Fit and finish was better than I expected. Cheesy pearloid pick guard will be ditched. Unlike Sir Paul I use no pick.
My brand new (floor sample) Rogue VB100 violin bass, aka Beatle Bass, before I put it in the Strum Shop for setup and new flatwound strings.
I’m not particulary a Sir Paul fanatic or a pick player, but I like the VB100’s 31″ (787.4 mm) scale, light weight, price and woody rich tone.
Bad fret buzz and a too flat neck meant a setup was indicated. And since Sir Paul used flatwound strings, I thought I might as well try them despite the cost. They are said to last for years though.
It came double boxed, padded and undamaged, and shipping was FREE from Musician’s Friend.
I made no attempt to adjust tone using the famously obscure Beatle Bass controls. Love the traditional ‘burst finish, my first.
The stock roundwound strings sounded OK, nicely warm and punchy- when I could hear the tone over the fret buzz. I’ll save them in case I hate the new flatties.
Didn’t try the quirky controls; didn’t try playing it sitting down-which with my new chrome steel right hip I can’t do anyway.
Confirmed that these instruments really are neck-divers, I’ll need to buy a wide suede or neoprene strap despite the wonderful light weight.
I’m pretty happy with it so far, despite the need for setup which I expected for a cheap Chinese Rogue display model with $20 discount.
The only flaw I’ve found so far is a minute glue smear near the bridge. I’m sure I’ll soon disfigure it a lot more than that.
Absolutely love the looks, light weight, short scale and warm tone. Also the price: $160 USD including California tax and FREE shipping. Flatties and setup will be ~$50.
If it sounds as good as it looks with the new D’Adderio flatwound strings and pro setup then I will be a happy student electric bassist.
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That is a beautiful guitar but you know I always loved the “cute Beatle.” Hang on to the pick guard when you remove it, you might want it to get a better price if/when you sell it.
J, Thanks for the comment. Yes I’ll save the ugly pickguard, but realistically Rogue basses have little resale value; and I may love it so much I’ll hang on to it. Especially with the expensive flatwound strings that last forever.
Depends on if it plays well with the light weight and short scale. And on how much I love the tone.
I cross posted this on the bass guitar social (though most bassists are anti-social) media site talkbass.com. One respondent suggested a thumb pick to get a more Sir Paul sound. Clever. Might try it.
At the beginning of last year, I grabbed GHS Pressurewound strings. They’re the midpoint between flats and rounds. I really like them so far. There’s a deeper, bassier sound than rounds – I don’t like my bass too bright; but there’s more punch and resonance than what I’ve heard from flats. I blogged about it in this post, if you’re interested:
https://uglybass.wordpress.com/2017/01/09/gorilla-tips-ghs-pressurewound-strings/
My music shop doing the setup and re-string ordered flats for me and they prefer D’Addario. Maybe they will be ‘Chromes’? Not too sure.
Maybe when they wear out in 10 years I’ll try the GHS!
Thanks for the comment.
Just opened my VB100 this morning and love the light weight (about 5 lbs.), thin neck and beautiful finish. Fret buzz has disappeared during the day once the strings were tightened to be in tune. Unlike the Hofner basses, the bass and treble switches actually turn on the appropriate pickups when set to the on position. Also appreciate it’s acoustic nature which allows it to be heard without an amplifier when playing along with the computer.
An incredible value at $170 with a $60 discount during the current sale at Guitar Center. Free shipping and 45 days for full refund makes it cheaper/safer to buy new than used. Couldn’t be more pleased with my purchase.
Thanks for the comment WSB.
My music shop had to special order flatwound short scale D’Addario Chromes and I’m still waiting. It was a floor model and most def required a setup.
Worse, I put my Yamaha RBX-170EW in today for new roundwound GHS Boomers and setup so now I have no bass to play and am Jonesing!
I’m not even a giant Sir Paul fan though I like him of course. Arthritis makes gripping a pick a bit painful and I’ve never used one so I bought a pack of thumbpicks to try. If Strum Shop ever gives me back my bass! I hope I like my BB as much as you like yours.
Thanks for the view and the comment.
‘Tod’, the dead German.
Tod, although I started playing bass because of the Beatles influence in ’64 (like so many of my friends) this purchase had nothing to do with that. Arthritis in my hands and the weight on my shoulder were the determining factors for buying this bass. It really fills the bill.
I found some good step by step instructions for setting up bass guitars online and have done this myself for three basses. It’s not difficult. Besides, if you screw up you can just turn it over to someone else. I’m retired, enjoy tinkering and don’t really have anything to lose.
The thumb picks work for me. After not having played for a few years, I found myself playing with my thumb for the first time when I picked up the bass again. I noticed Brian Wilson played that way.
Similar situation here, though I’m 67 and picked up the bass (and music!) Only about 9 months ago.
My new hip still prevents me playing sitting down and I consigned my nice but heavy Kramer Focus 420S.
Of course standing and trying not to stare at the fret board is recommended and has helped my crude playing during hip convalescence.
I am spending lots on setups because I churn through so many cheap basses (thanks to Craigslist and late-stage-capitalism’s overproduction!) so I will learn setup soon-I’m pretty handy.
Thanks for the tip and the comments.