Not so "jazzed" about the Squire VM anymore

Which one do you have?

 

+1...

I've played the VM fretless, and although I loved the feel, playability and construction...the tone was a bit too "dark" for me...

however, I've played on a CV 60's P-bass and man-o-man! yeah baby!

in addition, I own Squier's masterpiece, the Jazz Deluxe Active V!

 

I hear ya. I picked one up at half price last year at GC it was used but like new not a mark on it. Although i am a P bass guy i still love a jazz. I couldnt love this thou . Gave up and sold it. I have a old beat up squier P/J from the 90's that killed it anyhow.

 

yeah the 60's p is ridiculous (in a good way).

 

I have the VM fretless Jazz and the VM Tele P bass. Both are great. I had to replace the PU on the Jazz ($50 used MIA Fenders from eBay) and the bridge on the Telebass ($100 BAIII). Now they both sound great!

 

a few days? It takes me years to determine if I like a bass or not....

 

i agree, to some extent, BUT if i hate a bass i can tell pretty fast.

 

Do some research and maybe drop in a new set of pickups. I've got SD Quarter Pounders in my VM 70's Jazz, and I get ridiculous growl out of it.

 

If you like everything else about it why not try a new set of pickups? GFS pickups get great reviews and a set will only cost you $60. Cheap and easy.

Otherwise, just sell it. No big deal. You tried it and it wasn't for you. Don't worry about it.

 

The first question I would ask you is... What has your experience been with other Jazz basses?

If you've had good results with other J basses, a p/u upgrade might be in order.

If you've not had good results with J's, or have never owned one before, and/or have limited experience with them... well maybe J's just aren't for you in general. In that case a p/u swap might not be worth the effort. (required IMO)

 

Specifically,

What have you done to try and get the tone your seeking?

I've found those pickups to be good, coupled with the 70's spacing you should be able to get a variety of tones.

 

I would think you could sell it pretty easily; the lined fretless I played a week or so ago was a ton of fun for the money.

 

That's what I was thinking. I've tried to like jazz basses, but they just don't do it for me.

 

Disliking any specific bass is just a matter of taste. If you don't like and don't care to modify it, then you can always sell it.

But - changing strings is cheap and makes a big difference in sound. Have you done that?

Also - pickups are cheap on Ebay.

 

Maybe sell it and buy an SX. The SX pickups are hotter and may give you the tone you want.

 

Why not mod a $280 bass? It's the perfect bass to mod IMO. Decent neck, decent body wood and it's cheap.

Swap the pickups out, stick a badass II on there and an east retro preamp or something

 

I like the fact that the strings you have on there cost almost as much as the bass

 

I have the 60's Squier P-bass. It's really nice, but sorry... it doesn't play or sound like an American P. The quality of the bridge is fair, I can't make the action as low without buzzing, and it doesn't intonate perfectly. I like it but believe you always get what you pay for.