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If you're looking for an inexpensive 5-string...

S

Selios

Jun 20, 2012
312
375
Niagara, ON, Canada
#1
Hey everyone,
Yesterday I played a Squier Vintage Modified Precision Bass V at a large music store in Toronto, it was the white model with the maple fretboard. And... I was majorly impressed. So impressed that I'm taking the time to recommend it to any of you who like P-basses and are looking for a fiver. It was setup perfectly, the finish on the body and neck were flawless, the B string was tight and very clear, it had the classic P tone, and it wasn't too heavy. It was also $350 bucks Canadian. I also played the equally beautiful Vintage Modified Jazz V which was right next to it, and while it also had flawless construction, I personally didn't care for the neck profile in comparison to the P bass. The P played way better in my opinion.

Now for the big question: did I pick it up? Unfortunately not. I just purchased a Warwick Rockbass Fortress as my first 5-string (it's great) and couldn't really justify buying another bass, despite being inexpensive. I really am a sucker for a P bass though... some day...

Like I said, if you like P-basses, and you're looking for an inexpensive 5 string, and you want a QUALITY instrument, check one out.
 
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#4
Baird6869 said:
I absolutely love basically anything Squier VM... and I am a Fodera guy.

The Active 5ers, passive 5ers, VM Fretless, etc. are unbelievable for the $$$ IMO. Absolutely giggable out of the box (I gig my fretless VM pretty often still) and play/sound great.

Much better than SX, most Epiphones and other similar priced basses IME.
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My only beef with them is the synthetic boards on the fretless. It looks cheap and the edges are never rounded. :( They sound decent, though.
 
#9
I really enjoy my VM P5. Not just a nice bass for the money- it's a really nice bass.

That said, I really don't understand the market these days. The better VM basses are standouts for $400. Dingwall Combustions are amazing examples of musical technology for $1,200. Various high-end builders offer amazing pieces of playable art for $2,500 and up.

It's a lot of the stuff in between, that makes me shake my head. A buddy and I checked out an $800 Mexican Fender "Deluxe" Dimension at Long & McQuade this week. Decent lumber, but it looked like it got pulled off the assembly line a few hours early. Fret sprout as bad as any $150 starter instrument, fingerboard edges sharp enough to cut yourself on, etc.

I have no idea what Fender's product planning group is thinking, when they approve disparities like these. Would that Dimension be a good instrument if you gave a tech $150 to go over it?

Maybe, but why on earth would you, when a couple of spots over, there was a $300 VM built with obvious pride and attention to detail? The Squier had perfect fretwork, nicely-rolled fretboard edges, and a middling-good setup.
 
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#15
steve_rolfeca said:
I really enjoy my VM P5. Not just a nice bass for the money- it's a really nice bass.

That said, I really don't understand the market these days. The better VM basses are standouts for $400. Dingwall Combustions are amazing examples of musical technology for $1,200. Various high-end builders offer amazing pieces of playable art for $2,500 and up.

It's a lot of the stuff in between, that makes me shake my head. A buddy and I checked out an $800 Mexican Fender "Deluxe" Dimension at Long & McQuade this week. Decent lumber, but it looked like it got pulled off the assembly line a few hours early. Fret sprout as bad as any $150 starter instrument, fingerboard edges sharp enough to cut yourself on, etc.

I have no idea what Fender's product planning group is thinking, when they approve disparities like these. Would that Dimension be a good instrument if you gave a tech $150 to go over it?

Maybe, but why on earth would you, when a couple of spots over, there was a $300 VM built with obvious pride and attention to detail? The Squier had perfect fretwork, nicely-rolled fretboard edges, and a middling-good setup.
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Every Squier made by Cort Korea or Taiwan is good piece.Good factory with good QC.I bet yours serial number begins with "CN".;)
 
#16
I went to my local music store completely ready to pick one of these up after all the raving reviews, but I wasn't too impressed with it to be honest.
Nothing seemed to be wrong with finish and setup, but the pickups didn't do it for me.
The funny thing is the pickups sound really bright, which is mostly a quality that seems to be reserved for the 'better' pickups/basses. Seems like the coils are really voiced to accentuate the high-end.
However I found the pickups lacking in the 'thump' department. A bit the same complaint I have with my Yamaha BB425X.
This is a dealbreaker for me though. These basses sound good enough on their own, but in the mix I can't get my bass to thump through. I really need that initial attack 'thumb' to lock in with the kick drum.

Am I too picky?
 
#18
My CAR VM P5 is my main player these days. Changed out the tuners to shave off a little weight so it's under 9lbs. very happy with it.

Need Gigs said:
They're great basses. I played a red one yesterday and it blew me away. I'm seriously considering converting one into a narrow spaced 6'er. Sorry to hijack the thread, but does anyone know the string spacing at the bridge for one of these beauties?
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18mm at the bridge
 
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#19
DieterVDW said:
I went to my local music store completely ready to pick one of these up after all the raving reviews, but I wasn't too impressed with it to be honest.
Nothing seemed to be wrong with finish and setup, but the pickups didn't do it for me.
The funny thing is the pickups sound really bright, which is mostly a quality that seems to be reserved for the 'better' pickups/basses. Seems like the coils are really voiced to accentuate the high-end.
However I found the pickups lacking in the 'thump' department....
Am I too picky?
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There's no such thing as too picky. You like what you like.

I dislike the boom and sizzle SD QP tone that a lot of people favour- there's no right or wrong.

I replaced the stock Squier pickup with an Am Standard P5 , and was surprised at how close they sounded. Both are at the vintage end of the scale, which means they have a relatively modest low end, prominent hollow-sounding mids, and a surprising amount of bite up top.

I will say one thing though: These are great basses for the money, but the factory setup still reflects the low price point. Unless you take tools and gauges to the store when you're shopping, how do you know whether you like the pickup?

It takes quite a steep angle on the bass side to get perfect balance, and the pickup needs to be pretty close to the strings in order to develop a good, fat signal. This is one area where I've seen a lot of variance in stores. Some VM's sound only so-so out of the box, and others have major string-to-string imbalances.

Another issue is string spacing. I've seen a few where the neck joint needed to be released and re-tightened to fix it, or where a bridge saddle or two needed to be shimmed to get things just so.

After setting up 4 of these, I will say that they are surprisingly consistent once they are put right. I chose my Oly White P5 based on weight, but tonally, there was little difference.
 
#20
I really like the Squier stuff tonnes too, but recently got rid of two of mine to get my first 5'er, and I kinda wanted something a little different (tho I'd had atk 4's in the past).. and I went with an Ibby ATK205. I could not pass it up for the price I could get it for, and it's freaking gorgeous.
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