I bought one out of curiosity. I've been playing for over 50 years and have had a lot of basses. I have to say this is one of my favorite 3 basses ever and the first Squier I didn't want to toss out the window, I absolutely love playing this. Others have complained about neck dive, too heavy, etc. none of those things are an issue for me. I have several other short scale and 34" basses. This Rascal is a keeper. Thanks LJ
Hi, I have a similar bass, but black (about the only option I had when I bought it in November). As a beginner bass player, I chose this because as a guitarist, the short scale seemed easier to learn. I also love the instrument, I like the weight (hello Les Paul) and the shape, I think it's easy to play. Thanks a lot for the string recommendation, I will try it out.
Something to consider for future videos: a slight adjustment to the position of the camera and presenter would have eliminated reflection of outdoor light by the body of the instrument.
Though I'm not hearing a lot of tonal difference between the pickups, I do like the clear punchiness. I actually have this on my short list of gear. It's a beauty for sure. I'm a big fan of the Offset Body shape. I own Jazzmasters and a Paranormal Offset Telecaster. Squier has been doing an amazing job. Good review, thanks!
I bought one , waited 6 months for it,came in January. Squier 70s pbass is my go to for gigs, and I've owned a lot over the years, been playing 40 years, owned and sold on over 70-80 basses. This one was rubbish...it wasn't utter crap,it was frustrating as I couldn't get a decent tone out of it, tried 6 different types of string and endless set ups. Just sold it on and bought an eppiphone newport which is utterly awesome.
I’m truly sorry to hear this! I really love mine. Epiphone Newport? I’ve heard nothing good about it. I will have to check it out. Thanks for watching!
Love the tone and the vibe but I gotta admit I didn't really like playing the one I tried for one specific reason: Despite being short scale, the body is still a regular size which resulted in a surprisingly heavy weight, which impacted the overall balance. The neckdive was pretty pronounced as well. That said though, man I'd love to get ahold of the pickups and neck to put into maybe a Warmoth body or something similar. Great review and playing! Hope to see more :)
It is definitely heavy. I haven't experienced the neck dive, but yes, I would only play sitting down. There's something about the weight against the body I do love particularly when playing the blues. BUT I'm not in love with the body shape. I just find P bass shapes easier than jazz or assymetrical. Thanks for watching and for the comment! Appreciate you.
You know, I didn’t. Good point. I always forget it is because of the neck layout. I play a Fender Mustang and this thing feels different. But yes! You are right. It def is a short scale.
Agreed on that black guard! However you can always swap pickguards pretty easy. I even did a video about it. That said, they have a new candy apple red. I bought that one and did I video on it too cuz it’s gorgeous!
Sounds great - but unless you spun the switch around 180, it looks like you listed the pickups backwards? Switch toward neck = neck pickup. (Or maybe it’s an illusion caused by the camera?)
Thanks! And thanks for noticing that. I may have misspoke or else sometimes it does turn around. I’d like to say that it’s just a flimsy Squier thing but I have a Fender Mustang that moves around like that too. Time to get it fixed! Thanks for watching.
I love how Fender's using Squier not just as "OK, it's our in-house knock-off" brand, but the "Let's go crazy with stuff the purists would never let us get away with if it had 'Fender' on the headstock" brand as well. This sounds fantastic - dark, but not dirty, and still full and rich and thick. I think those pickups are gonna become cult items in a few years time, like how goldfoils are now...
Agreed. It is completely case by case as I played the 60s style Squier out right now and it was really disappointing and clunky. Not well made at all. But this one. Chef’s kiss. I think the other thing is the chesty purr - like if you were holding a jaguar. It’s crazy. Thanks for the comment!
Good question! Compared to the Fender Mustang, the Paranormal doesn’t feel like a short scale. The Mustang feels smaller and lighter - almost more like a junior sized guitar (I say this with all respect because I also love my Mustang). The size of the body and the placement of the neck makes it feel like a full sized bass even tho it’s technically a short scale. Fret size is different too; these are narrow tall. I also like the neck on the Squier because something about the gloss - it feels slicker to me. Hope that helps!
The Mustang is much lighter of course. The Paranormal is heavy as many people have pointed out. If you are going to stand and play it, I recommend a good strap!