Vintage V120 thoughts?

zepp76

zepp76 said:

Funkfingers said:

Go and try one … or several.

I have one of the old XT Juniors from before Hamer ceased production earlier this decade. My local dealership stocked three of them. The first one I was handed seemed good but I gave all three a try to make sure. Turned out that the first one had “it” and the other two did not.

I'd love to try one, alas there is nowhere near me that stocks them. I'll do a bit of searching and see where the nearest dealer is to me and maybe make a trip to try one.

Well after a quick search the only place with them in stock is in Glasgow! I won't be making that trip considering I'm in Hampshire.

stimpsonslostson

zepp76 said:

zepp76 said:

Funkfingers said:

Go and try one … or several.

I have one of the old XT Juniors from before Hamer ceased production earlier this decade. My local dealership stocked three of them. The first one I was handed seemed good but I gave all three a try to make sure. Turned out that the first one had “it” and the other two did not.

I'd love to try one, alas there is nowhere near me that stocks them. I'll do a bit of searching and see where the nearest dealer is to me and maybe make a trip to try one.

Well after a quick search the only place with them in stock is in Glasgow! I won't be making that trip considering I'm in Hampshire.

All the best stuff is up here. ;-)


My take on the Vintage Juniors... I’ve had several and played more. Single cuts, DC and SG Jrs. 

Nice guitars, the hardware all works and is of decent quality. I’d question the wisdom in doing too many upgrades- it’s not really worth it on a such an inexpensive instrument especially as it functions fine. 
The pots are a bit cheap & as I use them a lot on Jrs I’d replace them. 
The pickup were nice on each one I’ve tried, it’s not high output but sound good. I did a A-B with two identical SG Jrs, one was stock & the other had an Oil City JinGo & upgraded pots- as you’d expect the upgraded one sounded better. It was like the difference between “normal” TV & HD, improved detail and clarity. 

Fit and finish has been consistently good, occasionally the nut isn’t brilliant & needs adjusting to prevent sticking. They tend to have plasticy finishes that look nice & are very tough but not particularly tactile. 
The only reason I no longer have one... the necks are thin. Too thin for me to play for a long time, fine for half an hour, but more than that & my hand gets sore. 
They hold tune fine, but due to the lack of meat you can easily bend notes by pushing/pulling with your fretting hand. 

zepp76

stimpsonslostson said:

zepp76 said:

zepp76 said:

Funkfingers said:

Go and try one … or several.

I have one of the old XT Juniors from before Hamer ceased production earlier this decade. My local dealership stocked three of them. The first one I was handed seemed good but I gave all three a try to make sure. Turned out that the first one had “it” and the other two did not.

I'd love to try one, alas there is nowhere near me that stocks them. I'll do a bit of searching and see where the nearest dealer is to me and maybe make a trip to try one.

Well after a quick search the only place with them in stock is in Glasgow! I won't be making that trip considering I'm in Hampshire.

All the best stuff is up here. ;-)


My take on the Vintage Juniors... I’ve had several and played more. Single cuts, DC and SG Jrs. 

Nice guitars, the hardware all works and is of decent quality. I’d question the wisdom in doing too many upgrades- it’s not really worth it on a such an inexpensive instrument especially as it functions fine. 
The pots are a bit cheap & as I use them a lot on Jrs I’d replace them. 
The pickup were nice on each one I’ve tried, it’s not high output but sound good. I did a A-B with two identical SG Jrs, one was stock & the other had an Oil City JinGo & upgraded pots- as you’d expect the upgraded one sounded better. It was like the difference between “normal” TV & HD, improved detail and clarity. 

Fit and finish has been consistently good, occasionally the nut isn’t brilliant & needs adjusting to prevent sticking. They tend to have plasticy finishes that look nice & are very tough but not particularly tactile. 
The only reason I no longer have one... the necks are thin. Too thin for me to play for a long time, fine for half an hour, but more than that & my hand gets sore. 
They hold tune fine, but due to the lack of meat you can easily bend notes by pushing/pulling with your fretting hand. 

Thank you for the great reply, it's very informative. I would no doubt upgrade the wiring, pots and pickup over time but the fact that you state the necks are thin puts me off a bit as I have very large hands and need something more substantial. I really need to find somewhere that stocks them and see for myself wether they would be suitable for me. I still can't get that Hamer out of my head though, I thought about it all last night and Kenny's have them on sale at the moment for £559, stupid GAS!

stimpsonslostson

Contact @koneguitarist and buy this:
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/141995/ksr-guitar-last-price-drop-375-now-with-video/p1

Fat neck, p90, immaculate and a bargain. What’s not to like?
I keep going back to look at it! 

Maynehead

I had a Vintage V100 goldtop a couple years ago which I moved on fairly quickly.

It played fine and I had no particular complaints that I could think of, but it just felt like a toy for some reason. I'm not sure if it was the thick poly finish, or the weight/balance of the guitar, or the way it sounded acoustically, but it did not punch above its price category like some other guitars do.

I'd probably take an Epiphone over a Vintage LP.

SlopeSoarer

TTBZ said:

I’ve been tempted by one of these for a while. The thing that puts me off is you can get a used Gibson for around £400 on a good day. By the time you’ve inevitably had to replace the pickup, electronics and possibly the tuners and bridge you’re probably not that far off it. I’d I had the cash right now I’d be tempted by @midlifecrisis one for sale though!

It is a fair point but on a average day you'll pick up a used V120 for £135-140, if it isn't for you let it go and buy something else.

Nothing to do with me and to far away for you looking at your location but as an example of price area

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-V120-Guitar-P90/202748412931?hash=item2f34bf4403:g:M1oAAOSwRKhdEHoi