Runnerman Registered Bass Player Supporting Member. My first electric guitar was a Vantage Les Paul Cherryburst which I unfortunately sold. It's probably the biggest instrument selling mistake I ever made. Solid body and sustain for days. The split buckers were very good. I have never played a Vantage bass.
The original Vantage bass were made in Japan and were copies of some of the Kramers of the era. They usually featured multilaminated neck thorugh construction and quite a few of them seem to have been equipped with Dimarzo pickups. Usually a P bass style pickup.Later the Vantage name was bought by Samick and production was started in Korea. The styles of the basses changed but your would see both 4 and 5 string and bolt on and neck through construction.
Some of the higher end Korean Vantages came with EMG pickups but most used pickups branded with the Vantage name.The Korean basses are a basic 'middle of the road' bass, not the best but very far from being the worst. They are as good as just about any bass coming out of Korea with the exception of basses like the Skylines and Tributes.I had a Korean Vantage 5 string for many years. It was a bolt on with active P/J pickups finished in a dark transparent blue/green with black hardware. It played nice and sounded nice and was very well constructed fit and finish wise.
I ended up selling it to my friend who was looking for a 5 string since I wasn't playing it at the time. He has been very happy with it. I owned a Matsumoku-built VP795B (blue transparent with hippie-sandwich center) with a 3pc set maple neck and rosewood 'board for many years until it was stolen in a church break-in. It had a brass nut and bridge and two P pickups (possibly DiMarzios). It was a helluva player with a big, beefy tone, it was wonderful. No snob appeal at all, but a great instrument all the same.Every time I go back to Battle Creek I hit the pawns in the off chance of seeing it.but I hold out little hope of ever seeing it again. I wonder if it still has the Ford sticker stuck to it.Todd in Cheesecurdistan.
The original Vantage bass were made in Japan and were copies of some of the Kramers of the era. They usually featured multilaminated neck thorugh construction and quite a few of them seem to have been equipped with Dimarzo pickups.
Usually a P bass style pickup.Later the Vantage name was bought by Samick and production was started in Korea. The styles of the basses changed but your would see both 4 and 5 string and bolt on and neck through construction. Some of the higher end Korean Vantages came with EMG pickups but most used pickups branded with the Vantage name.The Korean basses are a basic 'middle of the road' bass, not the best but very far from being the worst. They are as good as just about any bass coming out of Korea with the exception of basses like the Skylines and Tributes.I had a Korean Vantage 5 string for many years. It was a bolt on with active P/J pickups finished in a dark transparent blue/green with black hardware. It played nice and sounded nice and was very well constructed fit and finish wise. I ended up selling it to my friend who was looking for a 5 string since I wasn't playing it at the time.
He has been very happy with it.
JHS distributes them and they get really over the top cheesy reviews in the free magazine 'gear' which is really just a JHS catalogue. Their endorsers include lists of 'has beens' and 'up and coming next big things'. Trev Wilkinson no doubt has some good designs but gets more credit than he deserves for some of these copies.
I've seen a few in the shops, and they range from not bad looking to absoloubtly terrible. I think they're very inconsistant, some I've picked up had very sharp fret ends.Their LP models have a 'mahogany' body, and the binding is very thin so I think the maple top is just vaneer. I also noticed the headstocks were not the usual LP angle.
In my opinion, Epiphone wins hand down. The Strat types don't look much better in my opinion, again, sharp fret ends and awful looking headstock and logo.
If you see any of their relic jobs, you'll notice that they range from passable from a distance to hideous from any range.You can probably tell I've never acutally bought one of these, but all the hype in magazines and exciting promises make me seek them out. For example, they have Slash, Bonamassa and Clapton type models for an unbelievable price.I'd definately say try before you buy, and if you like it then great. I think they mostly appeal to men 50+ and 13 year olds on a budget. I think this is the most opinionated I've ever been in one of my posts.
I have one of these on backorder - it's a 52 Tele replica. I played a few at a little shop up in Eureka and they're really, really nice for the price. I will say the LP copy I played had something weird going on with the pickups, but the Tele and Strats were phenomenal.
Fast, well-made necks, great electronics, brass saddle bridges, the works.So, here's the story I heard from the guys in this shop, one of whom claims to have met Trev at NAMM. He said Fender (and maybe Gibson?) owe him a bunch of money for custom parts and design fees and whatnot, so he started the Vintage line as a sort of f. you to them. Don't know if it's true but they're so much like a real tele I could see him getting sued, assuming they're not afraid of him countersuing for unpaid invoices. Who knows, maybe it was all a sales ploy. In any case all the sales pitch I needed was playing one. Plays as nice as my MIM Deluxe for half the price.