Squier VM 70's Jazz

[grunge_freak]

I just picked up one of these basses (the natural wood color with black pickguard, and pearl block inlays with maple neck) off craigslist for $140 in practically MINT condition. Apparently these basses go new for $300 and I love the feel of a jazz bass but have never owned one so I purchased it. And I'm very pleasantly surprised with the tone. Sounds very Geddy Lee-ish, and faithfully reproduces the Fender Jazz tone. Has duncan designed pickups in it. Stays in tune well from what I've seen, I put some D'Addario's on it and it sounds sweet. Only thing that seems a little funky to me is the way the bridge saddles are set up but the action isn't bad, it's just somewhat high but only on the higher frets. I relieved the neck with the truss rod and that helped a little but in what direction should I move the saddles to lower the action on just the higher frets??

 

[TheAnalogKid]

Action is different from neck relief. If your relief is OK, the way to check action is using a 6" ruler, with 1/64" graduations, from auto parts stores/Home Depot, etc. It is also a good idea to make sure that the saddle/string heights conform with the radius, or curvature, of the fretboard. Per Fender's website for VM 70s jazz bass specs, your neck radius is 9.5". Below is an excerpt from the setup guide, which I downloaded from Fender support. It's a starting point for reference sake, but your playing style may dictate something different:

ACTION
Measure the distance between bottom of each string and top of the 17th fret. Adjust bridge saddles to the height according to the chart below, then re-tune. Experiment with the height until the desired sound and feel is achieved.

Neck Radius: 9.5 to 12"

String Height, Bass side: 4/64" - 6/64"; Treble Side: 3/64" - 5/64"