Show us your Vigiers!

[Kev]

if its a passion number 213, it wont be from 1984, the first passion was built in 1986 iirc, i was about to pull the plug on a sunburst passion number 025 from 1986, and i think that is a series 2, as series one were wooden neck thru's i think, and series 3's have the 90:10 ratio??, very nice bass though!

Edited October 5, 2008 by BassManKev

[cd_david]

[quote name='doctor_of_the_bass' post='300049' date='Oct 5 2008, 06:55 PM']Lovely bass there! As has already been noted, the finish on my Arpege is literally flaking off; the back of the bass is getting very chipped - I liken the finish to that of a Smartie!! Funnily enough, the finish on the Passion I've now sold to Dave Anderson (hi Dave!) was much higher quality with a real depth to it![/quote]

Alright Nick, how you doing?

213 is very nice and close in colour to mine

I was wondering, I have experience of Gel coats,

The gloss finish layer for fibre glass ie. boats, It forms a brittle layer that crack and flakes after a few years especially if the material its applied to moves.

I wonder if this is applied as a finish coat to the necks and then bodies of Vigiers, The necks stay perfectly rigid over time however as we know wood swells and shrinks even tiny amounts, which would cause the smartie effect?
Dunno what do you think?

And Kev thanks for the contact and images, I think the bass is possibly a refinish? It doesn't have the Vigier decal on the body, but Im a Vig novice and not sure of the continuity of this??? Also the bass finish is too much of a brown burst for my liking.

Dave

Edited October 5, 2008 by cd_david

[Kiwi]

[quote name='cd_david' post='300140' date='Oct 5 2008, 08:46 PM']I wonder if this is applied as a finish coat to the necks and then bodies of Vigiers, The necks stay perfectly rigid over time however as we know wood swells and shrinks even tiny amounts, which would cause the smartie effect?
Dunno what do you think?[/quote]
If the bass was finished in automotive lacquer, the lacquer would have similar problems. It doesn't take up the movement of the wood very well and can crack.

[Kev]

[quote name='cd_david' post='300140' date='Oct 5 2008, 08:46 PM']And Kev thanks for the contact and images, I think the bass is possibly a refinish? It doesn't have the Vigier decal on the body, but Im a Vig novice and not sure of the continuity of this??? Also the bass finish is too much of a brown burst for my liking.

Dave[/quote]

as far as i know the vigier body logo wasn't applied on the early passions. The guy is lying through his teeth if it is a refinish as he has told me he has owned since new. The number on the bass looks original, and i doubt they could have done a refinish without re applying that. Tis nice, but not nice enough for my picky mind!

[thedontcarebear]

If you want to know when a Vigier is from, just look at this...........

[url="http://vigier.co.fr.clara.net/sites/medias/pdf/12.pdf"]http://vigier.co.fr.clara.net/sites/medias/pdf/12.pdf[/url]

I would assume the crackled Passion above is 15/05/86.

[ped]

My fretless, better pic than last one:



And a better fretted pic:



More pics (and more importantly, sounds) @ the link in my sig!

Keep viggin'

[ped]

...and yes, the 'cracking finish' is a funny one. Perhaps worth asking Patrice V about it? I would be interested to know. The 'finish' on them seems to be like an extra layer like CD David said. Probably just another mad/brilliant idea...

If they were perfect, it would be boring (like old Citroens - I use that analogy a lot!)

ped

[Lfalex v1.1]

Mmmm.
These seem familiar...
(Naturally) I've tried 3 of these; Nick's Blue Arpege, Ped's Natural S2/Marleaux modded and Luke's S3 Passion V.
All a bit too "bass Jedi" for my aesthetic taste.

So a bit of the Dark Side to compensate.



Sorry.
No better pics!

Edit- Owned from new since April 19th 1997. Made Jan 1996. Sat in the (Wapping) Bass Centre in between.

Edited October 6, 2008 by Lfalex v1.1

[mickd]

[quote name='cd_david' post='300140' date='Oct 5 2008, 08:46 PM']Alright Nick, how you doing?

213 is very nice and close in colour to mine

I was wondering, I have experience of Gel coats,

The gloss finish layer for fibre glass ie. boats, It forms a brittle layer that crack and flakes after a few years especially if the material its applied to moves.

I wonder if this is applied as a finish coat to the necks and then bodies of Vigiers, The necks stay perfectly rigid over time however as we know wood swells and shrinks even tiny amounts, which would cause the smartie effect?
Dunno what do you think?

And Kev thanks for the contact and images, I think the bass is possibly a refinish? It doesn't have the Vigier decal on the body, but Im a Vig novice and not sure of the continuity of this??? Also the bass finish is too much of a brown burst for my liking.

Dave[/quote]My vigier has definently NOT had a refinish! I bought this bass personally brand new from spectre music in bingley and it has basically spent most of its entire life in its case,due to the fact i have always had a few basses that i gigged.It is a mark 1 passion and these never had the vigier graphic near the pickups.

Edited October 6, 2008 by mickd

[cd_david]

[quote name='mickd' post='300775' date='Oct 6 2008, 08:06 PM']My vigier has definently NOT had a refinish![/quote]

Great condition for its age then. Nice one.

[SisterAbdullahX]

[quote name='BassManKev' post='300265' date='Oct 6 2008, 08:12 AM']as far as i know the vigier body logo wasn't applied on the early passions. The guy is lying through his teeth if it is a refinish as he has told me he has owned since new. The number on the bass looks original, and i doubt they could have done a refinish without re applying that. Tis nice, but not nice enough for my picky mind! [/quote]


I stand corrected! 15/05/86 it is! That still makes it a series 1, full graphite neck/no body logo Passion. The finish problem was there when I bought it second hand sometime around '92. It started as a bubble just below the lower horn, which can be seen in the pic, then spread to the middle. Gel coat? Could be. Seems to be a coloured lacquer applied directly to the wood, rather than a colour then a lacquer coat. The bits that have come away left clear wood beneath. Contacted Patrice to get a price to refinish......700Euros!!!!

[SisterAbdullahX]

[quote name='BassManKev' post='300052' date='Oct 5 2008, 06:59 PM']if its a passion number 213, it wont be from 1984, the first passion was built in 1986 iirc, i was about to pull the plug on a sunburst passion number 025 from 1986, and i think that is a series 2, as series one were wooden neck thru's i think, and series 3's have the 90:10 ratio??, very nice bass though![/quote]



Cheers. Series 1's were full graphite partial through necks.

[ped]

Hehe that is quite expensive! Anyway who cares what it looks like, as long as it sounds the same, eh?

Regarding mickd's passion, the bass looks very clean - stunning condition. I know of a chap who owned a bass extremely similar to this - same colour and hardware/logos but the front pickup was further forward, it was a prototype.

Who else has the original zip up semi-hard cases for their basses?

ped

[ped]

[quote name='SisterAbdullahX' post='300886' date='Oct 6 2008, 10:42 PM']Cheers. Series 1's were full graphite partial through necks.[/quote]

I [i]THINK[/i] that series one were wooden neck-thru basses with a brass laminate under the fingerboard. Series 2 had full graphite (like ours) and the series 3 have the 10/90 neck. The series 4 have a 10/90 neck but are now bolt-on. I haven't actually seen the rear of one of these yet, and the useless review in BGM didn't have any photos either!

ped

[steve-soar]

"If they were perfect, it would be boring (like old Citroens - I use that analogy a lot!)"





I once owned a Citroen BX19, what a pile of sh*te, comfy but parts were astronomical.

Edited October 6, 2008 by steve-soar

[ped]

Hehe yeah I guess the analogy isn't perfect, but I am getting at the innovation, quirkiness and fun that I know several Citroen mad fans get out of maintaining and driving the earlier models, like the DS.

[mickd]

[quote name='ped' post='300890' date='Oct 6 2008, 10:48 PM']I [i]THINK[/i] that series one were wooden neck-thru basses with a brass laminate under the fingerboard. Series 2 had full graphite (like ours) and the series 3 have the 10/90 neck. The series 4 have a 10/90 neck but are now bolt-on. I haven't actually seen the rear of one of these yet, and the useless review in BGM didn't have any photos either!

ped[/quote]
Series 1's were full carbon neck through for definate (well sort of half neck through cos it only goes up to the front pickup) and im pretty sure the series 2's had the wooden necks and cheers for the complements on me sunburst vidge.I dont know wether to sell it now or not,just dont think i can bring myself to part with it!

[ped]

Hi Mick,

I am sure it is the other way round - the 1983 wooden neck (called the 'S.T.M neck) with a metal laminate was a precursor to the graphite models that began to be offered around '84 along with a slightly more streamlined profile (narrower horns) in '86. The series 3 was the introduction of the 10/90 in about 1989 where the 5 string was the first bass to have the system, and series 2 full graphite was still an option... I will get confirmation either way on this soon!

Cheers
ped

[doctor_of_the_bass]

[quote name='ped' post='301606' date='Oct 7 2008, 06:50 PM']Hi Mick,

I am sure it is the other way round - the 1983 wooden neck (called the 'S.T.M neck) with a metal laminate was a precursor to the graphite models that began to be offered around '84 along with a slightly more streamlined profile (narrower horns) in '86. The series 3 was the introduction of the 10/90 in about 1989 where the 5 string was the first bass to have the system, and series 2 full graphite was still an option... I will get confirmation either way on this soon!

Cheers
ped[/quote]

Allo!

Does this make the `original' wood/metal laminated neck series the `Series 0'? As far as I'm aware, there was this series, then the version with the `full' graphite neck (wider horns as per the prev series) without the logo on the body; then there was the series with the slightly narrower body but still with the graphite neck and body logo-age (ala peds and mine thats just gone to Dave), then the Series 3s (10/90 with graphite option), then the new stuff thats just come out! Confused!

Cheers!

Nick

[ped]

Hi Nick,

The logos/pickups/horn shapes were just transitional developments - the 'series' depends on the neck, though a very early series 2 is quite different to a later one, for example (but with the same neck)

Cheers son

ped

[doctor_of_the_bass]

[quote name='ped' post='301659' date='Oct 7 2008, 07:44 PM']Hi Nick,

The logos/pickups/horn shapes were just transitional developments - the 'series' depends on the neck, though a very early series 2 is quite different to a later one, for example (but with the same neck)

Cheers son

ped[/quote]

Ah!

So how would I tell a Series III with a full graphite neck from a Series II?

[ped]

A series III would have a 10/90 neck, and the series II would have a full carbon jobbie. The 'Series' really just refers to the type of neck. There have been quite a few different EQ systems and so on used throughout the years, including that modular pre-amp idea... but that doesn't affect the 'series' unless the neck changes too.

Cheers
ped

[lukeward2004]

I have to say, ive always thought of the Vigiers as being a custom and very personal instrument - mine is totally different to any of Ped's or even another Series III that looks the same as mine. They dont sound the same, and ive never seen the EQ system built into mine on any other Vigier.

Alex(claber) and I compared our Vigiers at the last national bash, and I recall we both agreed that although they look very similar, they sound different to one another and both play very differently despite a ver similar setup.

I mention this because I personally dont worry too much about the different "Series" that Vigier seem to run, I prefer to think of my Vigier as my personal bass. I didnt have it custom built for me, but it suits my every need and is the most comfortable bass ive ever played.

Now where's my commision??!!??

[ped]

Hi Luke,

I know what you mean - however just to point out that the pre-amp in yours is the 'standard' Vigier pre which has been fitted to passion basses since series 1. And I think you mean LFAlex, not Mr. Claber...

The main difference between yours and Alex's basses is that yours is a 'Custom (flamed maple body) and Alex's bass is a 'Standard' - Alder body.

Confusing - but awesome!

[lukeward2004]

Cheers Ped, I got all Confuzzled!