Upgrading a Squier P Bass
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 16 июл 2024
- In this video I dump $300 worth of parts into a $150 Sqiuer P Bass. Why? Well... why not?! Upgrading and modding guitars is fun, and you can learn from my mistakes!
Discord: / discord
Twitter: @MikeLuvsGuitars
0:00 - Intro
0:40 - What I'm doing and why
2:44- Bass and drums before upgrades
4:04 - Bass and drums after upgrades
5:03 - Did it make any difference?
5:56 - Isolated bass before and after
7:12 - Needed upgrades and compromises
9:04 - Full mix before and after
10:04 - Conclusion
Signal chain:
Sqiuer P Bass
Steinberg UR816C
Steinberg VST Bass Amp (Last of the American Boys sim preset) 
Видеоклипы
I bought a Squier Affinity Series P/J-Bass about 2 months ago, slapped some Geezer Butler EMGs in it and it sounds AMAZING. It played just fine right off the showroom hanger. I may upgrade to a roasted maple neck and call it done!
Nice. I've never actually had a set of EMGs. Might have to try that next time.
Geezer Butler pickups are well worth the money. Best upgrade possible for a p or pj bass in my opinion.
Hah!! Nice one!! What a difference ey!! I upgraded my old Squier P bass from 2004 with the Geezer EMG’s! Sounds awesome now!!
@@alexandervos2275I put emg gzr's in my '95 jackson, the stock active electronics were absolute junk by comparison
I just picked one up today! Definitely needs tuners!
Thanks for your video!
Glad you found it useful!
Would like to thank you, was considering the same mods for my Squire P bass but now I'll just leave it as is and buy some decent flat wounds, great channel, new sub.
Glad you found the video helpful! I might have had a more noticeable difference with active pickups or something. Maybe I'll try that in a few months. 😁
It does sound better after the upgrades but only slightly. but better is still better
Indeed. If I did it again, I would probably try a different set of pickups to see if I could get a more noticeable difference.
All we love non sponsored upgrade parts vids ❤
Glad you liked it
Sounds cleaner, clearer, less muddied tone after the upgrades. Ive been playing a Squier P Bass since 2005. Thats the only difference i can hear
Thanks for the info! I have the exact same bass and looking to upgrade with a few mods. The hi mass bridge adds sustain to the note, so unless you’re not muting the strings you won’t notice the difference. If you are looking for a bigger tonal difference, change the the nut to bone or brass. What I did learn from your video was that the cavity routing on Squier is different, that is something no one else have ever explained before. Important info when deciding to upgrade a pick guard! I always wondered why so many after market pick guards are specific to certain p bass models. Thanks again fantastic video, I liked and subscribed!
Glad you found the video helpful!
With pickguard swaps and such. The fit is due to where the instrument is made. Metric measurements as opposed to standard. So Squiers are made in China or Indonesia, or even Japanese basses, have metric measurements on pickguards, and USA and Mexican made use standard measurements. It's a small difference usually, but it can drive you nuts if get the wrong one, and try to line it up. Some of the screws work, and some don't.
Super cool video! Anyone who has ever modded a guitar totally understand your “twisted logic.” Lol! Rock on brother.🔥🤘👍
Awesome. Glad I didn't come across as bat crap crazy! 🤣
Thanks for the video. I did some similar upgrades to a Squire Classic Vibe '70s P Bass. I tried it out of the box with just a setup and some different strings on stage, was pretty good but was told the pickups weren't cutting it in mix. It had a pretty good hum when practicing at home as well. I lined the inside and pick guard with copper, that fixed the hum. I swapped the pickups for some EMGs and swapped the bridge with a Fender high-mass. Biggest difference was the pickups for sure. Maybe a little sustain from the bridge upgrade. To your point, being new to the bass, doing all this I learned a lot about the instrument and gained a comfort level with setups that is worth way more than what I paid for on all of the pieces.
I was a little surprised to find foil under the pickguard on my Squier, but it didn't have conductive paint in the cavity or anything. If I had any hum issues, I would probably add some, but it seems to be doing fine. EMG or another active pickup set might have made a bigger tonal difference for me. Maybe I'll revisit that in a future upgrade.
@@mikelovesguitars402 After opening my Squire and finding no paint, no copper, and just that small section of foil under the pick guard had me comparing it with my Yamaha TRBX 504 fit and finish. The Yamaha was way better all around and yet both were close to $500. The EMGs I added to the Squire are passive, but I did them after adding the copper lining, so just the new pickups may have fixed a few issues.
@@waylon8605 yeah, I think at this point MOST import guitar brands are doing the EM shielding to a decent degree. It would be nice to see more of it in a Sqiuer, for sure.
You've done a valuable service to the bass playing community. I have a cheap P bass Affinity non PJ bass. I may drop $50 for a set of better pick ups. The DiMarzio pick ups are appealing because of the Paul Stanley ads in the magazines 45 years ago. Dear god, where has the time gone? Thanks for posting this video.
Thanks! I went with the DiMarzio pickups because while I don't have a TON of experience with aftermarket pickups, pretty much all of it has been DiMarzio. It's a brand I know and trust. I hope the video helped you!
Don't feel bad. you had some fun. I hope you did a good set up while you had it apart. I've watched a ton of P bass videos and to my ear half of them sound the same. I guess I just don't have the dialed in ears of the bass player. Nice video!
Oh I definitely don't feel bad. I LOVE to tinker and definitely enjoyed the process. Once I put it back together, all I really had to do was adjust intonation. The neck is straight and the action was a bit better with the high mass bridge. I had a bass player tell me he could hear a clear difference, so I guess my guitar player ears aren't tuned to the bass frequencies either. 😁
I think there’s a little more bottom growl, but it could be a difference in string strike too. But hey man it looks cool and you had fun (and I’m enjoying watching) so that’s like 3 wins 😉
Yeah, I definitely had fun with it. Glad you enjoyed watching it!
I hear a more defined low tone. And it feels to me as if it is subtle but definitely crispy with the upgrades.
Glad the tonal difference made it through the RUclips compression. It was so subtle through my monitors that I really wasn't sure it would be noticeable.
for rock music with a pick in a rehearsal room you can put some strings on a shovel, it won't make a difference. the real tone is in your right hand technique(without a pick)
There's definitely a bit more low end, you can hear it more with the tone up. When the tone was down in the beginning, they sounded exactly the same. But maybe the pots are better now with better tone controls. And a high mass bridge always looks baller.
Yeah, that high mass bridge looks cooler than the stock bridge, for sure.
Im basically doing the same thing with a peavey millennium bxp bass... putting emg-jvx in it...i adore those pickups..
Let me know how it turns out. I'm tempted by those Peavey basses. I might pick one up if I can find a nice 5 string.
Been tinkering on all the bass guitars I've owned. Mostly tweeks and cosmetic upgrades. Don't beat yourself up on what you did. The bridge is a must for sure. You'll notce way more sustain and easier playability. Although I've never used that bridge it's a solid choice. The tuners were a no Brainer. Pickgauard is just personal preference as well as the neck plate. Anyway you are a guitarist not a bass player per say. You did well had fun and learned from your experience. Good job and good video.
Thanks! And yes, I did have fun with it. I always love tweaking guitars.
I just spent time cleaning 2005 Squire Affinity bass up for a young teen that wants to learn to play. It was found in a dumpster, literally. Amazing enough with a lot of cleaning and setup it’s a well playing bass. One of my issues with this area of bass is the pickup alignment. Almost everyone I’ve seen the E sting is sitting close to or over the second pole. It kind of sucks they made them like that. The only other complaint is the location of the tuner for the E string. Very playable good bass otherwise. Free also makes it better.
They're pretty hard to beat for the price.
The best upgrades for a Squire P-bass are to change the pickup, tuners and give it a good setup with a decent set of strings. While a high mass bridge is nice to have, it doesn't improve anything functionally or effect the tone. The same could be said about switching out the pots and capacitor because all that matters with those is that they are of the right electrical value and function.
Well, I got the pickups, tuners, and setup done with this one. The bridge and pots are just an added bonus. I just love tinkering, so this was a fun project no matter what the final outcome was. I just hope other people find my guitar escapades interesting. 😁
Recently upgraded a Squier Classic Vibe 50s Precision with a Lollar pickup and upgraded the pots and tuners, definitely worth the effort and money. It erased some of the pup noise and added some lovely tonal qualities as well as helping tuning. Squier stuff is great but for extensive touring I do feel it doesn't wear as well as OG Fender stuff. Above all though modding is fun, so always enjoy it regardless of the result.
Great vid by the way, thanks!
Exactly. Tinkering with guitars is just FUN. Sometimes there's a very noticeable difference in sound. Sometimes there isn't. As long as I have fun, I always feel like it was worth it.
The after to me sounds growlier, more sustain, cleaner in that you can hear the tones better. Maybe not a huge difference, but there's definitely a difference to my ears 🤷🏻
Glad you can hear a difference. In all fairness, my monitors aren't the best at translating bass.
Good vid. Very often, changing pups are done in the hopes of radically improving the sound and it can turn out to do very little. There are many factors that make up the sound beyond the pups. I put Norstands in a classic vibe and they sounded no different than the stock pickups. (Maybe a touch louder). I also put the Seymour Duncan Steve Harris pups in a classic Vibe P and again -- hardly made a difference. Another often useless upgrade is the bridge. A super heavy mass bridge doesn't sound or feel that different than a basic bridge -- especially if you're going for a vintage P sound.
Valid points, but hey, you never know until you try, right? 😁
I’m very interested in how you didn’t get much difference when you swapped the Steve Harris pickups. There’s a vid on here of someone playing stock v. Harry and the Harry’s had maybe a touch more bottom and top but overall-as you say, “hardly made a difference.”
Seems odd and honestly I’d think you were...wrong, maybe, if I hadn’t heard it myself.
I've noticed a difference with a solid bridge. More sustainable tone and better playability. I used a Leo Quan badass 2 bridge when they first came out. Was advised by a wise old tech( He's gone on to fixing Harp's now) that the old Fender Bass's needed a solid bridge. For me I believe he was correct. It's all how it feels to YOU and only you.
@@robertshay9951 for sure. Modding in all about what makes you happy as a player.
Me, I replaced the round-wound strings of a Fender acoustic bass guitar with flat-wounds. No big deal, but I had to find a replacement for the bridge plug of the strings (at least the E-one). I knew from my older bass guitars (an electric and an acoustic one) that this would bring the sound closer to what I want. (Which is the supportive role, like in folk music and older jazz. Your taste and needs may well differ.)
I then wanted to equip a guitar with flat-wounds. I bought a B-stock of an el cheapo acoustic guitar for this, rather than sacrificing an existing one of mine. The "ugly duckling" became a "beautiful swan" - but it's likely going to be confined to rhythm parts, notably those with "circle of fifths" shoving involved.
Hardly worth mentioning: the addition of pick-ups. I equipped my older acoustic bass guitar with both a stick-on piëzo pick-up and a sound-hole humbucker (for guitar), in order to replicate the sound of an upright bass with both (that I knew from jazz).
My newer acoustic bass guitar, a new western guitar an this flat-wound guitar all have piëzo pick-ups (as I really like them), but I do have spare sound-hole magnetic pick-ups. I also have battery-operated 4-channel mixers that I could carry to blend both outputs.
I also stuck an acoustic pick-up to the soundboard of a cheap classical guitar. It does work, too well for my taste. (All sorts of pick-ups and other parts can be purchased via AliExpress. Which is not a certificate of highest quality or lowest price.)
I very recently mounted a Fishman TriplePlay pick-up on a Squier Stratocaster, so that it can drive MIDI synthesizers (with the TriplePlay USB-receiver in the optional foot controller). I still have a spare Roland GK-3 pick-up for use with a "13-pin" cable and matching devices.
However, I'm not too much of a tinkerer, so I bought an official Brian May Red Special, rather than adapting wiring to the official diagram.
Bottom line: trying different strings may well result in a big (and reverseable) change of sound for "little" money.
I haven't played any flat wound strings in 25 years. Maybe it's time to try a set.
I would say the pickup change made a nice difference. The bass is punchier, more consistent and punches through the mix better
There's definitely a difference. I guess I expected it to be a little more pronounced, but it's there.
Hey Mike. Yes, P bass foam under the pickups likes to either get hard or turn to dust. Be careful though, I have been playing guitar since 1975, but for the last three years, I have been playing bass full time at home. Best wishes for you.
Nothing wrong with switching to bass. I have thought about it more than once to do a cover band or something. Just don't have a bass rig, so I've never taken the full plunge.
@Mike Loves Guitars I sold gear I wasn't using. I used the funds to get bass gear. The fender rumble 200 is plenty for at home, and band practice. The rear panel on it has all your line out options.
Bought a 20th Anniversary P-Bass from a guy who already put better tuners and a bridge in it (all black chrome hardware) and put a black/red tort style pickguard on it as well. It was FINE. But then I changes strings on it and decided to look under the pickguard. Small alpha pots and cheap wiring. I got new pots and rewired it, but the ceramic pickup did sound a little chincy to me. So I was able to get a deal on a new set of Fender Yosemite pickups ($5). Put them in (and yes, used foam from the actual pickup box), and boy howdy! Is that a decent bass. I do wish it had a glossy maple fretboard vs the rosewood one (what? Am I crazy? I just like maple fret boards more).
Hey, nothing wrong with a maple fretboard! We all like what we like. That's why we have so many choices. 😁
I love the midrange of Dimarzio model P''s . I think there is some noticeable difference among the 2 recordings. The tone is much more focused after the parts swap. I am not a real fan of the hi mass bridge though, i feel it chokes some cheap bases. Did not notice it on yours though . Thank you for the nice video.
Thanks for taking the time to watch! I've tweaked a lot of guitars over the years, but this is my first time tinkering with a bass. 😁
Squire basses are the “Chevy Nova” of instruments..if you have a taste for it “Moding” can be a rewarding experience for customizing your sound..Look what it did for Eddie Van Halen
I agree. Modding can be lots of fun. Even if you don't always get the results you expect/hope for, there's still a lot to be learned with each project.
I got a squier paranormal 54. Squier isnt a bad brand. Its my favorite bass. Just going to replace the pickups.
No, they definitely aren't bad guitars. They've come a long way in quality since I was a teenager.
Seems like solid upgrades. Honestly it is a bit hard to tell the difference in sound.
Agreed. I really didn't expect the tonal differences to be so subtle. I was expecting something pretty noticeable, so that was surprising.
I will say this; having modified my own basses/guitars for the last 15 years, the one thing i've always modified were the output jacks to switchcraft. Just gives me solid connectivity with the cable. I've done my fair share of swapping pickups, & those are different across the board. I feel like swapping the stock Affinity ceramic magnet splits with the Dimarzio Model 1 version just had the same tone. Had you gone with say duncan Hot for pbass, or quarter pounders, or even fender originals - you may have heard a slight difference in the EQ/balance.
I tend to swap the bridge for a high mass one, just cause i enjoy the look of em, & i've had luck with some that are 20$ (which sadly, i can't find anymore). Does it add sustain to my basses? Not that i can tell. Does it feel nicer under my palm when playing? Yes, especially when the height screws aren't as long as the stock bridge hahaha.
All that aside, i think i'd be with you - though i may have opted to find a replacement screw at my local hardware store for the tuning key, & just be done there. Strap locks i've always done without aside from splitting a set (between a Thunderbird lower pin, & a RIC copy bass' upper pin).
If nothing else, I like tinkering with guitars, so this was a fun experiment for me. I'm curious about what kind of tonal differences other pickups might have given me. Maybe the next mod will be trying a few different pickups to see which sound the best to my ears.
@@mikelovesguitars402 if you wish to keep a passive route: any of the hotter duncan versions (hot for pbass, quarter pounders), dimarzio split rails, emg geezer butler have good reviews too
Thru u tube, the upgrades seem a little quieter, maybe just try some used active pickups and a great set up for a cheap bass to upgrade. Shouldn't cost to much to upgrade a little. Good video idea.
Never tried active pickups on a bass before, but I'm open to it. I have to replace the stock active electronics in my Fender Prodigy bass anyway, so I'm leaning towards the EMG Frank Bello set. That'll be a video of it's own one of these days.
@@mikelovesguitars402 I think you'll like a active set of f pickups. I have been using them since '88. I think emgs were pretty new thing at the time. They will deliver a Db push , ( a little louder) lol. Been using them ever since. Yes, I still have a few with humbuckers. Have a good day. Subscribed.
@@duanepetersonakaroadkill7161 much appreciated. I'm glad you liked the video!
Out of curiosity are the new pick ups flat? Split core pickups are higher in the center and taper out.
Yeah, looks like I have them mounted fairly flat here. Thanks for calling that out.
I think the difference is night and day. Immediately the new pickups had more body, more sustain, more warmth, they have a rounder tone. Original pickups sound thin, less definition.
I learned two things: I guess my ear training is starting to pay off, and these $30 headphones I got from Best Buy are surprisingly OK at monitoring.
I'm glad you could hear a real difference. I think I need to upgrade my monitors. The ones I have don't have the best bass translation.
@@mikelovesguitars402 I just got the P Bass and the pickups aren't bad but they're definitely not giving the signal definition you would want for recording. I'm not a bass player either so I'll be using them until I shop enough to find out what bass pickups I need.
@@kMaxRx I recently picked up a Fender Prodigy bass from the 90s in a JP configuration. Got it CHEAP for a USA Fender, but the active electronics in it are shot. SERIOUSLY leaning towards an EMG Frank Bello set for it.
@@mikelovesguitars402 anything to get a real bass tone. I have been down the rabbit hole reading about the sansamp DI bass plugin / pedal. Tchad Blake had this demonstration on protools and I became enchante.
Now I just need some good pickups and DI sidechain bass distortion.
Do you feel it plays better? I have Geezer pick ups in my Jag, they have a ton character- especially loud!!
It does feel a little better with the high mass bridge, but that's due more to the fact that I never really gave it a good setup on the original bridge.
tone wise not much between the stock pick ups and the aftermarket id say the best upgrade was probably the bridge for better intonation
It's definitely leaps and bounds ahead of the original in terms of quality.
I’m saving up for a Squier Sonic P-bass myself, (the limited-edition lime green with black pick-guard) and the main upgrade I’m planning to do on it is the addition of a 4-string tremolo bridge.
Tremolo on a bass, huh? That would definitely be interesting!
Wondering if the difference is more noticeable live as opposed to through a recording and compressed on youtube?
Probably a little more. It's always a challenge doing these kinds of videos on YT due to the compression that gets applied, making it more difficult for viewers to hear subtle differences. The difference was particularly apparent while tracking, but to be honest, my monitors don't really have the best bass translation.
@@mikelovesguitars402 I have a Squier Jazz Bass, would you say it’s worth it upgrading the pickups?
@@teok8855 I think it would depend on the pickups you choose. The set I bought were pretty standard P bass sounding pickups, so it's not surprising that there wasn't a huge difference. I recently stumbled across a 90s Fender Prodigy bass with nonfunctioning active electronics. I'm strongly leaning towards dropping a set of Frank Bello EMGs in it. I think if I had tried something like that on the Squire, then the results would probably be more dramatic.
@@mikelovesguitars402 cool, thanks a lot for the advice!
@@teok8855 anytime!
Def more low end after the upgrades
Not a HUGE difference, but it's there.
I tend not to like anything DiMarzio. And when it comes to bass, Fender Custom Shop tends to be king. Fender pickups might make a HUGE difference.
DiMarzio actually makes my favorite pickup of all time (X2N), but you may be right. One of these days I'll try some different pickups in it and see what happens.
@@mikelovesguitars402 YES! , you cant go wrong with X2N's and a 5150!
@@Mrmemphisbones the first REAL guitar I ever bought (my 79 Les Paul Standard) has an X2N in it. I've been a big fan of those pickups ever since.
Yup, low clean end after mod...
Glad you can hear the difference
On my headphones it seems like the bass punches through the mix a little more.
I should give it another listen on headphones. I only listened on my HS5s.
Nice Mods, Man . . .
Thanks!
You didn't change the strings, nut and electronics...
Well, I didn't change the brand of strings, but I put a new set on. Also, the loaded pickguard I got from DiMarzio included ALL electronics, and I transferred all of it to the original pickguard. So yes, I did replace the electronics. The only thing in the cavity that wasn't changed was the factory ground wire.
@@mikelovesguitars402 Well, it does sound better on the lower end. But we should hear more change. I did the same on my Washburn Sonamaster and it changed the world.
@@asafpelleh7594 I might have a more noticeable difference with a different set of pickups. Might give that a shot at some point.
Did all the upgrades improve the sound of the bass SLIGHTLY? Yes.
Is it worth all that money to upgrade it? No.
It was worth it to me to just try and see what the result would be. I really enjoy tinkering with guitars, so at the end of the day, this was a really fun experiment for me. Would I encourage others to do the same things I did here? Probably not. Are others going to do these exact modifications anyway? Absolutely.
We all chase tone at the end of the day.
It's actually an output jack, not an input jack.
Too bad about the pick guard. Black and blue would have been different. You could of called the bass punch drunk😂
Yeah, I don't if it would have been a good look, or a bad look, but it DEFINITELY would have been a look! 😁
“Modding bass guitars is just fun”.
I would say modding any guitar is fun. Not just basses. 😁
Maybe as a matter of test it would be better to stick with less intrusive guitars. I honestly can’t hear much of th bass.
That's why there's a section with isolated bass tracks in the video. 👍
@@mikelovesguitars402 Sorry. My bad.I skipped straight to the end to check the final result. Now it makes sense.
@@bass_journey no worries at all
There was def more punch after the mods. You should have spent more money on pickups.
Well, that's the plus side of mods, you can always go back and try different things later.
Totally. That's the beauty. I've never been able to leave anything alone. There are evil diminishing returns to best. Lol
@@learnonedooneteachone3822 well, I figure that as long as I have fun and the mods make me happy, then I see it as worth the cost. 😁