The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Other Bass Brands => Topic started by: Chris P. on January 07, 2019, 04:54:46 AM
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Vintage will launch an EB-3 copy. Vintage is cheap but they use nice Wilkinson hardware. I tried some P's which were better than expected.
This EB-3 copy, is set neck, short scale and cherry and looks quite nice on the small pic I got.
Differences:
- 3 controls. I think VVT
- Fender type bridge, which doesn't look bad. It makes the whole bass a bit sleeker in design.
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https://www.debassist.nl/nieuws/artikel/3-21545/namm-beursnieuws-deel-6-vintage
A link in Dutch with pics.
The bridge humbucker is guitar size and not mini-humbucker size.
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Bridge and control layout fail. Too bad, otherwise they were so close - I could even forgive the full size bridge bucker ( don't think I didn't noticed how they pushed that further away from the bridge - you know I like that.... means there is enough room to switch to a 3 point if one really wanted).
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A fail or trying to be a bit different, maybe because of legal reasons. The SG Reissue Bass is VVT too!
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I still kinda like this one.
The one that I tried wasn't even half bad.
(https://58eca9fdf76150b92bfa-3586c28d09a33a8c605ed79290ca82aa.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/stagg-bg400-electric-bass-guitar-308744.jpg)
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That was a bolt-on neck if I remember correctly? I think that Vintage could be nice, because set and short. If necessary with other pickups, but they might be decent.
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A fail or trying to be a bit different, maybe because of legal reasons. The SG Reissue Bass is VVT too!
Fail I say! FAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiL!
Yeah I know the reissue was VVT. It looks cleaner but still. I could get over it I suppose. I can't, however, forgive the bridge; not just wrong but litterally the flimsiest thing they could find even by P Bass standards - even the Stagg did better there.
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I don't see what's "fail" about it.
It's not a Gibson, doesn't claim to be a Gibson. They're entitled to create their own take on the instrument and let those who aren't hung up on exact copies of Gibsons enjoy them. With the 30" scale that bass ought to balance well and the dual pickups should give it versatility - regardless of whether they're 1/2" different in location from the original.
Just as some folks here assail TB for Gibson/Ric complainers, there is a tendency here to lament anything which isn't an exact copy of a Gibson down to the metallurgy of the screws holding on the pickguard. That bent metal bridge has graced millions of basses, and it is (IMO) one of the most simple, elegant and effective designs ever conceived. No, it's not Gibson - but the bass isn't either.
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+1
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You guys really aren't very good at telling when a guy is having a larf are youze (but seriously that bridge is bullshit, no matter what bass it's on).
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Too bad about the bridge but the rest looks okay. It souldn't neckdive like the long scale Epi EB-3, and it won't take a great deal of effort to sound better than an Epi EB-0.
Vintage makes SG-style VSV6 and VS6V (vibrola) guitars, so the model name is no surprise. The bodies of their Gibson style models look very close, I wonder if Gibson will take legal action.
Trev Wilkinson may have some kind of ownership stake in Vintage. A brief history of Vintage guitars (https://vintageguitarsus.com/vintage/)
I tried one of the Stagg EB copies, it wasn't bad looking but it had very little fundamental, no doubt from the pickup that close to the bridge.
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What?? No bar bridge??? :mrgreen:
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It sure got my interest at first. But when I hear the term "Flimsy bridge" or "too bad about the bridge" it gives me some cause for concern. To top it off, I sent an email to a friend who I didn't even know had some direct experience with Vintage. He also used the exact words "flimsy bridge." Such a shame. EB-3 basses are among my favorites. I'd rather not say anything negative even about copies if I didn't feel it was necessary. Too bad about Epiphone, too, whose EB-3 is so far from the original and not even a short scale.
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Well, that "flimsy" bridge never prevented 7ender bass guitars from becoming a huge success... :popcorn:
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The bridge is functional, it just looks out of place on an EB-3 copy.
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Well, that "flimsy" bridge never prevented 7ender bass guitars from becoming a huge success... :popcorn:
7ender? I'm pretty sure obscenities are forbidden here. ;D
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You can replace that bridge easily with Fender replacement bridges like BadAss. Or use one with two saddles for an even simpler look;)
You can give it the Mike Watt look.
(http://www.flyguitars.com/graphics/mikewatt3_470.jpg)
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Well, that "flimsy" bridge never prevented 7ender bass guitars from becoming a huge success... :popcorn:
In the 50s. Now even Fender uses better stuff than that. That's the sort of basic thing you see on bottom of the barrel P copies. That sort of bridge is the reason Leo Quan designed the Baqdass series. Like I said, even the one on the Stagg pictured above is miles better. And if you can't match Stagg part quality, GTFO, says I.
But I did say above, otherwise looks mostly alright, and bridges can be changed, especially since there's no resale value to worry about and there is plenty of room due to the forward placement of the bridge pup. If the fretwork is good, I'd consider it.
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I do prefer the flimsy Fender-bridge over the more solid ones. I think you get a more woody sound and less metallic. Maybe it's just in between my ears.
i sold my SG Bass years ago and I def want to try one at the NAMM show!
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If you guys are really interested in this thing, you could always wait for the Eastwood version to come out and see how badly THEY butcher it.
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Well, that "flimsy" bridge never prevented 7ender bass guitars from becoming a huge success... :popcorn:
Perzackly.
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You can replace that bridge easily with Fender replacement bridges like BadAss. Or use one with two saddles for an even simpler look;)
You can give it the Mike Watt look.
(http://www.flyguitars.com/graphics/mikewatt3_470.jpg)
Good point. Bridges can be replaced and there may be no need to throw out the baby with the bathwater.
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From that one photo, I don't see how you can tell whether or not that bridge is flimsy. The Wilkinson Fender-style bridge I've seen is better than the bridge on my former 2001 MIM Precision. Of course it's not a Kickass or a Babicz but those are different designs that change the tone. Whether that's good or bad depends on your preferences.
I'd prefer a beefier bridge. Unfortunately Trev Wilkinson forgot to consult me. ;)
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For clarity, I also like the slightly heavier new style Fender bridges, and I really like the Hipshots with the quick-change string feature. I just think the old Fender style bent metal bridge works great, and is a nice piece of minimalist engineering.
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For clarity, I also like the slightly heavier new style Fender bridges, and I really like the Hipshots with the quick-change string feature. I just think the old Fender style bent metal bridge works great, and is a nice piece of minimalist engineering.
Agreed!
Minimal is better when it doesn't pull out of the guitar. 8)
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Good for Vintage! My first guitar was a Vintage SG copy, bought in Glasgow when I was about 13 or so. This was before Wilkinson came along, and before they revised the outline to make slightly less of a dead on copy. That guitar saw a lot of abuse when I was a teenager.
I quite like this bass. What puts me off it slightly, and it is the same for the Gibson SG basses, are those massive cloverleaf tuners. It makes the Gibsons look like Chinese copies. Get some Grover Titans on there and I would be happy.
A full-size bridge pickup means you could stick any rail-style humbucker in there.
A Fender-style bridge means that you can adjust individual saddle heights. Blasphemy! I would stick a Gotoh 201 or Badass/Omega/Kickass on there and call it a day. I would stick on some Norlin-style ES-355 knobs and call it a day.
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My local shop got the vintage in today. It looks and sounds good!
They changed it from the NAMM prototype:
- It has a smaller bridge pickup now. More Gibson-ish, but the surround is not that pretty.
- It has the three point bridge now, instead of the Fender-style bridge.
I will take it home for a review next week and compare it to my SG Bass.
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I still kinda like this one.
The one that I tried wasn't even half bad.
(https://58eca9fdf76150b92bfa-3586c28d09a33a8c605ed79290ca82aa.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/stagg-bg400-electric-bass-guitar-308744.jpg)
I know! I tried one exactly like this years ago. Should have bought it, it was cheap.
Here's one for sale for £99
https://www.cashconverters.co.uk/shop/product/stagg-sg-cherry-red-bass-guitar/34367
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I know! I tried one exactly like this years ago. Should have bought it, it was cheap.
Here's one for sale for £99
https://www.cashconverters.co.uk/shop/product/stagg-sg-cherry-red-bass-guitar/34367
It would cost more if it didn't loom like a pair of butt cheeks.
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It would cost more if it didn't loom like a pair of butt cheeks.
I like it, it's mirroring the open-book headstock. Like a Gibson Byrdland's fretboard end.
(https://shop.guitarpoint.de/media/images/org/Gibson66ByrdlandSB849876_5.jpg)
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Unholy butchering of the most beautiful instrument shape ever, if you ask me.. I like the classic L5 fretboard end (and butts too) but this is too much!
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I like the fretboard just not the body
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A first short review:
The Vintage is def an SG Bass copy, but all the chamfers are a bit different and the upper horn is in line with the 14th fret, while the Gibson is a bit more symmetric, with the horn at the 15th fret. Pickguard is different, the body is slightly thicker and heavier. So all kinda little changes.
The sound is remarkably similar!
(https://myalbum.com/photo/8eQotKgWxK2b/360.jpg)
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They both need a real mudbucker. :vader:
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With the non-symmetrical horns it looks a bit like those ESP Vipers
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Oh wait! Vintage must've been lurking in this thread because they caved in regarding the choice of bridge. :P
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With the non-symmetrical horns it looks a bit like those ESP Vipers
Yes, the horns and the chamfering scream LTD/ESP.
Of course the Gibson has non-symmetrical horns too, but less pronounced.
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I hope this isn't too old to be considered a zombie thread. This is of more interest to me than it was when it was first posted in 2019. It looks like these Vintage basses are only around $499 or so. Plus, I found out there is a store only 35 miles away that sells Vintage. This could be worth the trouble for me to check out sometime. Because I didn't know much about it, I think I may have been rating Vintage too low. Obviously, this is a brand way more well-known in places such as the UK, etc. It's just a small thing, but I also might add that the name "Vintage" for a brand is slightly annoying to me. But that's neither here nor there. I'll get over it.
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I tried one. It is very, very, very close to my SG Reissue Bass. The differences:
The lacquering is a bit thicker, de body is also a bit deeper than a Gibson, so it feels a bit heavier/more solid. A bit. The contours are a bit different and the lower cuaway is 1 fret deeper. So less symmetrical. Also the pickguard is a bit different, but most thinks were only clear when I tried one, next to my SG Bass. And as said, the sound is very close.
I would try to find a second hand matte lacquered SG Bass, but if difficult, this is a very good bass!!!
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I got a Gibson SG in June which I like a lot. If I can get a Vintage one, too, at one third the price, that would be great. Especially after reading this review. Vintage isn't very common in the U.S. The only reason I got interested in this again is because I've been watching a Scottish band on You Tube recently which plays Vintage brand. I started reading reviews on the Gear Page and places like that. Music stores around here aren't too impressive. But if that one south of here can actually find this bass for me, I would be very interested.
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I just checked and I"d say there is about a 99% chance I'll order one of these tomorrow. It won't be available until December or after. But I can pre-order it and get on the list.