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

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.

This is a great Bass for the price! It’s actually the first guitar I’ve bought online that came out of the box with a neck that didn’t need a single adjustment. The intonation on the E-string was a little off, but that was an easy fix. I bought a matte pickguard to go on it, and it looks sharp—pro tip: the pickguards listed for Mexican/USA Fenders fit this model perfectly! The "C" shaped neck is a breeze to play and very comfortable. If you’re looking for a low-cost, entry-level bass, you can't beat this one. Don’t be afraid of adjusting the neck or intonation yourself; just ask an AI how to do it—it’s super easy!

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.

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.

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.

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.

At the -very- least, this bass body alone is well worth the price. The MIM Fender (alder) equivalent body goes for $250. I bought this for just the body, but it's a pretty playable, simple bass--just takes some setup. The neck on mine came bowed backwards, but the truss rod adjusted well enough so it actually has pretty decent action. The frets could use some edging, but seem good-to-go otherwise, and I was surprised the intonation was already taken care of. The pickup sounds good, but it's pretty weak--easily replaceable (for about the same cost as this whole bass), and not an issue until you get a gig. Sounds good and weak is certainly better than loud but sounds bad. If you're someone who likes to work on your bass/to modify a low-end bass to make it play like a higher-end Fender (with tool marks, and maybe a little actual damage that the pros don't leave), this deal is hard to beat. If you're someone who wants a "try out the bass" bass, this deal is hard to beat ... just make sure you get the thing set up well before you decide on what you think of The Bass. A well set up bass make a lot more difference than a higher level of finishing, or even higher quality, as far as getting a good playing experience. -- I caught some talk online about these ... the PU is a few millimeters neckward compared to standard Fender, but there's room in the existing rout to move it so a standard replacement pickguard will fit. Just be sure to carefully mark the depth of the PU mounting screws on your drill bit, or you may drill through the back. The pickguard screw holes don't all line up, so you'll also have to drill a few of those. It's probably a 15 to 30 minute job, depending upon experience and how precise/painstaking you want to be. The neck pocket is standard, so that's an easy replacement. I converted mine to 32" scale with a medium scale Jaguar neck. The original bridge holes show, but not so much if you mark or stain them the color of the top. So, on top of the above, if you're someone who'd like to convert a 34" scale PBass to a 32", this deal is hard to beat.

I usually buy Ibanez but I saw this seafoam green tea base and thought to myself the price is definitely right so decided to give it a chance. First impression was the box was definitely solid and the base is very well protected. The finish on the body was very nice and is more of a matte tone then glossy which I actually like. No nicks are scratches and looks excellent. That being said, the setup out of the box is absolutely horrible. The neck has such a bow in it that the strings are actually lying on the top three frets. The sandals are all over the place and it's going to need to get a good setup to get even vaguely playable. As it is it is not playable out of the box. I'm pretty disappointed in that regard because I did not expect a perfect setup but I would at least have expected the neck to be straight enough not to have strings on three frets. I will also mention that there is significant fret sprout on just about every fret. Apparently someone in the factory couldn't be bothered to put any kind of sanding along the edges. Just something to be aware of if you buy it is it's going to need a good setup. It does come with an allen wrench to adjust the truss rod but it is no quarter turn to functionality on this one. I'm going to get it set up and I'll update the review afterwards.