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Vigier Porn!


retroman

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[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1486937823' post='3235784']
That is a funky looking bridge! I'm interested to know what all the various knobs and switches do as well. Great buy!
[/quote]

Yes it's a cool design - Vigier's own, which they used for a while before switching to the Kahler bridge. It's very adjustable although the string saddles are really 'deep' so need filing down for a super low action.

The knobs are as follows:

Switch at the top is for pickup selection (front, both, back) and the knob below that is volume with a pull for boost
Down the right hand side there's a frequency select between 80hz and 5200hz, pull to activate, then the gain for the boost/cut of said frequency (+/- 15dB), a little phase switch for series/parralell and finally a tone control that to me feels like it has a huge clean boost too. It sounds neutral about half way round!

The output on the top is for bypassing the active electronics completely and the main output is on the side of the bass.

The pre-amp is very complicated to get your head round but really useful once you master it! It's hard to find these circuits unmodified now as lots of people replace them with a standard 2/3 band system.

Cheers
ped

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Here are some other Vigiers I've owned:

Series 3 five string Passion

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/lukeward2004/media/PasionTotal7-1.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/lukeward2004/PasionTotal7-1.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Series 2 four string Passion

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Me4EL4][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/Me4EL4]Vigier Passion 1985 series II[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/chiscocks/]Christopher Hiscocks[/url], on Flickr

Fretless 4 string series 3 Passion

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/pedullaman/media/05685a88.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/pedullaman/05685a88.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

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[font="Calibri"][size="3"][color="#000000"]Hello all you Vigier Bass owners.[/color][/size][/font]
[font="Calibri"][size="3"][color="#000000"]I have a Vigier Passion 5C with the strap button underneath the top horn. [/color][/size][/font]
[font="Calibri"][size="3"][color="#000000"]How have you managed the strap attachment without the strap slipping to the back if you route it over the end of the horn? I’d be interested to know. I resorted to a custom made strap. I have a leather loop about 100mm long x 35mm wide, stitched to the main strap, with two holes punched in it for the button, giving a choice for best angle and balance. Not perfect, but best I could think of. Just means I can’t change straps easily.[/color][/size][/font]

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[quote name='fihermanmusician' timestamp='1487009853' post='3236247']
[font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000]Hello all you Vigier Bass owners.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000]I have a Vigier Passion 5C with the strap button underneath the top horn. [/color][/size][/font]
[font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000]How have you managed the strap attachment without the strap slipping to the back if you route it over the end of the horn? I’d be interested to know. I resorted to a custom made strap. I have a leather loop about 100mm long x 35mm wide, stitched to the main strap, with two holes punched in it for the button, giving a choice for best angle and balance. Not perfect, but best I could think of. Just means I can’t change straps easily.[/color][/size][/font]
[/quote]

Good question. I find when standing up the strap hangs quite straight from the strap pin so I like the design - however on one of my basses (the black fretless above) the strap button had been moved to the end of the horn which you could try. I moved it back as I said I find it works well for me.

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I have an Excess II in a finish I think was called 'urban grey'. I've had it since 2004. The pick ups are ridiculously powerful. Terrific bass and great for rock music and slap. I think the treble EQ point is set a bit too high for my tastes though as I think it is a bit glassy when boosted.

I also have an Arpege IV five string and I think that there a couple of pics of it earlier in this thread. If I am being honest I don't really rate the phenowood neck as highly as the big slab of maple on the Excess. That is just personal preference though. The three band EQ for each pick up is pretty mad but a cool feature.

My brother has an Excalibur guitar which is a very nice super strat type guitar. He describes it as almost too perfect and if pushed he prefers the quicks of his seventies Tele Custom.

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[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1487181709' post='3237857']
I have an Excess II in a finish I think was called 'urban grey'. I've had it since 2004. The pick ups are ridiculously powerful. Terrific bass and great for rock music and slap. I think the treble EQ point is set a bit too high for my tastes though as I think it is a bit glassy when boosted.

I also have an Arpege IV five string and I think that there a couple of pics of it earlier in this thread. If I am being honest I don't really rate the phenowood neck as highly as the big slab of maple on the Excess. That is just personal preference though. The three band EQ for each pick up is pretty mad but a cool feature.

My brother has an Excalibur guitar which is a very nice super strat type guitar. He describes it as almost too perfect and if pushed he prefers the quicks of his seventies Tele Custom.
[/quote]

Yes the Benedetti pickups are amazing. The old ones have a really unusual 'Tabletop' shape



I can't play guitar but my friend bought an Excalibur too after trying my bass years ago. I have to say that even I can strum it as the neck just seems to disappear in your hand, it's so well finished and feels really played in. The finish is amazing, too.

If I did play guitar I'd get this one

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[quote name='Bbiigg Kev' timestamp='1487325516' post='3238920']
Hi Ped,

Nautilus is RARE me thinks !!!

Have you ever been round the Vigier museum at PV factory, now that is interesting !!!

Also have you tried Surfreters ?
[/quote]

It's rare alright - I was offered a Nautilus bass several years ago and at the time I wasn't in a position to buy - It was in Canada and not 100% electrically sound so I passed. Kicking myself now, though. I've emailed the guy since but he's not responding so maybe he's using a different address or something.

Would love to see the museum - didn't know he had one, to be honest. I have just been talking to Patrice about doing an interview for us so perhaps I'll go and see it one day. Don't suppose you took any pictures?

Never tried a Surfreter but did have a Delta Metal fretless which was the same playing surface, it really sang but I was forever polishing it!

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Hi,

PV is a smashing chap, I last went October 2015, he was finishing a couple of Glover basses for Roger and was on the verge of delivering them for the start of that leg of Purple tour.

Its NOT a museum as such, not open to public, more of a place where they store/keep rare as rocking horse sh*t stuff like first versions or very early versions of Vigier guitars and basses, Nautilus and the Cheese guitar spring to mind plus anything they need to keep record off, development instruments and really nice gear.

Nice people inc luthier Alex and thanks for the freebies B)

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Ah right OK, sounds cool. I remember a chap telling me that Vigier wanted to buy his rare bass (think it was a later Nautilus when they changed it to a programmable system with less knobs) but because he didn't have the pedalboard to match they passed.

My fretless should be here next week... I've ordered a set of finger puppets for it, check them out

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