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Vintage Owners Club (the bass brand, not all older basses)

villis

villis

Mar 20, 2012
571
497
43
Greece (Xanthi)
www.villiskabadais.com
#1
Ok guys i think there isn't any club here about vintage basses. I am talking about the brand name Vintage and not the vintage aged basses

I just got my VintageV4MTB Precision bass and i really like it

Come on post your Vintage basses!!
vintage-v4-mtb-tony-butler-signature_360_b1213da6eec75364fcd851bc44c6eb93.jpg
 
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#5
Here's my Vintage ICON V4MRSSB. I made a few changes.
I dipped all the chrome pars in etching solution to relic them.
I removed the body, dulled it up with some sand paper, strayed it flat satin black and hit it with some sandpaper and steel wool. The scared up the surface a bit.
I replaced the normal tone control with s Stellartone ToneStyler Bass 10.
I replaced the pickups with a Carvin SCP.

Even though I own 11 basses and most of the are much more expensive, this is by far my favorite and is played more than
Vintage V4.jpg
all the others combined.
 
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#6
Pep said:
Here's my Vintage ICON V4MRSSB. I made a few changes.
I dipped all the chrome pars in etching solution to relic them.
I removed the body, dulled it up with some sand paper, strayed it flat satin black and hit it with some sandpaper and steel wool. The scared up the surface a bit.
I replaced the normal tone control with s Stellartone ToneStyler Bass 10.
I replaced the pickups with a Carvin SCP.

Even though I own 11 basses and most of the are much more expensive, this is by far my favorite and is played more thanView attachment 3844245 all the others combined.
Click to expand...
Great work my friend you are #3
 
#8
I don't know how deep you've searched into the Vintage line but the company that has them built (JHS - John Hornsby Skewes) has quite a few lines and models. One of their High-End lines is Fret King.
I just purchased a Fret King Black Label Perception 4 which should be here by next Wednesday. This is a PJ style but the body resembles a Jazz Bass. Considering how good Vintage is, I'm thinking this may surpass the high-enders like Lakland, PRS, etc. I've been wanting one of these for several years and finally bit-the-bullet yesterday.
There are quite a few new ones on Reverb from $799 and up. They also make a Perception 5 (5 string).
The wiring is set up with two volumes and a tone control but I'll be rewiring it for my preferred set-up which is volume, pan (blend), and Stellartone ToneStyler 10 for bass.
Mine is the same as the photo below.

Fret King Black Label Perception 4.png
 
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#9
Pep said:
I don't know how deep you've searched into the Vintage line but the company that has them built (JHS - John Hornsby Skewes) has quite a few lines and models. One of their High-End lines is Fret King.
I just purchased a Fret King Black Label Perception 4 which should be here by next Wednesday. This is a PJ style but the body resembles a Jazz Bass. Considering how good Vintage is, I'm thinking this may surpass the high-enders like Lakland, PRS, etc. I've been wanting one of these for several years and finally bit-the-bullet yesterday.
There are quite a few new ones on Reverb from $799 and up. They also make a Perception 5 (5 string).
The wiring is set up with two volumes and a tone control but I'll be rewiring it for my preferred set-up which is volume, pan (blend), and Stellartone ToneStyler 10 for bass.
Mine is the same as the photo below.

View attachment 3847772
Click to expand...
Great purchase my friend! We are waiting full review
 
#10
Phenomenal! Low action, great balance, fast neck. In the photos online the vintage white looks white, but in person it's a slightly yellowed which reminds me of a white Ibanez I repainted because it yellowed. (I was just a kid)
This bass blows all of the high dollar fenders away.
 
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#14
Pep said:
View attachment 3869154 View attachment 3869153 I hope to get another one in the next two weeks, either a V4 MFR or a V4 ICON in distressed Firenza Red.
Click to expand...

That Icon looks nice, and I'm generally not a huge fan of the distressed look. The maple neck with a matching headstock doesn't look right to me.

I'm interested in the Icon's pickup, apparently it's different to the usual AlNiCo Wilkinsons that ship with the V4, but they don't seem to be for sale separately. I'm curious as to whether they really are a different model.
 
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#16
Joybass said:
So am I. To my knowledge only two Wilkinson P-bass pu's are to be found anywhere: the WPB Alnico5 ones and the MWPB ceramic ones.
Click to expand...

The JHS site describes them as WOBP pickups, whereas the standard V4 is WBP as you say.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

People have described them as sounding different, but I'm wondering if the O just stands for "old" or something and just refers to them being distressed somehow to match the bass.
 
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#18
Hey guys, I received some info that answered a lot of questions I had about all of the V4 Models.
The necks on all of the V4s are the same dimensions. The only difference is the fretboard material.
Now most would say that’s great news, but given the current V4 models have thicker necks and I have small hands it’s nearly a deal-killer for me.
My V4 Icon MRSSB is an older model made by a previous manufacturer. The neck on it is much thinner than the current models.

Also, I just purchased a new V6 (Strat style) in distressed black for my guitar player.
It’s a phenomenal looking instrument and it played great right out of the box. However, the neck is thicker than his Fender, or any Squier. It’s even thicker than his Les Paul,
but it’s still be a keeper!
 
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#19
Pep said:
Hey guys, I received some info that answered a lot of questions I had about all of the V4 Models.
The necks on all of the V4s are the same dimensions. The only difference is the fretboard material.
Now most would say that’s great news, but given the current V4 models have thicker necks and have small hands it’s nearly a deal-killer for me.
My V4 Icon MRSSB is an older model made by a previous manufacturer. The neck on it is much thinner than the current models.

Also, I just purchased a new V6 (Strat style) in distressed black for my guitar player.
It’s a phenomenal looking instrument and it played great right out of the box. However, the neck is thicker than his Fender, or any Squier. It’s even thicker than his Les Paul,
but it’s still be a keeper!
Click to expand...

Some good info, I'll have to get the calipers out to measure my V4's neck.

I've ordered a custom (tort) pickguard for it, as the body is a slightly different shape to a Squier/Fender, should arrive early next week.
 
#20
Here's my V4 in its final form. It's had a custom pickguard, plain pickup covers, slightly smaller knobs and a threaded saddle bridge installed. All cosmetic changes really.

IMG_20200703_140555.jpg


Strung with Fender 9050L flats.

I took some neck measurements while I was setting it up - it never felt particularly chunky to me, and the figures seem to back that up.

Second and third numbers are the thickness of the neck depth-wise at those frets.

Nut: 1.65"
1st fret: 0.84"
12 fret: 0.93"
 
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