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Post subject: Questions about Squire MB-4 Skull and Crossbones
Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:37 pm
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I'm about to buy an Squire MB-4 Skull and Crossbones. I play mostly heavy metal but i plan to start to incorporate simple slapping into my material. I was wondering how this bass performs when it comes to slapping. I've heard and read A LOT of good things about this bass, but none of it about slapping. Thanks in advance.


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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:20 am
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I friend of mine has the non-skull older version and he likes it a lot. Slapping has a bit more to do with action set up than the bass it's self, I think at least. If you get it don't like the slap, get it set up for that sound.

My two cents...

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Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:36 pm
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I have a 1993 MB4 made in Japan (N...... s/n). I gigged with it for about 5 years in a country rock band. It was and is a great bass. I bought it for gigging in spite of already owning a 1972 made in USA Telecaster Bass that I obtained second hand from another band member.

I've never had a problem with the MB4. It's all black including the headstock which has a fender decal on it with a small made in japan decal on the back of the headstock. There is no pickguard. It has enclosed Gotoh made in japan tuners. The best thing about it is it has lots of adjustment for tones. I've only set it up once since I got it and it plays the same after 16 years.

The telecaster has great tone and sustain. It is also a real classic in terms of looks with it's cream body (now getting yellow), all maple neck, white pickguard, bullet truss rod and chrome knurled knobs. But the MB4 suited me better for gigging for three reasons.

1. It is lighter! The telecaster is a real back breaker playing it for hours on end. I'll guess it weighs 3 or more pounds greater than the MB4 although I've never weighed either one.

2. The MB4 also has a very comfortable shape for gigging with it's smaller contoured body.

3. The MB4 allows you to get many more different sounds and tones from it given it's two pickups and more versatile controls. The telecaster sounds classicly out of this world, but with not much room for adjustment of sounds.

I've never tried slapping technique, but as was said, that's not a guitar thing, that's a player thing.

You can't go wrong with the MB4 assuming it's like the ones made in 1993.


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Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:39 pm
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I meant to add, I don't care for the skull and crossbones thing. From what I could find, you can't get one with out that design which is too bad. It's all a matter of taste, but I think that look would grow tiresome pretty fast. I prefer more classic looking stuff.

But hey, that's just me. Sound and playability is what really counts, not looks.

Good luck in your quest for a great bass.


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Post subject: mb-4 japanese, 94'95
Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 4:44 pm
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took it to my famous big-city luthier, he told me it was an excellent 'working-man's' professional instrument, after a little dremel polishing of the fret ends, & cambering the neck rod. i use Dean Markley lightweight burnished strings, which allowed me to lower the nut height 1/2 mm. i play a virtuoso 'Pastorius' style, mostly mid-high neck. this instrument is better than my old Fender Jazz bass i used back in the late 60's, when I played professionally for he New Generation'or so it seems, as my understanding of music, not to mention luthier-work, has added some dimension to 42 yrs of playing. the pups are very expressively tunable, i rewired & shielded them, grounded them of course. a priceless Bass.


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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 6:41 pm
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I like the playability - but since the logos are IN the finish and inlaid into the fretboard, it's a NO-GO for me.

I couldn't seriously take that thing anywhere without keeping it in a hard case and me wearing two paper bags - one to hide my face and the second bag in case the first bag fails.

One day at GC, I played one when there was no-one around and it actually played just fine.

Sadly, I'm afraid I'd roast on a BBQ spit in Musician's Hell for a long time if I actually owned one.


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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:25 pm
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Nice to see this thread is still active after all this time.

I think Fender should treat this bass as a legitimate alternative model and market it as such. If it was available in other finishes, I'm sure they'd sell more of them. What would be wrong with having a PBass, a Jazz bass AND an MBass (modern bass)?

Kurt

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Post subject: Re: Questions about Squire MB-4 Skull and Crossbones
Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2017 12:21 am
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I have a Squier MB-4 that doesn't have the skull and crossbones. I wouldn't have bought it if it had. I'm a guitarist and not a bassist but I wanted a bass so I could use it to record my own music and it fills the role perfectly.


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Post subject: Re: Questions about Squire MB-4 Skull and Crossbones
Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:59 pm
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bugo wrote:
I have a Squier MB-4 that doesn't have the skull and crossbones. I wouldn't have bought it if it had. I'm a guitarist and not a bassist but I wanted a bass so I could use it to record my own music and it fills the role perfectly.


Nice you found one. I bet it's not that different from mine. Is it all black?

My MIJ MB-4 is still my go-to bass after 20+ years. (For all the reasons I stated when I first replied to this thread).

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07 Squier Bullet Strat - MIC
94 Fender MB4 Bass
84 Squire Standard Strat - MIJ - black
19?? Samik "Artist" acoustic - "peacock"

Fender Superchamp XD
Crate B160XL Bass Combo


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