Clarky Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 (edited) Having read the thread extolling the virtues of fretless was possibly/maybe thinking about dipping a toe in the water (not decided for sure yet). Lots of people are raving about the Squier VMJ Fretless. Also I got [s]BGM oops[/s] Guitar and Bass magazine this morning which gives a great review* to the similar-looking (and similarly priced) Vintage Jaco-alike fretless - here is a link to one [url="http://www.dv247.com/invt/37370/"]http://www.dv247.com/invt/37370/[/url] My questions are .. has anyone played both basses and how do they compare? Also does anyone make a credible P-bass fretless, as I prefer P necks to J necks? * not that it ever gives rubbish reviews! Edited June 4, 2009 by Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bythesea Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I've been looking at those as well, so will be interested to hear any comments. Is that review in BGM? There is one in the Guitar and Bass mag I picked up a couple of hours ago which seems to like the Vintage, and I notice in "The Competition" section they mention the Squier VMJ and say it is discontinued. Must admit that I would prefer five strings (and there is one I keep going back to look at Hugh ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 [quote name='bythesea' post='505491' date='Jun 4 2009, 02:36 PM']Is that review in BGM? There is one in the Guitar and Bass mag I picked up a couple of hours ago which seems to like the Vintage, and I notice in "The Competition" section they mention the Squier VMJ and say it is discontinued.[/quote] Oops you are right, its in Guitar & Bass Magazine, not BGM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bythesea Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 no problem - at my age I sometimes think my eyesight (or is it mind) might be going Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterMute Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I've got the Squire, it's a very good beast for the money, sets up well with a Gotoh 201. It's immensely playable and sounds pretty damn good straight out of the box, I bought a Geddy Lee just after I got the VMJ, it's a better built instrument, but it;s obviously much more expensive. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the VMJ as a starter fretless, and I think it's going to last a good deal longer than I initially thought, it may even simply stay on as primary fretless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Mmmmm, you need to but my Precision fretless mate Early '90s Oly White MIJ body '77 fretless precision neck (original not a de-fret), rosewood board, B-width, original tuners, lovely BE maple '77 PUP & bridge Black pickguard Non original pots & wiring Most importantly, it looks very cool! It's also very lightweight and it sings when needed to, awesome sustain (much better than my '73 Jazz TBH). It's my backup fretless but I'm going to order a custom Sadowsky fretless so it's likely to go in the near future. From your point of view, if you didn't like the fretless thing, you could sell the neck and replace it with an after-market P-neck and have your old Sid Precision back. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumble Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 If you arent sure about fretless and want to dip a toe then get yourself down to your local Crack Converters (or similar) and pick up a cheap P-Bass copy for 50-60 quid and defret it. Its relatively easy and if you completely bugger it up then little has been lost. I did this to a Peavey Milestone 3 and slapped some Roto flats on it. Loving playing it now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I've tried both and bought the Squier VMJ. I preferred the feel of the ebanol fingerboard and the look of the glossy finish. To me even leaving the relic'ing aside the finish on the Vintage looked nasty much too matt and the colours looked like a faded photocopy. Also the neck didn't feel quite as good to me. (I also tried the Fender Jaco sig which was a nice bass but nowhere near £1k nicer than either the Squire or the Vintage.) Of course that's just my opinion and what suits me for feel and looks might not be right for someone else. However neither were bad. In the end though I sold the Squier on as I really don't find Fender-style basses comfortable to play - the basses I ended up replacing it with each cost over 10 times what the Squier did though - so not too bad for a starter fretless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bythesea Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Glad it's not just me - I would buy the Squier over the Vintage (given everything else was equal*) just for the reason that it wasn't relic'd. *And if the Vintage was better I would wait for something else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 [quote name='Beedster' post='505795' date='Jun 4 2009, 08:22 PM']Mmmmm, you need to but my Precision fretless mate Early '90s Oly White MIJ body '77 fretless precision neck (original not a de-fret), rosewood board, B-width, original tuners, lovely BE maple '77 PUP & bridge Black pickguard Non original pots & wiring Most importantly, it looks very cool! It's also very lightweight and it sings when needed to, awesome sustain (much better than my '73 Jazz TBH). It's my backup fretless but I'm going to order a custom Sadowsky fretless so it's likely to go in the near future. From your point of view, if you didn't like the fretless thing, you could sell the neck and replace it with an after-market P-neck and have your old Sid Precision back. Chris[/quote] PMed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Cooke Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 [quote name='grumble' post='505906' date='Jun 4 2009, 10:26 PM']If you arent sure about fretless and want to dip a toe then get yourself down to your local Crack Converters (or similar) and pick up a cheap P-Bass copy for 50-60 quid and defret it. Its relatively easy and if you completely bugger it up then little has been lost. I did this to a Peavey Milestone 3 and slapped some Roto flats on it. Loving playing it now [/quote] I've been about to do this to my old Encore P-bass clone for the last three years... it has effectively no current resale value (I'd only get £30 if lucky taking it to cack-converters anyway) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Stupid question time. If you defret the neck, what do you do about all thin gaps left by the missing bits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Normally you mix wood dust of the colour you want with suitable glue and fill the gaps. Another way is to file the frets off and leave the tangs in the gaps. There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods. Taking frets out without damaging the 'board can be difficult in some cases. Filing the frets down means you will probably have to remove a thin layer of 'board through the flattening and finishing process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 But don't do these things to a Warwick with a wenge fretboard .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Well, we've seen that despicable job someone did on ebay, however I had a Fortress which was defretted by Mansons and they did an excellent job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Lots of people rave about the VMJ, I bought one hoping to upgrade my Yamaha RBX270F with something a bit nicer. I personally couldn't get on with the ebanol fingerboard, and it didn't play or sound as nice as the Yamaha, so I sold the Squier and kept the Yam. Made me realise what a great instrument my old Yam is, it was my first ever bass too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I got the Squire VMJ and its superb. I got it by pure luck after going shopping for a fretted bass. After playing lots of fretted basses and not finding one I liked, I thought I would have a go on the VMJ just for some fun and I fell right at home with it. A week later I came home to find my wife had bought it for me as a surprise Xmas present. She said you just looked so happy and comfortable playing it. So cool. It does sound amazing but do check the build quality as I had to take mine back as the lined fret filler fell out. The latest one so far has been perfect. I also put some flats on it but I think it sounds better with a rounds. The other thing I don't like is the Jaco look. A bit to cliche these days but it does look awsome though. Really worth getting as an intro to fretless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Cooke Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 [quote name='Paul S' post='506349' date='Jun 5 2009, 01:55 PM']Stupid question time. If you defret the neck, what do you do about all thin gaps left by the missing bits?[/quote] use thin strips of wood glued into the slots and then cut and sanded down flush with the fretboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bythesea Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 [quote name='Paul S' post='506349' date='Jun 5 2009, 01:55 PM']Stupid question time.[/quote] The only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask [quote]If you defret the neck, what do you do about all thin gaps left by the missing bits?[/quote] This has already been answered in two different ways, but when I was considering doing this I found this [url="http://www.bassdefret.com/"]site[/url]. I then decided that if I did get it done my bass was too good for me to try as a first time so will get it done professionally. However, would be interested to see what people who have done it think of the ideas on this site in case I do it to a cheaper bass in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 (edited) Normally, when asked about a first fretless, I recommend that the person has a look on Ebay for a Westone Thunder Fretless. I have a Thunder IIIb, and it's superb in every way that matters. The 1a's are pretty inexpensive, but unfortunately there are none on Ebay at this moment. G. Edited June 9, 2009 by geoffbyrne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Thanks all. I did wonder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starless Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 [quote name='Clarky' post='505409' date='Jun 4 2009, 12:39 PM']Also does anyone make a credible P-bass fretless, as I prefer P necks to J necks?[/quote] Those nice people at Fender made them in the 70s, and thankfully those even nicer Fender people in Japan were making them only a few years ago, one of which is my Pride and Joy...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted June 15, 2009 Author Share Posted June 15, 2009 Very cool - BC'er Beedster will be drooling over this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 That is exactly what I would love. I've got one of the Squiers and personally I have never bought into the 'its good as a first bass' mentality. I've played mine 2 gigs on the trot and never once picked up the Warmoth which is my pride and joy. Its a phenomenal bass and really easy to play. I have TI flats on mine and its such a punchy bass sound. I love fretless so much that I ordered a fretless neck for the Warmoth which should be here in the next couple of days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 [quote name='Starless' post='514471' date='Jun 15 2009, 04:53 PM']Those nice people at Fender made them in the 70s, and thankfully those even nicer Fender people in Japan were making them only a few years ago, one of which is my Pride and Joy...... [/quote] Coool bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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