Squier Mini Precision Bass Wins!

My Perfect Bass?

With short scale basses making a bit of a comeback over the last couple of years I was able to take advantage of the trend and join the “Cult of short-scale” after Squier released a miniature Precision Bass.

Disclaimer: There is an affiliate link in this article, but it is not a paid review.

I may have found the perfect bass for my particular needs. The Squier Mini Precision Bass.

It’s not strictly a short-scale bass. It’s a sub-short-scale bass – with an even smaller scale length of 28.6″. It’s tiny. In fact it is the same length as a Stratocaster and the body is smaller too. It looks like a toy, but it sounds and plays like a real instrument. At least it does to me and that’s all I care about!

Being a guitarist, I am setup ready for everything a guitarist needs for pretty much any gig, but sometimes I’m required to play bass, which is quite a way “outside the box” for me. Mainly because a full-size bass hurts my old hands these days and because I don’t have other conveniences like a bass case (sounds silly, but it’s quite an expense when you only need it once in a blue moon).

I’ve been recording bass in my home studio regularly on a full-size Squier Jazz Bass for years and it’s starting to hurt my joints a bit, so the mini bass will help both for recording and gigging.

I have a bass gig coming up soon, so that was the main reason for deciding to get the Mini P-Bass now. I’ll have time to get used to it, practice the songs I need to play and get to know whether or not to keep the long scale bass as a second recording option or just stick with the little guy.

I love this bass. I absolutely love it! I have hardly put it down since I got it three days ago. It really is a terrific instrument that sounds and plays better than it has any right to in my opinion.

If you’re thinking about getting one of these mini monsters; stop thinking about it and do it!

Here are the main reasons I love this bass, followed by a quick description from the demo video:

Small size is easy on the hands (it feels like a bass, yet also like a regular guitar).
No upgrades necessary to make it “gig-worthy” (that’s my opinion).
Easily upgradeable due to pickup size, string spacing and 5-screw standard bridge fitting being the same as many standard Fender basses.
Fits in a guitar case or gig bag (which I already have)
Lightweight.
Sounds like a proper bass and belies the “Toy-like” appearance.
The price (less than $200)

Demo Details:

Signal Chain: Bass > Hotone Britwind Amp (green channel) > DI out > Sonicake Sonic IR (8×10 bass cab IR) > Interface.

The strings are pretty light gauge, but don’t flap about too much. However, it may be improved with a slightly heavier gauge or a higher-tension set. I quite like how these strings feel. I will try some flat wounds on this, but keep these strings in case I want to go back.

The hardware is perfectly fine. Everything works just as it should. I don’t think there’s any need to upgrade the bridge or tuners for the sake of improvement, but it’s always fun to hod-rod an instrument like this if you don’t mind spending more money.

The stock pickup is great! It sounds like a P-Bass! I am considering trying an affordable Alnico 5 pickup out of curiosity though. I have ordered an aged-white, 3-ply pickguard to improve the look a little and knowing my track record I’ll probably end up refinishing it in the future.