Luckily they don’t influence playability so it’s not a real issue and also, complaining over minutiae at this price point borders on ungratefulness when you get an instrument as good as this one. If you take a closer look at your bass you’ll start to see these small imperfections. The quality of the finish and detailing isn’t as spotless and precise as with non-Squier models. It typically comes with a pretty good factory setup straight out of the box, so you can start playing comfortably the moment you take it out of its wrapping, without having to fiddle with it yourself or taking it for a check-up. The control layout features 2 knobs, a master volume, and passive tone control with a treble cut only.
This is obviously a fully passive instrument, with no active preamp and EQ. The single, Fender-designed Split-Coil pickup with AlNiCo magnets sits in its rightful place roughly in the middle of the distance between the neck and the bridge. The hardware on both color variants comes with a nickel finish, while the control knobs and pickguard are made of black plastic with white accents. The L-shaped, vintage-style bridge with the threaded steel saddles feels appropriate for the general vibe of the instrument and offers adjustment options for intonation and string height. On the headstock, you’ll find the 4 vintage-style open-backed machine heads, the bone nut, and the Squier Precision Bass logo in its 1970’s variant. On the back of the neck, you can see the so-called “skunk-stripe” through which the truss rod has been inserted. It is bolted on to the body in its reasonably precise pocket, using 4 screws and a neck plate featuring a Squier engraving. It includes the fretboard with its ’70s style black binding, black block inlays, and the 20 narrow but tall frets. The neck has a narrow C-shaped profile and is made from one solid piece of maple. There are 2 color options for the Vibe ’70s P-bass: Walnut and Black.
The Vibe has a little less pronounced low end but will make up for this with much more midrange presence than its forebearer. This will change the fundamental tone of the Vibe in ways that you might not expect from a 1970s P-bass, the latter having been built with an ash body. The body exhibits the standard Precision shape and is made from Nato which is used as a replacement tonewood for Mahogany. The “vibe” part of the name hints at the fact that this is not a reissue or recreation of a 1970s era Precision Bass, but that it is a modern instrument with certain vintage features added, altering its aesthetics, tone, or handling to more closely resemble an instrument from decades-long past- this is, in essence, a modern tribute to a 1970’s P-bass. The Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention from the general public, becoming one of the best-selling and most imitated bass designs in history. Fender resurrected one of their all-time legends for the Squire Classic Vibe lineup: The Precision Bass in its 1970s specs.
My Review: The Squier Classic Vibe series was created as Fender’s response to the surge in the demand for vintage guitars and basses. Squier Classic Vibe 70s Precision Bass (Best Overall)ġ master volume, 1 passive cut only tone control
Fender American Professional II Jazz Bassġ7. Fender American Professional II Precision Bassġ4. Sterling by MusicMan SUB Stingray 4 HH (Best Under $400)ġ3. Squier Classic Vibe ’70s Precision (Best Overall)Ĥ.