Squier Paranormal '54 vs. Classic Vibe Jazz - Budget Jazz Bass Battle - LowEndLobster Tone Shootout
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- Опубліковано 11 січ 2023
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Squier Paranormal Jazz '54 Review (2020)- • Squier Paranormal Jazz...
Squier Classic Vibe Late 60's Jazz Review- • Squier Late 60's Class...
Squier Paranormal Jazz '54 Revisit (2022)- • Squier Paranormal Jazz...
Squier Paranormal Jazz Bass '54- www.fender.com/en-US/squier-e...
Squier Classic Vibe Late 60's Jazz Bass- www.fender.com/en-US/squier-e...
Hey Everyone! Today we have ourselves a budget Jazz Bass joust! We're putting the Squier Paranormal Jazz Bass '54 (A favorite of mine) against the newly released Squier Classic Vibe Late 60's Jazz Bass (the Labor Day parts bin special!) in another epic LowEndLobster Tone Shootout. Both basses are surprisingly similar spec wise, but they differ greatly in their execution. Which bass will walk away the winner?... well neither of them because these are guitars and they don't have legs... But one shall win! Let's do this!
This bass and all my other basses with rounds are strung with SIT Foundation Nickel Plated Stainless Steel 45-105(125) unless otherwise noted. Check them out at sitstrings.com/
Info on my signal chain, setup and more: • FAQ: My Signal Chain, ...
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One reason the Paranormal may have lower output is because of its control scheme, assuming they did it correctly. If you want to have true tone control over the two pickups individually, you have to isolate them from one another, and that was originally done with an additional resistor or two in the circuit. This will keep the tone and volume knobs from influencing each other, at least, mostly. It does come at the cost of output level, and it has an impact on the overall tone. Whether or not this is a good thing is all about personal preference.
The paranormal would've looked so much better with a vintage tint neck
Wow! I have waiting for you to do this video for a while. Great video
I got the late 60's and had similar QC issues that needed addressed, but not nearly as bad as what you ended up with. The pickups and playability are great. Based on your endorsement I might have gone with the Paranormal. Unfortunately my post-Xmas bank account has halted my collection for now! Thanks for the comparison
I bought the Paranormal mostly because of Lobster's recommendation. I found one sold as an "open box", that wasn't actually opened, but something had poked into the box and made a small ding on the back. So even after taking a decent knock, the only thing I needed to do when I took it out of the box was tune the E. That's it. I did shield the electronics and replace the strings after a couple days, it just got better. I did bring the pickups up a little from what they were, did seem to get some more output. I will probably replace the pickups someday, and will flatten the finish on the back of the neck before the weather gets warm. But for $279, I am very pleased. Plus it looks really nice, I got the burst with the tort pickguard. A friend's son said it looks like a cactus from the 80's. Not sure exactly what that means, but he is only 5. Prior to this I had ordered 2 separate Sterlings that were in my favorite color, but they both came damaged and unplayable, for almost $200 more.
Looking forward to the mods on the Paranormal '54, I snagged one from Pro Audio Star as well. So far I have only slapped on a set of Labella Deep Talkin gold flats which look pretty snazzy. I agree the pickups need some help. I'm thinking Seymour Duncan quarter pounders. It will be interesting to see what you come up with. Thanks Lobster 🦞
Nice vid. Merry Christmas Lobster 🦞
Happy new year Lobster!!!
I have a Paranormal. I swapped the pickups for Seymour Duncan Apollos and it sounds great. Fit and finish were great out of the box. It's up to the quality of some of my Mexican Fenders, not as good as my MIJ Fenders though.
Picked up a late 60's CV during the labor day sale. The fret board was a little dry but other than that no issues. Personally I didn't like the bridge so I swapped it for a fender hi mass and some flat wounds. Sounds and plays amazing.
Super cool video! I actually have the Paranormal and it's a really solid bass! I was also just wondering, at some point in the future I may want to build a J-Bass, and was wondering if the Paranormal pickguard fits on a standard J-Bass body, what do you think? It just looks so cool that I want to use it!
I have the same Paranormal as Lobster. The Pups are quite bright, and don't have a lot of output (thinking midrange punch is missing). The tone/volume controls do influence each other, as was mentioned in the other comments. The QC on this bass is quite good, comparing to MiM instruments I've had. The pickguard needed to be sanded down around the edges with some 1k grit for comfort--it came out of the box a bit sharp for my taste. The tuners are lame. I replaced the bridge with a Fender Badass/hi-mass and never looked back. The frets appear to be the narrow/tall polished version, which is nice. The finish feels and looks great. I did end up putting a small shim under the neck heel to make the upper register consistent with the rest of the neck. I have to say that this is one of the best "bang-for-your-buck" instruments available now. Thanks for the review, Lobster...and cancel the ham!
I wanted to add a Jazz bass to my arsenal and jumped on a Black Friday deal that gave me a couple hundred off a MIM Fender Player series. Unfortunately, the story out of the box is similar to your experience with the Classic Vibe Jazz. It was obvious that the bass was assembled and tested but absolutely no setup was done to it at all, and it took a full 360 degree turn of the truss rod to get the neck in spec! Also, the freakin' tone knob was broken! The pot was fine, just the plastic knob... broken! Didn't see any damage to the box so I can only assume it shipped out that way. The fret edges aren't the best but not bad enough to cause any issues or sore fingers. The rest of the fit, finish and construction I have to say is pretty decent, about what I would expect at this price level. The good news is that, once I replaced the tone knob and did a full set up, the bass sounds and plays very nice! Received a lot of compliments on its looks and tone.
I went crazy on the Proaudiostar sales and got four guitars and four basses, all Squier, for under $2k shipped - I don't know how anyone made any money off these but I'm super-pleased with them all, particularly the Paranormal '54. I've rehearsed and gigged with them all out-of-the-box and have yet to change strings on anything (!). There are tweaks to be made (a pokey fret on one guitar, a malfunctioning toggle switch on another - I'm overdue for a visit to Dom at Third Floor Guitars) but overall, the build quality and looks are fantastic.
I picked up a Paranormal from ProAudioStar over the holidays. I think I may replace the pickups with DiMarzio Ultra Jazz and put some flats on it. My truss rod was sticky when I first received the bass but otherwise a pretty decent bass for around $200.
Despite the nice look, don't let the Paranormal brightness fool you in the comparison: the pickups of that bass got a native midrange cut who makes the bass completely "out of the mix" in most situations. Plus, their low output doesn't help: that's not a real problem, because it's a perfectly suitable tone for genres like Funk and SOME (not all, which it's different) kind of Metal. That's a modern tone, not the traditional Jazz Bass tone. Even the pickups position is different from the classic JB, and that thing makes the sound even more "nasal" in every configuration. In other genres, the pickups lack punch and the added highs can be a serious problem when you need a warmer tone, with richer low end.
Great comparison review, Mr. K.
that paranormal is a cool look!
The MIM 60's Classic Vibe from 10 years ago was the best! Only downside for me was, truss rod adjustment required removing the neck.
The Paranormal sounds better. Smoother tone. What a cool looking bass too. Had my eyes on this bass for a while.