Fender Fender Squier Debut Series Precision Bass Guitar by Author’s Name

This review by my hubby, who plays bass.

Summary: This is an amazing bass and a fantastic value. It has worth to the new bassist and the veteran alike. I’m thrilled with it.

For the new bassist: This is an outstanding bass for a person wanting to explore the instrument. The price is amazingly low and the quality high. It is a very sturdy instrument, well made and very playable. The single pickup Precision Bass (P Bass) design is a classic…simple and easy to understand. The neck is very comfortable and the sound is true.

I’d only suggest two things for the new bassist. First, when it arrives you may want to have a “set up”. If that term is new to you, don’t worry. It merely means making small mechanical adjustments (using Allen wrenches, included with the bass) which make it more playable. You can search and find out to do a bass setup. Better, have a bass player show you how to do it. It will make your playing more enjoyable.

Second, consider buying a new set of strings. The strings felt cheap and “gritty” to me… a decent set of bass strings will run you about $30 and will be worth it.

This is a marvelous intro bass. And it’s way more in addition to this.

For the experienced bassist: I’ve been playing a while but wanted a P Bass platform to get the PB sound I was looking for. I was startled to see these released via Amazon in May 2024. I was very skeptical at this price point, yet owning two MIM Fender Jazz Basses, I was intrigued. Plus, I really wanted a P Bass body but a J Bass neck…which is exactly what the Debut Series has.

A couple of bass buddies whom I respect each bought one and raved about it out of the box. For $130, that was enough for me, so I ordered one.

And I’m thrilled.

I’ve played it nearly 20 hours now and have played in public as part of our church’s worship team. It is super comfortable to play, clearly the equal of either of my $800 JB’s. And the sound! A genuine P Bass! Listening to it on a full sound system, I was astounded to get that sound from a $130 bass. Not a single one of my bandmates suspected my bass was this inexpensive. Instead, they commented on how good it sounded in our mix. Further, several knowledgeable musicians who heard it commented on its clarity and how it added to our overall sound.

Details…. I did several things but not much to modify this bass out of the box. First, I got rid of the stock strings…they felt really cheap. I replaced them with a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. Man, did that work. Flats on a P Bass is a classic set up and there is a reason it is so well regarded over the decades.

Second, I heard some 60Hz hum when I first got it, so I opened up the cavity and did a full shielding with copper tape, all soldered to ground. Hum fully eliminated. Silent when unplucked, even with volume and tone knobs turned wide open.

I have not messed with any other hardware. The pickups work just fine for me. The tuners are fine…smooth and hold the strings in tune, rock solid. I had zero fret issues. . I did a full set up when I got it. The neck was flat, so I had to loosen the truss rod a little over one full turn to get to my preferred 0.3mm relief. The saddles were very close to true…I only tweaked them about a quarter turn each. Great action, zero fret buzz. Intonation was spot on out of the box, I didn’t touch that.

So, I got my desired P Bass-J Neck for $120 plus a new set of strings. I’ve played it for hours and it balances perfectly and the neck is a joy to play. I’m thrilled and amazed.

Love the sound quality. Plays well after adjusting truss rod/saddle to desired action level. Comes with some tools. Color is nice and matte red.

I’m a guitar player who was looking for a bass to mess around on and record with. I knew I wanted a P-Bass and didn’t want to spend a lot since it’s not my main instrument. The bass I received needed minor adjustments to the truss rod, string height and had sharpish frets. Really minor stuff for an instrument in this price point. Believe me, I have seen much worse on much more expensive instruments. What I like is it sounds like a P-Bass and has a comfortable neck. I love the satin finish and I think the top loaded strings give it some snap. I went with Dakota Red and changed the pickguard to black. It looks great but I had to remount the pickups and redrill 3 screw holes to make it work. These basses are a winner and have me thinking about buying a Telecaster.

Plays nice, i very much like it.

Das Instrument beeindruckt für den Preis – solide verarbeitet, keine Fehler im Lack oder den Spaltmaßen, sogar das Setup war “out of the box” akzeptabel und benötigte nur geringfügige Einstellung. Der Pickup hat einen hohen Output und die Tonblende tut über den ganzen Regelbereich, was sie soll. Der Hals ist gut eingestellt, auch nachstellen ist problemlos möglich. Das Griffbrett aus Indian Laurel benötigt einen Tropfen Öl, ist aber sonst auch sehr ansehnlich. Eine klare Empfehlung, sowohl unverbastelt als auch als Basis für einen Umbau.

Feels like it was already professionally set up out of the box. Nothing needed changed. Frets are so smooth and even. The fretboard for this price is a chef’s kiss. Neck was straight. String height was perfect for my taste and intonation was on point. The strings are decent for OEM so I’m going to play them out until the next set. Split pickups still have that legendary tone. The weight has a great balance to it. It’s not as heavy as it looks. I love the matte finish of these debut series so I might grab the Strat as well. They are so worth it for your first instrument or even an addition/project. I’m still blown away by what you get for this price, but that being said, you don’t get any gig bag for this price. So, make sure to pick one up if you plan to take it anywhere or gig!