they're just press-on knobs. wrap a paper towel over a butter knife and just pry 'em up a wee bit.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
I'm at it again...NBD tomorrow (SQUIER?)
- Thread starter jlepre
- Start date
I did notice that the bass has a very strong PLASTIC smell. This is NOT my first new bass, so I find this a little unusual.
This bass is a huge bang for the buck. I bought one 2nd hand (the former owner was a death metal guitarist who only used it for recording) with a hardcase for $200.
Owning a DJ5 and MIM J5, the reason it draw me into this bass was the price, knowing that it needed a little bit of work (fret sprout, jamerson action) but i have never owned a bass with a maple fingerboard!
I did had a fretjob done on the neck and it plays like butter after a setup. I slapped a set of Aurora purple strings (wife's recomendation) and it has a really nice jazzy bass tone and a killer slap tone.
Its heavy, but nothing a wide leather strap cant fix.
The pup's are okay. I've looking at either the nordy or aguilar 70's 5 J pickups for a possible replacement. Or fender N3's.
Any opinions?
Owning a DJ5 and MIM J5, the reason it draw me into this bass was the price, knowing that it needed a little bit of work (fret sprout, jamerson action) but i have never owned a bass with a maple fingerboard!
I did had a fretjob done on the neck and it plays like butter after a setup. I slapped a set of Aurora purple strings (wife's recomendation) and it has a really nice jazzy bass tone and a killer slap tone.
Its heavy, but nothing a wide leather strap cant fix.
The pup's are okay. I've looking at either the nordy or aguilar 70's 5 J pickups for a possible replacement. Or fender N3's.
Any opinions?
Well you're right about the bang for the buck. I don't have any real opinion on the sound yet, but maybe the fret work could be better. How much is a good fret job? I may be looking to drop in a pre-amp in the future, but not sure yet. It is a heavy mother at 10.4 pounds, but not horrible.
I paid $75 for the fretjob. My bass i heavy, it clocks around 11lbs.
Im sure an Audere will do the job for a pre amp.
Im sure an Audere will do the job for a pre amp.
The Nordstrands have more grunt. Both Nordy and Aggie make good pickups.
Bass mods makes an inexpensive pre.
Any new thoughts?
Well I did have a chance to tighten the truss to lower the strings some, and raise the saddle on the B string to eliminate buzz. The bass plays very nice, but I haven't played in a band setting yet. I have an outdoor gig this afternoon so stay tuned.
I needed to pull the knobs up a bit as they were rubbing, but now they are perfect. I just ordered some classic BLACK knobs for $6 so they should complete the look.
I have 30 days to decide if I want to keep her, and I intend to use the entire time. I haven't swapped strings yet, but that may be the last thing I do.
I purchased a Squier VM Jazz V last December to use as a backup.
Fit and finish was decent. I also had a problem with the control knobs rubbing the plate. Also one of the bar string tree screws was installed and an angle.
The bass played really well out of the box. Action was set low, but I did raise a couple of strings slightly to get rid of some minor fret buzz. Besides that the set up was pretty good. Love the feel of the neck with the satin finish.
I thought the sound was okay, but a bit thin for my taste. Lacked some bottom end. I decided to upgrade all electronics, add strap locks and replace the string tree with two round ones.
I have played the bass on a few gigs, at several practices and around the house quite a bit. I have no complaints so far.
Here's a link to a thread I posted with a few pictures of my mods; http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/nbd-squier-vintage-modfied-v-941208/index2.html
Fit and finish was decent. I also had a problem with the control knobs rubbing the plate. Also one of the bar string tree screws was installed and an angle.
The bass played really well out of the box. Action was set low, but I did raise a couple of strings slightly to get rid of some minor fret buzz. Besides that the set up was pretty good. Love the feel of the neck with the satin finish.
I thought the sound was okay, but a bit thin for my taste. Lacked some bottom end. I decided to upgrade all electronics, add strap locks and replace the string tree with two round ones.
I have played the bass on a few gigs, at several practices and around the house quite a bit. I have no complaints so far.
Here's a link to a thread I posted with a few pictures of my mods; http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/nbd-squier-vintage-modfied-v-941208/index2.html
Well I'm back from my first gig, and it passed with flying colors. So much so I played it for 2 of the 3 sets! It was very clear, and extremely comfortable to my hands. The spacing was a little more than my SR5, but very similar. The satin neck was extremely familiar, as my SR5 is also unfinished. I only added straplocks so far, and have new black knobs on order. The next thing will be some EBMM Cobalts.
just a suggestion, if you're still using stock strings, try out a set of your preferred brand/type/guage before changing any electronics. that way you can give the bass a fair assessment before spending any money you could have saved with a simple string swap.
Oh thanks, but I like the way the pups sound as is. I just want the FEEL of my strings better. Oh and the B was very stable, and not floppy at all
Not YET...I need some rehearsal time and at least one more gig. I have a 30 day returs, so I am taking full advantage.
I have an Audere JZ3 that was in my FL Jazz for a few months. I took it out because, after some trial and error, I settled on the DiMarzio DP123 pickups for their adjustable poles (which I need to iron out the quirks in this particular bass). These PU's are hot, as is the Audere, so the combination was just too hot.
So I liked the Audere, but I had to remove it. I really have no use for it. I could sell it well below the new price. PM me if you decide to keep the bass and want to consider the Audere.
