Vester Stage Series 4-String

This bass has a very basic setup. Tone and Volume knob. It is, of course, a Fender Precision copy. It has silver coloured hardware. Mine is fretted. It has been in the family for... 14 years, so it must have been built around 1990/1993. The pick-up has no brand name on it. The quality is not very high, but it's still going, the sound really very much differs depending what amp I use. It produces loads of noise when I play it at home, but is quiet when the electrics are sorted out (earthing).

The sound, again, very dependent on the amp. On my Ashdown it sounded very clear but boring, it can also be groovy on Hartke amps and funky on the Warwick amp we have at the practice room. I play instrumental music, post rock with jazz and math influences http://www.minomatic.nl. It suits the jazz part, but all post rock players around here play Jazz Basses, for a reason; more edge to the sound. I've been listening, and I can say that my Vester sounds like... a Precision! Like Donald Duck Dunn uses. A good sound, not as versatile as a Jazz Bass, but very good (for this price!).

Because of the cheap price, it has been used, as well as abused. It has many dents, but the wood used for this bass is very good, heavy, but it makes it indestructible and reliable, and it contributes to the sound as well; the sustain is very good, you can hit a note and it will keep going. Amazing really, compared to more expensive basses. The neck is very good, smooth, and plays very well with little effort. I've had mine serviced by a local guitar guru who grinded the frets and bended the neck which resulted in a great playability!
(I'm supposed to fill this in according to how it was delivered from the factory, but I wouldn't know about that...)

It is indestructable. Period.
OK, the knob to hook the strap on to has fallen off, but is glued back, and the volume/tone knobs have been de-noised. The bridge and tuning mechanism are very good. Great Korean quality. You could play this bass every day in any weather (it will ALWAYS keep it's tuning!) not because it can, but because you want to.

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I love this bass. I will never ever sell it. If I would, people would only see the dents and the brand name (Vester, in Fender lettertype! These people took copying seriously), and I would maybe get 100 euros for it. The joy we've had playing it is worth a lot more than that. I'm still looking for the right amp. And I'm positive I will one day buy a bass with Jazz Bass-type elements for that extra groove in the sound, but I will always carry the Vester with me, despite its weight.

The bass I have was bought for me by my wife about 10 or 12 years ago. It is a Stage Series, 4-string fretless bass. It has a dark metallic red finish, with all the hardware being black. There are three Vester-brand pickups on board, one being a bridge pickup.
It has active electronics, but I have that aspect bypassed due to the voracious apetite it has for 9-volt batteries. It has three pots... Volume, Treble and Bass. The tuning machines are of unknown manufacture, but are fully enclosed and are apparently durable, as I have never had a problem out of them.
I immediately went out after acquiring this guitar and found a set of nylon-tape-wound strings, sometimes called "studio strings". They are black, and fit the color scheme flawlessly.
When one is furiously playing this guitar, the strings guarantee that there are absolutely no sounds coming from the guitar that you don't want to hear.
To this combination I added a $69.00 Boss CEB-3 Chorus pedal. I have been playing for 38 years, and I'll tell you, the sounds that this Vester Stage Series is capable of making (in capable hands) are quite simply astounding!! It is a shame that the company bowed under Fender's threatened lawsuit over "Vester" sounding too much like "Fender"!! I guess the big company felt intimidated.
I also own a Fender Precision bass, and in some ways, it doesn't hold a candle to the Vester. I won't be parting with mine, ever.

As mentioned, it is a fretless bass. As also mentioned, I have been playing for 38 years. I know how to make a guitar give up the sounds. I have read a lot of crap from individuals stating they think that Vester guitars are nothing but junk. As far as the 6-string ones go, they could be right, as that is not my forte.
However, I AM a bass guitarist, and if anyone found any flies on the Vester basses, they probably ought to spend more time learning one end of the guitar from the other before submitting their "learned opinions"
Running either through an old Peavy 450-watt, 2-channel head with a Peavy cabinet featuring two 10s and one 18-inch Black Widow, or with An Ampeg rig with a 4-10" cabinet and a single 15" cabinet, this bass guitar performs superbly, giving me outstanding range, tone and flexibility, both playing out and at practice.

As stated, the pickups and tuning machines are of unknown manufacture. The pickups have "Vester" on them. Aside from replacing the halfround strings which came on it, and perhaps adjusting the pickups a little closer to the strings, I haven't needed to modify anything else.
The finish is flawless.

Not only will this bass withstand live playing, it can and does on a regular basis. It is, after all, a Stage Series. I have never had any problems out of this bass guitar. Probably a lot of that is explained by treating the instrument with a modicum of respect, as it is your medium through which you share your musical gift with others.
If you beat your axe against the stage in a frenzy of "creativity", you will probably have a lot of problems. I have used my Vester playing out many times without backup; although I own four other basses at present, none were needed. That's how much faith I have in the Vester.

Unfortunately, as is commonly known, or should be, the company sold out under the pressure of Fender threatening a lawsuit against the parent company of Vester. It seems that there must've been someone in Fender's hierarchy who had a severe hearing problem. Anyone who can mistake "Vester" for "Fender" should be studying "Hooked on Phonics".
Fender should be ashamed. Instead of "live and let live", they effectively killed a company which they saw as future competiton. As things are now, Fender is up there with Harley Davidson, selling their goods at outrageously inflated prices.
In case Fender wants to sue ME, they'll first have to effectively do away with an individual's right to his/her opinion. I have given you mine. I might also add that it might be several lifetimes before I buy Fender equipment again. They don't deserve it.

As should be abundantly clear, I am extremely disturbed by Fender's greed-motivated moves against a company infinitely smaller. Variety is supposed to be the spice of life. I guess Fender sees it as Henry Ford did when discussing the color of a Model T. "You can have any color you want, as long as it's black". Apparently, Fender agrees you can have any guitar you want, as long as it's a Fender.
I had, in the past, tried to find information on the Vester Company, and it shocked me when I learned of Fender's despicable behavior. The Fender Company is an American institution, firmly rooted as an American company, and has been for years. Why did they feel so threatened that they had to drive another company out of business? The only word that comes to mind is greed.