Not so "jazzed" about the Squire VM anymore

[edburns]

To each his own, Steve. I bought one three days ago, threw a set of flats on it and love it! Probably not your cup of tea...but keep it around anyway, you may change your mind!

 

[LanEvo]

The Squier VM fretless has to be the cheapest feeling/looking bass I've played in recent memory, IMO. That fingerboard was just yuck.

That's pretty much how I felt about mine.

As for the tone...because something says Duncan Designed, it does not mean it is going to sound remotely close to any thing made by Seymore Duncan, which they are not.

Yeah, the stock pickups on my SX are much better.

The sunburst lookes like crap because the where they glued the maple body together is clearly visible, which would be okay if it were even slightly matched.

Maple? You wish! The fretless version is made of agathis (a type of pine). I went through 5-6 of them before finding one where the strips of body wood actually matched.

 

[Sub5ound]

My bad, I thought they were maple body like the other VM Jazz...I guess that would explain some of it's visual issues. Agathis isn't the most exciting wood to look at. But probably sounds better considering the necks weird composition.

 

[SteveC]

The Squier VM fretless has to be the cheapest feeling/looking bass I've played in recent memory, IMO. That fingerboard was just yuck. As for the tone...because something says Duncan Designed, it does not mean it is going to sound remotely close to any thing made
by Seymore Duncan, which they are not. The sunburst lookes like crap because the where they glued the maple body together is clearly visible, which would be okay if it were even slightly matched. The lack of a pickguard just looks like a pathetic attempt to capture the Jaco vibe, IMO. But, as always, it might just be the couple I tried. If it sounds good to you, more pwer to ya.

I agree they aren't great basses, but I don't think they are THAT bad. I'm going to try the pups and see. If it makes a difference, great. If not, I'll sell them with or without the bass and try something else.

 

[sunbeast]

To the OP- I highly recommend the Bart 9J1s on the VMJF for the upright tone- the neclk pickups soloed gave a very nice jazzy tone, the bridge pickup soloed a very nice "Jaco" tone, and just in general they are a very quiet and mellow replacement for a fretless (especially if you add a preamp as well, all tbhough it isn't needed).

Rant- Its amazing how passionately people will attack something that has alot of positive hype around it. It is what it is- its not a Sadowsky or a Lakland or a US Fender, but it CAN BE A REALLY GOOD VALUE for the money. The hype exists because several people (myself included) have found really great VMs that really are DECENT instruments on a budget- it needs to be mentioned becasue many people (again-myself included) would have previously never even thought to consider a "Squier" when shopping for a new bass or project based on previous biases. As with most sub-$1000 production-line basses (and especially most Fenders IME), you may have to search for awhile to find one that really speaks to you- in feel, tone, and appearance. Both of my VMs (a fretless and a fretted) are great basses- they obviously aren't bookmatched body pieces nor perfectly planed fingerboard/fretwork (again- not a Sadowsky), but both of mine have well matched woods and play fantastic after a pretty basic setup (neither of mine required any sort of fretwork/planing to get what I consider to be comfortable action- I've played MMs and US Fenders in the store that I couldn't say the same about). The pickups are not "hot", but I personally found them more balanced and responsive to my ears than the pickups in any of the surrounding MIM Fenders or other "value" basses in GC. The reality is that I'd probably be inclined to switch out the pickups on any Fender at some point (the market for replacement Jazz-style pickups is INSANE!)- so that aspect wasn't a deciding factor at all for me. SXs can also be great value for the money- but the downside of those is that you can't audition several examples and choose the right one for you- you're taking a gamble anytime you order one (though it is a cheap gamble!).

Long story short- try out several examples of the VM line before trashing them...

Karl

 

[MtManiac]

I bought this bass about two years ago now, and loved it for the first year. I almost immediately changed the strings to Pressurewounds, and kept them on for the whole time. I recently changed the strings to some slinkys a Friend had given to me for a birthday (I hate those strings) and ever since I have not been able to get the thing set up properly, and it sounds like crapola now. I think strings make all the difference in the world with this bass, as does the right pickup. I replaced the stocks with Dimarzio Model Js, and had a great tone with the Pressurewounds. I think I have to go back to them... The Slinkys are just too floppy, and very low tension compared to the GHS strings, and I believe that in itself impacts tone, aside from all the other differences. Try something with more tension than the TIs and maybe you'll have it. Strings are cheaper than throwing out a $300 bass.

 

[LanEvo]

Rant- Its amazing how passionately people will attack something that has alot of positive hype around it.

That might be because some of us bought one because of all the positive hype ... and we were disappointed. Sometimes hype is just hype

It is what it is- its not a Sadowsky or a Lakland or a US Fender...

No one is comparing them to a Sadowsky here. I'm comparing it to my $175 SX Jazz. IME and IMNSHO, the VM Fretless Jazz doesn't compare favorably to the SX. Maybe the regular Jazz (with maple body and neck) is a better package.

 

[Dig Wilbur Ware]

When I think of uprightish tone in an electric, I think of a fretless precision with med-high tension flats.

Bingo. That's my modded SX 57 P fretless with Roto flats and Fender '62 P Pickup.

 

[Sub5ound]

Why buy a $199 bass and put over $200 in upgrades into it when you could just get a better quality instrument for $375-$400? Experience tells me that you're going to have to try out alot less MIM's than VM's to find one that is "right"...but like I said, if it sounds good to you or feels good and you think putting extra money into it is a good move, go for it.

 

[SteveC]

I don' twant i tto get too ugly, just sharing some thoughts. I bought into the hype a bit as well. I still think it's a good basic fretless, or first fretless. Maybe it's just not enough for a more experienced player. We'll see what the pups do. It' an easy and cheap swap, and reversible if need be.

 

[sunbeast]

That might be because some of us bought one because of all the positive hype ... and we were disappointed. Sometimes hype is just hype

No one is comparing them to a Sadowsky here. I'm comparing it to my $175 SX Jazz. IME and IMNSHO, the VM Fretless Jazz doesn't compare favorably to the SX. Maybe the regular Jazz (with maple body and neck) is a better package.

I personally don't understand how you can take issue with a bass if you had the chance to play it first in the store. If it was obviously such a POS, this would have been obvious right away when it was in your hands and when played through an amp in the store. Then you wouldn't have bought it, no? On the other hand, if you order a bass sight-unseen, you are taking a big risk on possibly recieving a not so good example of said bass. If thats the case- then you've found the weakness of the "great value for the money" deal- That extra money you're not spending when you purchase a "budget" instrument is money that insures some degree of consistancy in a higher-priced bass, like a US Fender. Apparently, you got lucky with your SX bass, and unlucky with the Squier- I have seen several used SXs in the local second-hand store here being sold for parts as their necks were twisted, truss rods maxed out, and pickups either non-working or highly microphonic (and "several" IS NOT an exaggeration!). These are admittedly the only SX basses I have had a chance to play, but I'm not going to take this as evidence that the whole SX phenomenom is "just hype". If the bodies and necks from SX were compatible with Fender parts, I probably would have bought the most recent one with a maxed truss rod (only $50) as a project bass. I do know that I won't ever be purchasing a new SX, as I would not be able to try it before buying (a cheap import bass has the potential to be all kinds of crappy, no matter the hype)- and I would advise anyone against buying any instrument they can't try first in person through an amp. I'll reiterate- these (Squiers and SXs, apparently) CAN be great basses for the money, WHEN you find the right one!

As far as replacing the pickups- I'd put either of my Squiers up against any Standard MIM Fender Jazz. Once you find one of the better Squiers, there is very little difference in design or function between it and a comparable MIM (I much preferred the neck profiles and fretboard radius of the Squiers vs the otherwise very nice MIM Limited Anniversary Jazz I used to own though). So, once you add nicer pickups to the Squier, you have an Import-quality Squier Fender with some killer pickups vs. an Import-quality MIM Fender with some Import Quality MIM pickups for the same price. To me the choice is/was clear... And for what its worth (and I DID audition and have owned several MIM Fenders before ever even picking up a Squier VM), I haven't found consistently better Quality Control nor playability in MIM Fenders vs. the Squiers...

Karl

 

[LanEvo]

Hi, Karl.

I personally don't understand how you can take issue with a bass if you had the chance to play it first in the store. If it was obviously such a POS, this would have been obvious right away when it was in your hands and when played through an amp in the store. Then you wouldn't have bought it, no?

Not quite.

First of all, I bought it at Guitar Center. The set-up was horrible. I figured a good set-up would cure that problem. It didn't for reasons I mention below.

The tone was OK. Not too great, but not bad. The mids were a bit attenuated for a Jazz. Everyone said the tone would get better after swapping out the wiring/pots/cap/jack. My experience with my SX told me that this was probably true. So, I decided to try it. After all, the total cost after taxes was about $300 ... which is maybe 1/5 to 1/6 of what most of my basses cost me.

That's why I took a chance on it.

Then I took it home and found it impossible to get it set up the way I like it. The reason is that the neck was very unstable. This isn't something you can tell just by playing a bass for 20 min at GC. That was my main complaint. On top of that, the tone was not significantly improved by the upgrades (unlike my SX Jazz). I figured I'd have to try it live and see how it works...

When playing out with friends, I've found the bass totally disappears in the mix (unlike my SX Jazz). Again, this isn't something you can tell just by demoing a bass at GC.

Sometimes you buy a bass and it turns out to not meet your expectations ... so you donate it to your buddy's studio and chalk it up as a loss. No big deal in the scheme of things.

 

[sunbeast]

Sorry if I'm beating this thing into the ground, but the other beauty of GC and them being the main source of these basses is their 30 Day No-Questions-Asked Return Policy. In fact, if there was obvious a functional difficiency such as inability to hold tension in the neck over a short time, it would be all the easier to return for a refund or trade in for another at GC- I've done this before several times at GC and never had a major problem (not with a VM, but it would work the same).

I understand if it just didn't live up to your expectations, but people in internet forums will flock towards "bad hype" even quicker than "good hype" in my experience (how many times do you see somebody add "I heard (insert name here) had issues" about something that they obviously have ONLY read about on TB or HC or somewhere else on the internet? With some things, like an expensive amp or even a car, sometimes a couple bad experiences that make it onto an internet forum can spread like wildfire until everyone is saying "I heard they have problems". With something like a Squier, I completely acknowledge that they can and do have issues- I just think its a matter of people knowing what they are getting themselves into with them...to get that "amazing value", you may have to weed out several duds first. I was fully prepared for this myself, and played several examples of both VM Jazzes in Guitar Centers and on Craigslist before finding one that really spoke to me. My fretless I took a gamble on and got through the TB classifieds (the only issue I had actually personally taken with most of the fretless ones was the aesthetics, and the one on TB was definitely one of the better looking ones I'd seen), the fretted one that I eventually connected with happened to be $150 on the local Craigslist (both were stock, and had never had anything more than a new set of strings and a setup done)- though I had found a really good one at the local GC that I was prepared to buy new when the CL listing came up.

Anyway- I'm done ranting, and sorry to have directed this thread in another direction!

Karl

Hi, Karl.

Not quite.

First of all, I bought it at Guitar Center. The set-up was horrible. I figured a good set-up would cure that problem. It didn't for reasons I mention below.

The tone was OK. Not too great, but not bad. The mids were a bit attenuated for a Jazz. Everyone said the tone would get better after swapping out the wiring/pots/cap/jack. My experience with my SX told me that this was probably true. So, I decided to try it. After all, the total cost after taxes was about $300 ... which is maybe 1/5 to 1/6 of what most of my basses cost me.

That's why I took a chance on it.

Then I took it home and found it impossible to get it set up the way I like it. The reason is that the neck was very unstable. This isn't something you can tell just by playing a bass for 20 min at GC. That was my main complaint. On top of that, the tone was not significantly improved by the upgrades (unlike my SX Jazz). I figured I'd have to try it live and see how it works...

When playing out with friends, I've found the bass totally disappears in the mix (unlike my SX Jazz). Again, this isn't something you can tell just by demoing a bass at GC.

Sometimes you buy a bass and it turns out to not meet your expectations ... so you donate it to your buddy's studio and chalk it up as a loss. No big deal in the scheme of things.

 

[Mazatleco17]

I liked the VMJ at the beginning but for me it feels unplayable, the action seems to high, even after a good setup, not that I really know how to play but I'm getting to the point where it feels odd in my hands, it must be the fact that my schecter has ridiculous low action and I love it

 

[SteveC]

Well, the Batolini 9J1's are in and it makes a big difference in sound. I think it's still not all there. I always seem to favor active basses, so maybe that's what's still missing. We'll see after another couple gigs.

I'm still debating the feel. Tough to get the set-up just right...