Nice...can you talk about the differences between the two?
Well, despite sharing the same name on the headstock, these two basses are very different.
Neck:
The Vintage Jazz has the Genesis neck, which has a strip of carbon fiber under the fretboard and a carbon fiber rod which runs from the headstock into the body. I am told the fretboard is Grenadillo and the neck wood is something strange like birch. I'm sure its not maple and it has a pretty grain. It's 34 inch scale and has a classic jazz profile which I like. You can really fly up and down the neck on this bass and it has the feel of a traditional jazz. It's also nice for tapping. String spacing is somewhat narrow.
Flea Bass:
This bass has a 35 inch scale carbon fiber neck, the kind Modulus is really known for. It's thicker and feels much like a Stingray neck. I do love the feel of it and I may not be able to fly around as fast on the neck but its not much of a problem at all. Have not figured out how to make it work for tapping however. Wider string spacing which I like because you can really dig in.
Body:
The body on the VJ is alder (im guessing) it is quite light and is a little bit smaller than a regular jazz. Sits great on your leg while playing sitting down and you can wear it a long time without feeling strain.
The body on the Flea is probably alder covered by that awesome silver flake finish. It is a heavy bass maybe around 10 lbs but I also think this enhanced the tone.
Tone/Electronics
The VJ keeps it simple. Its passive with Bartolini Jazz PU VVT. The VJ is a tonal shapeshifter much like other J's. It can really nail the Marcus Miller slap sound but can also cop a P bass and anything in between. Definately the more versatile of the two. The Barts almost seem naturally mid scooped and my only knock on them is they could use a little more low mid. This bass sounds smooth with a nice little growl to it.
If you wan't to hear what the VJ sounds like in its purest form check out the song I Uploaded This on myspce:
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The FB is more modern. Active with bartolini MM pickup. Bart pre amp with vol, bass, and treble. If you're going to play one of these things, please hide the women and children, the may get hurt. This thing rocks harder than any bass i've ever played. It's very much in your face, so much so that I put flats on it to try to tame it some. Now its a beast for finger funk and reggae/dub. I love dialing up the bass and turning the treble almost all the way down for booty shaking lows. People have said this bass isn't versatile, but I don't buy that. I mean sure I wouldn't use it to play jazz in a coffee shop but the eq gives you good options.
Which one wins?
Neither. They are both awesome although the FB gets more playing time. I cannot say either one is my favorite and I think I have two basses which will cover most any situation.
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