Vantage VS-600B

vb-600 not sure of year maybe mid 80's mij 23 fret 32.5" scale wood sandwich with 9 slabs 5 in centre walnut/maple v/t only p pickup domarzio or style cream maple 3 laminated necksatin trans body heavy sg shape thicker better than eb series body, gibson 3 point style bridge in cheap alloy, cheesy tuners, c neck, hardshell case

I like that these are the best axes I have ever seen for the money and no-one seems to know it. silent rich dark sound, limited brightness but beautiful rich tone. Serious slabs of timber.

Craftsmanship all the way but fittings a bit b grade. Sets up beautifully and amazingly sounds and plays like a dream. This bass had been covered in paisley fabric, glued with contact then varnished thickly. I ripped and stripped it with hands, blade, wet an dry, cutting compound, and there was that thick semi gloss vantage finish shining like diamond....what a find!

withstand anything but the bridges often bend, need replacing or a good straighten up in a vice then correct tension. the neck is fine and bulletproof. It was sitting in a hock shop with $195 on it, unplayable with an abused and bent bridge, 1" high action on middle strings. Truss cover missing etc....my luck bent bridge in vice set it up in 5 minutes, action low and sweet. neck perfect.

company long gone, not much info out there...and that suits me....why am i writing this???

Playing 40 years, all the best basses, serious jobs, love vantage, rick in cupboard, smith in cupbaord, fender in cupboard etc.....vantage on stand plugged in. This is a baby brother to the 710 model and short scale , but seriously for the value and feel I dont think anything I've ever owned at ten times the price is much better. Electronics and hardware updating may be necessary 25 years on but these guys got it right, especially the crafted timber, tight and fine....so take a bow matsomuko....you get the big ten.

Manufactured - about 81 I think. I bought it new that year.
Frets - Standard length & 22 fret set
Body - blonde with non gloss finish. laminated contrasting 5 pieces through the centre. A beaytiful finish & look.
Controls - Dead basic passive tone & Vol only
Pickup - 1 pair of split. Original
Body - don't know what sort of wood. solid, heavy & very attractive.
Finish - non gloss though not satin. Almost natural.
Body Style - Kind of an SG without the contours & with rounded bouts.
Tuners - original.
Accessories - hard case standing up extremely well 23yrs on.

I play a range of styles but folk rock would be a best guess. The bass is a little toppy especially with round wound strings. Very 80's. BUT with flatwound OR processed with a few touches here & there it can be anything I want.
I use a Marshall 100w head through an Eton 200w box.
I often run the bass through my Yamaha FX500 which turns it into almost anything - especiallt good at a fake fretless.
Live it's good because it cuts through the band. Though if I'm doing stuff that needs rib cages to rattle I use an Emprador semi acoustic bass.
It comes into it's own in recording - to tape or HDD because it is so readily modelled by effects but also because it is a clean, noise free signal.
I LOVE it.
When I tried it in the shop I was very impressed with the sustain - it was way beyond any of the others in the shop brand or no name.

It's not forgiving of misfretting as it will rattle. The brass nut & bridge saddles keep things alive.
It came well set up & I've needed to make no adjustments except for a little intonation when changing from round to flat wound.
The factory & shop set up was great - then again there wasn't a lot to fiddle with.
the finish is still glorious. It has a couple of very minor dings - I loaned it to a meat head for a weekend & it collected the dings then & only then - I look after my gear.
The brass is spotting a bit now but that's to be expected.
I had to clean the finger board beside the frets this year - built up a lot of gunk in 20 + years.
The actrion is great except for the misfretting rattle mentioned above.

This bass loves being played. It's quite heavy & not fragile.
The hardware is still in good condition except the strap button on the bout seems to have been screwed into a slightly too large drill hole. As a result I had to pack the hole with a shim & screw it back in. that was in 1984 & it's still in place & holding well.
I detune when I don't intend to use it for more than a few weeks so the neck is fine.
It's an extremely simple & hence fool proof bass It just keeps on keeping on. I don't rely on a back up but do occassioanlally take the Emprador along for the fun of it.

I haven't needed any help or work done but then the company went under so N/A.

I've been playing since 1974. My 1st bass was a short scale Coronet SG Copy, (I'm short & with small hands). That bass was stolen long after I replaced it with the Vantage. I have the Emprador, an Epiphone Sheraton semi acoustic guitar, a Bruno Royal Artist semi acoustic, a Fender 12 string acoustic, a 3 threes 6 string acoustic & a no name (literally) classical. I also have & use a Dolphine 'Cello.
I've seen one of these basses in a Cash Convertor store but it'd been in the window & the sun had warped the P/ups. Nevertheless I was sorely tempted to buy it as the one I have is just SOOO good.
I played every bass in 2 satellite cities within my price range before I settled on the Vantage.
I just wish there was more info about it out there - & the emprador too.

This 4-string passive bass was made in Japan in 1982 (s/n 0040459) and was being offered "for a handyman" in the store where I purchased it, as the [PJ] pickups were shot. The body and neck, however, were in excellent condition. It looks like an Alembic or Gibson copy and has a walnut body, a maple neck, a rosewood fingerboard and 22 frets. There's a maple center strip on the body. The neck is 'C' shaped and very comfortable to play. One volume and one tone knob. The strap holders are at the back of the body and on the bottom of the neck. The headstock is square and has 'Vantage' written sideways + a 'V' logo at the top.

I converted the bass to fretless/left-handed and replaced the original pickups with Seymour-Duncan PJ's and it became the best fretless bass guitar in the world!

I've been playing bass since 1976 and although no longer playing live, am still recording songs in my home studio. My practice/recording amp is a Roland Cube-30 bass. The Vantage sounds exquisite. I couldn't praise it more. As for style, I suppose I have my own, being involved in experimental music.

There are no flaws. The bridge is set into the body with three screws. The neck is of the bolt-on variety. It's quite a heavy instrument.

I don't expect to play this bass live but it's quite sturdy and should last forever! Should I ever sell it, it would be a breeze to convert it back for right-handers.

Vantage (Japan) went out of business in the 1980's and were taken over, I believe by Samick (Korea).

I play a variety of instruments ranging from drums to synthesizers and have been involved with music since childhood. My other (left-handed) basses are a 1982 G&L L-1000 (rosewood) and a 1979 MusicMan Stingray (maple). I now have all the bass guitars I could ever want. The Vantage, however cheap it was when it came out, is a beautiful one-of-a-kind instrument that rates among the best. Should it or any of the others be stolen, I would be very unhappy. Rock on!