Fender Vintera II vs Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI

[mattygbass]

I'm of the opinion that 1.5" is correct for a Jazz Bass and that 1.685" feels just fine on my Squier Bass VI.

Many people prefer the 1.5” and even put jazz necks on their Pbass. I’m the other way around. Because I play bass and guitar, I feel more at home on a 1.625” nut width. Even my Custom US Lakland jazz style bass was custom built with the 1.625”

[GilmourD]

I'm of the opinion that 1.5" is correct for a Jazz Bass and that 1.685" feels just fine on my Squier Bass VI.

That's what I was thinking. 1.5" for four bass strings sounds great. 1.5" for six sounds like a squeeze.

[walterwiseman]

Is he able to put in words what he felt were the differences between the Squier, Vintera, and actual vintage?

EDIT: He can, and he did! See the previous reply from Quitter -- that's him. For more on my take...

Here are the listed differences in spec:

BODY
Squier CV: Poplar
Vintera II: Alder
Vintage: Alder

FRETBOARD MATERIAL
Squier CV: Laurel
Vintera II: Rosewood
Vintage: Rosewood

FRETBOARD RADIUS
Squier CV: 9.5"
Vintera II: 7.25"
Vintage: 7.25"

FRET SIZE
Squier CV: narrow/taller
Vintera II: wider/taller
Vintage: wider/shorter

TRUSS ROD ACCESS
Squier CV: Head
Vintera II: Heel
Vintage: Heel

The Vintera is definitely more faithful to the originals than the Squier, but this is the part that made the biggest difference for me:

NECK WIDTH AT NUT
Squier CV: 1.685"
Vintera II: 1.65"
Vintage: 1.5"

I don't know why they decided to keep the Vintera necks so much wider than the originals. To me, the Vintera still feels too big. The fret height might also be a factor -- I'm not a fan of the current preference for tall frets.

However, my bandmate (Quitter, above) disagrees. For him, all the other stuff made a bigger combined difference than the neck width, and he thinks the Vintera feels more like the vintage Bass VI we have in the band.

Your mileage may vary.

I went down a rabbit hole a week or so ago gassing for a VI after trying the Squier CV, and then Norm’s rare guitars put out a Bass VI (vintera II) video later the same day, so I’ve taken that as a sign commanding me to acquire one, so this info is really useful. Will need to try the Vintera now, but really liked the Squier for what it's worth.