70s Precision Bass Review

A magnificent iteration of a Fender P Bass

I received my Squire Classic Vibe P Bass, having purchased it rather than the Player version or American made version- because of budget limitations-and was blown away by the instrument's fit and finish. The tolerances of fret leveling and crowning are as good as any of my high-dollar basses. Strung with La Bella flatwound strings, the action is low across the entire neck. This… read more bass is the best playing and sounding P Bass I have ever owned. I have owned many P Basses in my 60 years of being a professional performer and a college music professor. This bass has a big sound, balanced and rich in harmonics in all registers. You must hear this bass to believe it. It is, simply put, fantastic! Get one before they are all gone. And proudly display the Squire badge. A great instrument does not require a high dollar insignia.

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Great Bass for a Base Price

This P Bass is a great addition to any collection of instruments. Its supposed to be a beginner instrument, but the quality and craftsmanship of the instrument surpasses that category in so many ways. The gloss finish is exquisite. The hardware is great too. The fact that this little beauty comes with a bone nut is a welcome addition to the already amazing amount of features of… read more this bass for the price point! The only thing I can honestly say I don't like is that it comes with round-wound strings and for a precision bass I prefer the sound of flat-wounds. However, after having the bass for about a week the strings have gotten a little darker in sound. I will eventually change them out but for now the tone is great. The weight of the instrument is great too. Its not too heavy and not so light that it feels like a toy. Its perfect in that department. A definite pleasure to play and to own. I love this bass.

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WOW!

Received my new Squier Classic Vibe 70's bass, and - Wow! I've had many basses since I started in 1964 (Even had Geddy Lee), and none (yes - none) of them competed with this one. Arrived in perfect condition and setup. Can't find a single flaw! Intonation and action are perfect! Delivery is amazing: 1-3 days! Kudos to my rep - Gage Massey: he's gone above and beyond for me, and… read more that's why I say Sweetwater is far and away ahead of any of the competition.

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That neck...update!

Original review January 22, 2022. Here's the update: SO bought one of these and had some high frets. Went through a couple and they were all the same, high frets in the upper register of the neck. Took it back to the shop...I had the bass put on a PLEK machine (courtesy of Fender) and WOW! This Squier plays like a $1000+ Fender. I just can't say how comfortable and easy it is to… read more play now, absolutely amazing! I would upgrade the pups, they sound OK but could be better. Maybe upgrade to CTS pots and a better output jack and that would be IT. The bridge seems fine for now. If you buy one of these and it has high frets, get it pleked! Its worth it and it is way more cost effective than spending over a grand on a nice bass.

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Add note

If I had to give up all the other basses and keep one for fun, this could be the keeper. With Ernie Ball Group III strings (and having Sweetwater do the Plek process) it is sooo good. The Group III strings make the tone fairly uniform from string to string and fret to fret. Set up well, it is a breeze to play. THE important feature is the volume and tone controls. I don't know what… read more pots are in there (audio? linear?) but the tone control has a sweep very like what I'd expect from a 1970's Pioneer Integrated Amp: very smooth, gradual transition from bass to treble, the best tone control I own! I keep encountering tone pots that make very little difference or don't seem to be making a rational change from bass tone to treble tone. This bass' tone pot is perfect.

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Superb quality and ease of play. Great with Ernie Ball Group III Flatwounds

I'd first direct readers to the other assessments on this, the walnut body bass and on the other, black body bass. They cover the very many positives. What I wish to add: I asked that Sweetwater do the Plek process on mine. The action is just wonderful. Despite the Sweetwater checks, I did have to set the string-to-string heights, via the understring radius, with a Stew-Mac simple… read more guide. This is done by first setting heights of the E and G, which were properly done by the staff, then using the understring guide to set the A and D. My D was too low and the A a bit high. That done the string-to-string balance was improved. I wasn't happy with the change in tone from the D to the G, feeling the G sound too bright for a non-slapper. Andy Rice gently suggested I consider using flat wounds. I had a set of LaBella and put them on but the G was dead flat. Did lots of reading of customer reviews of flatwounds, then bought Ernie Ball Group III Flatwounds. They are terrific. Now, there is a lot of tone color loss when leaving roundwounds behind, but the Ernie Ball Group III with this bass is a perfect combination. The D to G change of tone is minimized and there is growl on lower frets and the A and E. I think with the Ernie Ball Group III's the E to A tonal difference is closer than some basses where the E will be thick and muffly above the 5th fret and the A quite different in tonality. Very satisfying sound overall. The new strings were a little draggy but Finger Ease fixed that. Great bass now with great strings. Oh, the tuning key action is very smooth. I just got a new Fender American Professional II Precision. Those tuners feel like they're grinding small objects inside!

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Wasn't Expecting This Much, But Got More

I am surprised how much I like this bass. Just got it last week. It was incredibly well set up for my style and felt right in my hands. Plays like a dream and has a full deep tone. It is much lighter than my '92 Fender Jazz and is a new favorite. I was not really even considering buying a Squire until I tried the CV 70's in a music store. It blew all the other P-basses away regardless… read more of price or name on the headstock. Go figure.

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Great bass

A lot of instrument for the money. Looks and feels like it should cost more than it does, sounds really good also. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quality, affordable bass.

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Excellent bass

I've been playing guitar for 15 years and this is my first bass guitar. I was leery about buying a squier because they used to be so bad. Anyways after a minor setup adjustment this thing just plays excellent, the quality of something I would expect to pay two to three times as much for. It looks cool too.

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AMAZING BASS!

I went to the store looking for a Precision bass that would give me the perfect thick/warm tone I was looking for. After picking up this bass I instantly knew it was the one. I played the same bass line, on the same amp, with multiple different guitars in the store and this one was noticeably different than the rest, without a doubt. It’s the most straight forward, simple, and… read more easy to use basses I’ve ever played. It feels like it should be a $2000 guitar...No complaints here.

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