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Squier Vintage Modified Precision V: who's got one?
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
Just put a Hipshot type A bridge (non-Fender) on mine. I moved it back about 3/8", as the B was too short to intonate. I could get close, but it was a PITA to load up the B with it cranked so far back. Worked like a charm, looks great, and LOVE the top loading feature. Also slapped on a set of GHS Balanced Nickles, replacing old Bright Flats. WOW! Bass now sings, nice and fat, and I don't have to fight to dial out the honky mids. Happy camper, and will be happier when they break in (a bit zingy when new).
I love Hipshot Brass A style Bridges. I have them on a few of my basses.
I also have ABM bridges from Germany on a three basses. Those are really nice too. But a while ago I contacted ABM to get four replacement set screws, they were going to charge me 20.- for a few tiny Allen screws :0 . Screw that!
I needed some extras from hipshot too because I tweak with my setups a lot (too much) and they wear out. Hipshot sent me a bunch of them at no charge. Needless to say ABM is out for me, Hipshot all the way from now on.
I also have ABM bridges from Germany on a three basses. Those are really nice too. But a while ago I contacted ABM to get four replacement set screws, they were going to charge me 20.- for a few tiny Allen screws :0 . Screw that!
I needed some extras from hipshot too because I tweak with my setups a lot (too much) and they wear out. Hipshot sent me a bunch of them at no charge. Needless to say ABM is out for me, Hipshot all the way from now on.
I have Hipshot HB7's on mine. They are a direct replacement. A friend of mine has a Vintage Modified PJ, one of the tuners disintegrated; the handle/finger turn fell off. He thinks he can JB weld it back on (personally I'd buy a new tuner or set).
I love my VMP5; it's a great bass. There are a lot of low cost instruments that either play well or sound good, occasionally you find one that does both - this is one of them.
They are both great pieces. I love the ABM on my Cirrus; it's an excellent bridge. Not all companies can absorb the cost of over and above customer service but still offer well made products.
I just picked up one of these used from GC. Pictures to come!
I am thinking about replacing the pickguard. It's an Olympic White model, and I've always loved the white/pearloid/maple combination. Does anyone know where I can pick up a replacement pickguard that will fit this bass?
I am thinking about replacing the pickguard. It's an Olympic White model, and I've always loved the white/pearloid/maple combination. Does anyone know where I can pick up a replacement pickguard that will fit this bass?
I've been wanting one of these basses. I didn't know Squier even made it until after it was discontinued. So I bought this one that I saw in the classified ads this morning:
For Sale - Squier VM Precision V
For Sale - Squier VM Precision V
devnulljp
Supporting Member
I'd buy one of these in a heartbeat at that price if I could find one. Closest I've found is the VM Jazz V for CAD$500
https://reverb.com/shop/neagle-luthier?make=squier&query=precision bass v got what you need: Troy's
I bought a mint pickguard from him and it's superb:
I just purchased my 2nd VMP5; I am very impressed with these basses.
2015 model, CAR.
Mint pickguard, OEM bridge.
Hipshot HB7's.
American Standard pick-up & electronics.
l
2016 model, Sunburst.
All stock except the bridge.
"Omega Bass" bridge.
Both basses have great fretwork; I have them set up with low action and no buzzing. The Omega bridge on the SB bass is 18.5mm spacing (the OEM bridge on the CAR is 18mm). I prefer the 18mm spacing on this bass, it just seems to suit it better. Maybe at some point I will swap the bridge. I am not a big fan of the "Badass" look on a P-bass, imho I think the vintage style bridge looks better.
Another issue I have with the Omega bridge is the B string hole will not accept a 0.132 string (Chromes). I thought maybe it was the silk wrap getting in the way. I tried a non-wrapped 0.135, it would not fit either. I ended up putting on a used set of 8250's (new style), those strings have a tapered B & E, they fit perfect and the intonation is spot on.
I prefer the sound of the American Standard pick-up but the stock pick-up is pretty damn good. It is a little more sensitive to string height but once I lowered it a bit and balanced it to match the string height evenly I noticed a difference. I am not sure if it is worth replacing, I'll have to try it on a gig.
I want to turn one of them into a "PJ". I have a bit of word working skills but have never routed a pick-up slot. With this in mind I think the soapbar shape of the Nordstrand pick-ups might be the best way to go, something like a "Big Single" or a "Big Blade" - does anybody have experience with using these in a PJ config?
In summary, these are great gigging basses. I don't particularly like to gig with a high-end bass in a shady bar and these basses allow me that professional sound, look and feel at a budget price.
2015 model, CAR.
Mint pickguard, OEM bridge.
Hipshot HB7's.
American Standard pick-up & electronics.
l
2016 model, Sunburst.
All stock except the bridge.
"Omega Bass" bridge.
Both basses have great fretwork; I have them set up with low action and no buzzing. The Omega bridge on the SB bass is 18.5mm spacing (the OEM bridge on the CAR is 18mm). I prefer the 18mm spacing on this bass, it just seems to suit it better. Maybe at some point I will swap the bridge. I am not a big fan of the "Badass" look on a P-bass, imho I think the vintage style bridge looks better.
Another issue I have with the Omega bridge is the B string hole will not accept a 0.132 string (Chromes). I thought maybe it was the silk wrap getting in the way. I tried a non-wrapped 0.135, it would not fit either. I ended up putting on a used set of 8250's (new style), those strings have a tapered B & E, they fit perfect and the intonation is spot on.
I prefer the sound of the American Standard pick-up but the stock pick-up is pretty damn good. It is a little more sensitive to string height but once I lowered it a bit and balanced it to match the string height evenly I noticed a difference. I am not sure if it is worth replacing, I'll have to try it on a gig.
I want to turn one of them into a "PJ". I have a bit of word working skills but have never routed a pick-up slot. With this in mind I think the soapbar shape of the Nordstrand pick-ups might be the best way to go, something like a "Big Single" or a "Big Blade" - does anybody have experience with using these in a PJ config?
In summary, these are great gigging basses. I don't particularly like to gig with a high-end bass in a shady bar and these basses allow me that professional sound, look and feel at a budget price.
This arrived at my door today. I live in Mexico . i have trimmed down to three basses. A Fodera ($11,000 new paid $8000); a Lakland 55-02 ($1400 new, paid $800) : and a Takamine TB10 ( $4300 new ,paid $800)
I mostly play jazz and latin jazz in jazz venues here, but also some ska, reggae , blues and rock in tourist bars where i do not want to risk my basses around drunks!
Good instruments are hard to find in Mexico. I have been searching for a good dive bar instrument and found this thread. My main bass for 25 years was a 1957 Precision bass which I sold for Fodera money! I do miss that wide maple neck and I play 5 bangers these days so these Squiers really appealed to me and I was disappointed to see they are discontinued.
i did a search on Mercado Libre which is Mexico's version of Amazon and ebay combined and was surprised to find some for sale brand new! Choice of all three colours. About $400 US including shipping. I ordered a sunburst. I think the white is better looking , but white looks bad once it gets dinged whereas beaten up sunburst basses somehow just look funky. The grain on mine already looks funky so I'm happy with it! I hope
the fb darkens with age!
The neck and fretting are great. The truss rod does not need adjusting and the intonation is good. I changed the strings for a lightly used set of Fodera nickels 45 - 130. they work really well and I'm amazed at how good the B string sounds. The weight is abot 9lbs versus 10lbs for my Lakland and 10.6lbs for my Fodera.
Since this is not my main bass I am not going to hot rod it. I will change the strap pegs for the mushroom head type. Also probably change the pots and capacitor to tame some of the nasty highs, but I am using Fender Rumble combos in the bars and the vintage and contour switches help with this. i have a luthier friend here who custom winds pickups so I may have him make one to my specs.
I felt that i was taking a big chance ordering this sight unseen but I have one year to return it. It's definitely a keeper just for the neck!
I mostly play jazz and latin jazz in jazz venues here, but also some ska, reggae , blues and rock in tourist bars where i do not want to risk my basses around drunks!
Good instruments are hard to find in Mexico. I have been searching for a good dive bar instrument and found this thread. My main bass for 25 years was a 1957 Precision bass which I sold for Fodera money! I do miss that wide maple neck and I play 5 bangers these days so these Squiers really appealed to me and I was disappointed to see they are discontinued.
i did a search on Mercado Libre which is Mexico's version of Amazon and ebay combined and was surprised to find some for sale brand new! Choice of all three colours. About $400 US including shipping. I ordered a sunburst. I think the white is better looking , but white looks bad once it gets dinged whereas beaten up sunburst basses somehow just look funky. The grain on mine already looks funky so I'm happy with it! I hope
The neck and fretting are great. The truss rod does not need adjusting and the intonation is good. I changed the strings for a lightly used set of Fodera nickels 45 - 130. they work really well and I'm amazed at how good the B string sounds. The weight is abot 9lbs versus 10lbs for my Lakland and 10.6lbs for my Fodera.
Since this is not my main bass I am not going to hot rod it. I will change the strap pegs for the mushroom head type. Also probably change the pots and capacitor to tame some of the nasty highs, but I am using Fender Rumble combos in the bars and the vintage and contour switches help with this. i have a luthier friend here who custom winds pickups so I may have him make one to my specs.
I felt that i was taking a big chance ordering this sight unseen but I have one year to return it. It's definitely a keeper just for the neck!
Mine arrived today. It is quite a bass for what I paid for it. I see why Fender discontinued it. It really is a fine alternative to the American Standard P V.
Photos in a day or two.
Photos in a day or two.
So today I did some tinkering. The build quality is very consistent between both of my VMP5's. The CAR bass is slightly lighter than the SB, my guess is they are different body woods? (Basswood vs Agathis)? The neck pocket on both are well constructed, in fact comparable to my American Standard. I am guessing that this where the strong B string performance is coming from.
My bass Squier P5 arrived yesterday. I removed the strings, polished the frets and polished the entire bass. I had a set of Fender O.E.M. strings as used on the Fender American Standard P 5 (which were my favorite strings for the Fender P5) so I installed them. Did a complete set up and the bass sounded great....except for the E and B strings. I thought the PU might be too close and the magnetic pull causing crazy overtones so I lowered the PU a little and it helped but the E and B still sounded indistinct. Strange.
This morning I was playing the bass and enjoying everything about it EXCEPT for the E and B strings and realized that the E and B in that set are taper core strings. I remembered that when I was setting the intonation the tuner was having trouble with those two strings so I pulled the old E and B strings out of the trash and put them back on the bass and now it sounds much better. The B is good even with an old string (likely original to the bass). Odd that the Fender AS P5 sounded best with these strings...but the AS has a heavier bridge and is string through the body.
So I learned something good today. I have an American Standard PU on the way to me and already have CTS pots, a Switchcraft jack and a Sprague orange drop cap and will be upgrading the electronics when the PU's arrive. It actually is quite good as is but has a bit of an edge to the tone and gets very muddy sounding when the highs are rolled off. I believe the US electronics will improve the tone. I'll install a new set of strings when I replace the electronics.
This morning I was playing the bass and enjoying everything about it EXCEPT for the E and B strings and realized that the E and B in that set are taper core strings. I remembered that when I was setting the intonation the tuner was having trouble with those two strings so I pulled the old E and B strings out of the trash and put them back on the bass and now it sounds much better. The B is good even with an old string (likely original to the bass). Odd that the Fender AS P5 sounded best with these strings...but the AS has a heavier bridge and is string through the body.
So I learned something good today. I have an American Standard PU on the way to me and already have CTS pots, a Switchcraft jack and a Sprague orange drop cap and will be upgrading the electronics when the PU's arrive. It actually is quite good as is but has a bit of an edge to the tone and gets very muddy sounding when the highs are rolled off. I believe the US electronics will improve the tone. I'll install a new set of strings when I replace the electronics.
"It actually is quite good as is but has a bit of an edge to the tone and gets very muddy sounding when the highs are rolled off". i
I totally agree. I think the stock pick-up is pretty good but the pots are not up to task. I am going to change the pots, cap & jack on my stock VMP5 but keep the pick-up.
I totally agree. I think the stock pick-up is pretty good but the pots are not up to task. I am going to change the pots, cap & jack on my stock VMP5 but keep the pick-up.
Does anybody know if there are "stiffening rods" in the VMP5? I assume there is not. I have not found any dead spots on the neck.
I received my bass three days ago and spent about 8 hours changing strings from my "lightly used" stash. i started with a set of Fodera nickel roundwound, then Sadowsky flats with a tapercore B, GHS flats with a plain B, La Bella Black Nylon Tape and then back to the Fodera but with a taper 1.25 B. The E & B sounded hollow and had weird overtones with the flats. The taper B was muddy and indistinct with both the Sadowsky and Fodera taper B.
I settled on the Fodera strings with the plain B ( 45, 65, 85, 105, 130 ) and I'm happy with them. I think a set of GHS Boomers would also work well. (The Foderas are round core. The GHS are available as hex core or round core).
I did loosen the truss rod about 1/4 turn as it is very humid here. It was very smooth and does the job.
I'm also going to upgrade the pots etc.
