alembic1989 Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 (edited) After years of resisting the urge to buy a Jazz derivative I thinking of going for it. I have got my eye on a VM jazz..the ebonol necked ones... the question is simple ..are they any good...I want that Jaco bridge pick up tone. Is there a huge difference between one of these and a USA jazz? I know that they can be upgraded but I have heard it said that an upgraded Squier is still a Squier..is there any truth in this. If the difference is small then I reckon it's worth a shot. Has anyone put a J retro in one as an upgrade...did it kick butt?..or even different pick ups. Your advice gentlemen please. ps if you have any other recommendations for the Jaco tone ( a different make of bass)...then I am all ears. I'm looking to spend a max of £250 Edited November 10, 2008 by alembic1989 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brummie Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 I test drove loads before settling for the Squier VMJ Fretless, I think theres been quite a bit of discussion about them on this site before so you might get a load more answers doing a search. Mine was probably the second cheapest I tried and yet the one I kept coming back to, the range of sounds is broad. I've lowered the action to get a bit of Mwaw but before that it sounded quite Jaco. I considered putting a Badass bridge on mine but don't think it would make it better than it is. Test drive as many as you can but I'll bet you'll like the Squier + you see quite a few second hand ones around in perfect condition because people can be bothered with the challenge of fretless. good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 I have one and its a superb bass. I have had many a good bass, including Musicman, 77 Precision, 73 Telecaster and the VMJ Fretless is one of my favourites. The neck is equal to a Musicman and to me feels very similar in being very flat. I know this is true as I was playing both basses at the weekend. For the money, you really will not find a better fretless. The only thing people have done is upgraded the pickups. However, as standard, it comes with Seymour Design ones and they sound amazing so its not a must do upgrade. Do a search for other threads as you will find tons of good feedback on this bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 My first 'proper' fretless was the VMJ. Absolutely brilliant value for the money. At the time I'd spent about a year trying pretty much every fretless I came across and this was the best that was under £1000! I tried the Fender Jaco Signature model (non-relic'd) and while it was a better bass IMO it wasn't £1000 better by a long shot. I fitted a Badass II bridge to mine - an improvement for me, YMMV and a J-Retro Pre-amp, not essential sound-wise but I prefer volume/blend rather than volume/volume. I sold mine in the end because I don't really get on with Fender shapes - they hang wrong on my body and make '1st fret' access difficult and I find the bolt-on neck/heel too awkward for upper fret access, plus I got a good deal on a Pedulla Buzz which is much more 'me' both in feel and sound. For the money you can't go far wrong, but I'd try before you buy. Some of the bodies aren't made from particularly nice pieces of wood (I saw a spectacularly ugly example recently) so make sure you get one with no more than 3 pieces of wood in the body. As far as upgrades go play it for a while and think about changing the pickups and if you get on with volume/volume/tone maybe upgrade the pots and the cap but leave it passive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBadBassman Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Go for it! Just bought mine today and it plays superbly straight out of the box. I've been thinking about getting a 4 string fretless for some time to put flats for a more retro sound, but didn't want to spend a fortune. This bass fits the bill perfectly - the only problem is my habit of spending more than the bass is worth on parts to "up-grade" it. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanOwens Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 I was after one of these a while ago (love ebanol boards, hate sunburst!!) but now I need a sunburst body and a fretless neck to butcher into other projects. The FVMJ seems like a good bet!! Of those of you that have them, could you post pics of the bodies so I can see how the grain of the pieces looks. For me, aesthetics are as important as sound so it is actually an important issue!! Thanks, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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