Squier Jazz Bass vs Fender American Jazz Bass (Blind Test Challenge)

[@Braymond212]

I really thought the Fender American Standard was Bass A. Bass A sounded more clean and clear whereas Bass B was fuzzy and had a buzz to it that made it sound cheaper. Quite an interesting comparison. Thanks for the video!

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks Bryce for letting me know.

[@SevanStick]

Listen to the back pickup. It‘s actually vice versa.

[@wolfgangfolz8128]

I guessed also!

[@pessoa.gabriel]

me too

[@juniusbimbel3604]

i think so

[@LucaLindemann]

1440 bucks difference in a mixer you wouldn't even spot. This is a reason I have few Squier, because: if it sounds good, it is good!

[@sword-and-shield]

That is because pro's don't base the criteria on just the sound, who can't make a hundred dollar bass sound great on a computer? Pros base it on regular professional use, which is where the cheap garbage shows itself. Hobbyist wont understand the difference, and is also why YT is chuck full of vids basing it all around the sound.

[@donjuanmckenzie4897]

@@sword-and-shield what the hell does that even mean

[@sword-and-shield]

@@donjuanmckenzie4897 You wont know what the hell it means unless you have gigged and traveled heavily with the cheap shit compared to the pro shit...that's what it means.

[@robertrowan3342]

@@sword-and-shield do you mean they break down? Pickups, knobs wear out? Wood warps?

[@sword-and-shield]

@@robertrowan3342 That and more, a traveling regularly gigging musician will put far more duress to an instrument than some bedroom producer or occasional party player. These days "Pro Level" instruments are in less demand with the fall off of live shows at the local levels. But that is where the difference in cost shows itself the most in pro level instrument cost, and it IS justified.

[@davidrangel8783]

I heard the B bass (Fender) crunchier than the A bass (Squier), I certainly liked the Squier, clean, fatty...

[@Guitartomguitar]

Cool thanks David!

[@garywillacey9979]

You sir are amazing! You did the best comparison EVER! You setup both basses with the SAME STRINGS! Hardly any of the other bassists do this, the idiots! People never get to hear the true potential of a budget bass due to this. It shows that you really don't need to spend lots for a good tone. The squier with an added decent EQ pedal would probably match or even beat the Fender for just a little additional cost.....What a MASSIVE SAVING!!!! Many Fender snobs will hate my comments & this video. Thanks for exposing the truth. Bless

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks Gary. Really appreciate your comment. Yeah you definitely need the same strings to make a genuine comparison.

[@pauls4742]

Great video - The quality of the non-American basses has come a long way. I've had numerous basses, including a couple of American Fenders. I've got a Squire Deluxe active Jazz bass and I'm really happy with it. I also had a Mexican made active Jazz Bass and it was a great guitar. The active models are awesome!

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks Paul. I was a bit shocked myself how good the Squier was. I remember some dreadful Squiers back in the 1990s! Im thinking of getting an active P Bass, so thanks for mentioning how good they are.

[@tkotmk]

yeah, it was very noticeable, especially on the high frequencies. B is much brighter and clear than A, I would pick A any day of the week, unless of course, limited by budget. thanks! very cool video!!!

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks very much! Really appreciate that you took the time to post.

[@shamerzaihan8638]

I like the sound of the B the tone is fatter and sounds a lot richer than A

[@Guitartomguitar]

Shamer Zaihan thanks Shamer!

[@attilaxman6103]

Same

[@Surfer8652]

I could clearly hear the differences and instantly knew Bass A was the Squier and Bass B was the Fender after the first bassline. I've owned and played both, and Squier Affinities electronics and wood just lack the same level of detail and warmth. Now if you were to compare a Squier Classic Vibe to a Fender, I probably couldn't easily tell.

[@enricoandrini4453]

They sound different because of the pick up, not the wood for sure man!

[@sludoku]

I think there's a pretty big difference here tbh. Bass B is far crisper with a better high end response, to the point I had to go back to the beginning of the video to make sure you actually used the same and fresh strings on both basses. I'm generally very skeptical when it comes to expensive instruments, but here I certainly think there's a very clear difference.

[@Guitartomguitar]

great thanks for posting, I appreciate it.

[@oscarsantos2608]

@@Guitartomguitar Next up: swap the pickups and electronics and see how they both sound! That would be nice 😃👍.

[@petestaint8312]

Fantastic demo! I preferred the Squier. 👍

[@edsonjosius3903]

I just picked up the squier affinity jazz bass as a beginner and was kinda worried about the choice I made, questioning myself whether I made the right purchase. Your video just ease my doubts and therefore, have no regrets buying it. Thank!

[@Guitartomguitar]

thats good. The Squier Affinity Jazz is a really good beginner bass. I hope you enjoy learning on it.

[@richardjames6623]

You rock man, Thank you !

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks Richard!

[@wanmeireles7182]

I bought the squier for home recording and I was thinking about changing the pickups so I could get the best sound possible with my bass. I guess I won't actually need to do it thanks to his video, lol!

[@leesagomez6615]

Perfect for budget musicians..same Bark...but WAY LESS Bite to OWN...

[@chrispalmer3967]

I picked up a squire jazz and am replacing the pickups with emgs, and adding a high mass bridge.

[@minnesotajack1]

The biggest difference to me was the tone setting. 100 % tone was much brighter and 0% tone was much darker with the American. Closer than I thought it would be though

[@petershurmer8507]

I knew bass B was the USA standard because of how it sounded with the tone rolled down. The squier didnt get as subby and smooth. Otherwise they sound so similar! :O

[@Guitartomguitar]

Cool thanks for letting me know Peter. Appreciate it man.

[@Livemusic1800]

I own a (custom) squier p/j bass affinity series. I customized it starting pickups(seymour duncun) , pots, bridge(fender). Repainted it gloss red with gold pickguard. Looks and sounds nice. I use it as my practice bass.

[@markanderson3870]

With a really good amp and the right settings that Squire would sound amazing.

[@ka-bar5060]

I got it correct. The sounds are good, but on the American Standard Jazz the notes overall are clearer. At times the notes on the Squire are a little muffled, but you really cannot complain about a bass costing three times less. Yes, you are getting what you pay for with each model, but if all you can afford is a Squire it will definitely still serve you quite well as you work up to affording the American-made Standard Jazz. Nicely done video.

[@photofriend44]

I pretty much agree with you. I did think that the Fender sounded better on most of the exampes (although not all) but it is not so much better as to justify the large price difference.

[@Guitartomguitar]

Great thanks Otis. Appreciate the post. Have a good weekend man.

[@photofriend44]

@@Guitartomguitar, you too brother.

[@mmorage]

I have a squier Jazz, sounds ok. I just change the pickups for a Seymour Duncan and now it sounds amazing. The difference was huge. Louder and rich sound. Also a good set of strings helps.

[@senaawl]

Were the SD pickups you used noiseless by any chance?

[@Charles2112pp]

I feel like this video was spot on. I have a Squier and a fender jazz bass and heard the same subtle difference here that I do at home and smiled when you mentioned the feel. That's the huge difference to me the American fender has a neck feel that to me is completely worth the price. At the end of the day I think the gap in price is more about how surprisingly low the Squier price tag is for the instrument you get. My Squier definitely doesn't feel as good as the fender, but the price could've been double and I wouldn't have felt ripped off.

[@Chris__R]

I got it right!!! Of course, if I didn't own a Squier Jazz bass, I may not have got it, but the Squier just had a little bit of a thinner quality to the sound. But they are so close.

[@Guitartomguitar]

Cool thanks for letting me know Chris.

[@jimbonewguy3175]

Bass B seems to have a fuller Warmer sound. But nothing to worry about really

[@RussellCatchpole]

Great test. I got it right, but the only real give away for me was the wider variation on the tone control, otherwise there wasn’t much to choose between them.

[@oscarsantos2608]

Next up: swap the pickups and electronics and see how they both sound! That would be nice 😃👍.

[@Livemusic1800]

Interesting... I wanna see that happen.

[@mackenzierodgers1152]

tbh with personal experience a few quick mods to a squire will make it sound just as good as a fender even tho there isnt a huge difference to start with

[@jcm_9994]

B felt more open sounding if that makes sense to anyone but I must say Squier has come so far. The headstock Squier decal deserves some respect now.

[@1thess523]

We used to have a Squier Affinity Jazz and we upgraded the pickups not even to something super high-quality we just added the Duncan designed pickups to it and it made a huge difference. Currently I have a classic Vibe Jazz with Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders and that thing sounds as good if not better than an American. I also have a vintage modified PJ which feels really nice in the hands and sounds pretty good with the stock pickups but I might eventually upgrade them. I also have a 2004 Mexican Fender P Bass with lollar pickups but that's my least favorite one to play

[@Guitartomguitar]

thanks for posting. I've been reading some comments and many others are also finding that they're getting great results upgrading the pickups.

[@1thess523]

@@Guitartomguitar I'm thinking of adding a high mass bridge to my Mexican Fender to give it more bite

[@sezaiturkmen9561]

From my side Bass B has a much clear and buzz free sound, Actually I also want to hear your subjective comments concerning the fret board, neck comfort, etc.. I currently have a Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass and it has a surprisingly solid built quality and has quite cool duncan pick ups. So concerning price performance Squier seems like a decent option.

[@peterbarratt2415]

Hi Tom I could tell the difference straight away. Is it worth the price difference though probably not but people!e will still buy them anyway for prestige and marque.

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks Peter. I absolutely agree!

[@Mmebsuta]

I guessed right. I thought B had more dense tone and clear fundamental. I don't have any Fenders, but that's the difference between the Squiers and American Peavey stuff I have. I like them all.

[@thisguy.5559]

Well dayyym! I thought that the squire sounded best in all but one example. Thanks.

[@analogman9697]

I have the Affinity. Once I set it up and put flats on, it's a great instrument. My theory is that jobs are so scarce in Indonesia that the ones that get a Fender job do all they can to keep it.

[@rivellehaidar318]

This is the video that we all need guys. Anyway i can distinguish it easily from the first line. Coz fender's tone is unique and a lil bit crunchy

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks Rivelle.

[@watercolour7606]

Thank you this review. Very informative. I bought a second hand 2011 Chinese made Squire JB for £100 and changed the pickups to Fender Custom Shop Custom 60s Jazz Bass Pickups (set of 2). I don’t know what the body my SJB is made of but the fret board looks mahogany to me with a maple neck. I use that bass for home recording and have the best of a Fender bass, but at low cost. For me, the pickups are one of the most important parts of a guitar and these are what I change in a guitar/bass first, whether in an expensive or a cheap guitar. Action height is also important. The fender pickups give a fuller sound in all the ranges. I do not want to spend £1700 on a US Fender bass as change in pickups in a squire work very well for me. Even a £70 set up with the custom pickups is worth it. Setting it up myself is not difficult as long as I remember I am dealing with a cheaper neck on a squire and will need adjusting with season changes.

[@NWTMasterWolf]

I have the charcoal version of the Squire on the way. I'm a beginner but I study very hard and practice as best I can.

[@englejas]

Good stuff! I can barely tell the difference between the two. To your point, neither will the vast majority of listeners and your saving yourself a ton of money with the Squier. Unless you are a professional musician, I just don't see how one can justify spending that much more money for, more or less, the same end result. But hey, to each their own!

[@hugomejia593]

Feeling, touching, playing enjoying a fender American Standard jazz bass has no comparison all indeed we know that want it a fender

[@Guitartomguitar]

thanks for posting Hugo. We definitely all want the Fender!

[@tamasszucs143]

Thank you for this profound comparative test! The Squier sounded better for me...

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks Tamás for letting me know.

[@eltonrafael3229]

Do you have any videos on the 5 string squier?

[@Guitartomguitar]

Sorry I don't.

[@dbo514]

I think I liked A better! That goes to show you how important the fingers and playing skills are to the tone. I have no doubt B feels better to play though.

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks for commenting. Yep the Fender does feel much nicer to play!

[@dbo514]

@@Guitartomguitar And that's important, a nice instrument means you will enjoy playing/practicing more. I just don't have 2K to spend on a bass lol, wish I did.

[@Simbosan]

why is the picture of a PJ? I thought was a jazz for jazz comparison

[@siakeyosu7892]

I liked the squire more than the fender. I think it sounds cleaner and sweeter.

[@robmanzanares]

Thank you

[@harryfromaustralia657]

Thought A initially cause it was clear but something about B just popped more at certain times, seemed like it had more dynamic

[@thomaskarlsson5503]

The difference can be corrected in the mix :-)

[@artyomca]

I would attribute the B bass sounding better just because YOU knew which is which and SO you were more excited playing the American Standart. It shows in your playing more than in the sound.

[@DoomOfConviction]

I had it correct and I think I heard more diversity in the notes with the US Fender when you played with different settings.

[@mikemph7779]

How bout a maple neck vs dark wood neck bass comparison Thanks for your channel!! 👊😎

[@Guitartomguitar]

thanks for the suggestion Mike

[@Vesta_Nova]

Listening to the two, i couldn't really tell a difference in the quality of the sound, except that i felt the Squier sounded not great to me without any tone on. The sounds were different, and looking through comments and looking back i see how what each one was makes sense, but i did think they were switched

[@johanncat-s007]

I couldn't tell. I was right 50% of the time. The criteria change so much based on the tone settings that it was extremely tricky. E.g., the Fender bridge bottom was slightly less full, and brighter at the top, and so twice I thought maybe that was the Squier. I got #4 (both pickups) right, as that was the only one in which the Squier sounded, potentially "cheaper" (less hifi across both PUs). Otherwise it was very hard for me to say the Squier tone was "less" than the Fender.

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks Phillip, really appreciate posting your thoughts. I agree that when you do a range of pickup combinations that differences become slight. Take care.

[@apterousgargoyle]

How does the Squire's neck feel ? Is it easy to grip ? Is it comfortable ?

[@3rdsmite766]

you can deffo hear the difference, but it also depends on what you like I guess or how much money you have to spend

Bass B sounds under control, perfect

[@lisaredsatl2571]

Are u using flatwound or roundwound?

[@shawnhuff3920]

I have a fender American professional jazz bass 🔊 and I personally like it better than the squier deluxe jazz bass I used to have ..... a fender American professional jazz bass is better than the standard as well.....

[@mojito6629]

The Fender one sounds very good and better to my ear, but the Squier is very good too. I guess the other things aside of sounds on the Fender, I hope they're some things about the product itself, the manufacture and etc., not only the 'business aspect of it,' are what also made it few times more expensive than the Squier.

[@CappyLarou]

So as expected, the one that sounded better ended up being the fender. I still might buy a squire though as a beginner bassist who's just starting out in his yet to purchase his first base

[@gutterisatool4489]

I was correct. I can definitely hear the difference.

[@floranmartin8711]

I picked correctly from first bass line but later I got confused and ended recognizing the bass A sounds more like an oldy style which confirmed my first impression

[@MarvinHartmann452]

Line 4 is where I heard the difference. The B was much detailed and clearer.

[@petrklepetko2971]

Honestly, after the first bass line I liked both, but thought that the bass B was way fuller, so based on that I thought that bass B is the expensive one. However, bass A wasn’t worse, just different and I can see picking it up for certain situations. And since then I pretty much confirmed that, but the settings didn’t do a favor to either of them, and also it distorted/clipped, I would adjust the gain a little… So the sounds were kind of weird in my opinion 😅

[@whwh7339]

Glad I guessed it right, was gonna be pretty bummed as I own mostly American line guitars and basses lol. I agree it’s maybe 5-10% better max. Not sure anyone would even notice in a pro mix.

[@greatkingrat]

I picked it correctly. The second bass just has so much more. the first one was flat (as in one sided tone) without the full range of sound to me. It gave it away.

[@jamesherbert1628]

If you're on a budget and want that squire bass to sound similar like the American fender, just play with the amp settings and save your money to eventually buy that American standard jazz bass you are wanting right now. 😉

[@peterbaines1763]

I guessed b was the american standard because of the note clarity on a couple of the lines but on the others there was minimal difference and I feel like you could definitely get away with it. (Im a new bassist been playing for about 6 months so maybe my ears aren't in tune as more experienced bassist)

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks Peter for letting me know! Take care.

[@dnate697]

The difference is will the low action still be there in 3 years? I don't want to use my money on my last bass to be something that's useless after 3 years.

[@alexbooyse9053]

A - Squire. B - Fender. I found the Fender more even throughout. The Squire had a few drops in level on certain notes. Both sounded good. I have a Squire P-Bass and recognise the more inconsistent sound

[@jubuthehutt]

The difference was cleaerly audible (using headset) bas B has much more "presence" though on "what the use" with 100% neck, bass A is a bit brighter.

[@JayOneAlumni]

wow i thought most of the time it sounded the same but some are different and i always went with a

[@lundsweden]

A bit of EQ and they'd sound the same IMO

[@johnmirabile3535]

wow i picked the squir twicw and the fender twice, im a guitar player just looking to add some simple bass lines to my songs, looks simple enough if you already play guitar...im sure ill have to develope some feel and tone techniques im not gonna be ignorant enough to say it will be easy, i did that when i bought my first guitar and it was by far the hardest most frustrating thing ive ever done....Hence, i succeeded bc very quickly i realized that it was gonna be one of the most difficult things ive ever done,,,So beginners listen up! If your thinking about learning to play the guitar or bass, put an EFFICIANT program together, dont jump around from video to video or book to book, schedule your lesson times, and if i had to do it again, i would do either one 1 hr lesson a day or split the lessons up in 2 or 3, thats if you have the time...I played 8 hrs a day for the first year, NO DAYS OFF, while my fingers got the dexterity i wanted i didnt know where to go besides a little spot in each key, in the penatonic scale..SO THREAF METHOTICALLY! LOLO

[@jacob5082]

the glue on my squier neck is coming undone. time for an upgrade

[@SnarkyRC]

Nah. I can repair that better than new. It would outlive you guaranteed.

[@carlosps9612]

I guessed right. The most noticeable for me was when playing the 4th fret, the lower frequencies in the American are clearer. The more you pay the less bang for your buck you get, in my opinion Squier are great instruments and probably the best position is for the Fender MIM, these days the Player series are amazing and they are crafted a bit more carefully than the Squiers and also a bit better pickups. If you could do this same comparison with a Player series it would be amazing, I wonder if the difference would be noticeable in that case.

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks Carlos. If I get a Player Series one day with definitely do the same comparison!

[@max-pax]

Squier sounds more boomy. I wonder if this could be fixed by the eq, like attenuating 250Hz

[@jas2819]

Instrument B definitely the best sounding. 🤗🤗

[@ericalba5756]

The American Standard seemed a bit brighter and clearer with less fret fart, but these differences were slight.

[@rsingletary1]

So does squire + new pickups = fender?

[@Guitartomguitar]

I don't think so. You'll get closer with the sound, but the quality of the American is still quite a bit better. Hope that helps.

[@criticalinertia]

I had it reversed, but I think it is because my ears prefer the mids/highs so whenever the tone is down I feel like the sound is drowning. Defnitely can hear the quality of the electronics in the Fender when you pay attention though. Also probably feels better to get your hands on than the cheap one.

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks for taking the time to post, much appreciated!

[@tambow44]

Bass A was a lot brighter/lighter sounding notes, more like a baritone guitar in some regards; B was a lot darker/subdued. Both would serve different roles in a mix but as far as “which one sounds better” I honestly can’t decide as the context is everything.

[@got2kittys]

As a bass player, every line was "B", start to finish. Great comparison.

[@zat-svi-ua]

i prefer how my gdr made 1974 musima bass sounds xdd probably the pickup placement, my neck pickup is much closer to the neck

[@butacaexplosiva333]

A is Fender B si Squier?

[@Ettiene1929]

I Choose bass B because its sound has a bit more body to it but it’s not that far from bass A though.

[@Bassman1999]

I struggled to work it out for listening to the fluffed notes !

[@lemmuki103]

To me, B sounded better too, so I thought it would be the more expensive one (although you can't always say that, but I've listened to Squier a few times now and I don't really like the secondary notes when grabbing the tones). Still, I'm considering between Squier and Fender's Player Series. A comparison would be great or can you give me your opinion?

[@Guitartomguitar]

Hi, thanks for posting. Ive not played a Fender Players Series Jazz bass unfortunately so can't really offer much advice besides thinking that the players series would be half way between the American and the Squier. My experience of Fender Made in Mexico guitars and basses over the years has been mixed but just going on sound quality I've heard lots of positive experiences of people buying a Squier and upgrading the pickups.

[@lemmuki103]

@@Guitartomguitar Thank you anyways!

[@KoffyGG]

Late to the party but the differences are most notable with the neck pickup. The Squier is boomier to my ears. The bridge pickup is burpy and growly on both and too close to justify the cash difference IMO. Now build quality and playability is a whole 'nother topic but again, I wouldn't bet it on being 6x better.

[@Guitartomguitar]

Great, thanks for letting me know. I'm going to do a follow up soonish so thats helpful.

[@paulevans4334]

For a proper comparison need to play the same track back to back.

[@davidbrown6415]

B - you can hear the classic Fender Jazz growl.

[@Guitartomguitar]

thanks David

[@GregMcAskill]

im guessing bass A is the fender?

[@Sethmotley]

I guessed B and I like the sound of it better.

[@karlcaerlang3943]

Not gonna lie, I am right at the first half then I exchange them at D and E. Dang. So squier is quite a brand only but it also compares to it's expensive version

[@davidbussing6787]

I’m not a bass player but thought Bass A sounded better. The Bridge pickup was basicallly the same, neck pickup was really muddy/midrangy on Bass B. When both pickups were all the way open, basses pretty much sounded the same.

[@billyfpv2777]

i picked B cause on A i could hear a little fuzz and sometimes sounded like a tad bit of string rattle on A

[@mojito6629]

TBH I was skeptical about my ears, but I didn't care, I just wanted to know which bass sound I prefer, either one would be ok, I thought,.. and those two basses are indeed sound almost similar indeed. However in the end, found out my preference is the Fender one :)

[@DaveYognaut]

Most of them I was able to tell the difference, but I couldn't tell Dean Town apart at all. For the most part, it seemed like the standard had a more well-balanced tone. It was easier for my ear to pick apart the highs from the mids and didn't sound as muddy as the squier. Overall though, they sounded very similar to me. I wouldn't complain about having either of them. I just assume that the standard would have a lot more quality when it comes to the playability and actual structure of the bass. For instance, trying to get the action as low as possible would more likely be an easier feat with the standard, without the level of fret buzz you might get from the squier. ThE toNe WOoD is probably higher quality, but that's just an assumption. Actually, you'd hope *_ALL_* the materials would be much higher quality than the squier, considering the price difference.

[@DaveYognaut]

Hope you have fun reading my short essay XD Thanks for the vid. I wouldn't have the opportunity to do this sort of comparison myself.

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks for taking the time to post. The American standard is indeed much nicer to play, which you would expect at that price!

[@GregMcAskill]

You showed what bass you were using when you adjusted the tone lol

[@faaip0de0oaid]

For bass Squier, for guitar Fender

[@Guitartomguitar]

Thanks Gerardo

[@Oddant1]

I thought the difference was very noticeable. Bass A sounded kinda dull while bass B had a richer and fuller sound to me.

[@Guitartomguitar]

thanks for letting me know