Fender Squier Debut Series Precision Bass Guitar, Beginner Guitar, with 2-Year Warranty, Includes Free Lessons, Dakota Red with Matte Finish

Great and playable right out of box after tuning. Slight rod adjustment may be needed but intonation is good and fret ends are really smooth. A great P bass, it's got great tone, knobs are solid feeling and strings aren't too bad. Highly recommend for everyone.

I’m going to start by saying I’ve been playing bass for just shy of 40 years. I own over a dozen other basses in varying price ranges, and have built a couple of my own. I got my Debut because in all these years I have never owned a straight up Precision Bass, they’ve always been P/J, J/J or some other pickup configuration. The price was right and other reviews were very favorable. This one will be as well. I was very impressed with the build quality of a bass of this price point. The satin finish is very smooth and the two tone sunburst just looks fantastic. The hardware is of good quality as well. The tuners, while not the greatest, hold the strings in tune and are classically designed. The bridge is adjustable for the string action and intonation. The ceramic pickups are well constructed and deliver a great tone. The controls are the traditional P Bass controls consisting of simple volume and tone. The round wound strings deliver a bright tone and don’t feel too harsh on the fingers. I played this through a Fender Rumble 25 and a 79 Fender Bassman, both amplifiers complimented the tone of this bass. The set up from the factory was impressive. The intonation was pretty much dead on accurate and I only adjusted the string height to my personal preference. The weight of this bass came in at 8lbs 7oz. The weight was balanced and didn’t have the typical neck dive as lighter basses sometimes display. The fretwork is well done and the neck has a very nice feel with the nut at 38mm or 1 1/2 inches. All in all it’s a great bass for a beginner. This is also a great platform for someone looking for a bass to mod. Squier really came through with a very affordable beginner bass. It is an excellent instrument for its price point. I would recommend their Sonic Series or their Affinity Series for a higher grade level of quality, but at this price, they’re may be others (and I have tried them in this price range) but the Squier Debut is the best of them in my opinion. It’s a great beginner bass with the backing of a brand name company and excellent customer service.

After purchasing the Squier Debut Stratocaster for my son, I decided to roll the dice on the Squier Debut P-Bass to see if I got as lucky. Out of the box I expected sharp/overhanging frets and issues with the action. I expected janky tuning keys. To my delight the frets were perfect. Just like with the Strat. And that same matte finish on the relatively thin neck (which I love) and the black matte body make for a great playing experience. Upon my first bit of play time with the bass the action, actually, doesn't seem too bad. And those tuning keys seem just right to me, in my limited time (so far) with this bass. I can't say anything definitive, at this point, regarding the action, tuning retention, or tuning accuracy but I'm going to put this bass through setup and, if there's any glaring issues, I'll revisit this review. If 2 months have gone by and you don't see an edit, it's because I didn't find any issues and my review stands at 5 stars. This bass reminds me of my first bass guitar, an Epiphone Accu-Bass (which was just a Fender P-Bass clone). This Squier weighs noticeably less. Functionally, it's no different than a Fender Precision, though you may want to upgrade the pickups and pots at some point in the future (if it's necessary is debatable, unless you're a professional, in which case why are you buying a budget line bass guitar?) The neck profile is just right for my shorter fingers, and I feel like it would be a perfect bass for someone new to the craft. The price point? I can't see how this can be beat. My only advice would be to avoid the bundles you might see on offer with this bass. They are easy to fall for but, in my opinion, not worth the extra money. I know because, in my own excitement, I opted for a bundle which (supposedly) includes an Amp, Gig bag, strap, guitar cord, yada, yada, yada. I got a gig bag (Fender branded, so that's neat) for an electric guitar. The bass will not fit. Fortunately, my son is in need of a decent gig bag for the previously mentioned Strat so that's cool, I guess. The 'amp' is about the size of a bedside alarm clock. And it sounds like a bedside alarm clock too. It does have a headphone jack, which is how I will likely use it, but headphone 'amps' are all over amazon (plug them into your bass, plug headphones into them or Bluetooth) and they are relatively inexpensive. The strap just never showed up The guitar cord, a Fender branded cord, was the only truly useful item, for me, that bundle. I really feel like you can just source better items on your own and I wish I had done that myself.

The good stuff first: I really like the matte/satin (or whatever they call it) finish, and the Dakota Red is very muted, not fire-engine red, which was a nice surprise to me. Probably just got lucky in that the fret ends are pretty smooth....I'll file some of the frets at the higher end....some of those are a bit ragged, but in general....haven't cut my hand or anything. Intonation was spot-on perfect out of the box, and the action height was at a good average level....not super high, but no fret buzz....not inclined to fiddle with the bridge at this point. Well, this isn't really a criticism....it is as advertised....but be forewarned the neck is pretty small, with a shallow C-shape. Which I suppose would be very comfortable for someone transitioning from guitar to bass, or a complete newcomer. I'm coming from playing pianos and Hammond organ, as well as guitar....jazz and R&B/funk playing....and I would have much preferred a thicker neck to give more space for my hands and finger lengths. But it's not a dainty neck by any means. The tuners on the model I got are just fine (so far). This is my first bass of any kind, but I already use a bass amp for jazz guitar on an archtop, so that's dialed in. Just swap the strings for some fat flatwounds when I get around to it, but already it's a trip to start in on some Paul Jackson, Jr. lines.

This bass exceeded my expectations and punches way above its price point. I bought it for intended use as a backup bass and possibly to mod it. Other than changing out the tuners I'm going to leave it alone and keep it as is. Squier hit a home run with this one. The fret ends were perfect. No sharp edges on either side, treble or bass. The matte finish is superb with no flaws in the finish that I could find and it sounds great even with the stock strings. I did order a set of Earnie Ball Flats which I'm pretty sure is going to take the sound to a whole other level. Beginner bass my foot. This bass is going to get a workout in my home studio. I have a few basses one of them being a much more higher end Squier jazz bass. This one one stands right up next to it. Buy it and start playing some music. You will not be disappointed.

In the era of a lot of inexpensive guitars and basses, I'm honestly glad that Squier (Fender) decided to jump in. This is a great bass, either for a beginner or intermediate player that wants to get a P bass. It's got a jazz width neck, so it's a little skinnier and narrower at the nut. If you're going to play this a little more seriously, I'd for sure suggest replacing the strings and probably the pickup as well. For the price, this is an awesome instrument. It's got a matte finish to it which I like the look of, but may not be everyone's favorite. The hardware feels cheap, but it's because it is a cheap instrument. Otherwise, it is completely on par with or better than other basses in this price range. It sounds like a P bass. A pickup upgrade would take you a long way, but the stock pickup is not "bad" for what it is.

I’ve been playing guitar for about 20 years and finally decided to start recording my own material. I wanted to pickup a cheap bass just to record some tracks and ended up really enjoying this bass!! I’ve heard people complaining about the quality, but at this price point it really is a great value. I didn’t have to make too many changes out of the box, so far I just changed the strings and cleaned up the frets a little and slightly had to adjust the truss rod. Seems durable, doesn’t feel cheap in the hands. I’ve read some complaints about the paint/finish being dull, I don’t mind it. It’s a nice matte looking finish, there were just the smallest tiny lil imperfections in the paint job but I paid less than $200 for a bass so I am not complaining. I picked up the sun-burst myself. I think this bass is a great starter for a beginner or just a guitarist looking to noodle on a bass for recording purposes or just in general. I knew I wanted a budget bass guitar, but I wanted a name I could trust. Im not a rich man (yeah we can go into the whole “but you’re rich in family and friends and it’s all about your perspective in life” but I’m talking about financially rich) so if I want new guitars and equipment, I try to stay on a budget so I can still feed my family and pay my bills AND also enjoy being a musician, Squier/Fender makes that possible (props to Amazon letting people do payments now!! I can afford mid-range and high-end Squiers now lol). My thing is if you can make cheap equipment sound like pro gear, your skills are pretty good and it doesn’t matter if you don’t have that $3k PRS or that USA made Jackson King V you had to sell your kidney for! This bass serves its function well! Just get it, you’ll be happy. I’m slappin’ da bass all day (…..had to do it….you would too)!

Although I am giving it a 3, I must say I was expecting it to be more like a 1 1/2. But I was actually quite surprise with the playability of this bass guitar. Now it feels like your typical low-end Squier, but the neck actually feels more like a Jazz bass neck. That may be it's reason for a higher mark than what I thought it should get. Other than that, It actually sounds decent but weak. The tuning machines are absolute crap. The bridge is actually decent. I am actually liking this Matted look. Bass is as light as a feather. My opinion is that it's really for beginners. But its also a fun bass if you want to have a Frankenstein project.