Product: Wilson Bros. VCM-2002 Ventures Model Price Paid: US close to 2k
Submitted 07/10/2004 at 11:05am by marty
Email: none
Features :9
Top of the Wilson Bros line Made in 2003 - 2004.
Solid Alder on the light side of medium weight body, solid maple bolt-on neck with luxury width (in comparison to the thin Mosrite necks), rosewood fingerboard and Mosrite style small dot inlays (though not quite as small as Mosrite inlays), fully bound (body and neck), metal nut, P-90 style pickups with the neck pick-up cocked in the fashion of the vintage Mosrites, one volume, one tone control, 3-position pickup switch. Jazzmaster style bridge / vibrato. It doesn't have lottsa features like 12 buttons and knobs and built-in fuzz but the only feature of concern to me is quality. The Jazzmaster bridge needs a buzz stop to keep the strings from popping out so I took off a point.
Sound :10
The VCM-2002 has a tone closer to a Mosrite than a Jazzmaster. I've A/B'd it with each. It is not exactly the Mosrite sound but it's a good sound of it's own. I use it through a Fender Custom Vibroverb and Twin. It has no single coil buzz.
Action, Fit, & Finish :10
This one was beautifully set up with excellent action. I see no flaws of any kind. I do complain about any Jazzmaster bridge. I put a buzz stop on this one and it works nicely.
Reliability/Durability :10
It will withstand live playing. A buzzstop is required if you have a strong attack and apply significant string bending. The electronics are sound and l'd be confident without a back-up. The strap buttons are solid.
Customer Support :10
I dealt with Tim Wilson, one of the owners and he was very affible. I haven't needed to go for repairs yet but I feel he would be on it if I did.
Overall Rating :10
I've been playing guitar since the early '70's and play mostly fingerstyle instrumental. This guitar is expensive but a solid value. It is the same guitar that Aria put out a few years ago with a different bridge and sold for nearly twice the price. Don Wilson loves the Jazzmaster bridge so that was his "improvement" on the Aria Ventures model.
Harmony Central Review by Bruce Duncan: (VCM 2003)
This review is of the Brand-New Wilson Bros. VCM-2003, Ventures Signature Guitar.
After decades of making money for Fender, Mosrite, and Aria, playing and endorsing their guitars, Don Wilson of The Ventures, decided to design a line of electric guitars on which The Ventures would own the company and reap a better financial reward from their sales. There are four series of Ventures guitars being manufactured for Wilson Bros., each designed and priced to appeal to a different market segment.
At the top-end are the VCM models. The VCM-2002 is the ultimate top-end, and most expensive model, retailing at $1,999. Next is the subject of this review, the VCM-2003, which retails at $1,899. Both models feature solid Alder body, solid, white-bound hard maple neck with Rosewood fingerboard and metal notched nut, a generic Jazzmaster vibrato tailpiece and bridge assembly, two height-adjustable HOT P-90 type pickups, one volume, one tone control, 3-position pickup switch, vintage mint pickguard with "The Ventures" logo laminated in a prismatic/ hologram applique, similar to the logo affixed to the headstock. The tuners are Kluson reissues, so all '60's Fender players will feel right at home with the way this VCM tunes up. The VCM-2002, for the additional $100. adds white binding around the top-edge of the guitar body. A custom hard-shell Ventures-logo case, covered in brown faux-alligator is included in the price of both models.
The VCM-2002 and VCM-2003 come with a 25 1/2" scale neck, with 22 narrow-wire frets. The design and appearance of guitar and neck are quite Mosritish, though the headstock has been styled to differ from the "M" notched pattern of the original Mosrites, and the treble-side horn has been slightly shortened compared to that of the original Mosrite, to create a visually more balanced appearance.
Everything about the VCM-2003 shouts, "Quality!" The operation of all controls, switches is smooth and flawless. The pickups are sweet high-output single-coils that rival the best I've heard on Gibson or Gretsch instruments. The finish quality is superb, gloriously high-gloss and the color selection should please just about anyone. Mine is Blue Metallic, which I think of as "Ink-Blue Metallic" It is a darker-than-customary metallic blue and is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. Other colors include Pearl White, and Candy Apple Red.
The quality of the neck and fretwork is above reproach. The neck addresses one of my sorest complaints with my old '65 Ventures Mosrite, that of a much narrower-than-needed neck and string-spacing. As much as I loved the vibe of the Mosrite, it wasn't played as much as my L-series Jazzmaster, because the Jazzmaster's neck felt so much better and caused less cramping in my left hand and fingers.
The VCM-2003?s neck, 1 11/16? wide at the nut, feels much closer to that old Fender neck than to the Mosrite, with a 9.5 radius, which is also slightly flatter on the fretboard, making leads a lot easier to play, while still permitting ease in playing chords.
The factory set-up had the intonation right-on, but allowed a string height about 1.5mm above optimal, (easily fixed with my trusty Allen wrench!) The fit of neck into neck socket is tight and firm, contributing to a very "alive" feeling with lots of acoustic sustain.
Being a Jazzmaster-style vibrato set-up, means it has the threaded-bolt string saddles. This has historically been considered the Achilles-heel of the Jazzmaster because with the violin-like angle at which the strings cross the bridge, there is very little ?down-force? to hold the strings in place. The two main complaints of players have been buzzing of the saddles, and the tendency of the strings to hop out of their notches on the saddles, especially when tuning and stretching the strings. Switching to 11-guage or heavier strings is a help. Some players substitute the Fender Mustang bridge, (which fits into the same studs) w
Sound :10
I am lead/rhythm guitarist of the current-day instro band, "Longboard Ranch" and we have been described as one of the best all-originals-traditional-style surf bands in the US. We?re similar to The Ventures, except we use a lot more reverb and echo! In all the years I've played guitars, I've been seeking an ideal combination of aliveness, sustain, tone, and aggressive attack, because I am extremely particular about the sound of my guitar..
I can confidently say that in my collection of over 40 vintage and reissue Fenders, Mosrites, Gretsch, Danelectro, Univox, Vox, Rickenbacker, etc, this new Ventures VCM-2003 IS the best of the bunch and has quickly become my favorite axe. I feel an almost primal connection with this guitar, which exceeds my bonding with any other guitar I?ve ever played.
Played through a '64 Deluxe Reverb, a '65 Princeton Reverb, and a '76 Vibrolux Reverb, the sound is ULTIMATELY AWESOME on each amp! The day my new VCM-2003 arrived, my 19-year old son was fooling around on my computer, with his back to me, as I plugged in the VCM-2003 and started playing "Ghost Riders in the Sky" with a touch of reverb and delay/echo. After I'd run through the first verse, he turned around, and looking straight at the guitar said, "It?s beautiful looking, and the way it sounds, sell every other guitar in your collection, just keep that one!" He told me the VCM-2003 is the coolest sounding electric guitar he's ever heard.
The sound is just as flexible and usable as on my best Jazzmaster, from cowboy twang, to "The Ventures in Space" overdrive, to wet-splashy drenched-out surf. I detected next-to-no hum compared against the Fenders I've played, so I suspect they've got the pickups reverse wound with respect to each other, to achieve a humbucking effect when using the middle (both pickups on) setting. Because the pickups are height-adjustable you can compensate their relative proximity to the strings to achieve your ultimate blend of tone when playing with both pickups on.
So far, I've found absolutely nothing about this guitar that I don't love. That's right, my list of dislikes is ZERO, ZIP, NADA.
Action, Fit, & Finish :10
I addressed these items above, so to recap: factory set-up was about 95% perfect, the only gripe being string-height, and I was able to lower the bridge about 1.5mm with no buzzing at all. Fit and finish as good or better than the best Fender Custom Shop offerings.
Based on my examination, and several sessions of aggressive playing, I can find ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to criticize. ZERO FLAWS!
Reliability/Durability :10
Everything about this guitar gives a strong impression that Wilson Bros. Number ONE priority was comfort, playability, musicality, and durability that would make this series SECOND TO NONE. I would not hesitate to take this guitar to our most important gig of the year without a back-up guitar; it?s that good! I?m certain that in 40 years this guitar will still look, feel and play wonderfully!
Customer Support :10
This is a new, family-run operation, owned by some of the nicest guys in the world of Rock Music, The Ventures. James Fox is their National Wholesale Rep, and he's a super-nice guy also. This isn't a gigantic faceless corporate entity like Fender or Gibson.
When you phone, your call gets answered by one of the principals, not by an automated greeting system. They want to be a credible purveyor of high-quality professional guitars. Their attitude seems to be extremely positive toward maintaining good relations with their public, whether they're buying or not. Because of its newness and lack of structured formality, there is a slightly "seat of the pants" management style currently in sway.
Nowhere in any of the Internet-accessible information, nor in the glossy 4-page brochure I was given by James Fox, does there appear one word about a warranty. Come-on when I did my pre-purchase checking out of my VCM-2003, I was so impressed by the obvious quality, a warranty became a complete non-issue
Overall Rating :10
I've been playing guitar since the late 1960's. I own and play various original vintage and reissue Fender Jazzmasters, Mosrites, Gretsch, Rickenbacker, Univox, Danelectro and Vox guitars.
These VCM's aren't exactly sitting on the shelf gathering dust! The ONLY question I had was "How soon can I buy one?"
If it were stolen or lost, you wouldn't want to be anywhere near me for the rest of the day. I'd be busily inventing new four-letter words and being totally miserable. In a few days I've formed a bond with this guitar like no other I've EVER played! I?d buy another one in a heartbeat, at full MSRP if necessary!
I also own a VM-65 and VM-10, both Korean-made models. The VM-65 is a budget-priced version of the VCM series, priced at $699. MSRP and the VM-10 is the Wilson Bros. rendition of the 1962 Stratocaster, with a $299. MSRP. I?ve submitted reviews of both - Big Surprise: The quality is evident even in their least expensive model!
My final word: "The VCM-2003 stands alone in a class of its own!? There is simply no comparison between the VCM-2003 and anything else I've ever played! If you've been searching for the ultimate player's guitar, with the ultimate sound and most ultimately usable range of tones, THIS IS IT! My search is over."
