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Squier VM Jazz

spongebob

By spongebob,
in Bass Guitars

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spongebob Mentor

spongebob

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Has anyone seen the (new, I think) Squier VM Jazz?

I've read loads of great stuff on here about the new Squiers - and this looks great - like a '75 Jazz!

I'm normally a Ric man, and don't have much experience of the Squier stuff - haven't played one in years - but I've always fancied a '75 Jazz.....

Obviously, it's not the same planet as the £1300+, but would these basses be a real let-down?

Anyone else on here got a Squier amongst the top-end stuff? I just think these look great, for under £250!!

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Circle_of_Fifths Apprentice

Circle_of_Fifths

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[quote name='spongebob' post='971825' date='Sep 29 2010, 08:14 AM']Has anyone seen the (new, I think) Squier VM Jazz?

I've read loads of great stuff on here about the new Squiers - and this looks great - like a '75 Jazz!

I'm normally a Ric man, and don't have much experience of the Squier stuff - haven't played one in years - but I've always fancied a '75 Jazz.....

Obviously, it's not the same planet as the £1300+, but would these basses be a real let-down?

Anyone else on here got a Squier amongst the top-end stuff? I just think these look great, for under £250!![/quote]

You mean this one? :::

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Circle_of_Fifths Apprentice

Circle_of_Fifths

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[quote name='bh2' post='971918' date='Sep 29 2010, 09:40 AM']I think Mr sponge is refering to the new ones... with the strat knobs...

[url="http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0327702506"]http://www.squierguitars.com/products/sear...rtno=0327702506[/url]

I reckon the CV will be better.[/quote]

Hmm. Didn't know that the '77s were also Squier VM-Jazz models.

I know the '70s are so called though; that's the model I have posted and the reason I was asking.

Just confused - easy for me I guess.

I see what he means now though:::

Edited by Circle_of_Fifths
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Circle_of_Fifths Apprentice

Circle_of_Fifths

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[quote name='spongebob' post='971986' date='Sep 29 2010, 10:56 AM']Yes! Yes!

That's the one.....looks great. How's it with you?[/quote]

It's swell. It has definition and tone that I never expected from a Jazz. The p'ups are Duncan Designed - and if that means that Duncan built them or just had them created under license, they smoke!

I replaced the 7250 NPS Fender strings on it after a very short while though for Elixir NANOS (45/100) and a lot of the string zing went away. I really like the NANOS and have them on a few of my basses.

Weight-wise - it's a little heavier than everything but my Deluxe Jazz, but it's so smooth to wear with just a minimal amount of head heaviness.

The finish was and still is superb and there's no fret sprout or sharp edges anywhere. The pots are smooth and velvety and they are silent.

Let me show you the insides:::





...........and the outsides:::









Yeah - my living room's red. So's the carpet and the couches. Well - the walls aren't though.



The VM-Jazz is just a great hot rod to play and it can bark at the lead guitarist and shut down the drummer too. The biggest tone-thing is the clarity and definition of the notes and yet it can honk in the super-low arena too.

All in all, I enjoy it mucho and it has it's established place in my playing pool.

You'll enjoy yours - and I'm talking STOCK here!

Edited by Circle_of_Fifths
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tony_m Mentor

tony_m

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[quote name='gary mac' post='972316' date='Sep 30 2010, 08:04 AM']Good group of pics.

I didn't realise they were crafted in China these days, mine wasn't.[/quote]
Going by the serial number, it appears to date from 1999, which makes it significantly older than my 2007 Indonesian jobbie - looks like the US might have got a version of the '70s VMJ earlier and from a different source than we did over this side of the Pond? :)

[i]Edited to add:[/i] According to the specs on the Squier website, the '70s VMJ was introduced 7/2006. :lol:

Edited by tony_m
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gary mac Veteran

gary mac

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[quote name='squire5' post='972382' date='Sep 30 2010, 09:41 AM']Mine neither.(Indonesia)And neither does it have that routing under the pickguard.I can use mine with the PG off just fine.All there is is a slightly larger than usual/necessary cutout for the neck pickup.[/quote]

Yes I managed to miss that very obvious difference. Maybe Chinese ones end up in the states and we get the Indonesian ones.

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spongebob Mentor

spongebob

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I know they look like the '75 Jazz (£1300??), but has anyone actually played one alongside?

Just wonder how it compares?

I'm a bit of a gear snob....sorry....had a Squier some years ago, and TBH, it was crap. Been playing Rics ever since, but wouldn't mind a back-up, and for a bit of a change for practice.

I keep reading about how good they are now compared to a MIM - I've got TBH, they look fantastic, and to me, a lot better than anything in the MIM or MIA range below about £1000!!

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SignsOfDelirium_bassist Contributor

SignsOfDelirium_bassist

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I didn't have my VMJ stock for very long...but it was damn nice stock, I just felt like modding it a bit :) So all I can really say is this...slam some Wizard 64s in there, with a badass3 and it's a whole new level of beast! haha. I've still yet to get some 500/250k pots installed, but I can't wait till I have.

My only 2 complaints is that unfortunately the fingerboard isn't glossed, but it's still very nice to play, so it's not a big deal...And neither is the fact that the inlays look painted on to me, I'm not that fussed, from a distance they look real enough :lol:

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gary mac Veteran

gary mac

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Got wizard 64's in mine and a badass 2.

Just installed wizard 84's in my daughters.

They sound very different.


I didn't realise until today just what a difference in weight between the two. Mine is 9lb 6oz and feels fairly heavy to me, hers weighs in at a shade under 11lbs. Don't think I would be able to gig with it. But it does growl like a beast.

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Circle_of_Fifths Apprentice

Circle_of_Fifths

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[quote name='SignsOfDelirium_bassist' post='972774' date='Sep 30 2010, 07:04 AM']I didn't have my VMJ stock for very long...but it was damn nice stock, I just felt like modding it a bit :) So all I can really say is this...slam some Wizard 64s in there, with a badass3 and it's a whole new level of beast! haha. I've still yet to get some 500/250k pots installed, but I can't wait till I have.

My only 2 complaints is that unfortunately the fingerboard isn't glossed, but it's still very nice to play, so it's not a big deal...And neither is the fact that the inlays look painted on to me, I'm not that fussed, from a distance they look real enough :lol:[/quote]

There was a rumor that the inlays were painted on the VMs. On one site there was a letter posted to/from Fender about that very situation.

What was revealed was that the inlays are INDEED inlaid and not painted on the fretboard.

They are real-honest-to-goodness 'Pearloid', which appears to be a plastic variety of artificial abalone shell. Since abalone is protected in the US - it figgers. Mother Of Pearl has always been abalone in the US, but I cannot speak for other countries.

(I don't think the Geddy Lee [i]inlay-verses-painted-on[/i] situation was addressed however, and the jury's still out on those.)

As far as the date on the VM-Jazz - it's quite mysterious to me as the bass was new, hanging on the hook at Guitar Center and when I bought it, it had only been there a week or so. Again - when it rains soup, I'll only have a spoon.

I just had an ugly thought - I bet I've got the wrong rear/headstock image there for the VM-J!

I played a Fender '75 Jazz that looked like my '70s VM-Jazz and for the price difference I couldn't see the big reason [u]why[/u] to buy the MiA version. The looks were pretty close and the feel was only slightly different but for reasons on which I could not put a finger, and the sounds were slightly muffled it seemed on the MiA.

The VM-J was brighter and more respondent to my fingers. They both appeared to have the same Fender 7250 NPS strings, and although the pickups were obviously different, I liked the tone and feel of the VM better.

It wasn't just the money difference either - the '75 had those dumb (but pretty) physically uncomfortable-to-play-on chrome guards over the pickups. Taking them off would leave holes and I don't like to see holes in things like that.

I like to palm-mute and they would be right in the way.

Edited by Circle_of_Fifths
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iconic Experienced

iconic

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Posted

"It wasn't just the money difference either - the '75 had those dumb (but pretty) physically uncomfortable-to-play-on chrome guards over the pickups. Taking them off would leave holes and I don't like to see holes in things like that. "

like these :) ...still got my scratchplate film on too!

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jezzaboy Grand Master

jezzaboy

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The VMJ (the natural one) is a really good bass that I have gigged quite a lot. I have never had a CV so can`t say if one is better than the other but I have never had any problems with mine. Having said that, it appears that they are subject to the usual Fender quality control issues. Some are great and some are sh*t! Although, that is more than likley true of most volume manufacturers.

I have upgraded mine with a Gotoh bridge, Wilkinson vintage tuners, Fender logo, black Jazz plastic knobs and dodgy Halfords paint job. If you get a good one, it will do the biz for you.

Jez

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Circle_of_Fifths Apprentice

Circle_of_Fifths

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[quote name='iconic' post='972941' date='Sep 30 2010, 09:14 AM']"It wasn't just the money difference either - the '75 had those dumb (but pretty) physically uncomfortable-to-play-on chrome guards over the pickups. Taking them off would leave holes and I don't like to see holes in things like that. "

like these :) ...still got my scratchplate film on too![/quote]

Nice troika.

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lanark Enthusiast

lanark

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[quote name='jezzaboy' post='972953' date='Sep 30 2010, 05:24 PM']The VMJ (the natural one) is a really good bass that I have gigged quite a lot. I have never had a CV so can`t say if one is better than the other but I have never had any problems with mine. Having said that, it appears that they are subject to the usual Fender quality control issues. Some are great and some are sh*t! Although, that is more than likley true of most volume manufacturers.

I have upgraded mine with a Gotoh bridge, Wilkinson vintage tuners, Fender logo, black Jazz plastic knobs and[b] dodgy Halfords paint job[/b]. If you get a good one, it will do the biz for you.

Jez[/quote]

Well NOW I just want to see that paint job :)

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