Vox Phantom Question

[Chris P.]

I have one of the new Vox reissues at home. It's a short scale Phantom V (the coffin model) and it's cheap but I like it. It's just in so more to follow. Does anybody know if all the originals were long scale?

[dadagoboi]

I have one of the new Vox reissues at home. It's a short scale Phantom V (the coffin model) and it's cheap but I like it. It's just in so more to follow. Does anybody know if all the originals were long scale?

Yes, long scale.  I'm building a pair of clones of my 1965 UK made one.
http://www.talkbass.com/threads/1965-vox-phantom-iv-clones-two-of-them-to-menace.1086680/
Starts like this...

[Pilgrim]

Very cool thread on TB.  I learn just by reading.

[Chris P.]

Very cool thread! Thanks!!!!

[dadagoboi]

Thanks guys !  I was surprised to see there were so many Phantom Phans out there!  I think I'm going to go ahead and do a correct headstock on the one I'm keeping.

[Chris P.]

My first impression of the Phantom reissue.

It looks cool! Very cool! Of course it's not a perfect reissue, but it costs roughly the same as a Squier Mustang Bass, so I won't complain.

It's short scale, approximately as long as a P because of the body behind the bridge. Like with an EB2 or 3 it feels everything is a bit to the left, while playing.

Well made, a sturdy pick guard and not a flimsy one as on some cheap basses.

Controls and pots are cheap. But it looks good.

Bridge has two saddles. Only think I don't like the gap in the pickguard for the bridge is bigger than on the prototypes I saw at Namm and Messe.

The pickup looks good! I hate basses like the Mosrite clones with J's.

Neck is really thin (36mm) but feels very nice. String spacing stays narrow till the end. Big jumbo frets.

Cool Vox logo on headstock, unfortunately no logo on pickguard.

Nice woods are used for neck and board.

Modern tuners don't look that bad on it.

It balances very bad, but that is as expected. But it looks good!

So purely based on facts it isn't that good, but it's just a fun bass to play! Very fast because fo the small spacing and narrow neck and it just looks so good!! Did I mention it looks good?

With the cheap factory strings the sound is quite agressive. More maple board sounding, than rosewood. It has a nice warm bottom end and more than enough gnarly highs, even if you use the neck pickup only. Bridge only is too thin, but together it has a more compressed sound.

[Dave W]

I'm surprised that they made this in short scale. The original was one of the few long scale Vox basses, maybe the only one. IIRC the English ones had a thick neck (front to back), the later Italian ones weren't as big.

[dadagoboi]

I'm surprised that they made this in short scale. The original was one of the few long scale Vox basses, maybe the only one. IIRC the English ones had a thick neck (front to back), the later Italian ones weren't as big.

That's true, Dave.  My Brit one has the same profile and 1.75" at the nut as my '55 Precision had, but ebony fretboard.  My Italian one was a lot skinnier with a wheel adjuster that went round and round and did nothing.

Probably would have cost them less than $5 to make this one long scale.  The only drawback I see is fewer would fit in a container.  Nice job on the pickups, pickguard is a little off.  Otherwise very nice! Congrats, Chris!

[Dave W]

My Italian Vox violin bass had the wheel adjuster. It worked. Unfortunately it couldn't help the tone. 

[Chris P.]

A girl I know has an English one and that neck is very P-ish yes. I once had an Italian hollowbody. That neck was as a pencil and I hated it. Too narrow. I love tiny T-bird and Jazz necks but this one was too much.

One last note: The Vox comes in a gigbag. The site states it's a soft case, but it's a gig bag. Just a cheap one, but always better than none and it has the rectangular Vox-logo big on it, which is nice.

I hate the fact that some 700 - 1000 euro basses don't come with a case or bag, especially if they have an odd size or shape.