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Squier Vintage Modified Precision V: who's got one?
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
I can't speak for everyone but for me, the original Fender bent steel design might have been good for its time but now there are far more superior designs constructed better to do what bridges do better. My Squier VMP5 immediately sounded better when I added a Hipshot A style bridge. More solid, fuller and easier to tune and to adjust than the original.
Depends on the design. Most provide at least a little more sustain.
Some give more fundamental and less complex harmonics, but not all bridge replacements are the same.
For example, the old Gotoh locking bridges used light pot-metal construction, and relied on set screws to lock the saddles down to the bridge plate. String vibrations were very closely coupled to the body of the instrument, with no movement of the saddles side to side or vertically. This was accomplished without adding much mass.
High-mass bridges rely on heavier materials instead. The saddles are often loose, held in place only by string tension and the intonation screws. Rails or slots may prevent side to side movement, but there's less coupling than you get with something like the old Gotoh or more recently, Babicz.
I found the lockdown bridges to provide a more complex, woody and resonant tone. Especially when they are lighter.
Individual, isolated one-per string bridges (Dingwall Combustion, some Ibanez, etc.) seem to work in a similar way.
NicJimBass
Flossin'? I thought your name was Munson!
I did mine for a couple reasons. First, I dislike the look of bent plate bridges. Always have. Second, quick string release, another issue with the stocker, but a huge advantage of Hipshot bridges.. Third, the saddles move side to side less, being that there are 'walls' on either side of the bridge, and, in my head, it gives the bass a much more solid feel. I don't know if there is much or any of a sonic difference, but practicality wins out, for me.
For people who lean toward the vintage P-bass tone but still want the fast string changes of a top-loader, Hipshot's 5-string Vintage bridge could be a good compromise.
Still a conventional bent-plate bridge, but unusually-shaped keyholes for the ball ends allow for fast string changes. The ledge at the back gives it a more modern look, yet the weight is still down in the vintage range. Great build quality and materials, used by a lot of boutique bass builders.
I'd have to pull out the caliber to be sure, but I think the narrowest version (.669 string spacing) would probably work on the Squie3r. Still requires some redrilling for the mounting screws, as do all the popular aftermarket bridge options.
It's great to live in an era where we have so many options!
Still a conventional bent-plate bridge, but unusually-shaped keyholes for the ball ends allow for fast string changes. The ledge at the back gives it a more modern look, yet the weight is still down in the vintage range. Great build quality and materials, used by a lot of boutique bass builders.
I'd have to pull out the caliber to be sure, but I think the narrowest version (.669 string spacing) would probably work on the Squie3r. Still requires some redrilling for the mounting screws, as do all the popular aftermarket bridge options.
It's great to live in an era where we have so many options!
The finish is surprisingly bumpy. If you use a sanding block rather than sandpaper or steel wool for the first few strokes, you'll see what I mean- poly turns white when you hit it with sandpaper, and you can see the ridges and hollows all the way up and down the neck!
Aside from being extremely thick, it's also a soft, slow-curing resin. When you sand it, you can smell the solvent being released. This combination deadens the neck a fair amount.
That's why I block-sand the necks a fair amount off with 400 through 800 grit silicon sandpaper, before polishing with 1200 through 2000 grit. Only on the back of the neck, and nothing too extreme- I just want a smooth, thin-film finish.
You have to be careful to avoid rubbing through on the corners, but the results are well worth it. This gets way more comments than any other mod I do for people, including proper setup, pickups, bridges or tuners.
Applies to Squier CV's as well. Feels great in the hand, but more importantly, the added resonance really livens up the feel and tone.
Only if you rub through. I cut the finish back to about half the original thickness, which still leaves plenty of protection.
Using polishing papers brings it back up to a nice semi-gloss sheen.
NicJimBass
Flossin'? I thought your name was Munson!
why use a block? wouldn't hand on the back of sandpaper allow it to stay with the curve of the neck? or am I missing something?
When you hand-sand mild bumps and dips like the ones in the factory finish, the paper follows the contours. You sand the high and low areas the same amount, resulting in a thinner finish that's just as uneven.
When you sand with a block, it has to knock the high spots off before it can touch the low spots. You end up with a perfectly level surface.
It's a subtle difference, but your hand notices it as a smoother glide as you move up and down the neck.
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How is the neck profile on the VMPV as compared to the VMJV? Are heel dimensions the same? According to the amount of detail in the Spec section on the website, one can infer that the two profiles can be the same.
I may obtain a VMPV neck for one of my Jazz V's...as long as it fits....
I also noticed that the site highlights that it is of a PJ configuration...
I may obtain a VMPV neck for one of my Jazz V's...as long as it fits....
I also noticed that the site highlights that it is of a PJ configuration...
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