Vintera II Bass VI Quality?

[rogerbmiller]

Hey all, was hoping I could field some honest reviews from anyone who owns or has played the new Vintera Bass VI.

I have been a MIM player for years and actually sold my MIA Ps because I preferred my MIMs. But I am seeing a lot of really off-putting MIM Fender QC problems in more recent years. Since the Bass VI is it’s own animal, I wanted to get a sense if these Vintera II’s are solid or if they are prone to some of the problems we have seen with some other recent MIM models such as the Gold Foil.

I am thinking about one of these MIM’s as my next option is to spend thousands on an older MIJ version, so any feedback is much appreciated. High praise and/or harsh criticism are welcome. Looking to gather knowledge as this will likely be a “buy before you try” situation for me.

Thanks!

 

[nukebuick]

I've got one - seems quite good quality to me. I actually traded an AVRI Jaguar for it straight up. The Jag was probably worth more, but I just didn't play it much anymore and thought I would get more use out of the Bass VI. The neck is very nice dark rosewood. Intonation is fine with the stock strings. The low E is a *little* floppy, but acceptable. I might try the Fender .100 low E set or LaBella flats, but the stock strings are fine. My example hasn't turned up any flaws so far. The nut is good, neck pocket tight, paint (I got the Fiesta Red) is fine. I tweaked the whammy bar a bit, and it's functional for me. I just want a light shimmer, no dive bombs. So far, tuning stability has been good. I was able to try and finally buy the bass from a guitar shop, which is always good. They had it set up fairly well, and I only raised the action on the low E and A a little bit. The pickups sound good to me. I also like the tone and vol pots. The volume pot is well placed for volume swells and it's quiet. So - I've got a number of MIA Fender basses and guitars, and I think this one stands up well against them. My only other MIM piece is a 60's Classic Player Strat which I like too. I have been interested in getting a Bass VI since the Squiers came out (and I tried a Pawnshop VI too), but never pulled the trigger. The Vintera II is a bit expensive, but I was able to trade a guitar I never used for it so that made it more palatable. TLDR - I like it, seems like a quality piece that steers you to play in some interesting directions.