Vintera 60s JM vs Vintera II 50s JM

[f__P]

Hi guys,
I'm going to buy a new JM after owning a few offsets I didn't bond with (a flawed VMJM with a wobbly neck pocket, a soul-less TVL and a pair of very nice MIJ Jaguars). I'm torn between the Vintera 60s and the Vintera II 50s and sadly there isn't any shop close to me carrying both.
Disclaimers: I don't really care for vintage authenticity, I like pau ferro just fine and will sure swap the bridge for something else. What are the difference neck-wise and especially sound-wise? Is the price difference justified?
I play a lot of different stuff (from theater music to experimental free impro to contemporary classical to ambient/drone..), I need a guitar with a warm, round and strong tone. Amps are mainly set clean (I switch from a Laney VC15 to a silverface Dual Showman depending on the venue).
Thanks a lot!

[timtam]

The service manual on the Vintera II 50s is not out yet, and the product web page has no neck specs other than "Late '50s "C" ", and ...
"Based on a late-'50s "C” profile, this comfortably rounded "C" gradually thickens toward the 12th fret for a comfortably full and inviting feel."
https://www.fender.com/en-US/electric-g ... 10389.html

So we don't know the actual neck measurements. " Late '50s "C" " is not a JM neck description they've used before AFAIK. But sometimes on era reissues recently they seem to just give the pickups or other features the name of the model era, even if they are not really different from those on models from adjacent eras. So until we see some real measurement specs, it's possible that the "Late '50s "C" " might not be different from another recent neck.

The Mid 60's C on the Vintera 60s is towards the thicker end of the scale (same as on the AO60s) ...



There's perhaps reason to think that the pickups on the Vintera II 50s - "Vintage-Style '50s Single-Coil Jazzmaster" - might be a bit more mellow and a tad less bright than the PV65-like pickups on the Vintera 60s (DCR 6.8 kOhms +/- 10%; A5). Although again we have no specs yet. But perhaps with higher DCR towards 8 kOhms ?

[f__P]

Thanks a lot, so the 50s should be a little darker but kinda the same, quality-wise... I don't know if I will spend the price difference when I could just change pots.. Let's see if others have any personal experience with both!

[timtam]

Thanks a lot, so the 50s should be a little darker but kinda the same, quality-wise... I don't know if I will spend the price difference when I could just change pots.. Let's see if others have any personal experience with both!

The "a little darker" would just be a reasonable guess based on the targeted era. But Fender might have other ideas. When we get the specs (DCR and inductance) at least we should know how they designed it to sound.

And yes, you can dampen the pickup's Q factor (treble emphasis) by loading it with lower resistance pots.

[f__P]

In the end I stumbled upon a super good deal for a IBM Vintera 60s (a little more 800 € for a new model from a shop), I'll let you know how it goes!