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Squier Vintage Modified Precision V: who's got one?
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
I've been watching the Sweetwater site, and the weights have been varying between the mid to high 8's and the high 9's. So I knew I could find a light one if I was patient. This is now two in a row, as IIRC, the 3TS that I sold to a friend was 8lb 14oz.
The licensed Hipshots are a bit spendy, but given the other advantages, the 6oz weight saving strikes me as a reasonable investment.
I was originally intending to chamber the body, but at eight six, I don't know if I'll bother.
If I don't do any more upgrades, my total investment with tax will be about $410.00.
That's pretty awesome for a nicely finished, brand new, sub-9lb, gigable 5-string bass.
lucky you, for you didn't buy a 5-string Jazz VM... with the maple body they are around 10lbs...
No luck involved. I have a bad back, and after 4 hours, it's surprising the difference that even half a pound can make.
Ever since I discovered the pain loss achieved on long gigs with my Dingwall (8lb even, down from nearly 10lb for my old bass), Northern Ash has been dropped from my vocabulary, and excess weight has become a major show stopper for me.
If it has to hang around my neck, these days I simply won't purchase an instrument that weighs over 9 lb.
Ever since I discovered the pain loss achieved on long gigs with my Dingwall (8lb even, down from nearly 10lb for my old bass), Northern Ash has been dropped from my vocabulary, and excess weight has become a major show stopper for me.
If it has to hang around my neck, these days I simply won't purchase an instrument that weighs over 9 lb.
Echoes of the past last night.
When I was in my late teens, my dad bought me a beat-up '64 P-bass to take away to college. I loved and hated that bass because it got me lot of gigs, but it wasn't the snazzy Alembic that I wanted.
Fast forward 40 years, and there I was yesterday, at afternoon rehearsal. The Squier was along, mostly just for giggles. During an idle moment, I plugged it in to see how it sounded in a band context.
Game over. My beautiful Dingwall sat out New Year's Eve.
I think I might have to get one of Sheldon's P-tone pickups, just so the Dinger can get back to being #1 in my rotation.
When I was in my late teens, my dad bought me a beat-up '64 P-bass to take away to college. I loved and hated that bass because it got me lot of gigs, but it wasn't the snazzy Alembic that I wanted.
Fast forward 40 years, and there I was yesterday, at afternoon rehearsal. The Squier was along, mostly just for giggles. During an idle moment, I plugged it in to see how it sounded in a band context.
Game over. My beautiful Dingwall sat out New Year's Eve.
I think I might have to get one of Sheldon's P-tone pickups, just so the Dinger can get back to being #1 in my rotation.
High praise indeed! Nice story.
How are people finding the B-strings on these? I'm wavering between getting a five string (I don't need one but I haven't owned one for years..), and after spending some time with my VM PJ, these seem like they'd be a good value option.
Obviously I don't expect the B to play like a Dingwall's, but is it good enough?
How are people finding the B-strings on these? I'm wavering between getting a five string (I don't need one but I haven't owned one for years..), and after spending some time with my VM PJ, these seem like they'd be a good value option.
Obviously I don't expect the B to play like a Dingwall's, but is it good enough?
By the way, just started to mod it:
Color me jealous.
Better than most five string basses I've owned. Not magical but solid and usable. I don't find myself wishing it were any better or even thinking about it when I'm playing.
By the way, just started to mod it:
That's great! Looking forward to see how this turns out. One question: why didn't you consider a reverse P route for the bridge position? Just curious.....
There's not a lot of pitch definition or articulation down low, and it doesn't sound very good above the 7th fret, which is where the Dingwall B excels.
Simply put, the VM PV is in the Fender camp. That's to say that the tension improves with a proper setup, and if you EQ it right, you can get a fat, pillowy sound that's satisfyingly full. Think Motown, even with nickel rounds.
I had to change my lines a bit last night, because the B-string wasn't up to the fast, staccato stuff I can get away with on my ABZ. But for pedal notes and low-pitched slower melodic lines, it was fine, and it sat in the mix like a P-Bass should.
One thing that is setting this bass apart from my other basses, it's a slap monster. I've been gigging a Roscoe for the last year, and this P is a nice change. The slap tone just cuts through a mix so well. The roscoe slap tone is sweet, but more polite. The P has a lot more going on in the highs and it really punches through the mix.
When you talk about black and maple, I assume you're talking about the Fender American Standard?
It would also be helpful to know what you mean by "tight", as it can have a lot of different meanings. As a tech, I've repeatedly noticed customers using that term to describe a wide variety of setup issues:
- An instrument with an overly low action on the bass side, will rattle against the frets when you dig in.
- Loose hardware at the headstock, neck joint, or bridge, can produce unpleasant resonances.
- The B-string saddle may rattle against the E-string saddle or the baseplate. This can be due to a variety of factors:
- Poor lateral alignment of the neck in the pocket, placement of the bridge, or saddle spacing.
- Incorrect neck angle (insufficient break angle over the saddles).
- The player has an unusually aggressive attack, and needs a bridge with locking saddles.
- Intonation not set.
- Truss rod not adjusted correctly.
- String stiffness. Round-core strings have a soft, flexible feel that some people interpret as a "loose" B. Ditto in spades for TI Jazz flats.
- Actual string tension, as related to string gauge.
- A bad string can intonate poorly, have an internal buzz, or simply have a hollow sound with a weak fundamental.
- Any combination of the above.
I've also seen people interpret amplified tone in relation to tightness, in highly subjective ways. They may have any of the following preferences:
- The fat fundamental and relative lack of overtones delivered by a hot humbucking pickup vs the mid-heavy sound of a split P-bass pickup, or the extra harmonic content of a good single-coil.
- The sound of an active bass with a specific EQ curve dialled in.
- Pickup placement, ie; neck vs mid (P-Bass) placement, or the classic MM position closer to the bridge.
- Stainless vs Nickel strings.
- Rounds vs flats or tapewounds.
I've also been fooled by unfamiliar cabs and amps, when testing basses in a store. Perfect example: the cab tuning on my G-K MB110 combo favours the low mids. Boosting the bass control helps the E and A strings, but leaves the B string sounding a bit anemic in comparison.
Fender is having trouble keeping up with demand on the new VM models, and with so many to choose from, some stores are having trouble deciding what to stock.
In my area, one local dealer didn't get any VM Precision V's until a few weeks ago. The one where I bought my Oly white, only received it the Friday before Christmas.
Be thankful that you're not looking for a VM Bass VI...
It's official. Just got one in the mail today. It has upgraded electronics but the weight and feel of the neck are friggin great. The american pickup in it might help but this thing sounds great. The wood grain doesn't match up well but I've seen bad matching on $1000 basses.
I sold my first one (a 3TS) to a buddy. He has done a bunch of sessions on it already, and is pretty stoked.
Tuning stability isn't quite up there with my $2K Dingwall due to the more flexible neck, but it's a perfectly giggable bass. I took mine along as a backup on New Years, and ended up using it all night!
A TBer replaced everything but the bridge neck and body with high quality parts before selling it to me at a good price. Just finished jamming all night with it and now I'm looking at the others thinking they're going to get pretty lonely in the coming months. Fivers give me some really good options too. I could end up selling my stingray and getting a double buck if they're good.
Oh and the weight! My back has been out for months. This thing feels great.
Oh and the weight! My back has been out for months. This thing feels great.
