Squier Paranormal Rascal Bass HH Demo Metallic Black

Squier Paranormal Rascal: www.zzounds.com/a--3985810/it...
My review for the Squier Paranormal Rascal Bass in Metallic Black. This was definitely one of my favorite releases by Squier/Fender in 2023. Excited to see what other basses Squier will release in their Paranormal lineup and again huge shoutout to Zzounds for partnering with me for this video. Enjoy the review!
Tab Site: www.mybassistchris.com
Zzounds Affiliate Link: www.zzounds.com/a--3985810
Instagram: / mybassistchris
TikTok: / mybassistchris
Gear:
Squier Paranormal Rascal Bass HH
Ampeg SGT-DI Bass Preamp Pedal and DI
Aguilar AGRO Bass Overdrive
Boss BC-1X Bass Compressor Pedal
M-Audio Air 192-6
00:00 Intro
01:17 Rascal Overview
02:15 Tone Demo
03:26 Overall Thoughts
04:12 Pros
05:36 Cons
07:03 Royal Blood Demo
07:51 Outro
#SquierBass #RascalBass #SquierParanormal

[@scary_fu]

got the pink one last summer. i play pick style and sing on stage. its seen like 4 or 5 gigs now and that bridge pickup really thumps!! feels so comfortable too

[@sonojon0]

Fuck yeah that bass just rips with the Royal Blood covers. I need to buy the Rascal again!!!!

[@MyBassistChris]

Perfect bass for Royal Blood! Oh shoot I had no idea you sold your pink Rascal. Looks like the pink exclusive is sold out on the Fender site

[@bgood1673]

You sell the basses that *don’t* suck?!? You need more spaces for basses!

[@motofrost3774]

Nice job!

[@BoomChockolaca]

Nice review mate and thanks for the detail about slap, that's really crucial :D

[@MyBassistChris]

Thank you! Yes totally slipped my mind when filming, glad I remembered when editing haha

[@Klaus80804]

Thanks for the great demo. For a long time I've been thinking about equipping one of my Precision basses with two Gibson Thunderbird pickups that I still have lying around. I love the warm Thunderbird tone that resonates a bit here in the demo of the Squier Rascal. I think a longscale P-Bass with Thunderbird pickups could produce a similarly warm tone without the mentioned disadvantages of the short scale and strange ergonomics.

[@ggascat]

Great review Im trying to get one of this and help me a lot

[@Infrared72]

I dig your modified mm/p bass. I have a lakland skyline bob glaub that is modified the same way and it delivers thunderous tones. I also agree with your findings on the rascal bass. A really awesome instrument with great pickups.

[@MontyRoyal963]

so friggin cool

[@joshlawless1022]

Dude you nailed it. Squier Starcaster PLEASE!

[@scottmatthews172]

Sounds better than anything Gibson ever created. I'm gonna get one of those and move the bridge back 4" to make it a standard scale bass. E strings die prematurely on shorties. Nice demo.👍

[@flynbil]

Some incredible tone for a Squire. Should be a Fender itself! It actually sounds better than a lot of them. Glad I bought one!

[@eresnoob5356]

how does it feel? i got a squire two years ago and i like it, i think it sounds good too. BUT when i got a fender it just felt super comfortable?

[@AJbassist]

really luv shortscale right now ,such solid sound

[@MyBassistChris]

Yes short scales have been on the rise for the past 5 years, doesn't seem like it's slowing down either!

[@AJbassist]

@@MyBassistChris lol i got my dingwall wit my 174 b string for drop off , nice short scale Luna moded bi sonic my nxt bass unless u got any idea for budget shorty ?

[@kevinturvey8213]

love your playing style - pretty unique & very classy! i've just bought the black rascal - jury out for now...VERY heavy and doesn't feel like a shortscale at all. much prefer a P...

[@MyBassistChris]

Glad you like my playing! The bass sounds and looks amazing, but almost 10 pounds for a short scale is rough. Weights more than my standard P bass haha

[@VeitLehmann]

Oh yes, the I'd love to see the Starcaster again! But it used to be very heavy as well. And: If you prefer P/H over P/J, why stick with Fender? There are a bunch of nice P/H basses out there, e. g. the Sandberg California VM, or get one built by Maruszczyk, doesn't cost more than a US Fender and you get to choose everything! I also got a shorty recently, but I wanted some semi-hollow vibe and also something that's not too large, so I got the Epiphone Rumblekat - very nice bass with a unique sound! My main bass is a Clover Apeiron 5-string, with J/MM setup, active/passive. I like the bridge pickup both in MM mode and J mode, the Delano TheHybrids are phenomenal! I think a J bridge pickup works much better in a J bass because of the less aggressive tone blend, and because I feel it pairs much better with another J in the neck than with a P pickup. I prefer P basses straight with one pickup. Mine is an old Aria RSB Standard. Not strictly a P, but it gets close and has its own special vibe.

[@MyBassistChris]

Oh didn't realize the Starcaster is heavy too, but I guess it is a pretty large bass. Great question, I've owned other brands (Sire, Schecter, Sterling, Epiphone) and I keep just going back to Fender. I think if I do another custom bass I might go with Bite or build a Warmoth since both companies seem to have great options. The problem is I'm very indecisive so I'm scared if I invest in a custom bass I'm going to change my mind about how I feel about PJ/PH pickups. Oh I forgot about the Epiphone Rumblekat, I guess because I'm more familiar with the Jack Cassidy. Never heard of the Clover Apeiron but it looks great! J/MM setup is also killer

[@remrust]

Does the string tension feel like other short-scale basses? I've got wrist issues, and I've heard short scales tend to have lower tension, but I've never actually tried one. I stumbled upon this bass while doing some research on shorties, and fell in love with its tones but I've read in other reviews that its string tension is similar to long-scale basses...

[@MrCowfood]

What pedals were used for the Royal Blood sound in your demo? The ones listed as gear in the description? It sounds like you’re using a zvex ?

[@MyBassistChris]

Boss TU3 (to split signal), POG2, Plasma Pedal, Sansamp Bass Driver, and FLAMMA FS06. Full breakdown can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHKqp2iMqdWcbqc

[@zackstewart4109]

I see these guys who only know how to slap and pick and just think "how did you get here? Who hurt you?"

[@corpseys4541]

This looks like my Dan electro

[@MyBassistChris]

Very nice! Gotta love the Dan electros

[@franzturczynski4693]

The Rascal is actually MEDIUM SCALE bass with 32" which is really important regarding strings and it is also through body design so short scale strings won't work on it. Cutting long scale strings won't work. In most cases the strings will be too thick to fit the tuners. I'm talking from experience. I found your video searching for a demo with flatwound strings. It's supposed to sound really great too.

[@MyBassistChris]

The Rascal is a short scale bass with a 30" neck. You can see the comparison of the bass against my Mustang at 5:00 where both scales are the same. The difference is the Rascal has a much larger body, but the length between the bridge and the neck are the same. Maybe you're thinking of the Squier Affinity Jaguar however which is 32"? Also can you clarify about the strings being too thick for the tuners? Did you get a heavier gauge string?

[@franzturczynski4693]

@@MyBassistChris my apologies. You are right. It is 30" and it is short scale. But it does require medium scale strings and Short scale strings won't fit. I have a few old long scale strings I wanted to cut and try on the Rascal, none above 105 gauge but cutting the string means that the thick part of the E string would have to go into the slit of the tuner and none of them would fit.

[@MyBassistChris]

@@franzturczynski4693 For your old bass did the strings go through the bridge or the body? The issue may be that for your old short scale bass it was a string through bridge, but the Rascal is a string through body so yes the scale lengths would not match up as a string through body will require additional length. In this case yes the short scale length pack will not work so good catch! Jonny Dibble also had this issue with his Mustang: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKXRlKeeqJejmNksi=CXJ3CeUCpH6rWZjD&t=1434 Just make sure for short scale basses with string through bodies you use medium or long scale strings. Hope this helps!

[@jasondorsey7110]

​@@franzturczynski4693I have a gretsch hollowbody that's a shortscale, but because of the separate bridge and tailpiece, nothing less than longscale strings will work...not what I expected, but not a dealbreaker

[@MainelyW212]

Easy solution; get Mustang-specific strings. Labella and Earnie Ball make flats and rounds specifically for Mustangs (as well as others). You just gotta be specific with your search.