Dope. I got one of these. I have not touched my 4 string Ibanez tmb100 bass since getting it. The set up out of the box was really good. Neck was so straight I even get it some relief. I have not messed with the bridge saddles yet but I probably will try to soon as some tapping on the high c string is bit tough. I agree on the tuners feeling unresponsive. Seems like you can turn the key an 1/8 turn and make no change in pitch. So I end up tuning low then back up aiming to stop when in tune. Good thing it holds the tuning well because between the 2 basses I have here, the Ibanez tuners are much tighter and more responsive. But still for 329 dollars for a 6 string that is not hot garbage. This is just awesome.
@@urielfranciscofloreslozano5149I applied the beeswax 10 times over 10 days, and before every application I took off the previous days wax with the 0000 steel wool.
I highly doubt I'll ever be near one of those, but it's good to know that this model exists and that it's even cheaper than a regular 4-string Classic Vibe series. Love the sound you're getting from it.
Great review! I subscribed! I've been looking for reviews to this thing since pre-orders were available on Sweetwater, I'm definitely ordering one tomorrow now!
Hell yea, Thanks a lot, brother. Yes, sir. Nordstrand makes pickups that will fit this bass. They are pricey pickups, but absolutely golden pickups. With pickups like that, and some new tuners, this bass will compete well against anything. No doubt in my mind.
@@CrowkeeperStudioshey I’m looking to find some noiseless pickups for this. Do you know the exact name of the Nordstrand pickups? Or could you link them?
Thinking about grabbing this one and some Nordstrand noiseless pickups. Still on the lookout for some sort of hi-mass bridge and tuners for some added stability
Nice review! I'm interested in it, but I had a few Fender and Squier 5- strings. They just seemed really flabby to me on the B string. I think it had something to do with the scale length.
This bass has a string tree that goes across every string, unlike most Fender/Squier basses, and it does help make the string less flabby. I had the bass tuned to A here. That being said, longer scale lengths are ALWAYS beneficial when it comes to how tight a string is at any given pitch/gauge. So the B does feel better than my old Squier 5, but not as good as something like a 37 inch Dingwall.
Could be due to age. The 5 I had was also Jazz Affinity, and they did not sound the same. I also would recommend Nordstrand pickups. They can make pickups that fit this size that are wildly better.
I got one. Great value for money. I don’t agree on the tuners and the pickups. They seem fine to me and is not low in output. Tuners feels ok on my ex so I guess it’s probably different from bass to bass. I think it’s crazy that you can get a good sounding 6 string for the price of a couple of decent 6 string bassstring sets.
It’s good to see a sixer back among Fender’s lineup but it lacks on the ergonomics : - offset JB body makes it chunky and heavier than it should be, aerodyne PB body would be great ! - better choice of wood (and still cheap) like basswood would make it a bit more lighter - Fender headstock looks nice on four string basses but it looks weird on five and six stings versions A 3+3 headstock would be more balanced as well. - 17mm string spacing isn’t that much of a difference compared to 16,5mm from Ibanez (18mm would be much better) A broader neck and a bridge with more adjustments would be stellar :-) Someone on YT should get an interview with those product designers from Fender, no ?
Definitely not a big enough channel YET to be in talks with Fender, but I will say this. I don't think a larger neck, nor a smaller body would be better to be honest. When you're wearing the bass as is, the is a little bit of neck dive. It's not too much, but it's there. Having a a smaller body would make it worse, having a wider neck would definitely make that worse, and having a lighter wood for the body would again, all make it to where the neck/body balance would be substantially lopsided. Part of what makes the neck feel so stable, in its current iteration, is that the neck has a bit of a thicker feel to it and it feels rock solid. If you were to make the neck wider, you'd have to make the neck substantially thinner, front to back, to try and not add too much extra weight, which would make the neck feel a lot less stable than it currently does. If anything, I would have preferred an even narrower neck, 16mm would have been stellar. Barely noticeably narrow than Ibanez, which is IMO super easy to play, even slapping (I play a 15mm as my main bass). It also would reduce enough wood on the neck side that the bass would be balanced with no other changes. All in all, I think it's not a bad design as it is Subjectively, I think the 4+2 headstock looks nicer than the 4+1
@ you are right on most of the points you mentioned. String spacing is very dependent on your finger physics and the technique you are using (finger vs slap). I have been playing on a Yamaha BBN5 II for a long time. I guess 18/19mm string spacing is what I am used to… and a production model with such a wide string spacing is difficult to find at a « decent » price (Yamaha TRB 6 is around 2000€ in Europe, for example). Anyway, that Squier is a good try for Fender. They will sell them, for sure !
@@r3b0rn80 Personally, I have slightly longer hand than average, but a pretty substantially wider than than average. I know that some people do find 16-17 to be fairly narrow, but if my own hand is notably larger than average, and I normally play a 15, I think most people would say this 17 is pretty roomy. I definitely do not think there's anything wrong with a yamaha, and those larger string spacings like 18/19, but given the ergonomics of fender basses as they are, making the neck wide enough for an 18, and especially 19, will have the neck diving like crazy, and I'm actually fairly sure that this is why the bass is pretty close to the Ibanez width. I think it's a pretty solid effort by Squier as well, and I do expect them to sell a ton of these. I'd love to see a 6 string P/J bass in a PB body though! We shall see what they do!
@@CrowkeeperStudios white elephant situation. Beginners should start with mid-grade instruments because learning on a piece of shit makes the learner have to fight against the shitty instrument to make progress. If you are fighting against your squier constantly going out of tune, having poor intonation, buzzing frets, garbage pickups, noisy pots, etc then you start to hate the instrument and hate music. If you’re starting at -50 and doing all sorts of things to compensate for the shortcoming of your instrument to just get to 0 then all those things you’re doing to compensate have to then be compensated for when you move on to a normal instrument. Plus if you find you’re not going to stick with it, mid-tier instruments hold value slightly better for resale. Squiers go into the fires.
@@christopherknowles while I can see your logic, this particular instrument is far from the kind you have to "fight with". It's playability is very good. I have many more expensive basses, and have played many boutiques like dingwalls as well, and this instrument plays excellent. Nonetheless, I would swap the pickups to something Hum canceling or active. Any teenager that would lose interest in playing bass because this was his first bass is someone not meant to be a bass player. It's playability is an easy 8/10. It's a breeze.
@@CrowkeeperStudios sure thing bro. First impressions and using it as a daily driver for any extended period of time are two different things. Squiers will always show their true colors of being plywood throwaway garbage. Best to just have them delivered right into a dumpster where they belong. You get what you pay for. Cheap instruments always have the highest hidden costs.
Dope. I got one of these. I have not touched my 4 string Ibanez tmb100 bass since getting it. The set up out of the box was really good. Neck was so straight I even get it some relief. I have not messed with the bridge saddles yet but I probably will try to soon as some tapping on the high c string is bit tough. I agree on the tuners feeling unresponsive. Seems like you can turn the key an 1/8 turn and make no change in pitch. So I end up tuning low then back up aiming to stop when in tune. Good thing it holds the tuning well because between the 2 basses I have here, the Ibanez tuners are much tighter and more responsive. But still for 329 dollars for a 6 string that is not hot garbage. This is just awesome.
I’m in love with mine. I’ve taken 0000 Steel wool and beeswax polish, about 10 coats, and it plays like butter.
Wdym 10 coats
@@urielfranciscofloreslozano5149I applied the beeswax 10 times over 10 days, and before every application I took off the previous days wax with the 0000 steel wool.
I highly doubt I'll ever be near one of those, but it's good to know that this model exists and that it's even cheaper than a regular 4-string Classic Vibe series. Love the sound you're getting from it.
Very thorough review! If someone is looking for a six string for whatever reason you have proven that this Squier will do the trick!
Much appreciated! It indeed will do the trick. It's an overall great 6 string, and I think most players would be quite happy with it.
If you find a good 6 string jazz pickup replacement you recommend let everyone know...
Good review; subscribed.
I got to say, I’m really tempted to get one of these. Love the color, and it doesn’t sound that bad as is.
Great review! I subscribed! I've been looking for reviews to this thing since pre-orders were available on Sweetwater, I'm definitely ordering one tomorrow now!
Hope to see a video after u mod the bass! I bought it also and would like to see what u prefer!
@@deathsoul0123 absolutely! I will do that!
hey man that is a million like review.... people just dont know you exist... dont stop you have a new fan.... btw recommend noiseless pickups?
Hell yea, Thanks a lot, brother. Yes, sir. Nordstrand makes pickups that will fit this bass. They are pricey pickups, but absolutely golden pickups. With pickups like that, and some new tuners, this bass will compete well against anything. No doubt in my mind.
@@CrowkeeperStudios is Nordstrand the only brand in the market making 6 string pickups that fits this squier right now ? Or there are other options ?
@@CrowkeeperStudioshey I’m looking to find some noiseless pickups for this. Do you know the exact name of the Nordstrand pickups? Or could you link them?
Thinking about grabbing this one and some Nordstrand noiseless pickups. Still on the lookout for some sort of hi-mass bridge and tuners for some added stability
Nice review! I'm interested in it, but I had a few Fender and Squier 5- strings. They just seemed really flabby to me on the B string. I think it had something to do with the scale length.
This bass has a string tree that goes across every string, unlike most Fender/Squier basses, and it does help make the string less flabby. I had the bass tuned to A here. That being said, longer scale lengths are ALWAYS beneficial when it comes to how tight a string is at any given pitch/gauge.
So the B does feel better than my old Squier 5, but not as good as something like a 37 inch Dingwall.
Great review!
Thanks! Will have to more like these!
which pickups would fit in this?
hell ya
Can't stop won't stop, my man!
Thx
Yes sir!
Was your 5 string Jazz an Affinity? I have the 5 string younger brother of this 6 as well as this 6 and they sound pretty close to identical to me.
Could be due to age. The 5 I had was also Jazz Affinity, and they did not sound the same. I also would recommend Nordstrand pickups. They can make pickups that fit this size that are wildly better.
I got one. Great value for money.
I don’t agree on the tuners and the pickups. They seem fine to me and is not low in output. Tuners feels ok on my ex so I guess it’s probably different from bass to bass.
I think it’s crazy that you can get a good sounding 6 string for the price of a couple of decent 6 string bassstring sets.
It’s good to see a sixer back among Fender’s lineup but it lacks on the ergonomics :
- offset JB body makes it chunky and heavier than it should be, aerodyne PB body would be great !
- better choice of wood (and still cheap) like basswood would make it a bit more lighter
- Fender headstock looks nice on four string basses but it looks weird on five and six stings versions
A 3+3 headstock would be more balanced as well.
- 17mm string spacing isn’t that much of a difference compared to 16,5mm from Ibanez (18mm would be much better)
A broader neck and a bridge with more adjustments would be stellar :-)
Someone on YT should get an interview with those product designers from Fender, no ?
Definitely not a big enough channel YET to be in talks with Fender, but I will say this.
I don't think a larger neck, nor a smaller body would be better to be honest. When you're wearing the bass as is, the is a little bit of neck dive. It's not too much, but it's there.
Having a a smaller body would make it worse, having a wider neck would definitely make that worse, and having a lighter wood for the body would again, all make it to where the neck/body balance would be substantially lopsided.
Part of what makes the neck feel so stable, in its current iteration, is that the neck has a bit of a thicker feel to it and it feels rock solid. If you were to make the neck wider, you'd have to make the neck substantially thinner, front to back, to try and not add too much extra weight, which would make the neck feel a lot less stable than it currently does.
If anything, I would have preferred an even narrower neck, 16mm would have been stellar. Barely noticeably narrow than Ibanez, which is IMO super easy to play, even slapping (I play a 15mm as my main bass). It also would reduce enough wood on the neck side that the bass would be balanced with no other changes.
All in all, I think it's not a bad design as it is
Subjectively, I think the 4+2 headstock looks nicer than the 4+1
@ you are right on most of the points you mentioned.
String spacing is very dependent on your finger physics and the technique you are using (finger vs slap).
I have been playing on a Yamaha BBN5 II for a long time.
I guess 18/19mm string spacing is what I am used to… and a production model with such a wide string spacing is difficult to find at a « decent » price
(Yamaha TRB 6 is around 2000€ in Europe, for example).
Anyway, that Squier is a good try for Fender. They will sell them, for sure !
@@r3b0rn80 Personally, I have slightly longer hand than average, but a pretty substantially wider than than average. I know that some people do find 16-17 to be fairly narrow, but if my own hand is notably larger than average, and I normally play a 15, I think most people would say this 17 is pretty roomy.
I definitely do not think there's anything wrong with a yamaha, and those larger string spacings like 18/19, but given the ergonomics of fender basses as they are, making the neck wide enough for an 18, and especially 19, will have the neck diving like crazy, and I'm actually fairly sure that this is why the bass is pretty close to the Ibanez width.
I think it's a pretty solid effort by Squier as well, and I do expect them to sell a ton of these.
I'd love to see a 6 string P/J bass in a PB body though! We shall see what they do!
Do you know what kind of tuners are a good drop in upgrade for this bass without any drilling.?
Gotoh GB707 style tuners will work perfect, from what I can tell. The look is very similar, and the Gotoh's are no doubt WAY better than these tuners.
Charcoal Frost
Do you know off hand if anyone makes direct replacement pickups for it?
I know that Nordstrand can/does. I'm sure others do as well. Likely higher end brands Bart, Delano, Aguilar, etc.
just buy it and throw it out when you are done, like online instrument reviewers.
I can't imagine tossing decent instruments away. You could atleast give it to a teenager just starting out.
@@CrowkeeperStudios white elephant situation. Beginners should start with mid-grade instruments because learning on a piece of shit makes the learner have to fight against the shitty instrument to make progress. If you are fighting against your squier constantly going out of tune, having poor intonation, buzzing frets, garbage pickups, noisy pots, etc then you start to hate the instrument and hate music. If you’re starting at -50 and doing all sorts of things to compensate for the shortcoming of your instrument to just get to 0 then all those things you’re doing to compensate have to then be compensated for when you move on to a normal instrument. Plus if you find you’re not going to stick with it, mid-tier instruments hold value slightly better for resale.
Squiers go into the fires.
@@christopherknowles while I can see your logic, this particular instrument is far from the kind you have to "fight with". It's playability is very good. I have many more expensive basses, and have played many boutiques like dingwalls as well, and this instrument plays excellent.
Nonetheless, I would swap the pickups to something Hum canceling or active.
Any teenager that would lose interest in playing bass because this was his first bass is someone not meant to be a bass player.
It's playability is an easy 8/10. It's a breeze.
@@CrowkeeperStudios sure thing bro. First impressions and using it as a daily driver for any extended period of time are two different things. Squiers will always show their true colors of being plywood throwaway garbage. Best to just have them delivered right into a dumpster where they belong.
You get what you pay for. Cheap instruments always have the highest hidden costs.
@@christopherknowles Have you played them? Some modern squiers are better than mexican fenders sometimes
What set up or pedals did u use for the metal demo thx love the review
@@iliaperez4734 gallien Krueger head.
Which Gallien Krueger head?
@@Hafiz_kiss Fusion 800. Though the vast majority of RB models can get sick grit if you overdrive them