Lfalex v1.1

[i][b]Preamble:[/i][/b] I accidentally clicked on the BassChat wiki, and found the reviews section here. I saw the Vigier link and clicked on it, looking forward to seeing what others thought of these instruments.... No-one had written one! So I guess the honour falls to me to write the first. [i][b]Background:[/i][/b] I've had this bass quite a while now. I bought it new from the Wapping Bass Centre in 1997 if I recall correctly. It was a while ago. I'd been playing for around 2 years, and had only just about got an amp at this point. I decided that I'd like a better bass, and had begun to save up. I'd initially targetted an MIA Jazz, but an initial trip to the Bass Centre revealed that I liked an Ash-bodied Warwick Corvette better, so set about saving for that. One important thing I learned from that trip was to try whatever I could get my hands on- an approach carried over from my HiFi buying habit. I ultimately saved up way too much (that's being young and living at home for you), set my sights a little higher still, and began to think about a five string. On the fateful day, I strolled into the Bass Centre with £2500 to spend, and picked out a Warwick Thumb NT5and a Streamer LX5 to try out. I didn't like the balance of the Thumb, but was liking the Streamer a lot (I ultimately bought an LX6...) I figured I'd try some other stuff, 'Ray 5s and a few others, then saw the Vigier sitting covered in dust in a corner, tried it out, and that was that... [i][b]Features:[/i][/b] Made in France in '96 in Vigier's workshop, it's a neck-through bass constructed of the 10/90 Graphite/Maple neck with no truss rod, and Alder wings (Which for the pedants makes this a "Standard" model. The "Custom" had Flamed Maple wings) It has a phenolic fretboard which blends right into the (black) painted neck. The two Benedetti single coils are positioned closer together than you'd expect. The positioning had been used in some S1s, S2s, S3s and remains in use in the current Series 4. The Arpege model has the neck pick-up much closer to he neck (among other differences) It has 18v active electrics, featuring a one-band quasi-parametric EQ with four controls and a 3-position switch. These address the following functions; Volume Pick-up Pan Frequency sweep (80Hz-2500kHz) Passive tone, which addresses the bridge pick-up only. The switch is essentially an +12dB/flat/-12dB control that works in conjuction with the frequency sweep control. One excellent feature of the Pre-amp is the low impedance output buffer. The output impedance of the pre-amp is a useful 600ohms. No, it's not "balanced", but will comfortably plug straight into desks and drive long cables with ease and minimal interaction. There's a bonus for lovers of (particularly modulation) effects- this seems to render the bass VERY transparent with effects engaged - you can still make out the underlying tone, and the effects themselves seem to sound really natural. The Hardware consists of a Kahler 2400 series bridge, and is best described as being a set of individual monorail bridges which bolt to a base-plate which is screwed to the body. It's very light but stiff and solid, and is a royal pain to set the intonation on. On the plus side, saddle height can be adjusted by hand (!) without tools, and you can adjust string spacing as much as the base-plate and neck width allow. One criticism I've heard mentioned about the bridge is that the slots only line up correctly once every 180degrees, and that the pitch of the thread on the barrels is too coarse to allow exactly the right string height. I have to say it's never troubled me. Tuners are Schallers, and have never given me any trouble. Schaller Straplocks came as standard. And I got the strap bits, too. [i][b]Sound:[/i][/b] Whilst it did win me over with its balance, feel and playability, the Vigier could be found to be a bit polite and boring sounding on first pluck. After much more acquiantance, it dawns on you that it's actually very responsive to player input and has a smooth, singing tone with an excellent [i]quality[/i] to its sustain. The EQ is remarkably flexible, and can dial in a myriad of tones, with only the extremes being a bit too... extreme. The controls interact in a similar way to the way some valve amp tone controls do. There's a bit of a knock-on effect between the pan pot and the passive tone which may negate or augment what the EQ is set to be doing, so a quick twiddle may be needed to get it spot-on. The B string fits in well and doesn't sound like an afterthought, and the string to string, note to note consistency is primarily limited by the player, not the instrument. It's a bit revealing of poor technique. Play sloppily and it'll sound...sloppy. Phrase a passage well, and it'll reward you with a really singing performance. It doesn't slap as well as I'd have thought. My Status Streamline, Wawrwick Infinity SN4 and Fortress MM5 are better with thumpy, spiky, clangorous tones on offer that the Passion can't seem to reproduce. It's dynamic, but just too smooth. It is better with brand-new strings, but they soon mellow too much. [i][b]Action, Fit and Finish:[/i][/b] In a word, Exemplary. No, no coffee table wood work on show here. Just elegant, tidy and solid manufacturing, assembly and finishing. The Timbers are naturally dried for 3 years, cut, glued, and given 7 coats of paint and then lacquered. All the contours and curves flow into each other and nothing undermines the quality feel of the instrument. The Black finish does show fingerprints and dust (badly) but a quick squirt of polish on a rag and it's back to mirror smooth again. As the neck is painted, there's no exposed wood for silicones etc. to be able to penetrate. The action can be set super low if that's what you want, but I find that th tone opens up a bit more with a slightly-higher-than-fret-scraping action, so that's how I've got it set up. [i][b]Reliability/Durability:[/i][/b] It's never missed a beat. That may sound like hyperbole, but I'll give an example to support that rather bold statement. In the 14years I've owned this bass, I've never had to tighten the strap buttons. All my other basses have needed regular visits from a screwdriver to keep them in place, but not these. The only things I've replaced have been strings and batteries (which is to be expected) [i][b]Customer Support:[/i][/b] I mailed Vigier once (in English, as my French can't cope with technical nuances) about having an adjustable level control to make the EQ more subtle. Patrice (Vigier!) mailed back within a day with a positively sunny response detailing exactly what to do, where and how to achieve what I was looking for. None of this "What do you want to do that for? / how dare you carve up my lovely bass" business. He was genuinely interested in helping me achieve what I wanted to do, and respected the fact that I wanted to do it. Excellent in my book. [i][b]Overall rating:[/i][/b] Odd, butr eally good. The Passion has seen extensive studio use, but rarely goes out live (I've less costly basses to use in he spit and sawdust live arena!) It'd be the one I'd save first in a fire! It is a little aesthetically and electronically idiosyncratic for some - Check out the Jazz-come-Ricky body with a PRS (guitar) headstock! Get past that, and there's a smooth and refined bass underneath. I know some will baulk at some features, particularly the narrow neck, phenolic fretboard and painted neck, but if you get a chance to play one.. Do. You may just like it! I'm just surprised that I picked out such a good bass when I knew so little about instruments back then! It's definitely supported my growth as a player, and I've never quite found a bass that surpasses it in every way. Status and Smiths come close, but they're just not quite the same. One's more HiFi, the other more scooped. The Vigier sort of sits in the middle somewhere.. But not in a bad way!

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1293607' date='Jul 5 2011, 05:04 PM']My god, people pay money for those shots? Did anyone see the "Happy bridesmaid" shot. Please tell me that was a set up. I know most weddings have a "larger" bridesmaid but no, this shot was just wrong. EDIT: No, thats a joke website isnt it? Im mean, those shots are just "funnies", not actually taken for weddings. They cant be.[/quote] Judging by the Fred & Rose West snapshot in the slideshow, I'd bloody hope so...

[quote name='Doddy' post='1293656' date='Jul 5 2011, 05:42 PM']15 Standard Fenders have 20 frets.[/quote] And remember that they were tuned EADGC, too. I still want one. Just to confuse people, and because they're not very popular!

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1294498' date='Jul 6 2011, 11:11 AM']Ive never liked a Fender P or J with different pups. I owned the USA Deluxe P bass with the humbucker and it was poor, IMO, compared to the Ray humbucker. Id like to try but I doubt id like them.[/quote] As in the "old" Deluxe with a JJ humbucker? I never felt it was trying to emulate the sound of the MMHB. Certainly not in that instrument. More like "beef-up/thicken up" the output/tone of the bridge pick-up when compared to the "P" pick-up. Single "J"s can sound weak in a P/J unless they're relatively high output. If you were expecting it to sound like a 'Ray, no wonder you were disappointed.

Given that (many) Fender parts are readily interchangeable, I'm surprised they don't have an ordering hotline a bit like a Chinese take-away. Give 'em a call, pick what you like off of the menu, and it's despatched a fortnight later. Why so long? They've got to rout the body for your choice of pick-up/s and allow time for the paint/lacquer to dry. Otherwise, sell kits for user assembly (works with bicycles, and for IKEA) or allow dealers to hold spares enough to build instruments on site. Ooooh! Think of the options! Tuners- Elephant Ears, Lollipops, Reverse or non-reverse geared, Klusons, Fenders, Lightweights, D-Tuners, Black/Gold/Chrome/Nickel/Relic Necks- One piece maple, choice of truss-rod adjustment (neck, body and "vintage") Dots, Blocks or blank. Bound. Unbound. Skunk stripe or none. Maple, Rosewood, Pau Ferro, Phenolic or Ebony boards in fretted or fretless (coated as necessary) All in P or J widths and C,D and soft V shapes. Matching ot non-matching headstock. Slim or standard headstock shapes. Tusq, Nylon or brass nuts Bridges- BBOT, BadassII, HMVintage, choice of through-body or top-load, in Black/Gold/Chrome/Relic. Bodies- Ash/Alder. Choose a colour, trans, burst, natural or metallic finish. P,J or Tele Pick-ups- 51p single coils, J, P, P/J, Bigblock, P/P, JJ/JJ, Tele HB. Controls/plates- Classic J, Tele and P options, plus Stacked pot J. Just working that lot out (disregarding colours) gives over 5000 combinations. All of which would be identifiable to most of us as having some degree of Fender heritage... Let them keep going. There has to be a combination in there for most people. Even if it's just a specific combination of hitherto unavailable features or colour combinations.

Not only but also.... You can use the "FX return" to turn your head into a "slave" power amp for any other preamplifier you may have. Works fine on my Trace SMX Head.

[quote name='Machines' post='1293401' date='Jul 5 2011, 01:52 PM']...Overall, I am astounded by the quality of the instrument at the price point, the only compromise I can find is the body wood (poplar) which is not reknowned as being a tone wood or being expensive, but in this case seems to be absolutely fine for the job....[/quote] EBMM have used Poplar for 'Rays/Ray 5s. I think only under solid colours (as it is kind of "Dull", grain wise) So it does have a precedent in its use as a tonewood. I don't think many people would readily diss a 'Rays tonal quality.

Cycle lots (without gloves!) and get a job entailing manual labour. That'll render your hands pretty tough. Otherwise, superglue.

[quote name='Johnston' post='1291459' date='Jul 3 2011, 09:09 PM']It's a magnet that agitates the strings to get them vibrating. Usually on a guitar they look like a humbucker but one of the coils is a magnet to get the strings vibrating and a single coil pup. Mate has one on a Jackson although it's a factory fit. I think he said the "Single coil pup" is actually the magnet. So it looks like a HSH but is actually HH and will keep notes going for as long as you can hold the string down.[/quote] Does it work/sound a bit like an E-bow, then?

This may be contentious, but here goes... Does a bass that doesn't sustain as well need to be played harder in the first place? Is that healthy/necessary/desirable? What if you play very lightly or use a great deal of dynamics in your playing? I don't think I'd want a bass which had these characteristics. If a bass with less sustain isn't smothering the dynamics/nuances of the player/song, then the note must be decaying much more quickly once struck/plucked, which at the extreme could sound very odd. Do those that [b]don't[/b] care for sustain bother to change their strings very often? If they do, then why bother? Are tone and sustain connected? You can't ADD sustain, so it's arguably better to have plenty that you can damp (either with technique or mutes)

I'd rather leave a band than be dictated to as to how I should spend my money.

The OLP I have has a non-standard bridge on it....

[quote name='Doddy' post='1289782' date='Jul 2 2011, 01:22 AM']Really? So at least every other song that you play is not in 4/4 then?[/quote] We had material in (predominantly) 4/4, 3/4 and 6/8 in equal measure, so plenty of scope for avoiding having them all in blocks together.. And not a prog band, neither. The tunes just came out that way!

[quote name='Blademan_98' post='1289591' date='Jul 1 2011, 09:27 PM']We tend to go for similar songs next to each other. Also looking for keys that are sympathetic. Always end a set on a good punchy fast song. If you have a slow song bury it in the middle of the set +1 on spreading complex songs as it gets a little weary playing them in a row [/quote] Er.. Sort of. [b]No songs in the same time signature next to each other[/b] [b]No songs in the same key next to each other[/b] [b]No tough "kills the singer" songs next to each other[/b] [b]Definitely bury the slow ones[/b] [b]Any songs needing re/de-tuning? Keep 'em together. PLAN in the frontperson's links to cover tuning or instrument changes[/b] [b]Tailor the songs to suit the venue/expected audience[/b] [b]Start strong, finish strong and have some strong material mid-set[/b] Not that we had much "filler" in the band in question. [b]Time the set in your pre-gig rehearsal. Then you'll know if you'll fall within your time allocation. If you don't, edit it until you do. Never overrun. You'll be asked back again if you're tidy, slick and professional, whatever level you're playing at, and it won't P*ss other bands off.[/b] [b]Have a really strong spare tune or two you can knock out really well in a tight spot. Helps if you under-run (unlikely if you planned it as above), but you never know.... [/b] And be able to play all your material in any order whilst standing on your head in the dark no matter what else happens (assuming that you're playing originals) That's how we did it in the best band I've ever been in. And it sure worked. We never played the same set twice. Keeps it fresh, makes you work at it, and can even surprise regular followers with your choice of inclusions/omissions. Assuming you have 20/30 tunes to play with and your sets are never over an hour or so long.

Before anyone else gets the chance... A... what? What does one use that for? [/ Runs off quickly]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1288781' date='Jul 1 2011, 11:07 AM'].... Stig Pedersen's 2-string bass with the headstock-shaped body and body-shaped headstock....[/quote] I thought of that when I saw these. But Why....WHY?! Did they name themselves after a cross between a famous library filing system and a nudist colony?

[quote name='fender73' post='1289293' date='Jul 1 2011, 05:07 PM']now that i like.[/quote] Me too. Kind of a "PazzBastard"

...Reaches for tape measure... Warwick Fortress MM5 17mm Warwick Streamer LX6 16mm Vigier Passion 5 (S3) 17mm OLP MM3 19mm (and my 'Ray 5 was about the same IIRC) Hohner B2a (5) 18mm The first 3 have adjustable string spacing provided by the bridge, perhaps that's something to look for along with a neck shape/width/profile that suits your hands...

I currently own Bolt-ons, Neck-throughs, a set-neck and a monocoque (Status Streamline - It's all one bit!) I have a Yamaha Attitude which is a bolt-on, but has no heel at all thanks to the design. The Set-Neck is a Warwick, and like some of their Neck-throughs, the joint is concealed beneath the top, which looks nice and tidy. Upper fret access is as per through-neck designs. Neck throughs offer no immediate advantages over Set-Necks, unless you like the exposed multi-laminate look. The joints are a joy to behold, and "spread" into the body more than Set-necks, which are generally straight into the body. Tonally, Bolt-ons are [i]meant[/i] to be most aggressive sounding and respond better to staccato/slap, whereas through-necks are [i]supposedly[/i] smoother with better sustain. [i]Allegedly[/i] Set-necks fall in between. Except there are many other design/construction/electronic/player variables, all of which make a whole lot more of a difference than the way in which the neck and body stay together...

Bartolini have bladed (covered) polepieces in their MMHB. There'd be no issue with string alignment, and if that [i]still[/i] isn't wide enough, I do believe they will manufacture wider ones, too. It'd be a better aesthetic match for the neck "J", too... Those Squier Vs are quite good, I've tried a couple, and they're pretty ok for the money...

Wetsuit neoprene rubber... S&M Bass! I hope you're taking notes, Jens...!

I like your cat.... (British Blue?)

[quote name='Andyjr1515' post='1281582' date='Jun 24 2011, 10:13 PM']Hi The Jaguar is a Squier Vintage Modified... I will shamelessly steal your first idea but, like the Burglar Bill I am, the second idea is already well and truly stolen [attachment=83426:IMG_1501.jpg] Thanks for the feedback![/quote] Great Minds Think Alike!! And as for him... You only have to type about as far as "Burgl..." and he pops up 3rd on Google as it completes your search. Shocking!

Stripy Spandex!!!!

...And from the leftfield... Highway One and let nature take its course..