[Gripper]

Love the bass! A great alternative to P styles. The one I have has turned from Silver to a greenish-gold and is well banged up. However, great neck and in overall very good shape for use. The only thing I have even found to be problematic is the action is way too high and the pickup selector switch is worn and has movement. The wedge bridge won't go any lower and the brass nut was cut very high. I was wondering if anyone else with a Victory had any bridge/action problems? If you replaced this bridge, what did you replace it with? Recommendations for where to find a switch for the pickup?

[jules]

I'm surprised you are having problems with the bridge, that design is far more adjustable than anything that came before it.

Maybe it is the neck that needs adjusting a bit, or like you say the nut is not quite right. Can you tell whether it is original or a replacement?

Might be worth taking it to get set up...

I think I actually prefer the green-colour they go, to the original silver :D

[donnervogel]

That is not too uncommon with Victories, two of my four have had it, all have retained their original Schaller bridge which I like for its looks and the "Gibson" embossed on it.

What you need to do is shim the neck: Many Victories show a generous neck pocket as over time the maple wood loses volume/shrinks. That asffects the neck/body angle so that the upper register is too low for even your lowest action bridge setting. Putting a very thin piece of flat plastic, metal, wood or even cardboard in the neck cavity (you have to unscrew the neck for that) to the bridge side changes the angle so the upper register becomes slightly elevated - voilà, no more action problems though you still might have to tighten or untighten the truss rod a little.

It's not a complicated operation, at worst you might overshim a little initially (it only takes very little shimming material for quite an angle change) and have to remove some of the shimming material in a second step.

If the prospect of unscrewing the neck daunts you , you can also use taper core strings which via their smaller diameter at the saddle will lead to a much lower action. But shimming is the proper way to do it. But as a Fenderista, you probably already know all about shimming, right? :D

But keep that bridge on for Chrisssakes! It's quite a sustain provider with the huge base it has. I put a spare Victory bridge on an EB-0L and the latter's sustain is now noticeably higher than with a two point or three point bridge.

Isn't the switch just a plain Jane two way (with a Standard) or three way (with Customs and Artists) mini toggle?

Uwe

[Gripper]

I spoke to a repairman about it and he suggested a small shim also. Never had to do it before believe it or not. Used to play very aggressively and had three basses refretted in 3 years due to the number of shows and rehearsals they went through. Appreciate the input and tips guys! That's what I love about this forum. Fenderista? Maybe some truth to that, but I must admit on first inspection the Victory may be the coolest P style ever I've been yearning to convert you know. I am amazed how solid and straight that neck seems since '81. The goldish green is kinda cool indeed. The nut looks like the orginal brass. Bridge works fine, I just have it low as possible and action is still half an inch. Strange design, but very easy to use. I've noticed that the cut on the top of the neck pocket seems too wide on all the Victories I've seen. However, the neck is tight and seems great. Was this in the original design or is this a quality control issue also?

[Gripper]

Oh yeah, the switch is a simple two way. Just never had one before on a bass and wondered if there was somewhere simple to find that part. I have always used active EMGs due to the simplicity. I don't want to butcher the Victory, but I bet an EMG soapbar would be pretty mighty. I just replaced both Epi Rippers with active EMGs and I am glad I did so far. Not so docile all of a sudden.

[donnervogel]

"I've noticed that the cut on the top of the neck pocket seems too wide on all the Victories I've seen. However, the neck is tight and seems great. Was this in the original design or is this a quality control issue also?"

Maple shrinks like hell. And with the Vic the problem is excerbated by a maple neck AND a maple body. The maple necks are twist-resistant via their three layers, but they do shrink. As does the neck cavity of the body. Might be that Gibson underestimated shrinkage of the maple (or that their rugged Victories would live to see the day of such shrinkage) and what were at first perfectly sized cavities became too deep/large over time. And remember how we are after all talking about different organic sources here: One piece of maple might shrink more than a piece from another tree. There are old Victories that can do without a shim, at least for now, who knows whether they will need one in ten years from now.

Phil Jones, nineties Gibson luthier (and avid Victory hater which he referred to as "The Loser") once quipped: "Gibson never really learned how to do a proper bolt-on bass." I guess if Fender started building set necks they would have some issues too.

In any case, a shim (be it on a Victory or a Fender) is not a major repair.

Uwe

[Gripper]

Def gonna try a shim. I don't think I explained the neck pocket very well. I was trying to say that the neck is well secured to the body without any movement/play in it. The small side/bottom is snug with the neck, but the top/long side has an even open groove that the neck doesn't make contact with. I understand the shrinkage explanation and it clearly makes sense to me as I have done some odd woodwork in my life. However, this appears like the cut is off a bit, or simply too large. Doesn't affect sound or playing feel at all. I am impressed with the neck itself, especially since it is an '81 model. And the neck alignment seems right on with the bridge. I can see why everyone snaps the headstock off. I've already smacked everything in sight.

[jules]

Originally Posted by Gripper

but the top/long side has an even open groove that the neck doesn't make contact with

Yeah my Victory Artist was like this (and maybe the custom and standard too - i'll have to check). Its just the way they did them I think

[Gripper]

Put in a shim and worked immediately. Surprising how thin/small it needed to be actually. I appreciate the help guys, that's why I love this forum. When I removed the neck, the heel has a stamp of "June 16, 1982" and the number "17". In pencil is signed "Dianne" it appears. The serial number begins 8161682 if my memory is right, which I found interesting considering you guys say don't go by them for accuracy. If it was intended to be "year of debut/day/month/year of production" then this may make sense. Except the day would be backwards!

[donnervogel]

All is well that ends well.