Fender Vintera Road Worn Precision

[dave74200]

Hi all, after some advice please. I'm after a Fiesta Red P bass and was looking at the above. My mate, who's a guitarist reckons the Squier Classic Vibe will be very similar, and around £800 less. I think he's wrong but would appreciate any thoughts please. Also, they are new out, so what's the likelihood of used ones coming up for sale anytime soon, with them also being limited edition!!

 

The more I write here, the more I'm thinking of just biting the bullet and buying one!!!!!!

[Lozz196]

I think the main difference will be the neck, the spec on Fenders website shows a 44.5mm neck width, so wide but possibly not too deep, whereas the Squier CV has the regular 42mm neck width and feels quite slim overall. 

[dave74200]

10 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

I think the main difference will be the neck, the spec on Fenders website shows a 44.5mm neck width, so wide but possibly not too deep, whereas the Squier CV has the regular 42mm neck width and feels quite slim overall. 

What would you do??

[Burns-bass]

31 minutes ago, dave74200 said:

What would you do??

I think they’re expensive for what they are. Assume it has to be Fiesta Red for some reason?

 

Personally I’d go with the Squier if it has to be new.

 

Otherwise I’d look for a Classic Series 50's Precision Bass and then add a white pickguard to it. You can wear it with some sandpaper if you feel the need to!

[vincbt]

30 minutes ago, dave74200 said:

What would you do??

Appreciate it's not what you want to hear but... try them!

 

Some Squier CV punch quite a bit above their weight, so it is true that the difference in terms of sound is likely to be negligible. The main difference will be in the feel of the roadworn finish (particularly neck) and in the neck shape.

 

What previous bass are you coming from? The vintage spec P neck with C width is not for everyone, but the front to back profile makes it ok. You'll find many people who actually prefer the feel of the narrower B neck of the CV. The radius is less likely to have an impact, but it's also different - 7.25 on the Vintera and 9.5 for the Squier.

 

I would find a way to try them, or buy from a place with a good returns policy if trying isn't an option.  

[Lozz196]

37 minutes ago, dave74200 said:

What would you do??

I think I’d try a Vintera out, my Yamaha BB1100s is 44.5mm wide/shallow depth and I find it very comfortable to play.
 

[Musicman20]

I would try the Vintera. The older road worn models seemed a much better buy. Now, I'm not sure.

 

I think the cost ceiling has been hit. If they had installed better pickups I think it'd still be a little too much, but still a better deal.

[foxyFuze]

@dave74200 I have a Fiesta Red 50s P for sale on here; you’re welcome to try it if getting to Bristol is viable.

[Marc S]

I've not tried one of the new Vintera Roadworn Precisions - but the Classic 50's bass, mentioned above is an absolute cracker of a bass.

Also, the earlier China-made CV's are superb.

 

I had one of the Classic 50's P's, and I now own an early CV again (having sold one in the past).

 

As others have said - try one of the Vintera RW's if you can... the suggestion of finding a seller with a good returns policy might be the best way forward for you.

 

But having owned several iterations of Precisions over thr years, my old 50's Classic, and my early CV have been as good as any. I swing slightly more to the CV - a decent 2nd hand one is the best bang for buck IMHO.

 

Oh, and I now wish I hadn't sold my MIM Roadworn P.... but there you go! Lol

 

Good luck with your search, and let us know what you decide.

Edited Monday at 15:22 by Marc S

[dave74200]

17 minutes ago, foxyFuze said:

@dave74200 I have a Fiesta Red 50s P for sale on here; you’re welcome to try it if getting to Bristol is viable.

Hmmm, nice. And im in Barry!

[police squad]

Don't forget you can often get interest free credit over 9 months, softens the cash flow dent.

£93 per month for my ampeg is wearable

[Mrbigstuff]

If you know of one of the original CV P basses for sale I’d go for that first. The difference will be in the feel and finish but I’ve not seen any bad feedback on those elements of the CV.

[miles'tone]

Wildcard is the Bass Centre Bruce Thomas Profile Bass. They get a lot of love around here.

[danhkr]

Individual guitars should be judged on their own qualities as you can get great and not so great versions of the same thing.  The classic vibes are generally really good, but the vintera should be better…better woods, nicer finishing, better electrics, tone, and if it’s important to you, more period accurate aesthetics. The aged/roadworn/relic’d thing is something you either like or dislike, but you won’t get it on a squier unless it’s a used one that’s had a really tough paper round.  That said, it’s certainly the law of diminishing returns…it ‘should’ be better, but is it £800 better?  As others have said, proof is in the pudding; give them both a try.

[HeadlessBassist]

As others have said, it's really down to the individual instrument. As always with Fenders, if you can, try before you buy. One will stand out as the bass for you.

 

As for the price/quality difference between the Road Worn Vintera and the Squier, the latter have been consistent for a long time, but the Mexican Vintera II models have really upped in quality over the last few years. We're living in a world now where an American Professional II (originally the entry level USA bass) costs nearly £2000, so the Vintera II range looks and feels like a comparative bargain.

 

I'd also have a look at the new 'American Professional Classic' range. They look very good for the money & the new 'Coastline' pickups are a retune of the Pure Vintage series, which always sound fantastic.

Edited 13 hours ago by HeadlessBassist