dave74200 Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Hi all, I have a Squier JV Precision which I love the feel of. It plays like butter and has a nice rich vintage tone. My issue is, for the music I play and enjoy playing, my MIM P bass does a better job. I like the aggressive modern tone of the newer bass. I guess that I'm just not a vintage tone type of guy! So I'm thinking; do I replace the pickups in the JV (it's presently all original) or sell/trade it? I don't want to devalue it but would love it to sound like a growly lunatic! Any help would be appreciated, cheers, Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanovw Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Something is only original once. I would look for something else to play if it were mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Keep the JV in its original state, and maybe look at a pre-amp pedal to get the grit? Other than that, the MIM does what you`re after, use that, nowt wrong with MIM Fenders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 No pics, no bass! Lets have a look at it! I have a JV, and I love it. As above, keep it original as possible. However, you may be able to be clever and replace P'ups and wiring without ruining anything but a couple solder joints, which I don't think will alter a JV's value too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono Bolton Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 (edited) Replace the pickup and keep hold of the original. Put the old one back in if you decide to sell it on at any point. As said above, a couple of solder joints won't make a difference to any value it currently holds, and any time I've swapped pickups I've always tried to use the original solder where possible; no one will know if it's been 'disturbed'. Edit: if you like sound of the Fender, why not just get it set up to play like the JV? Edited October 19, 2015 by Jono Bolton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 what year JV? export domestic? Fender/squier series logo or Squier logo? Also try raising the pup to change the tone Unless it's a very early one, switch the pickup and just play the thing. Keep the old pup though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 I love my MIM PB they really are good imho.....i would personally keep the JV as is. Too good to mess around with and too good to sell 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I've got my JV for the feel. The original pup was a bit thin for my liking. I had a pro take out everything and replace with a quarter pounder, CTS pots, fancy cap and jack. I swapped the tuners for Gotoh Rezo-lites (which fit exactly) and all of the cavities shielded. There is nothing that has been done that can't be put back. Even the shielding has been done with a light easily removable adhesive. What I have now is a killer sub 8lb P bass with a neck that rivals my old '62. If you mod it just make sure its done by someone who knows what they are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Do what you want with it as long as you can return it to stock if you want to sell. Irreversible mods devalue JVs enormously, so keep all of the old parts & don't drill any holes or route the body at all. Anyway - pics & spec, please! Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I've heard complaints about the JV p'ups before but the stock p'ups on my JV '57 are monsterous. Vintage tone but with a hint of grit. Loads of output and even tone across the strings. They are the raised 'A' pickups. No signs of any mods so I'm assuming they are as standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnyboy Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I wouldnt change anything , sell it as is & buy / mod something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassman Steve Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Another vote for change the pick-up and keep the original. Best of all worlds in that you retain a great playing bass and it has the tone you want. If I had one of those you'd have to prise it out of my dead, cold hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 It's your bass - do what you want with it! Its value is only an issue if you want to sell it, and if you find yourself in another band you may well miss it. If you can afford to, hang on to it. Explore different tones by using EQ and (if necessary) pedals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I was very confident doing mine as I gave it to a pro to do who has worked on pretty much all my basses. As previously mentioned do not cut or injure the bass in any way. I now have a bass that I doubt I'll ever sell. Unless you are 100% confident in what you do, or who you give the bass to, I wouldn't bother. There's loads of P basses out there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 [quote name='cameltoe' timestamp='1445372809' post='2891069'] I've heard complaints about the JV p'ups before but the stock p'ups on my JV '57 are monsterous. Vintage tone but with a hint of grit. Loads of output and even tone across the strings. They are the raised 'A' pickups. No signs of any mods so I'm assuming they are as standard. [/quote] i had a jv with a duncan spb1 it was awesome - i then tracked down an original raised A pickup... monsterous but so so vintage - it sounded like an old p bass should... however the more modern duncans fitted better in modern music i was playing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Did the JB57 have the raised A? I know my JV62 doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 [quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1445499543' post='2891857'] Did the JB57 have the raised A? I know my JV62 doesn't. [/quote] Yes. Vintage correct. The 1962 P basses never had the raised A, so hence the JV62's wouldn't either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger2611 Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 So we currently have two options on the table, modify the JV or sell the JV and buy something else.......I can understand the reluctance to modify an original JV and can also understand the reluctance to sell it and regret it down the line.....well option three is the prefect Basschat answer....simply keep the JV and buy another bass as well The OP doesn't say how many basses he currently owns but if it is less that 15 then surely another one wouldn't hurt at all, after all we are talking Precision's here, is it really possible to own too many Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xroads Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I have a JV Precision Bass and the original PU was pretty weak - I replaced it with a Lollar PU, and since then it is a very nice vintage vibe P-bass. I woul vote for replacing the PU, and keeping the old one for resale purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave74200 Posted October 29, 2015 Author Share Posted October 29, 2015 Cheers all for your help. Lots of food for thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Another vote for "keep the JV original". Could you afford a new bass? Why not look at a Squier P bass instead of the MIM, and you might have enough change left to get a replacement pickup to get that modern tone you're after, keep the JV for when you need that vintage tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 As above really... Only mod it if you're not concerned about resale value Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 My totally outrageous thoughts are these. Get the bass working as you want it. forget the resell value and just enjoy what you have. If everything ticks the right boxes just sort out what doesn't. The JV range are lovely basses and designed to be played, not sold at a later date. If you are worried about that pack it away and just use the MIM. I got one when they were first released, and sold it about 10 years ago. There wasnt a single original part left on it other than the neck (with new tuners) and body. I was told by Chris at the Bass Centre that its the neck that sells this bass, the rest are just bits that come with it. Of course buyers like the complete package, but IMO thats just par for the course with buyers. I bet none of you hate your JV basses with different bits on them, its just a money thing. IMO they are also very overpriced these days. Back in the day they were outstanding value, but these days there are many, many basses that can out preform them at the secondhand price point. They have a stigma attached to them that commands a high price, but IME its too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I don't understand these comments about loosing value. Most the original bits can be easily changed and if done properly, stored properly and returned properly then I don't see how the value could be affected. If you rout for a J pup then I can see how it will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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