VINTAGE V6 REISSUED £329
As we illustrate throughout this issue, the market for the bolt-on three single coil guitar modelled on Fender’s iconic masterstroke is huge. Vintage is the house brand of giant UK distributor John Skewes (JHS) and has long offered copies and clones of the world’s most famous guitars. Yes, they’ve had their run-ins with the legal eagles from some of those companies, yet as we’ve shown, when it comes to Fender’s finest, the horse has bolted. So long as you don’t copy the iconic headstock, or call your bolt-on three single coil guitar a Strat or Stratocaster, it’s game on.
Where you stand on the whole subject of originality is up to you. But the fact is that there are plentiful examples of highly affordable bolt-ons from Far Eastern origins, many are far from rubbish. Like this new version of Vintage’s long-running V6. Clearly aimed at Fender’s low-end Squiers and the like, this maple fingerboard version (also available left-handed, in Natural Ash and Firenza Red, also at £329, plus Boulevard Black, at £349) typically offers huge bang for your buck. One reason these guitars are so good is that hardware and guitar designer Trev Wilkinson has gradually tweaked and teased them – indeed as the back of the headstock says they are “designed in conjunction with” one of the world’s most experienced guitar designers.
It means, straight off the block we get a Wilkinson WVC vibrato with chromed bent-steel saddles, a push fit tension adjustable arm and off-set ‘stagger-drilled’ sustain block; Wilkinson WJ55 patented E-Z-Lok tuners – which have two string holes in the post so you can chose which you want to use or lock the string between both – with dual post heights giving excellent behind-the-nut string angle without the need for a string tree. Then we get a trio of Wilkinson WVS vintagevoiced Alnico V pickups with bevelled edged Alnico V magnets, the middle is reverse wound/reverse polarity so there’s hum-cancelling in position 2 and 4 on the five-way. Aside from the natural ash version, all these V6’s use an alder body that here is two-piece, centre-joined.
Sounds
At a shade under 3.6kg/8lb in weight this V6 feels right straight from the off. Body contouring isn’t as vintage-thin as a more upmarket build might be but the gloss finishing is extremely clean and the neck has an appealing, C-meets-D shape (it’s called a ‘soft C’) that is actually closer in feel to the Suhr Classic Antique we feature on page p88. Nut width is 43.29mm, on par with Fender’s American Professional, likewise the 35mm string spacing, while the depth (22.2mm at the 1st, 23.7mm at the 12th) is, perhaps not surprisingly, very similar to the also Wilkinson-designed Fret-King Corona. The medium jumbo wire feels like a re-fret, there’s certainly more meat here than numerous narrow/ tall types we come across and lends the V6 a really familiar, quite old-school modded feeling even though a little more polish to the fret tops would give a smoother bending feel. The ’board radius is quoted as both 10 inches and 12 inches – we’d say it was the former and certainly fits that re-fretted vibe.
You know what it’s going to sound like, of course, and if you like your three single coil bolt-ons on the cleaner, airier side, it’s game on. Nailed. The pickups measure pretty classic 6.20, 5.76 and 5.84 kilo-ohms from bridge to neck and running through a Helix LT it’s embarrassingly good. It’s wired as per the original in terms of tone controls and the bridge could do with being wired into the tone as we raise the wick but, as we’re illustrated countless times, Leo gave us such an easy modding platform so that is a simple five-minute job.
Verdict
Whichever way you spin it, the V6 performs well above its price with a very appealing modded-vintage vibe that is good enough for the learning player or those of us that simply can’t justify more cash . It’s a highly viable modding platform too and the body is pre-routed for a humbucker at bridge position which is something to bear in mind. Mr Wilkinson really does make exceedingly good cakes. [DB]