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Should I bu this squier vm ss bass to fix up?

Bass-Babe

Bass-Babe

Aug 1, 2022
538
1,855
#1
So there is a guy selling the above in black for 190$ . There are two significant finish issues on the either side of the lower bout which might require some reshaping. The rest of the bass is nice rarely played condition with the clear plastic still on pickguard and the neck looks very nice. I envision stripping the black off with a heat gun sand the frack out out of it and doing a walnut stained hand rubbed wood grain finish, I real wood pickguard and either a stingray style humbuckers of a Jbass pup to make a ss Jbass. Is it worth it? Especially if I want to sell it ?
On the fence , but I need something to keep me busy of christmas...What do you think.
right vm.jpg
left vm.jpg
left vm.jpg
 
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#5
If you like the way the bass sounds, why not? Chances are the woodgrain is pretty blah, but if a walnut finish is what you like, and a project sounds like fun, well again- why not! Yeah, it is soft wood so will be prone to getting dings. Stripping that poly finish may be a chore; hopefully you've looked into the matter.
So far, so good; but if you think the resale value is ever going to work in your favor, you're likely wrong.
 
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#6
Philonius said:
If you like the way the bass sounds, why not? Chances are the woodgrain is pretty blah, but if a walnut finish is what you like, and a project sounds like fun, well again- why not! Yeah, it is soft wood so will be prone to getting dings. Stripping that poly finish may be a chore; hopefully you've looked into the matter.
So far, so good; but if you think the resale value is ever going to work in your favor, you're likely wrong.
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Thanks stripping the poly with a heat gun is usually not too hard. I may repaint with poly just have not decided if it's worth the time to refurb it...
 
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#7
Is this the short scale Jaguar bass with the matching headstock? Those have sweet necks, and that’s coming from a dude who generally favors more substantial necks. If so, that’s definitely worth rescuing. I sold mine because the sound wasn’t doing it for me at the time and I wouldn’t say I regret it, but there was nothing bad about it. If you don’t like the look of the wood grain, you can always try a solid finish of some kind.
 
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#8
I would just lightly sand and paint the affected area's myself. Soft wood is very difficult to work with. There are several ways that you can customise the look of it.

If you decide that you don't like the sound of it, I can help you to find the sound that you are looking for.
 
#9
Bass-Babe said:
So there is a guy selling the above in black for 190$ . There are two significant finish issues on the either side of the lower bout which might require some reshaping. The rest of the bass is nice rarely played condition with the clear plastic still on pickguard and the neck looks very nice. I envision stripping the black off with a heat gun sand the frack out out of it and doing a walnut stained hand rubbed wood grain finish, I real wood pickguard and either a stingray style humbuckers of a Jbass pup to make a ss Jbass. Is it worth it? Especially if I want to sell it ?
On the fence , but I need something to keep me busy of christmas...What do you think.
View attachment 4889845 View attachment 4889846 View attachment 4889846
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Sand the edges down, and hit it with black nail polish. Me, Iike to dye it black before trying to paint it black. It just helps black be black.

Then, hit it with either clear nail polish, or some wipe on poly. Either way that helps you get it applied smoother. Clear nail polish can be sanded out, and finishes much quicker. Wipe on poly needs quite a few coats, but it's easier to get right.






Or, you can go ahead and strip it. But the wood under the paint, most likely isn't going to look very nice. It's probably three peices, with unpleasant and mismatched grain patterns.


But, you get lucky with a painted squire once in a while.
 
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#10
The VM SS is an INCREDIBLE bass - I have 2 in case I lose one somehow . Great neck, great sound, great bargain. Fender was so stoopid to discontinue them. I have changed them to Volume Balance Tone and upgraded the pickups in both - one is old Basslines and the other is an old DiMarzio set I had around. The basses were good to start with and are now even better. Bondo and paint it, or, for the price, don't do a thing, just enjoy.
 
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#11
The Great Genius said:
Agathis is not a wood that is suitable for clear finishes. It's quite soft, and doesn't look good.

It is also difficult to get good sound from.
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I have to agree with this. Agathis is not a particularly nice looking wood. Almost every single agathis bass I've played also had an extremely uneven response along the neck: Severe dead spots on some frets in addition to overly strong, building vibrations (boooOOOINGGG) that created fret buzz on other frets. That's the most common sign of a cheap instrument IMO. I didn't have any huge complaints about the general tone I got from most of the agathis basses I've played but the uneven response creating dead spots/fret buzz has been a recurring theme for almost every single agathis body bass I've tested (and working at a guitar workshop I've had my hands on more than a few). I can't say for sure if this was caused by the agathis itself or simply because all these basses were cheap, entry level instruments though. I would have to test more expensive, properly built agathis basses to figure that out and I don't think that's ever gonna happen. Probably for a reason...

To be honest I don't think I've ever played this particular Squier model. But I've played other Squier agathis body basses (as well as agathis basses from other brands) and the extremely uneven response has been a regular "feature". But then again, some people deny the importance of tone woods and even the existence of dead spots so I guess it matters how picky you are. Of course, it could be a great sounding bass for all I know. Even the cheapest Squiers can sound great if you happen to get a good one. It's a lottery though so I would at least try it before buying. Squiers in this price range can vary A LOT.
 
#12
Bassamatic said:
The VM SS is an INCREDIBLE bass - I have 2 in case I lose one somehow . Great neck, great sound, great bargain. Fender was so stoopid to discontinue them. I have changed them to Volume Balance Tone and upgraded the pickups in both - one is old Basslines and the other is an old DiMarzio set I had around. The basses were good to start with and are now even better. Bondo and paint it, or, for the price, don't do a thing, just enjoy.
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Yep.... they are stupidly good considering the price point they sold at new. And ones in good condition sell for more than the original price. As long as those dings haven't damaged the neck then that's a good price.
 
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#14
If your intention is to sell it... no.
It's a lot of work and finding someone willing to pay for aesthetic modifications they didn't chose on a cheap bass is not going to be easy. Most people would rather buy the same model in good condition.

If your intention is to have fun working on a bass and don't mind loosing some money with it... go ahead. You might be able to steam most of those dents back to shape and not have to reshape that much.
 
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#15
Should you? Only if you want a hobby bass. Meaning an project to occupy your time, but keep it in perspective. I know from experience, that it'll never be "great". I've done it (twice) and I can tell ya that no matter how hard I tried and how much money I threw at it. It still lacked the "feel" of quality or the tonal character. I theorized that the body lacked mass / resonance (that particular P-bass weighed less than 8lbs). and even if I had a heavier/denser wood body, to get to "great" I still needed one more thing..... a nice neck ..... $300-$500. So while it was a learning experience, a hobby and a nice couch / patio bass, it's not "the great one" that we all desire. To be honest, I shoulda just bought a build kit and done it right.
 
#18
Bass-Babe said:
a Jbass pup to make a ss Jbass.
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Killing Floor said:
Do it. Have fun. Post pics.

Don’t worry too much about the kind of wood. The way a bass guitar makes all those rocking sounds is a ferromagnetic wire vibrates over a magnetic field and causes changes in flux. After you paint it you can tell everyone it’s swamp ash.
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Couldn't agree more. I say absolutely go for it. It would be a ton of fun, and you end up with a nice shorty J bass. As far as refinished natural, as others have posted, the agathis is a bit blah looking grain wise, but who knows until you strip it. Don't like the grain? That's what paint is for.

There will always be those that will tell you that it's a wasted effort. (I'd be willing to bet many have never done it themselves). Many will tell you that it won't sound/play good, never be right etc. Don't listen to the naysayers, it might just be it will sound and play great. The few times Ive done it, I've ended up with basses that have been more than worth the effort.
 
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#19
funkinbottom said:
Couldn't agree more. I say absolutely go for it. It would be a ton of fun, and you end up with a nice shorty J bass. As far as refinished natural, as others have posted, the agathis is a bit blah looking grain wise, but who knows until you strip it. Don't like the grain? That's what paint is for.

There will always be those that will tell you that it's a wasted effort. (I'd be willing to bet many have never done it themselves). Many will tell you that it won't sound/play good, never be right etc. Don't listen to the naysayers, it might just be it will sound and play great. The few times Ive done it, I've ended up with basses that have been more than worth the effort.
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Thanks
Slava Ukraini!
 
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