I meant Sir Paul of course!
Go on YouTube - Beatles 'Something' isolated bass.
That guy!
Go on YouTube - Beatles 'Something' isolated bass.
That guy!
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.
Rogue Viola (VB100) Bass Club
- Thread starter Flyingfrets
- Start date
-
- Tags
- club
Update:
A couple of days ago I hunted down my old MIK VB-100 and compared it to my Hofner Ignition violin bass. The issues I had before with the Rogue still exist (wider nut, heavier tuners and body total of about 1.5 lbs heavier than the Hofner and the pickups aren't individually humbucking). However, after over a decade of not using the VB-100 I found those issues aren't deal breakers. It plays very easily, Sounds great with the old Labella nylon tapewounds I installed when I first bought it and the slightly rounded corners of the waist area make it more comfortable than the Hofner when played seated which I now have to do because of a medical issue.
Good news for me is it's back in service and I consider it the best $99 I ever spent on a new bass.
I paid a bit more for mine a couple of years ago because it reminded me of the original Gibson violin bass from the 50s (not because of Paul). A group was playing at a mall in the 60s and the bass sounded great...got me interested in playing bass. The closest I got to one was an Eko but sounded like crap. My Rogue doesn't sound that bad.
My Rogue satisfies the violin bass needs for me.
Put on good some flats, file down some Sharpe edges and rock out for cheap!
Put on good some flats, file down some Sharpe edges and rock out for cheap!
Yep, first thing I did was install flats, edges weren't too bad. Although I prefer a good P bass sound, the Rogue does offer some good acoustic bass tones.
I was able to get one this past Xmas, I love it. It did take me a few times playing it to get the feel of it. It os way different than my jazz bass, Im ok with that.
Has anyone upgraded the tuning machines?The ones I have on it are a bit too loose for my taste. Im having trouble finding a set that will fit wth no drilling or reaming out the holes.
Has anyone upgraded the tuning machines?The ones I have on it are a bit too loose for my taste. Im having trouble finding a set that will fit wth no drilling or reaming out the holes.
Point of interest for anyone who may not know... Not sure of the dates, but around '11, they changed the construction and probably the maker. The early VB100's had black sides and if you remove the control plate, you can see that the body is cut from a plank of plywood, hence the black sides, (easier to finish). Also the sides are much thicker 3/8 inch or so.
Looking at the later model, curly maple on sides, you'll find that the sides are 3/16 (approx) like the top and back. Much more hollow and woody sounding. I've owned 2 of the early ones and when they made the change, I jumped on it and compared it to the Ignition bass. What I found was that the VB100 had kerfing all around the inside and the Ignition was just glued which makes the VB100 much stronger, much like a quality acoustic guitar. They both sound great, so, I bought the VB100 and am very happy with it.
Looking at the later model, curly maple on sides, you'll find that the sides are 3/16 (approx) like the top and back. Much more hollow and woody sounding. I've owned 2 of the early ones and when they made the change, I jumped on it and compared it to the Ignition bass. What I found was that the VB100 had kerfing all around the inside and the Ignition was just glued which makes the VB100 much stronger, much like a quality acoustic guitar. They both sound great, so, I bought the VB100 and am very happy with it.
Looks just like mine and mine is real! Love mine, especially with flats.
I believe I put their Beatle Bass Flats on it. Here is an interesting read about a Hofner/Rogue comparison:
REVIEW : The Hofner Ignition and the Rogue VB100
Looks like the real deal. Not much point in making a fake of an inexpensive bass.
I have one that was my main bass for over a year. It sounds good and is a blast to play.
The bass needs medium-scale strings due to the extra distance to the trapeze tailpiece.
Hi all. Finally I got my Rogue! 
Anyways, I am in the middle of restringing this beauty, however i don't know the spacing between the bridge pickup and the rosewood bridge. Can anybody please help me?
Thanks heaps
Anyways, I am in the middle of restringing this beauty, however i don't know the spacing between the bridge pickup and the rosewood bridge. Can anybody please help me?
Thanks heaps
Hi all. Finally I got my Rogue!
Anyways, I am in the middle of restringing this beauty, however i don't know the spacing between the bridge pickup and the rosewood bridge. Can anybody please help me?
Thanks heaps
Mine is .75".
Great that you got rid of that white plastic and pick guard
! Can you give some details on the active preamp? I am planning on moving away from those switches.The active preamp I used I got from Aliexpress:
7.92US $ 26% OFF|3 Band Eq Equalizer Preamp Circuit Active Bass Pickup 5 Control Knobs Guitar Pickup Control System|Guitar Parts & Accessories| - AliExpress
Make sure you get the 2 Band instead of 3 Band - the mid-range of the 3 Band does not do anything.
I had installed the preamps on 3 other basses with single-coil pickups, and some were a bit noisy and I had to turn the treble down to cut the buzz. With the humbuckers on the V100, it was very quiet and I was very pleased with the result.
I also bought some B500k push-pull volume switch which replaced the preamp control to bypass the preamp, but it is a bit more soldering and figuring out the wiring and is not necessary.
The wiring is pretty straightforward - in the original board on mine, yellow and red are from the pickup, blue goes to the jack, and green grounds the bridge.
I had to replace the original jack and replace by the jack that is pre-wired to the preamp - it is a bit short but I was able to get the new jack to fit into the same hole.
Sorry, I don't have a photo of the installed preamp. Maybe I will take it apart and take a photo. But basically, you wire the center white wire of the red and yellow pickup cables to the blend pot of the preamp and make sure you connect the outer group to the ground of the blend pot. Make sure you also connect the green ground wire to the blend pot - mine were short so I soldered another piece of extension wire.
I cut out the plate from a piece of cardboard I had laying around (should have used a good plastic piece). The width of the original white plate is 11.5cm, and the hole is about 9.5cm, so I spaced the 4 pcs of the 2cm wide pots with 0.5cm in between. It is a pretty tight fit. I used the tone knobs from another bass I had laying around.
7.92US $ 26% OFF|3 Band Eq Equalizer Preamp Circuit Active Bass Pickup 5 Control Knobs Guitar Pickup Control System|Guitar Parts & Accessories| - AliExpress
Make sure you get the 2 Band instead of 3 Band - the mid-range of the 3 Band does not do anything.
I had installed the preamps on 3 other basses with single-coil pickups, and some were a bit noisy and I had to turn the treble down to cut the buzz. With the humbuckers on the V100, it was very quiet and I was very pleased with the result.
I also bought some B500k push-pull volume switch which replaced the preamp control to bypass the preamp, but it is a bit more soldering and figuring out the wiring and is not necessary.
The wiring is pretty straightforward - in the original board on mine, yellow and red are from the pickup, blue goes to the jack, and green grounds the bridge.
Sorry, I don't have a photo of the installed preamp. Maybe I will take it apart and take a photo. But basically, you wire the center white wire of the red and yellow pickup cables to the blend pot of the preamp and make sure you connect the outer group to the ground of the blend pot. Make sure you also connect the green ground wire to the blend pot - mine were short so I soldered another piece of extension wire.
I cut out the plate from a piece of cardboard I had laying around (should have used a good plastic piece). The width of the original white plate is 11.5cm, and the hole is about 9.5cm, so I spaced the 4 pcs of the 2cm wide pots with 0.5cm in between. It is a pretty tight fit. I used the tone knobs from another bass I had laying around.
Great mod work there, congrats! No need for a photo of the preamp, for me. I plan to keep mine passive and just want to get rid of the white plastic and go VVT.
Oh, and welcome to TalkBass. That's a nice looking Rogue!
Yes there are. Pretty much any other brand's "medium scale" strings will fit (watch out for "medium gauge" on the package; not the same thing) - including any of the other medium scale La Bellas. Their Beatle Bass strings are identical to their other strings, other than an especially long, thin leader to accommodate the little holes in the Hofner's guitar style tuners. Not necessary on a Rogue. TI and Pyramid "short scale" strings also will fit, since they were made for this kind of short scale bass. Since GHS strings run considerably long, their short scale strings might fit, too. I've had Rotosound's medium scale TruBass 88 Tapewounds on my left handed VB-100 for many years. And, not just because that's what Sir Paul has on his Hofner, either...
I have several basses with trapeze tailpieces and floating bridges. One thing I've found, is that basses like these can be quite picky about which strings they like - and which ones they will intonate with - without a lot of fuss and bother. That's the main reason my old Korean VB-100 wears the Roto 88's. It just tuned right up - and intonated perfectly, with no fuss at all. Some of my others? Took some experimenting with (sometimes) lots of different strings, to find the ones that that particular bass liked to work with. And when you do find those strings? Well, if you like to experiment with strings - do it with something else; leave your VB-100 the Hell alone...
And, yes; if your Rogue VB-100 seems a little heavy - and has black sides? It's a Korean made one; hang on to that puppy. If you want to see mine, with it's then-new Roto 88's, you can find it on pg.5, post #92 here. Those strings are 8 years old now, and still going strong. You can see how little bridge adjustment it took to intonate them, too. As for the "heavy gauge" stuff? They really aren't heavy at all. A set of fairly light-gauge round wounds resides under all that black nylon - which contributes a lot to their size, but very little to their pull-to-pitch tension. They are definitely stiff, though; perfect for playing with a pick (I usually use a Dunlop felt one)...
Last edited:
