Squier 40th Anni. P-Bass DR

Great take on a "Vintage" P Bass

I'd like to start with the CONS:

- The quality control Squier does on their recent basses and guitars still has quite a room for improvement even on their top series as Classic Vibe or this anniversary one.

- The nut on the bass I received had a huge chip next to the lower E slot. Luckily it doesn't have any impact on the sound but it's still a bummer to me.

- The machine heads Squier puts on their top series get worse and worse. IMHO the discontinued Vintage Modified series had better hardware.

- There were a few scratches on the pickguard. I'm not sure if those originated from someone testing that bass before or just some blemishes caused during the production.

- It was already mentioned in another review that the heads of the pickguard screws are not flush with the surface and are slightly tilted, meaning those were not properly lined up with the holes before screwing in.

Now about the PROS:

- That satin finish and the color look amazing in person. It does feel good too!

- The playability of the neck is great, I really like the profile, add on top the satin finish.

- The tinted finish they gave to the neck looks really beautiful in combination with Dakota Red.

- Aged hardware has some attractiveness to it.

- Frets were quite well polished and didn't have any sharp edges.

- The sound that pickup produces is surprisingly good! It's punchy, it's clear and I believe it will stand out in the mix really well.

In general, it's a great instrument with some unique specs making it a desirable piece in your collection. Squier did really step up in the game and offers very attractive instruments these days. I would expect just a tad more on the QC side at least for their top series.