9 posts
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Post by heymrbassman on May 30, 2017 8:06:18 GMT
My next bass purchase should be a fretless and I love the look and sound of the HB JB-40 FL. Price alone makes it a no-brainer but when you factor shipping to Australia plus the exchange rate, for about $100 AUD, I could buy a Squier VM Fretless Jazz. I guess I'm wondering whether the Squier is really that much better than the HB? I recently bought the HB version of the Bass VI and I love it. I'd love to get another HB. What are people's thoughts?
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Post by JAC on May 30, 2017 12:27:30 GMT
My next bass purchase should be a fretless and I love the look and sound of the HB JB-40 FL. Price alone makes it a no-brainer but when you factor shipping to Australia plus the exchange rate, for about $100 AUD, I could buy a Squier VM Fretless Jazz. I guess I'm wondering whether the Squier is really that much better than the HB? I recently bought the HB version of the Bass VI and I love it. I'd love to get another HB. What are people's thoughts? I own a Squier Fretless, but I haven't played the HB fretless, so I can't give you a direct comparison. The Squier is a decent enough bass. Some people have complained about the neck warping with time. I have had mine for about 5 years (maybe more) and bought it used in Italy, I live in a place that is over 40ºC for 3 months of the year and haven't had any issues. My first issue with the Squier was when a tuner broke recently. The pickups on mine are the Duncan Designed ones, which were changed to Fender design in later models, and sound ok, but I wouldn't give them any prizes. The body is shown as Agathis on Thomann, although I am pretty sure mine is Basswood (but I could be wrong), but I could just be remembering the specs wrong as the bass is pretty heavy! The fingerboard is ebanol which is supposed to help it last longer against wear from roundwounds. However, in my case, the board still shows plenty of wear from the rounds. The rest of the hardware is typical Squier VM quality, which is functional and decent, but again, nothing special. As far as the HB goes, as I said, I haven't played that particular model. One thing I do notice is that it is listed as having a Blackwood fingerboard on the UK site, but shows Rosewood on the Spain site. If it is Rosewood, this may be an issue to get it shipped to Australia, it will also show wear quicker than the Ebanol (so they say), but this can be prevented with a coat of Epoxy if you so wish. I have no idea how Blackwood stands up to roundwounds. The pickups are Wilkinson Alnico single coils, which sound decent in my opinion, but again, not something worthy of any special prizes. The body of the HB is listed as American Ash, If I were in your position, I would first make sure that it is not Rosewood and can be shipped, just in case that makes the decision for you. In Europe, the Squier is nearly 200€ more expensive, so I would not hesitate to recommend trying an HB as a first fretless, in case you hate it, you haven't lost much. However, if there is only a $100 AUS (66€) difference, I would strongly consider the Squier, not because it is superior, but because you will lose less on the resale if you decide you don't like it. Do you have a store you could try the Squier in?
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9 posts
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Post by heymrbassman on May 30, 2017 20:19:49 GMT
Hello, JAC. Thank you for your reply. I have already fallen foul of the Rosewood restrictions but when I tried a little "mock" purchase of the HB fretless and it hasn't stopped me this time. The Squier isn't in any of my local shops but there is one that is within driving distance (but whether that's feasible is another question).
Your wise words are certainly food for thought. I hadn't thought of the resale element. I have liked what I have heard from both basses - of course, one can't be sure until the instrument at hand is played - but from what I've read, at double the price of the HB, the Squier is not necessarily twice as good (and vice versa).
Thanks again for giving me such a detailed response.
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