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Vintage V1004DX

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Machines Grand Master

Machines

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[size=3][b]Vintage V1004DX[/b][/size]

Firstly let me start this review by giving a big thanks to John Hornby Skewes for sending me the review instrument in the first place. I spoke with their MD at MusicLive and he was very interested in what we do and the possibility of us reviewing their instruments publically. We hope it’ll be the first of many ‘official’ reviews here on Basschat.

Vintage are a brand that have been around for a few years now, my first guitar was a Vintage VP6, which still sits in my rack for whenever I get the urge to play on the darkside. I have also owned a Vintage V940FL, this was a nice fretless, had a few flaws but for the price they were forgivable.

Ok – onto the main topic, the V1004DX. On paper we have a very enticing instrument – a through neck bass with fancy woods, something virtually unseen in the lower end of the market. The specs from JHS website:

[b]Vintage V1004/1005 Active Bass Series[/b]
[b]Body[/b]: Mahogany Wings
[b]Top[/b]: Spalted Poplar
[b]Neck[/b]: Maple/walnut/rosewood
[b]Fingerboard[/b]: Rosewood
[b]Scale[/b]: 34"/864mm
[b]Frets[/b]: 24
[b]Neck Inlays[/b]: Pearloid Dot
[b]Tuners:[/b] Wilkinson® WJB150
[b]Bridge:[/b] Adjustable/ Raised Tail
[b]Pickups [/b]V1004: Wilkinson® Single Coil x 1/ Double Coil x 1
[b]Hardware[/b]: Gold
[b]Controls:[/b] 1 x Volume/ 1 x Balance/ Active Treble/ Active Bass

I feel this is Vintage’s first attempt at a fairly original mid-level instrument, their previous models have mostly been copies of the well known and popular shapes in the bass world. This feels different, and it feels special. Just holding the instrument you can feel that it isn’t a cheap beginners instrument, it feels very solid and not rushed out of a production line.

I took the time to give the bass a thorough inspection before even playing a note on it. The most striking feature is the tantalising spalted poplar top that is no thin veneer, but nearly half of the bodies entire thickness. Usually a top this thick is reserved for high end and custom shop instruments – how can this be ?





The whole bass has a very smooth feel to it, no oil or wax has been applied, this gives it a very natural feel – almost too natural. It almost feels as if it’s just come off the sander into a box on it’s way to the UK. I wonder how it would feel it waxed/oiled and if this would help take away a little dryness that is present. The headstock features a spalted poplar veneer which helps keep the feel of the instrument high end., it’s details like this that add extra production cost to an instrument and a lot of low end manufacturers are willing to skimp on details in order to keep their instruments as cheap as possible. The bass weighs in at around 8lbs, a little lighter than my Stingray and feels lightweight to my Jazz.


 
Working down the neck, the jumbo frets are well seated. The only let down was a sharp edge on the 16th fret, this was the only one I could fault and would be easily and quickly rectified. The neck was very comfortable, about the same width and spacing as my Stingray but with the neck profile a little larger. It in no way feels cumbersome or unwieldy, the low action helping this. The pickups are poleless J and MM style, I’m unsure whether it’d look better with exposed poles – I think i’d prefer it but that’s just me.



The 4 controls are laid in a simple formation and aren’t squashed in. The bridge is substantial, no ‘bent piece of tin’ to be seen. The black saddle springs give a nice contrast and adds a detail to the bridge, again very subtle. I hope the gold plating of the finish will last and not tarnish too quickly as it looks fantastic, all too often have I seen gold finished hardware looking like a rusty old Ford Capri.



The action set by JHS was fairly low, the bridge saddles still seemed quite high however, it wasn’t possible to lower it much more without significant fret buzz high up the neck (which is perfectly straight). Playing it acoustically, it has a very snappy and high end response, the new strings (unknown brand) helping a lot here. There feels to be a lack of lows unplugged - I’m guessing that this is more down to the over bright strings than the bass itself.

Enough banter – time to plug it in. I set the EQ flat on my ABM300 and also flat on the onboard EQ of the bass. Starting at the bridge pickup – one can easily tell that an MM pickup is employed here. It has that Musicman flavour, albeit not as in your face. In a direct comparison to my Stingray flat, the V1004DX fares well as the recordings will reveal. When pumping up the bass control it gives a nice addition to the low end, it isn’t overwhelming but is more than sufficient. Cheaper preamps are often poor in their choice of frequency centre and the treble control is often way too brittle. This is not the case with the Vintage – the Wilkinson EQ is very tasteful and adds plenty of brightness without becoming painfully harsh. I feel a mid control would be a useful addition, whilst it may up the price a little, it would certainly add a little more icing to the cake.

The bridge pickup soloed is perfect for finger style funk as you’d expect. When dialling in the neck pickup to a 50/50 mix, it takes on a mid-scooped sound which gives a truly mean slap tone, you’ll see what I mean when you listen to the samples - this tone is also fairly useful for finger style. Soloing the neck pickup is interesting, it’s not your typical Jazz front pickup tone. This would suit the pulsing roots of rock and metal perfectly, and rolling off the treble gives it a lovely fundamental which wouldn’t overload the mix against acoustic guitars. The sounds from the V1004DX are very useful – it isn’t a classic sounding bass, but you can’t expect it to be from its construction, nor do I believe anyone would buy it under the false pretence it would be anything than a modern sounding instrument.

Sound samples ! (Thanks to ped for the backing track)

[url="http://www.machinesofhate.myby.co.uk/V1004DX/FunkBridgeFlat.mp3"]http://www.machinesofhate.myby.co.uk/V1004...kBridgeFlat.mp3[/url]

[url="http://www.machinesofhate.myby.co.uk/V1004DX/FunkBothFlat.mp3"]http://www.machinesofhate.myby.co.uk/V1004...unkBothFlat.mp3[/url]

[url="http://www.machinesofhate.myby.co.uk/V1004DX/FunkNeckFlat.mp3"]http://www.machinesofhate.myby.co.uk/V1004...unkNeckFlat.mp3[/url]

[url="http://www.machinesofhate.myby.co.uk/V1004DX/FunkSlap.mp3"]http://www.machinesofhate.myby.co.uk/V1004DX/FunkSlap.mp3[/url]

I opened up the rear panel to see how the electronics have been installed. There are 2 compartments routed into the wood under the panel, one for the pots and preamp, the other as a battery box. Shielding paint has been applied which should be a necessity in all of today’s basses. When looking at the wiring, I couldn’t help but feel it was a little crammed in. The wires were quite frankly a bit of a mess (see pic), it wasn’t easy to see what went where. I suppose corners have to be cut somewhere to keep the price down, this may be one of them. That said – it doesn’t cause a problem unless you want to change anything (and don’t feel there’s a need to).



The big shock factor with the V1004DX is the price, an RRP of £399 is pretty impressive. This puts it in the same ballpark as a MIM Fender Jazz, Ibanez BTB550, Warwick Rockbass Corvette and the Yamaha BB614. These are all pretty popular names to go up against – I have tried all of the above basses, and none of them can compare as well in their construction or quality as the Vintage. The RRP however is rarely the street price, a quick search on Google would allow me to purchase one for £299 - at this price you’re in beginners territory. The V1004DX feels and sounds like a much more expensive bass than it really is, I feel the only reason Vintage aren’t selling it for more like £500 is that the brand name isn’t as revered in the way Fender and it’s famous friends are. The fact is though - it really is a competitor in the mid-price band, between this and my Jazz, i’d go for the Vintage every time.

Vintage are really stepping up their game in terms of quality whilst retaining a massively competitive price point. It can (and damned well should) be only a matter of time before Vintage are considered as more than budget instruments, and until then – a lot of bassists will be getting a huge bargain if they grab hold of a V1004DX.

[b]I Like:[/b]
Stunning looks – will fool a lot of people that it cost much more.
Great pickup combination and EQ, nice variety of tones.
Solid hardware, isn’t go to fall apart on you.
The price !


[b]I dislike:[/b]
An unfinished feel to the body, may be liked by some.
Will that gold plating tarnish over time ? I think I would prefer chrome..
Need a screwdriver to change battery, a pain if mid set.

[b][size=3]Overall rating: 8/10[/size][/b]

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paul, the Rising Star

paul, the

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**** me, Vintage are stepping it up.

Great review.

---

I really didn't like that cheap fretless they did but I always felt their guitars were of excellent playability.

I'll check out the sound clips tomorrow.
I've never seen such a beautiful instrument for such a great price.

How do you feel it compares, tonal quality wise, to your jazz and stingray?

Edited by paul, the
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stingrayfan Rising Star

stingrayfan

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Good review Mr Machines. I actually love the look of the back of the bass, it's like the 80s Arias. If the front looked like the back, I'd be interested. Not a massive fan on the fancy woods but I realise a lot of people like them. Can't get the first three sound clips to work, but the funk one sound nice a hi-fi. Top work Vintage.

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funkypenguin Rising Star

funkypenguin

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wow....

i'm impressed with what vintage are producing these days. these will be very attractive to student bassists. A few months back i was lucky enough to see and try out a prototype 6 string they developed. Would make a fantastic flagship instrument if they end up producing it...
Good review!

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Danny Rookie

Danny

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Nice review Machines, I have been looking forward to reading it as I wanted to compare this bass to the BB614 and could find plenty on the Yamaha but nothing on this bass.
Funnily enough a lot of the positive comments on the Yamaha were by yourself, overall if you could have only one would you choose the vintage?

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Machines Grand Master

Machines

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[quote name='Hit&Run' post='96887' date='Nov 30 2007, 06:42 PM']Where? I couldn't find 'em.

Nice looking bass.[/quote]

My mistake, it was £299. Original thread corrected.

[quote name='Danny' post='96906' date='Nov 30 2007, 07:20 PM']Nice review Machines, I have been looking forward to reading it as I wanted to compare this bass to the BB614 and could find plenty on the Yamaha but nothing on this bass.
Funnily enough a lot of the positive comments on the Yamaha were by yourself, overall if you could have only one would you choose the vintage?[/quote]

I'd say if you want a more classic tone (P/J pickups), get the Yamaha, if you want a more modern active tone (J/MM), get the Vintage. You don't really lose either way...

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