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Squier VM Jazz Bass Query from a newbie

Y

Yukimajo

Dec 11, 2018
30
34
56
Exeter UK
#1
I have been seriously thinking about my next step on the bass ladder, and would like to get a full Jazz bass, which comes as a bit of a surprise to me as I figured I would be a P Bass person!

I do really like the look and spec of the Invalid Link Removed with one exception. The body is basswood, and I know this is a softer wood than Alder that my Affinity (and a few Fender ones) is made out of. I have heard horror stories about the wood expanding and not holding screws tight enough as well as other niggles. Also the tone is a little muddier than Alder. So this all give me pause, but am I just being paranoid or would you recommend that I look for a different Jazz bass model?

When the Affinity line has an Alder body, why Squier went for the Basswood for the VM I don't know.

Thanks
 
#2
You're just being paranoid. Basswood is fine, and generally quite resonant and light (side stepping tonewood debate here). I don't know how these things work , but it seems conceivable that the Affinity's alder is of lower quality than the VM's basswood. Who knows?

The Squier VM '77 is a fine bass if you're Jazz-inclined.

preview.jpg


Also available in 'burst and black (which looks really good IMO).
 
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#6
I agree that the '77 does indeed look like a nice bass, but I prefer a dark fretboard, so I will probably stick to the regular VM and not the '77. And it saves me £30 to boot! Thanks @4sight for confirming that I am just being paranoid. I have a CSE (yes I am that old) in woodwork and was getting a bit bogged down in wood density. But I will always bow to practical experience over theory any day.
 
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#8
I bought a Jaguar VM three months ago. Great bass and great build quality. No niggles or issues. Was made in Indonesia and I am in Pennsylvania, and despite the big temp/humidity change between the two locations I have had no problems. As with anything I buy using wood screws (basses, amps, furniture, etc) I did slightly snug down (NOT overtighten) each of the screws. Thankfully absolutely zero were overtightened or stripped out of the box. Kudos to the guys/girls manning the screwdrivers.
 
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#10
Bass V said:
basswood is wood, wood is good, bass is good, basswood is good ...I think we have a theme here lol
some of my most favorite basses are made of basswood despite my irrational fear of basswood
Click to expand...
Yes, that makes sense. You have a bass. It is made of wood. So it follows that it is basswood, right?
Here is mine. I've added Seymour Duncan Antiquity II pups and a Stewmac Golden Age Harness. It sound as good as it looks. I really like the 9 1/2" neck.
20171022_184348.jpg
 
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#11
Gravedigger Dav said:
Here is mine. I've added Seymour Duncan Antiquity II pups and a Stewmac Golden Age Harness. It sound as good as it looks. I really like the 9 1/2" neck.
View attachment 3246404
Click to expand...
that's a beaut!
to me it's all about the neck, get that right and it's hard to screw up
I have a great Squier VM P (P/J) and I think if it said Fender it would be worth a LOT more $$ lol
 
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#17
As was mentioned, the VM 70s Jazz has a soft maple body. But since you wanted a dark fretboard I suppose that option is out.
I have several Squiers with Basswood bodies, and all of them are holding up just fine after a few years. It's nice to have the benefit of the lighter weight as well sometimes.
 
#18
Yukimajo said:
I have been seriously thinking about my next step on the bass ladder, and would like to get a full Jazz bass, which comes as a bit of a surprise to me as I figured I would be a P Bass person!

I do really like the look and spec of the Invalid Link Removed with one exception. The body is basswood, and I know this is a softer wood than Alder that my Affinity (and a few Fender ones) is made out of. I have heard horror stories about the wood expanding and not holding screws tight enough as well as other niggles. Also the tone is a little muddier than Alder. So this all give me pause, but am I just being paranoid or would you recommend that I look for a different Jazz bass model?

When the Affinity line has an Alder body, why Squier went for the Basswood for the VM I don't know.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Unfortunately there's a lot of F.U.D. surrounding basswood, but its perfectly fine for instrument bodies. Huge numbers of guitars and basses come from Indonesia and most are basswood, so its hard to imagine something being fundamentally wrong with it. The fact that Affinity uses alder and VM uses basswood is likely just because they're made in different countries and have different wood suppliers.
 
#19
The basswood is fine, I have two of the VM predecessor, the "Classic" built with basswood bodies. They're a bit on the heavy side, but so's the tone! No issues with dents, dings, etc, and they get the soft-bag treatment as they were far cheaper than any hard case I could buy for them.
 
#20
This old VM (fretless) body's made out of agathis. There's been heated debates on the qualities of both of these woods (aasswood and agathis). Resonates completely different from my MIM ash Jazz bass and has it's own Fenderish gnarly tone (appropriate to this bass). I changed the pots to CTS and used a better cap (gumdrop 0.33). In general they're fair basses.
IMG_3509.jpeg
 

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