Robin UK Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Hi, i'm looking to buy a fairly cheap 5 string to add to my herd for songs that warrant it (and don't want a fretles) and so that i have a cheaper bass that i worry about a bit less. I've got around £200 at the moment. Looking for either P/j, soapbars or p/MM pups. Was concidering various options, and am now looking into getting a second hand Vintage V950, with the idea of upgrading th pups and preamp with time. Does anyone have any experience with this bass? is it well built? What's the spacing like? I was surprised that a solid bubinga body could be so cheap. How heavy are they etc? Thanks Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 I had a V940FL. I personally feel they should be avoided as they can have poor electronics (bad wiring etc). There are other options available around the same price range - I just can't think of any right now ! I'm sure people will chip in . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 (edited) I've still got mine but use it very rarely (Only really when I remember that it's gestating in it's case). It was the first bass I took my playing seriously on and in retrospect really did the job very well, they are surprisingly growly for the price and have a decent variety of tones to them. I also still love the look of the bass and the string spacing, they are great medium level basses but as Machines said they are sometimes quite bad, but I've played owned 2 V950's and played a V940 exclusively for a while and I enjoyed each one. Also, if you've got a decent back the weight isn't such a problem. If mine wasn't in such need of a serious set up I'd most likely play it more often as it really does have a Thumb bass like growl to it. Edited April 8, 2009 by Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umph Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 i'd say the wiring was questionable but you could sort that out fairly easily if you wanted! but for the price the sound/playability was good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin UK Posted April 9, 2009 Author Share Posted April 9, 2009 Well, i'm not too worried about the wiring as i can always go through it when i get it and check it all out (done abit myself and know some very good electrician/musicians), and i'm fairly used to heavey basses (both my bubinga Schacka nd my warmoth are pretty monstrous) althoughw as thinking a light one would be a nice change, i guess i'm just a sucker for bubinga and dark solid woods. Most concerning comment to me made so far was that it had a very 'rock' sound. What do you mean by this? I play everything from jazz to funk to brazilean to metal, so it needs to be flexible (although i am hoping to upgrade atleast the p pickup pretty soon after getting it). THanks for all the input, Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 (edited) [quote name='Robin UK' post='458135' date='Apr 9 2009, 09:48 AM']Most concerning comment to me made so far was that it had a very 'rock' sound. What do you mean by this? I play everything from jazz to funk to brazilean to metal, so it needs to be flexible (although i am hoping to upgrade atleast the p pickup pretty soon after getting it).[/quote] I think Bubinga is really just highlighting the fact that it has a great Rock-like growl, well almost Warwick like IMO. I can assure you that the bass has many tones to it, your really better off trying one before you get one if your not sure though. Edited April 9, 2009 by Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly deluxe Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I know that this is rescuing an old thread from the depths,but i was searching for info on one,as i have a V950.What do you guys call heavy ? mine is just over 8lb's in weight,plays beautifully,has loads of tones in it,and for what i paid for it,about £125 IIRC,can not be faulted.I checked out the Warwick Thumb BO's on youtube,and i can't hear a vast difference. Does anyone still have one of these,and use it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Mine is the Bubinga model and for a small bodied bass it was heavy..prob about 10+...Josh yes i meant it has a great rock tone...you can dial in a few though..also depends how you play it....possible to get a funk feel from a rock tone hey.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly deluxe Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Mines the bubinga model too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I had one briefly, sold it on here a while back. I thought it was really well made but mine was pretty heavy, very nice looking bass for the cash though. If i'd have kept it (i'm picky about 5 string necks so i moved it on) i would have upgraded the pre or stuck some decent passive pickups in there. The sound was typical for cheaper basses of that era (it was an early one with the gold hardware) with active electronics They're good enough basses to warrant the upgrades IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Amazing how much different pieces of wood can weigh HD.. to be honest i hold my Vintage close to my heart as it was my first bass and will never part with it....I may add mine could be run over (god forbid) and be intact...a very very solid bass....really well made for a sub £300 bass... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly deluxe Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I do'nt think that i'll ever part with mine either,i bought it used about 7 years ago. TBH,i have thought about moving it on a few times,but never seem to go through with it.There's just something that i really like about it,but i do'nt know what it is,and it's never been my main gigging bass.I have thought about putting good passive pickups in,as im not really keen on active circuits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niall6002 Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 I bought one of these vintage 5 strings three weeks ago, its a clone of a thumb in body shape with a rosewood fingerboard, it was cheap used at €100 and the strings were dead, I fitted a set of Ernie balls and set it up properly and what can I say, it has a great sound and is very playable I'm so impressed its a great bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitrobot Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 I have the V940FL and I think it's great. A similarly priced fretless bass is the Squier VM Jazz but I could never get on with Fender/Squier basses, either P or J. They feel uncomfortable and clunky to me so I was really happy to find a V940 in a music shop here about six years ago. I still have it, I play it every day and have never had a single problem with it, as some people have mentioned earlier in the thread. Maybe they are inconsistent and I got lucky, so try before you buy, I suppose. I find the range of tones available to be quite broad too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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