I built a Squire Affinity PJ with EMG GZR pickup and pot set. I changed the neck to a Warmoth roasted maple with Schaller tuners. I have never had a bass with so much low end punch and still have clarity. I play every weekend and my sound guys were amazed by this bass (liked it better than my MusicMan Stingray HH, and I do too!) Videos like yours help encourage guys like me to think different and go our own way. Thanks for taking the time to share with us!
I have George Washington's original ax that he chopped down the cherry tree with...........of course, it's had 5 new heads and 7 new handles since then. ;o)
I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that it's better than most of the US-made basses, but you can do a ton of super useful upgrades to Squiers that can really make them extremely well playing instruments.
I've made a lot of changes to my Squier. I was thinking about replacing the standard precision neck with a mighty mite neck. I'm actually really new to modifying a bass. Do you think I'll notice a big difference with a new mighty mite neck?
The enthusiasm you radiate is almost enough to get me out to my shop to bolt on the next neck, while praying that the lacquer on my other project is dry enough to buff out. WTG!
Replaced my Squier Classic Vibe 60s neck with a Mighty Mite years ago, and swapped out the pickups for SD Quarter Pounders, best P Bass I've ever played!
Jake D have to disagree - a bass made with a crap bit of wood can still sound fine, but - imo - two identical basses can sound and resonate completely differently and the main inconsistency is the wood. It is subtle and probably unnoticeable to non players but makes a big difference, IMHO obviously
Wood tone and how construction methods sound different can't be a myth. If you took a humbucker for example and wired it into the bridge position of a strat then took the exact same pickup, pot and wires etc and put it into the bridge position of a les Paul the difference is huge! The sound difference between a cheap squire with some top quality pickups in it and an full fat American bass for example the difference in sound is much smaller as the woods are similar and the construction is the same. The difference is that the American already has the top quality pickups and wiring and the best wood selection and the nitro finish and the good hardware and the nicer neck etc etc so when you think of it, if you're going to do that much work and go ahead with all that expense you might aswel just buy an American made one lol
I did something along the lines of this with a Squier affinity p-bass. I sanded off the black finish of the front and back of the body, leaving the edges black. Removed the neck and did the same with the clear finish including decals and serial number. Then stained both pieces oxblood red, wax polished the body and painted the face of the headstock black. Got a luthier friend of mine to handwind some some pickups that we made from walnut, both bobbins and covers. We only wax potted a little to retain a slight microphonic quality for harmonic content. CTS pots with a switchcraft jack and one mod switch that allows you to use a .047 cap or a .2 cap for a modern or vintage flavour. We used 60s specs for the pickups but overwound with slightly bigger Alnico V magnets than normally used. As it stands, I have the pickups sitting lower than I normally would and they sound fantastic. For now, I have the original bridge and tuners but they are sufficient for the time being. This modded Squier p-bass sounds better than any p-bass I have ever played in my life. Actually. At full volume, it is very crisp and punchy giving a more modern sound. Dialing back the volume to about 7 gets you a more vintage feel of the p-bass' history and with the cap switch mod, playing with the tone control and where the caps resonant pick is gives you a world of tonal options to play with.
Pity you had to change the neck, its not really a Squire anymore, but its a beauty. Well done. I'm a firm believer in not spending 1000's to get something decent.
Nice job! Timely I found this video, I'm working on doing some major upgrades on my Squier Vintage Modified 77 Jazz Bass. So fun to work on these kinds of diy jobs
I bought an inexpensive active Squire Jaguar PJ about 5 years ago. Not really sure why (because it was already a nice bass), but I replaced the pickups with EMG's (new pot set also). I also replaced the pickguard with another one. I also replaced the bridge with a Hipshot KickA$$ High-mass Bridge. I'm very satisfied with it.
Modded or parts-caster, you did a great job. Looks like a gorgeous bass. Like many others I was eager to hear it being played!!!! Hope your friend liked it!!!!!
I just did a Chinese squire P bass, i put some Dimarzio pick ups, new pots and cap and then i found a Washburn bridge that's a replica of the Leo Quan BA high mass and this bass sounds sweet! The bass actually cost me $15.00 on Craigslist , the pick up's were $35.00 on Craigslist , pots and caps were about $13.00 on Amazon.
Hey Kennis. I like your videos a lot. You did a KILLER job on Tim's bass. I have a SIRE P/J bass and it's the way to go. So much more balls and tones than a jazz bass. I like all the parts you picked, too. I have another P/J with the same pickups and they're active. LOVE it. No preamp, just a 9v and VVT. It has the dip switches on the pickups, so it's kinda like a preamp considering I can add or subtract mid bass treble.
Great video! You are a man after my own heart! I have put together about 10 Frankenstrats and 4 Frankenteles using Squier components. I love the mid-80s MIJ and MIK E Series necks. I got most of them around within the last 10 - 15 years when you could still get them. The pots are always CTS, Sprague Orange Drop caps, CRL pickup switches, cloth pushback wiring etc. Since these were projects, I wanted to experiment with pickups so I've used Fender Texas Specials, Fat 50s, Nocasters (on a Tele) and even Lollar Super S for a Strat ($300 for the set. Probably worth more than the guitar!). I could pick these guitars up for about $100 and for an additional $200 or so have a guitar that I would put up against any USA Fender. Plus knowing that I didn't just pay $750+ for a freaking decal!
Literally what I want to do to an affinity Squier. Just hot rod the snot out of it. Beautiful guitar. Jazz Neck, PJ bass config, upgraded internals. Siiiiick.
I bought a squire CV PJ Bass to mod, now has Bloodstone scatter wound vintage pick-ups,Badass 2 hi-mass, bridge, Badass tuners, full fret job, setup & new strings. Already had a bone nut & pots were all good with nice metal knobs & like you I wud put it up against anything fender make. Gone my MM Stingray special the edge though, just. Nice vid
I super modded my p bass with a BYO Guitar neck with Stainless Steel frets with a Jazz neck, They say Donald Duck Dunn had a Jazz bass neck on one of his basses. I installed Graph Tech Ratio Tuners like the P bass uses, Tusq nut from Graph Tech. The string tree holds down 3 strings all at once, A-D-G strings. I used EMG Geezer Butler PJ pickups and those are passive and powerful. I installed a Hipshot kickass high mass bridge with brass saddle inserts. 8-32 streel inserts and 8-32 stainless machine screws are holding it to the body. The neck got the same 8-32 inserts and machine screws. The neck plate is a Greer Amps 1/8" thick plate. The Strings are GHS stainless steel flat wounds. The pickups have inserts for the adjustment screws in the body. Under the pickups is a piece of foam that came with the EMG pickups so the pickups do not wobble around. The strap buttons also have 8-32 steel inserts and 8-32 stainless machine screws. The jack plate has inserts and machine screws as does the pick guard, different size screws and inserts. No more using tooth picks in the screw holes for repairs to damaged screw holes on this bass. These mods made my bass one really great playing bass. Yes, it cost a lot but I got a bass I love to play and I had lots of fun making it the way I like it to be. It plays and sounds great.
You've done a great job modding that instrument. I've got an Ash MiM jazz that now sports a Warmoth neck, an African Wenge pickguard, and Schaller BML Light tuners. I'm contemplating a passive > active conversion (Audere 4 band regular jazz preamp w/ Delano JC 4 HE/M2 pickups).
great vid and great custom build thanks for putting up your vid ,just bought a squire pbass and I dig the pick ups man been a Yamaha rbx and warick guy for 20 years changed my opinion on squire basses
Did the same thing with an old squier. Used Geezer Butler EMGs, fender himass bridge, schaller tuners, Fender neck plate with a mighty mite maple on maple neck. Sounds as good as a real fender
Excellent work, I regurlarly gig a Squier 5 string Classic Vibe, with most of it replaced. I gig it against an Overwater 5 string - it compares well with it. The bodies are excellent and resonant, I replaced the neck only because it had a broken truss rod, and replaecd it with another Squier neck. Kept the pickups stock, BUT replaced the bridge with a hi mass and then added a Guyker Active Pre-amp. Squier's re excellent :)
The Squire Vibe and Vintage Modified lines, just replace the pickup, add a badass bridge, replace the top nut with bone and polish the frets and board. with $200 it is as good as the corona!
I have a Japanese-made Squier P-bass, maybe 30 years old; it sounds good and plays well. How good would it be in comparison to a US-made P-bass? Any particular differences?
Japanese Squiers are great (and actually becoming kinda collectable). Take care of it and she'll last forever. Chinese ones are hit and miss. Some are decent, some just need pickups to rock, some are dumpster fires. My Chinese P Bass is beat all to hell but she plays and sounds great bone stock.
Yeah, the Japanese Fenders hold their value. I've got a Chinese Squire P-Bass and it sounds like Roger Waters (dating myself) all day. Tracked all my songs with it the past twenty years!
SupernalOne one main difference is the wood selection - US made Fenders use 'select wood' so it's still exactly the same kind of wood, they just choose the pieces they use more carefully for US models to maximise resonance and balance. So basically Jap and Mex Fenders CAN be amazing and more or less just as good as the US basses if you get some lucky bits of wood. So imo quality control is what you pay for - which when buying online makes a big difference, but is more or less meaningless if you have the ability to try the instrument yourself.
@@wingracer1614 I have 2 Chinese jazz basses off AliExpress (1 in pf pic), and although they're deff not fender standards (not finished off well etc) they're very nice - I sold all my Ibbys and Corts! My biggest complaint with them, is the necks are quite thick, and the tuners aren't much good, but i wont be replacing them any time soon.
Very nice ideas and execution. I'm doing about the same with a Squire Affininty Strat "hand crafted in Indonesia" except I kept the original neck. I would recommend (when you do your own Pre-Jazz bass) that you convert the neck joint to machine screws with inserts. Nothing bolts up as well way more solid. Stock of course is wood screws, okay but not anywhere as solid as inserts and machine screws, on a bass I think it would be even more effective due to the much longer neck. I converted my "Super Squire" and it's very nice. I used 10/32 machine screws. I also have a 1985 original Schecter Guitar Research neck and body (new unfinished in box) and hardware it's a P-Bass I'm inspired by your project, I may have to add a jazz PU.
I wish you would have played some lines to hear it at the end! The open E, then dropped to D sounded really good, so I wanted to hear more. Very inspiring, I'm about to mod my VMJB with Noiseless Fender pups and will be using conductive paint to shield the cavities, thanks to your mention (was going to use copper tape!)
I just modded a Squier Affinity P/J myself, however, my Squier's neck did have jazz neck dimensions, so I used it. Pickups and hardware were all changed though...
Very nice Squier bass! If you get a vintage modified Pj Squier Precision bass, it already has the jazz neck. I also wanted a PJ Precision bass and a jazz neck, that's why I bought a used vintage modified Squier, and changed everything but the body and neck. EMG Geezer Butler pickups, which comes with all the electronics, Hipshot bridge and tuners, new pickguard and of course new strings. In the end I liked the bass so much that I bought another one and modified it with the same parts, exactly the same except for the color ;)
I've had an all maple Squier jazz 70s bass for a few years, and have gotten plenty of mileage out of it. Things heavy as hell though at over 11lb and some of the body screw holes are pretty rough. I'm keeping the neck as it's really nice, upgrading everything else. I got a cherry red American Fender jazz body for $220(2020 replacement directly from Fender, bought on Reverb) Seymour Duncan Apollo pickups for $120(demo model) Kickass bass bridge for $40 a few years ago Schaller BM tuners for $80 or so And a wiring harness from Darkmoon(a guy in brooklyn) for $40, plus some miscellaneous stuff like a black mounting plate and black fender knobs
Great review, new subscriber, i am a touring professional with a collection of over 50 guitars, mostly fender, schecter, gibson, basses and strats etc, i recently had my MIJ Jaguar bass Seymour Duncan pups, they sound great, the originals were also good but not quite, your videos will now be a must watch for me thanks !
Dude, you bought Dunlop flush mount buttons... you're supposed to drill a hole in the bass the size of the flush mount so it becomes recessed... hence the name.
Hi Kennis - Really nice Bass could you please tell me about the Fender High Mass Bridge did the 5 Screw holes in the Squire Body match the 5 screw holes in the High mass Bridge ? and did you have to re-drill the holes for the Machine Heads ?
I like. Inexpensive instrument and a fret dress FTW. Looks like you have the flush-mount dunlop system, you can drill a 10mm hole and all you see of the strap button is the flange on the end.
Sharp brad-point (I don't think forstners go that small), mark the cut with the drill bit scoring the finish. Go over the cut line with a sharp scalpel. Put masking tape over the area. Drill. The flange on the end of the button will hide any jaggedness to the hole. Did this to my Squier strat which has been similarly improved, although piecemeal over 16 years, and will be doing to some future builds. Not brave enough to try this on an Ibanez S.
Very nice work, really took care of every detail, but what about the sound? could be possible to make another video comparing the sound of this modded bass vs a Presicion and vs a Jazz?
I did up a VM 70s Squire Jazz Bass.. Seymour Duncan Q/P Jazz PUPs, Hipshot Brass bridge, Hipshot Extender and tuners, upgraded pots and a brass nut. And the frets- They are slowly getting where I want them. Sometimes I prefer it to my MIJ Geddy (same PUPs, pots, Extender Key and brass nut. I kept the BA-II bridge). I strung it up with Helix SS 50-105s. The ONLY ways the Fender beats it 1) The Squire weighs a TON 2) The Geddy's neck/frets are better. And IMO, the Hipshot brass bridge is better than the BA-II. I used the Squire (before the new nut) in the studio and the producer raved about it's sound (thought it was a modded Fender at first til I told him LOL). I have no doubts my guy will get this neck just where I want it. But yeah, the Geddy neck is nicer, smoother.. Just a "feel" thing... Great video!!
I am using vinyl decals at the moment so am still curious about how noticeably visible they turn out in the light. Very nice job and thanks for listing the sellers of the products.
Just purchased a Squire Affinity PJ bass. Took some setting up but all adjustments came out fine. The intonation was right on. Don't plan to modify it so far. Depends on how the pickup hold up. This bass is probably not for the materialists or keep up with the jones. and the look what I got types. Not enough snob appeal here. Definitely worth more than I paid for it. Also have a Squire Jagmaster, made in China, that's as good as any guitar I've ever picked up. Will never part with it.
So basically only the plastic pick guard and body left of the squier. At that point might as well get a unique finished body and it’s a DIY boutique partscaster.
i ended up coating the inside of my strat with aluminum tape (after cleaning all electronics with deox spray), because i had epic noise issues with it. it was far cleaner when i got done with it. since i didn't deox, check, and faraday cage the inside like that, i cannot be certain --- but think that's why it was so dang quiet when i got done with it.
Check out the bodies, necks, and parts from stratosphere. They have a website where they part out new guitars. I’m not sure how they make profit, but you can part together a new American p bass and the case for less than street price.
I wish I could afford to drop $800+ on a bass! I have to live with a $250 limit (not that that’s really a killer). Right now, I’m working on upgrading an SX Ursa 2 Jazz bass. Got Fender Custom Shop 60s in it and I’m trying (and struggling horribly) to find a lined or dotted fretless maple neck for it. Sadly, not a lot of places make U profile necks anymore.
How are the mighty mite necks? I can’t see them being better than the squier necks. They’re made in Indonesia and are unfinished if I remember correctly? Most examples look like flatsawn pieces. Just curious how it’s an upgrade
Hi, great great job over there. I'm upgrading a Squier Jazz Bass Classic Vibe 70's. Bridge, electronics, pickups and tuning machines. Is there a big difference changing the String Tree? Thank you
I have a squier affinity p bass that I put EMG active pickups in made it so much better! trying to keep an eye out for a jazz bass neck that is at a good price in maple hopefully.
Looks and sounds really nice! I've owned my Squier Affinity P-Bass for a few years now to teach myself how to play bass (for fun and noodling around at home, nothing else) and i've started to upgrade it. The Seymour Duncan Quarter-Pounder pups together with brand new wiring were definitely a great step up in terms of output! Would you say a new neck could be a significant improvement given the investment? I'm comfortable with the shape and everything, and the frets have been well taken care of, but ever since i had it, even after a neck tune at the shop, we could never really get rid of some pesky fretting noise from the strings... Thank you for the vid, and appreciate whatever input you might have :)
Ken, if you don't want to replace the neck, get a VM Jaguar, which also has the PJ pups and a J neck (unless you simply don't like the Jag body)? This way you only have to replace the pups & HW...........Peace.
You made this bass for a friend as a surprise gift?!!??!!?!?
You sir......are the best friend anyone could ever have!
I built a Squire Affinity PJ with EMG GZR pickup and pot set. I changed the neck to a Warmoth roasted maple with Schaller tuners. I have never had a bass with so much low end punch and still have clarity. I play every weekend and my sound guys were amazed by this bass (liked it better than my MusicMan Stingray HH, and I do too!) Videos like yours help encourage guys like me to think different and go our own way. Thanks for taking the time to share with us!
I used to work at Warmoth. Their necks are the best anywhere.
I first thought it said Tinder 😂
i mean it does lmao
Hey, I’d swipe right for this bass.
@@ryanbazail tiMder
It does
It says timder
I have George Washington's original ax that he chopped down the cherry tree with...........of course, it's had 5 new heads and 7 new handles since then. ;o)
Thats the start of a crazy paradox
Lmao!!
put the crack pipe down son.
Was really looking forward to hearing what this beauty sounds like!
I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that it's better than most of the US-made basses, but you can do a ton of super useful upgrades to Squiers that can really make them extremely well playing instruments.
Replacing the neck is such a game changer... As soon as you mentioned mighty mite, I was sold! Such a great build !
I've made a lot of changes to my Squier. I was thinking about replacing the standard precision neck with a mighty mite neck. I'm actually really new to modifying a bass. Do you think I'll notice a big difference with a new mighty mite neck?
The enthusiasm you radiate is almost enough to get me out to my shop to bolt on the next neck, while praying that the lacquer on my other project is dry enough to buff out. WTG!
Replaced my Squier Classic Vibe 60s neck with a Mighty Mite years ago, and swapped out the pickups for SD Quarter Pounders, best P Bass I've ever played!
You didn't answer the two most important questions: how much did it cost and how does it sound?
I don't think he's going to answer :(
Why would anybody give a Thumbs Down to this? If the guy put together something he's happy with, be glad for him.
Man that red is killer! Nice job on the build
You replaced pretty much everything that matters tonally and playability wise except the body so yeah.
At which point is it no longer a Squier LOL!? If it still had the original neck? BTW, I'll take this over an American Fender also. Great Job, Ken.
Oh yeah, that bass will definitely keep up with the U.S.A. made basses all day long.
Wood tone is a myth. It might matter just slightly, but it only matters mainly on acoustic instruments.
Jake D have to disagree - a bass made with a crap bit of wood can still sound fine, but - imo - two identical basses can sound and resonate completely differently and the main inconsistency is the wood. It is subtle and probably unnoticeable to non players but makes a big difference, IMHO obviously
Wood tone and how construction methods sound different can't be a myth. If you took a humbucker for example and wired it into the bridge position of a strat then took the exact same pickup, pot and wires etc and put it into the bridge position of a les Paul the difference is huge!
The sound difference between a cheap squire with some top quality pickups in it and an full fat American bass for example the difference in sound is much smaller as the woods are similar and the construction is the same. The difference is that the American already has the top quality pickups and wiring and the best wood selection and the nitro finish and the good hardware and the nicer neck etc etc so when you think of it, if you're going to do that much work and go ahead with all that expense you might aswel just buy an American made one lol
I did something along the lines of this with a Squier affinity p-bass. I sanded off the black finish of the front and back of the body, leaving the edges black. Removed the neck and did the same with the clear finish including decals and serial number. Then stained both pieces oxblood red, wax polished the body and painted the face of the headstock black. Got a luthier friend of mine to handwind some some pickups that we made from walnut, both bobbins and covers. We only wax potted a little to retain a slight microphonic quality for harmonic content. CTS pots with a switchcraft jack and one mod switch that allows you to use a .047 cap or a .2 cap for a modern or vintage flavour. We used 60s specs for the pickups but overwound with slightly bigger Alnico V magnets than normally used. As it stands, I have the pickups sitting lower than I normally would and they sound fantastic. For now, I have the original bridge and tuners but they are sufficient for the time being. This modded Squier p-bass sounds better than any p-bass I have ever played in my life. Actually. At full volume, it is very crisp and punchy giving a more modern sound. Dialing back the volume to about 7 gets you a more vintage feel of the p-bass' history and with the cap switch mod, playing with the tone control and where the caps resonant pick is gives you a world of tonal options to play with.
That is so cool! The thing that gets me the most is the drop d shortcut thing!
Awesome. I can see why you are so excited about it. Great attention to detail with the stickers, neck plate and all.
The detuner is pretty brilliant. One of my guitars has a drop D which I sometimes drop further to a C. I'd love to have that kind of tuner on there.
Pity you had to change the neck, its not really a Squire anymore, but its a beauty. Well done. I'm a firm believer in not spending 1000's to get something decent.
I love that very mucho. Red body/black pickguard/dark fingerboard is beauteous...
Thanks for telling us what you did to it and listing the products by name so we can find them! I appreciate it.
Nice job! Timely I found this video, I'm working on doing some major upgrades on my Squier Vintage Modified 77 Jazz Bass. So fun to work on these kinds of diy jobs
The head string holder. Is not just for looks. It’s purpose is to pull the strings down. Over the nut. Helps with tuning.
Looks great, I feel like doing this to my MIM Precision
I bought an inexpensive active Squire Jaguar PJ about 5 years ago. Not really sure why (because it was already a nice bass), but I replaced the pickups with EMG's (new pot set also). I also replaced the pickguard with another one. I also replaced the bridge with a Hipshot KickA$$ High-mass Bridge. I'm very satisfied with it.
Modded or parts-caster, you did a great job. Looks like a gorgeous bass. Like many others I was eager to hear it being played!!!! Hope your friend liked it!!!!!
I wanna hear it in action!
awesome!
PurpleRhino coming soon, even more months later...
Coming soon :c
I just did a Chinese squire P bass, i put some Dimarzio pick ups, new pots and cap and then i found a Washburn bridge that's a replica of the Leo Quan BA high mass and this bass sounds sweet! The bass actually cost me $15.00 on Craigslist , the pick up's were $35.00 on Craigslist , pots and caps were about $13.00 on Amazon.
Very nice bass there my friend. Nice job not showing us how it sounds...
Sound test at 3:45 :)
Was that like the official sound test....just curious
Love this bass! Tim's a lucky and soon to be very happy guy!
Must be very nice to have friends like you. Not everyone could do that,,even if they would.
That thing is awesome. And beautiful. I'd like to hear it
Hey Kennis. I like your videos a lot. You did a KILLER job on Tim's bass. I have a SIRE P/J bass and it's the way to go. So much more balls and tones than a jazz bass. I like all the parts you picked, too. I have another P/J with the same pickups and they're active. LOVE it. No preamp, just a 9v and VVT. It has the dip switches on the pickups, so it's kinda like a preamp considering I can add or subtract mid bass treble.
Great video! You are a man after my own heart! I have put together about 10 Frankenstrats and 4 Frankenteles using Squier components. I love the mid-80s MIJ and MIK E Series necks. I got most of them around within the last 10 - 15 years when you could still get them. The pots are always CTS, Sprague Orange Drop caps, CRL pickup switches, cloth pushback wiring etc. Since these were projects, I wanted to experiment with pickups so I've used Fender Texas Specials, Fat 50s, Nocasters (on a Tele) and even Lollar Super S for a Strat ($300 for the set. Probably worth more than the guitar!). I could pick these guitars up for about $100 and for an additional $200 or so have a guitar that I would put up against any USA Fender. Plus knowing that I didn't just pay $750+ for a freaking decal!
Literally what I want to do to an affinity Squier. Just hot rod the snot out of it. Beautiful guitar. Jazz Neck, PJ bass config, upgraded internals. Siiiiick.
That Isn't a modded squire, it's an entirely new custom instrument.
Bryce Wiseman I wouldn't even call it a custom...nothing was scratch built.
that isnt what defines something as custom you realize right.
@@pilsplease7561 custom, modded, both mean basically the same thing
The real question is: why do you care if it’s modded or custom
I bought a squire CV PJ Bass to mod, now has Bloodstone scatter wound vintage pick-ups,Badass 2 hi-mass, bridge, Badass tuners, full fret job, setup & new strings. Already had a bone nut & pots were all good with nice metal knobs & like you I wud put it up against anything fender make. Gone my MM Stingray special the edge though, just. Nice vid
Amazing, I just finished doing all of these mods to my squier p bass too. I also did the graphtec saddles and dropped in active EMG pickups.
Awesome!!!
Awesome job. I really like the drop type tuner you used ,nice for on the fly stage work
I super modded my p bass with a BYO Guitar neck with Stainless Steel frets with a Jazz neck, They say Donald Duck Dunn had a Jazz bass neck on one of his basses. I installed Graph Tech Ratio Tuners like the P bass uses, Tusq nut from Graph Tech. The string tree holds down 3 strings all at once, A-D-G strings. I used EMG Geezer Butler PJ pickups and those are passive and powerful. I installed a Hipshot kickass high mass bridge with brass saddle inserts. 8-32 streel inserts and 8-32 stainless machine screws are holding it to the body. The neck got the same 8-32 inserts and machine screws. The neck plate is a Greer Amps 1/8" thick plate. The Strings are GHS stainless steel flat wounds. The pickups have inserts for the adjustment screws in the body. Under the pickups is a piece of foam that came with the EMG pickups so the pickups do not wobble around. The strap buttons also have 8-32 steel inserts and 8-32 stainless machine screws. The jack plate has inserts and machine screws as does the pick guard, different size screws and inserts. No more using tooth picks in the screw holes for repairs to damaged screw holes on this bass. These mods made my bass one really great playing bass. Yes, it cost a lot but I got a bass I love to play and I had lots of fun making it the way I like it to be. It plays and sounds great.
That is pretty amazing I do mods as well but I never thought about decals on a mighty might.
You've done a great job modding that instrument.
I've got an Ash MiM jazz that now sports a Warmoth neck, an African Wenge pickguard, and Schaller BML Light tuners. I'm contemplating a passive > active conversion (Audere 4 band regular jazz preamp w/ Delano JC 4 HE/M2 pickups).
That’s a beautiful bass man! Love the mute switch and the down tune mod you have on it!
great vid and great custom build thanks for putting up your vid ,just bought a squire pbass and I dig the pick ups man been a Yamaha rbx and warick guy for 20 years changed my opinion on squire basses
Did the same thing with an old squier. Used Geezer Butler EMGs, fender himass bridge, schaller tuners, Fender neck plate with a mighty mite maple on maple neck. Sounds as good as a real fender
Excellent work, I regurlarly gig a Squier 5 string Classic Vibe, with most of it replaced. I gig it against an Overwater 5 string - it compares well with it. The bodies are excellent and resonant, I replaced the neck only because it had a broken truss rod, and replaecd it with another Squier neck. Kept the pickups stock, BUT replaced the bridge with a hi mass and then added a Guyker Active Pre-amp. Squier's re excellent :)
The Squire Vibe and Vintage Modified lines, just replace the pickup, add a badass bridge, replace the top nut with bone and polish the frets and board. with $200 it is as good as the corona!
Great job! Love the look of this bass!
Amazing job... wow.. very inspirational
I have a Japanese-made Squier P-bass, maybe 30 years old; it sounds good and plays well. How good would it be in comparison to a US-made P-bass? Any particular differences?
Japanese Squiers are great (and actually becoming kinda collectable). Take care of it and she'll last forever. Chinese ones are hit and miss. Some are decent, some just need pickups to rock, some are dumpster fires. My Chinese P Bass is beat all to hell but she plays and sounds great bone stock.
Yeah, the Japanese Fenders hold their value. I've got a Chinese Squire P-Bass and it sounds like Roger Waters (dating myself) all day. Tracked all my songs with it the past twenty years!
Japanese Squiers are great basses. They are going up in value as well now that no more Japanese Squiers are being made
SupernalOne one main difference is the wood selection - US made Fenders use 'select wood' so it's still exactly the same kind of wood, they just choose the pieces they use more carefully for US models to maximise resonance and balance. So basically Jap and Mex Fenders CAN be amazing and more or less just as good as the US basses if you get some lucky bits of wood. So imo quality control is what you pay for - which when buying online makes a big difference, but is more or less meaningless if you have the ability to try the instrument yourself.
@@wingracer1614 I have 2 Chinese jazz basses off AliExpress (1 in pf pic), and although they're deff not fender standards (not finished off well etc) they're very nice - I sold all my Ibbys and Corts!
My biggest complaint with them, is the necks are quite thick, and the tuners aren't much good, but i wont be replacing them any time soon.
Very nice ideas and execution. I'm doing about the same with a Squire Affininty Strat "hand crafted in Indonesia" except I kept the original neck. I would recommend (when you do your own Pre-Jazz bass) that you convert the neck joint to machine screws with inserts. Nothing bolts up as well way more solid. Stock of course is wood screws, okay but not anywhere as solid as inserts and machine screws, on a bass I think it would be even more effective due to the much longer neck. I converted my "Super Squire" and it's very nice. I used 10/32 machine screws. I also have a 1985 original Schecter Guitar Research neck and body (new unfinished in box) and hardware it's a P-Bass I'm inspired by your project, I may have to add a jazz PU.
Amazing work man- an utterly gorgeous instrument! Liked and subscribed!
I wish you would have played some lines to hear it at the end! The open E, then dropped to D sounded really good, so I wanted to hear more. Very inspiring, I'm about to mod my VMJB with Noiseless Fender pups and will be using conductive paint to shield the cavities, thanks to your mention (was going to use copper tape!)
Hell that’s an Awesome job you did!
I just modded a Squier Affinity P/J myself, however, my Squier's neck did have jazz neck dimensions, so I used it. Pickups and hardware were all changed though...
when u make ur own call it Kender
will you also open a kinder egg? Also what's the price on the other bass.
Good one.
Great informative video man!🤘🏽🔥🔥🔥
Very nice Squier bass! If you get a vintage modified Pj Squier Precision bass, it already has the jazz neck. I also wanted a PJ Precision bass and a jazz neck, that's why I bought a used vintage modified Squier, and changed everything but the body and neck. EMG Geezer Butler pickups, which comes with all the electronics, Hipshot bridge and tuners, new pickguard and of course new strings. In the end I liked the bass so much that I bought another one and modified it with the same parts, exactly the same except for the color ;)
I've had an all maple Squier jazz 70s bass for a few years, and have gotten plenty of mileage out of it. Things heavy as hell though at over 11lb and some of the body screw holes are pretty rough. I'm keeping the neck as it's really nice, upgrading everything else.
I got a cherry red American Fender jazz body for $220(2020 replacement directly from Fender, bought on Reverb)
Seymour Duncan Apollo pickups for $120(demo model)
Kickass bass bridge for $40 a few years ago
Schaller BM tuners for $80 or so
And a wiring harness from Darkmoon(a guy in brooklyn) for $40, plus some miscellaneous stuff like a black mounting plate and black fender knobs
Great review, new subscriber, i am a touring professional with a collection of over 50 guitars, mostly fender, schecter, gibson, basses and strats etc, i recently had my MIJ Jaguar bass Seymour Duncan pups, they sound great, the originals were also good but not quite, your videos will now be a must watch for me thanks !
Dude, you bought Dunlop flush mount buttons... you're supposed to drill a hole in the bass the size of the flush mount so it becomes recessed... hence the name.
Excellent work brother!
Hi Kennis - Really nice Bass could you please tell me about the Fender High Mass Bridge did the 5 Screw holes in the Squire Body match the 5 screw holes in the High mass Bridge ? and did you have to re-drill the holes for the Machine Heads ?
Oh! I am changing the pick guard to a black pearl. Nice!
Did you film step by step? You got me motivated to mod out my 1999 squire p bass.
Great job....now that bass is a real keeper.
Awesome bass ! Did you have to shim the neck with new bridge. Thanks for any help.
That is a nice Bass. You are good to your friends.
I like. Inexpensive instrument and a fret dress FTW. Looks like you have the flush-mount dunlop system, you can drill a 10mm hole and all you see of the strap button is the flange on the end.
Sharp brad-point (I don't think forstners go that small), mark the cut with the drill bit scoring the finish. Go over the cut line with a sharp scalpel. Put masking tape over the area. Drill. The flange on the end of the button will hide any jaggedness to the hole. Did this to my Squier strat which has been similarly improved, although piecemeal over 16 years, and will be doing to some future builds. Not brave enough to try this on an Ibanez S.
Awesome project! How do you like the Duncans vs. American Fender pups?
Very nice work, really took care of every detail, but what about the sound? could be possible to make another video comparing the sound of this modded bass vs a Presicion and vs a Jazz?
You're a great friend brother!
I salute you, Bro...nice job.
I did up a VM 70s Squire Jazz Bass.. Seymour Duncan Q/P Jazz PUPs, Hipshot Brass bridge, Hipshot Extender and tuners, upgraded pots and a brass nut. And the frets- They are slowly getting where I want them. Sometimes I prefer it to my MIJ Geddy (same PUPs, pots, Extender Key and brass nut. I kept the BA-II bridge). I strung it up with Helix SS 50-105s. The ONLY ways the Fender beats it 1) The Squire weighs a TON 2) The Geddy's neck/frets are better. And IMO, the Hipshot brass bridge is better than the BA-II. I used the Squire (before the new nut) in the studio and the producer raved about it's sound (thought it was a modded Fender at first til I told him LOL). I have no doubts my guy will get this neck just where I want it. But yeah, the Geddy neck is nicer, smoother.. Just a "feel" thing... Great video!!
Very cool build!!
I have something similar in plan. I will start from the VM Squire PJ. Already have a modded VM P V with a killer tone for me.
I am using vinyl decals at the moment so am still curious about how noticeably visible they turn out in the light. Very nice job and thanks for listing the sellers of the products.
Just purchased a Squire Affinity PJ bass. Took some setting up but all adjustments came out fine. The intonation was right on. Don't plan to modify it so far. Depends on how the pickup hold up. This bass is probably not for the materialists or keep up with the jones. and the look what I got types. Not enough snob appeal here. Definitely worth more than I paid for it. Also have a Squire Jagmaster, made in China, that's as good as any guitar I've ever picked up. Will never part with it.
That's a lovely piece of work, and I'd guess better than most Fender basses.
Hi. Awesome job! Do you know if a Fender jazz bass neck would fit on a Squier?
So basically only the plastic pick guard and body left of the squier. At that point might as well get a unique finished body and it’s a DIY boutique partscaster.
lovley job Ken
Ignore the negative comments, I loved the vid and hope to mod up one of my own someday!
Excellent bass upgrades
i ended up coating the inside of my strat with aluminum tape (after cleaning all electronics with deox spray), because i had epic noise issues with it. it was far cleaner when i got done with it. since i didn't deox, check, and faraday cage the inside like that, i cannot be certain --- but think that's why it was so dang quiet when i got done with it.
Check out the bodies, necks, and parts from stratosphere. They have a website where they part out new guitars. I’m not sure how they make profit, but you can part together a new American p bass and the case for less than street price.
1st! Love it!
I wish I could afford to drop $800+ on a bass! I have to live with a $250 limit (not that that’s really a killer). Right now, I’m working on upgrading an SX Ursa 2 Jazz bass. Got Fender Custom Shop 60s in it and I’m trying (and struggling horribly) to find a lined or dotted fretless maple neck for it. Sadly, not a lot of places make U profile necks anymore.
Kick ass video, now I want to take apart my old ones and upgrade everything. Any tip for good strat pickups on a low budget?
How are the mighty mite necks? I can’t see them being better than the squier necks. They’re made in Indonesia and are unfinished if I remember correctly? Most examples look like flatsawn pieces. Just curious how it’s an upgrade
Hi, great great job over there. I'm upgrading a Squier Jazz Bass Classic Vibe 70's. Bridge, electronics, pickups and tuning machines. Is there a big difference changing the String Tree? Thank you
@@kennisrussell thank you!
This is a really good video, keep up the good work dude!
Only if i had a friend like him.....it would be great in Christmas!!
Stunning.
I have a squier affinity p bass that I put EMG active pickups in made it so much better! trying to keep an eye out for a jazz bass neck that is at a good price in maple hopefully.
Omg Tim must be a very happy man thats nice man
Looks and sounds really nice!
I've owned my Squier Affinity P-Bass for a few years now to teach myself how to play bass (for fun and noodling around at home, nothing else) and i've started to upgrade it.
The Seymour Duncan Quarter-Pounder pups together with brand new wiring were definitely a great step up in terms of output!
Would you say a new neck could be a significant improvement given the investment?
I'm comfortable with the shape and everything, and the frets have been well taken care of, but ever since i had it, even after a neck tune at the shop, we could never really get rid of some pesky fretting noise from the strings...
Thank you for the vid, and appreciate whatever input you might have :)
I might be wrong but i think Squier P-bass Affinity (p+j) comes with Jazzbass 38 mm neck.
i love the way and amount you use the word cool, and super cool. it was the most interesting part of the vid..
Ken, if you don't want to replace the neck, get a VM Jaguar, which also has the PJ pups and a J neck (unless you simply don't like the Jag body)? This way you only have to replace the pups & HW...........Peace.
I used an R&F decal on a Jazzmaster/Tele hybrid I put together, great decals i did mess mine up a tiny bit a curled the "R" at the end of JELEMASTER
Looks awesome! Your friend is going to love you even more. Haha!
Check out the Babicz FCH bass bridge for your own bass. Cheers!