Squier Classic Vibe 70's Precision Bass - 12 Months On!

Squier are in full swing with their Classic Vibe range, proving to be one of the most popular choices amongst musicians in 2021. But has the popular bass stood the test of time? Let's find out.
In this video, Jimi takes a look back on the Squier Classic Vibe 70's Precision Bass in Walnut with Maple. We discuss what it's been like to live with, strengths, weaknesses and even a tone demo.
What are your thoughts on the Squire CV 70's P Bass?
Check out the review on the Squier CV70s Precision Bass here:
• Squier Classic Vibe 70...
Check out the Squier Classic Vibe 70's P Bass here:
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Cheers Reviews is the heartland of all things Bass.

[@Very-Relaxing.Soundscapes]

Lots of Great Comments already! I have a Black Squier 70's Classic Vibe Precision Bass model. I've had it for a bit & really been Loving it! -- However - I started getting the Itch, while this Bass does Everything I want... It'd probably be BETTER with a 'Fender' Logo on the Headstock?!?! So, I went into one of my local Guitar Shops that sell the Exact Model I have & many actual Fender Precision Basses. -- I stared with the Exact Model I have & played it Hard, the way I'd normally play it. It sounded Great as usual! I next grabbed a Fender P-Bass, costing twice as much - Thinking... It has to sound BETTER, it costs twice as much. It didn't sound Better. I ran my hands across the bottoms of the Frets, lots of SHARP Edges... Yikes! The Tone didn't Sound Better. The Volume was Less. - I grabbed & played each Fender Precision Bass Model they had in stock. I didn't have access to Fender American P-Basses. However - I wouldn't have bought an American, as I'd lose money, if I sold it later. I'm not into losing money. Any way - Squier 70's Classic Vibe P-Bass held it's ground & Sounded 'As Good' or BETTER, than all of the Fender Precision Basses. Very Surprising to me. - Later I looked at what was in the Squier 70's Classic Vibe P-Bass - AlNico Pickups. AlNico (Aluminum Nickel Cobalt) is found in many Higher End Speakers from the 60's & 70's. Usually is High Dollar Vintage Amps, usually you find AlNiCo Speakers (Lots Of Money). -- Next - Actual Bone Nut! - The Fender P-Basses usually have Synthetic Bone Nuts. Squier Classic Vibe has a Step Up on Fender with the Nut. - I could go on & on - Bottom Line - If there was Better Performance or Better Sound, I'd have No Problem dropping a twice the money to get a 'Fender' Logo on the Headstock. But, there wasn't! The Squier Bass with the Lacquered Maple Neck, Block Inlays, Black Binding, AlNico Pickups, Bone Nut & Eastern Mahogany Body - Was Superior in my opinion!

[@danielkeller9569]

Decided to pick this bass up as my first one. Super excited for it, thanks for the follow up review.

[@91cog]

Thanks for watching Daniel and good luck! Also bonus points to you for learning the bass!

[@georgeflowers3730]

This is a funny story. I have played electric guitar for as long as I can remember. Because I’m a huge Rush fan, I’ve always wanted to play bass, but the opportunity never came. When Covid hit, my band dissolved, and after that, I was having a hard time finding new opportunities. One day out of the blue, a friend offered me to play a gig, but as bass player. I only had one week to get a bass and practice, and I didn’t have money or time to buy a bass guitar I liked. I desperately bought a cheap Chinese jazz bass copy from Craig List. The bass was good-looking but hard to play. I did the gig and another couple of gigs after that, but no matter what I tried, this guitar was awful to play, it was funny because I was always getting compliments about the looks of this bass, lol. A few months passed, and I was offered the chance to join a new band with a big event scheduled. It was a serious commitment, and I knew I had to invest in a good bass amp, some pedals, and a playable bass. I sold my Chinese jazz bass and went to my local Guitar Center to try as many basses as I could. As a guitar player, Squier is not a brand that I would consider, but after trying many basses, brands, and styles, I fell in love with the Squier Classic Vibe 70's Precision Bass. The neck profile of this bass felt good in my hand. I tried many other basses they had on display, but I found myself going back to the Squier. It felt like “coming home” every time I played it. I didn’t buy it that day; because they only have new ones, and I knew I could get a better price on a used one online. Back at home I went to the Guitar Center website and found a great price on a used one. I’ve been happy ever since, the only mod I did was a new high-mass bridge. It was easy to install. Next will be a new pickguard; I like to customize all my guitars with easy mods that I can do myself. I cannot recommend this bass enough; it is excellent value for the money!

[@andrewfountain9096]

A great Bass, I've added 62 reissue pups , Gotoh Bridge, and Tuners together with cts wiring, and by far it's the best bass I've owned. The weight is ideal ,especially after a two hour gig. Great review by the way.

[@91cog]

Thank you Andrew, goes to show that a few mods and these can be a reliable beast! Thanks for watching

[@4stringz.]

awesome. I own quite a few Precisions from Squire to Fender in all different variations, but my favorite two are this same Squire CV 70s, and a Squier Vintage Modified PJ. I also switched out the bridge on both, but the tone is so good and they play like a dream. 🎸

[@cheesysped]

Honestly, Squier (specifically the Classic Vibe series) and Epiphone (inspired by Gibson range) have seriously stepped up the game for their instruments. I used to be a bit of a 'made in USA' snob, then worked my way down to 'made in Japan' snob, but now I have zero made in USA instruments and with the money from sales have several Classic Vibes (ordered this exact bass yesterday) and some newer Epiphone stuff. As you've said, there might be small misses, but the most important stuff firstly is the craftsmanship, which is very good. Even in terms of pickups, they've really stepped it up. Not replacing the pickups in either my Squier or epi, where as a decade a go it would be the first thing to go. I think it's awesome that professional quality instruments can be obtained at a great price point.

[@91cog]

Excellent summary Edward and loved following that story. Good luck with the purchase and can’t wait to hear what your thoughts are once it’s in your hands! Thanks for watching!

[@ramencurry6672]

The pickups are good but I would change them anyway because being a nerd is in our blood.

[@AmbientMelancholy]

Do you still feel this way about the Squire brand? Just bought my first Squire and even though I am a little excited for it to arrive, the Squire name has me prepared to be disappointed. I hope I am wrong though.

[@rorymcc2987]

Just bought it myself and I’m LOVING it!!

[@undoingruin4203]

I’ve been a guitar player for 8 years now and have owned 2 basses but could never really get into it that much, but I’ve been thinking about getting this bass and getting back into playing some more! Great video man!

[@91cog]

Thank you so much for watching! And yes, definitely keep playing that bass my friend.

[@hamishsummers8585]

Good follow up and handy to know. Have decided that when I return to work, I am definitely getting a P-bass of some description and that one is definitely on my shortlist

[@91cog]

Thank you Hamish! I love my 70’s CV, and am glad this video has been helpful. Good luck with the search!

[@williamdevlin366]

Good stuff dude. Thank you!!!

[@blowith]

Ordered this bad boy today, can’t wait! 😎🤙🏻

[@91cog]

Congratulations on the purchase. Enjoy! Thanks for watching

[@karma0amrak]

Just pulled the trigger on one of these! Good to know that you're happy with it a year later! Cheers!

[@91cog]

Thank you Jeff! Stood the test of time and I still get that excited feeling when I see it - I just have to pick it up and play! Thanks for watching

[@Tomtoms-tomtoms]

Great review man. I bought this bass in black last year and absolutely LOVE IT... similarly I decided to upgrade it, I installed a fender high mass bridge. And its incredible. Im thinking of putting a fender vintage pickup in even though the stock pickup is perfectly fine. I love it though, its a great bass.. i love the Squier classic vibes series, they are fantastic quality at an affordable price. I bought the squier cv 70s Jaguar guitar too and it’s seriously amazing for the price. 🙏

[@91cog]

Thank you for the kind words! It’s a seriously great bass, and I also am a huge fan of the mid scale jag that they brought out. It’s a fun bass to play. Thanks again for watching

[@Robnrollmusic]

Is the fender hi mass bridge a drop in replacement or do you need to modify something?

[@Tomtoms-tomtoms]

@@Robnrollmusic Hey man, its a straight swap. Not expensive either, think it was about €30 or there abouts.. looks good and isn’t sharp on the hands. I also bought a Red pickguard to replace the black, upgraded the pickups to fender vintage p bass and put on black knobs.. i know i went all out, but it looks and plays great 😄🙏

[@Robnrollmusic]

@@Tomtoms-tomtoms okay thanks man 👌🏻

[@hubriswonk]

Man! That is a really nice sounding P Bass! And they are selling in the States for only 489$! I have not bought a new bass in 15 years, but I recently decided I wanted a Jazz bass and started shopping. I passed the Squires up and went straight the the American made Fenders until I noticed the 70's natural with the black pic guard. I knew it was good when I first picked it up and blown away when I plugged it in and played it! I just ordered a new bridge and pegs for it even though it plays great now and hearing your bass improved is very promising!

[@91cog]

That’s great to hear! Once the tuners and bridge are upgraded it’s a seriously great bass. Thanks for watching

[@skyviewdesign]

I did find the the electronics began to fail at around 9 years in my early Matt Freeman Classic Vibe P-Bass, so I replaced the pots and jack. Pickup is fantastic! The earlier Classic Vibe basses came with a high mass bridge with machined brass saddles, so the only thing I had to replace were the tuners. Replaced those with Fender 70's reissues. Overall, the bass is my favorite by far, and that's with owning a legit 70's Fender Mustang Bass and early Fender Japan Jaguar Bass. It's that good.

[@91cog]

Thank you for watching!

[@samchoate1719]

Ran into one of these at GC today and it really caught my attention! I have been disappointed with the fret work on the current Player series basses I've picked up. A Squier like this one caught my eye and I really loved the neck and the overall feel! I know I will have to make some upgrades like you have, but I still think for the money I might be picking one of these bad boys up... I assumed I would replace the pickups, but it sounds like you've left them alone. Cool video and thanks for sharing!

[@ramencurry6672]

Shockingly the pickups sound great. I normally replace pickups but I will leave them on for this bass. I think Squire decided to make good pickups because it’s only one and not 2. So there was no real need to cut costs by including lower quality pickups

[@Wombatmetal]

I have a 70s CV PBass with a couple upgrades. I added a Hipshot Kickass bridge and an EMG Geezer Butler pickup. This bass is crazy fun to play. I have more expensive basses, but when I just feel like tooling around, it's either this bass, or my Paranormal.

[@91cog]

There’s something priceless that these classic vibe or paranormal basses have: the fun factor!

[@AmbientMelancholy]

Do you still have the same feelings for this bass today? Do you still use it? I am a guitar player, but I like to record bass tracks for my projects. I have an Ibanez Mikro short scale that (to me) sounds decent, but I just bought a modded Squire CV 70s P-bass off of Reverb. I've always felt that Squire branded instruments (and Epiphone) were just not good enough, so I've stayed away. However, this CV 70s p-bass looks great (it's out for delivery right now, so I can't speak on how it sounds yet), and the previous owner installed a Hipshot bridge with brass saddles, replaced the pickups with EMG Geezer Butler pickups, and some other little modifications. Seeing that I am primarily a guitar player, I didn't think the Squire name would matter much to me on a bass. I'd probably never buy a Squire guitar for myself, but that's only because I already have a few American made Fenders. I am hoping this Squire CV bass changes my opinion on the Squire brand...

[@duanedietz7472]

Awesome 👌 that looks awesome like my Fender 1973 P Bass it`s a moca body with Mable neck but has round inlay dots. I just got a Mexican Fender jazz Bass for practicing to keep from using the vintage bass. I'm going to make video on putting vintage pick ups back in & copper taping the inside to make it quite & grounding pickups.

[@tomrobinson987]

Did you have to make any mods to the headstock to install the Gotoh GB2 tuners? Drilling, etc.? By the way, based on your review, I bought the bass. Thanks.

[@91cog]

The only modification required is to drill the small holes for the mounting screws. The GB2 tuners are larger and completely cover the old holes, so the end result is very neat. I’m glad you found what you’re looking for, they’re a great bass!! Thanks for watching

[@tomrobinson987]

@@91cog Ok. Thanks. Take care.⭐️

[@sospi66]

Hola Maestro...I have exactly the same bass! I also fell inlove with the color combination and that beautiful roasted neck. I just was not lucky as I have a bit of a problem with the tone knob, it plays as fully open 100% all the time, it makes almost no diference to open it or not and I cannot turn it to 0 as it becomes very noisy. Will have to fix that changing the tone electronics. The tuners hold in tune ok and I m very happy with the lack of weight vs my Fender Jb, very nice to play on gigs!

[@edmoss2020]

Thanks for the review..did the tuners and bridge fit without any mods

[@coreyh.w.3980]

Thanks for your review and I agree with you, I love this bass, it sounds great. Question for you - are your pickups noisy when not touching the strings? My pickups are, which I think is a grounding or shielding issues...any thoughts on this? I was thinking of getting this fixed, and while I have the luthier remove the pickups for shielding (if this is the correct resolution to the problem), I am also wondering about replacing the pick-ups with DiMarzio Model P pick-ups. If you have any experience with DiMarzio, what do you think? Any feedback you have on my thoughts would be appreciated! This is my second bass, my old bass is a MIM Jaguar PJ model. I also tried in the store the American made Fender P bass, and the MIM P bass, and actually preferred the sound and feel of this one. I play through Gallien Kreuger Legacy head and cabinet. It all just sounds great.

[@romysan1]

good job. may buy one soon. looks great sound very nice.

[@91cog]

You won’t regret it! Thanks for watching

[@Omonk6]

I have the same model bass for about 12 months too. It’s an awesome bass. I’ve changed the bridge to a hipshot high mass bridge. Next mod is the nut. Mine bass is buzzing a bit due to the nut slot cut too deep on the E & A strings.

[@91cog]

The hip shot bridge would have made a great difference! Thanks for watching

[@kimmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmin]

I'm looking for a new bass since the one I have is a second hand Ibanez (the action is so high it looks more like a bow than a bass lol). I wanted to make the big jump to a mexican Fender P-Bass but those are simply too expensive, so I'm thinking I will end up buying one of these! Thanks for sharing your experience bro

[@91cog]

Thanks for watching! I hope you found the right bass my friend!

[@dean7045]

I HAVE THIS EXACT BASS TOO AND GENUINELY LOVE IT. DID YOU CHANGE THE NUT WHEN YOU UPGRADED THE PICKUPS?

[@ramencurry6672]

Probably not necessary, I changed it just because I was easily able to but may not be necessary

[@tomrobinson987]

Can you tell me what if anything you had to do to the headstock to install the Gotoh GB2 tuners you installed? Any drilling, etc.? Thanks. Great review. I bought one.

[@JaxonHabbaSmith]

Hey wold you have a extra squire classic vibe 70's precision bass, I want one so bad and I can't afford it

[@ClintHalliday]

Thanks for the review I love the chocolate coloured bass! With the extra money spent on the bridge and the tuners would if of been better to get a MIM Fender P bass? Of are you still out in front re cost and quality?

[@91cog]

Still ahead for cost and for the most part quality. Personal preference but I found the neck and fretwork on the Classic Vibe 70’s P Bass is far superior to the MIM Player Series. I have no regrets and would do it all again with the other Classic Vibe basses! Thanks for watching

[@ponkenjoas]

My neck was off. Did a complet setup with plek now its the best

[@91cog]

Getting a set up on any new bass makes a big difference. I was lucky that mine was pretty good out of the box! Thanks for watching

[@lafemmeparallel]

Hey, did you have to drill or make mods to install the new bridge? I understood from your video that No, that it was a drop in

[@91cog]

It drops straight in, no drilling is required! A very easy mod, and well worth doing. Thanks for watching!

[@lafemmeparallel]

@@91cog thanks for replying!

[@SaucyPleasures]

What measurement are you using to determine how much tone the bridge is pulling out of the body?

[@andyward9032]

Thanks man. Considering buying one of these. It’s between this or the 60s p bass. Hoping to try em both out soon.

[@91cog]

They’re both great basses. Be sure to check out my Shootout video where I compare the 60’s and 70’s P Basses in the Classic Vibe Range! Thanks for watching

[@andyward9032]

Yeah, that was useful thanks. I watched a different video and someone else went the other way and preferred the 60s because it felt more like a genuine P due to the neck. I’ll try them out. Learning on a J bass the narrow neck might feel more familiar but then the different profile might feel nice..Either way I’m sure I’ll be happy.

[@91cog]

Good luck with the search!

[@thewomble1509]

The current CV models are nowhere near as well made as the 2010/11 models. I have a fiesta red P from that era and its a beauty. Brass saddles on the hi mass bridge, excellent tuners, a versatile pup. I'd have a current Squier but wouldn't have the same high expectations of the instrument.

[@maxherron1376]

What strings are you using?

[@bayoubengal1961]

I own 2 Fender J basses, a MIM Geddy and a MIM 70s Vintera. I love both but I've been wanting a P bass to add variety without breaking the bank on one. I've been eyeing these but was afraid of the P neck for my short stubby fingers, which is why I play J basses. Is this neck closer to a J neck? Thanks

[@91cog]

The necks on the Squier CV70s P Bass are closer to a Jazz Bass profile, as it’s a slim modern C. Hope that helps and thanks for watching!

[@cagdasbartuoran8781]

Hello, I have black one but i am suffering from neck dive due to lightweight body. When i keep strap shortly it is not too much (neck is exactly parallel the floor) but if i keep it longer, the neck becomes diving too much.. Is the upgrade of himass bridge or light tuners will sufficient or should i accept this situation?😔 Other thing about this bass, if someone wants to buy, should try it before because frets are very narrow and low, you can hear a lot of buzz and i need fret levelling... I think i regret buying this bass

[@91cog]

Oh no that’s a shame to hear that you’re not having a great experience with the bass! I agree that it’s always best to try before you buy if you can. Thanks for watching!

[@MarcG7424]

Are you considering upgrading the pick ups and if so what are you considering

[@91cog]

I actually like the standard alnico pick up that comes with the bass! But it’s a great platform for modding, and as for a pick up suggestion it really depends what kind of playing you want to do. My go to for rock music is the Seymour Duncan SPB3. Hope that helps!

[@MarcG7424]

@@91cog I was just wondering as for myself I like the deep Motown sound when it comes to a P bass

[@ddonnoli]

3:33 Tuna?

[@MarkLeonTanner]

Red lock tite will keep screws from backing out

[@91cog]

Will have to try that! Thanks for watching

[@sebg2086]

you bought a 400$ bass to put 400$ on it?

[@91cog]

Not quite! Keep in mind that I only spent the money on the bridge and tuners to make a great bass to an excellent bass. Hope that helps!

[@Biffinnbridge]

Stick on beard?

[@91cog]

It’s just glue and cracked pepper!

[@1thess523]

This sounds better than my 04 Mexican with Lollar pick ups 🥲, My Vintage Modified PJ actually feels better than my Mexican P Bass