LeftyBassist.com

It just dawned on me that Squier is now making the Classic Vibe Jazz Bass and Precision for lefties. It is no longer Vintage Modified.
Those are really nice instruments.

Unless I'm mistaken, outside of extremely rare original lefty Telecaster basses (I have seen 1), there has never been a re-issue of that 50's P bass/Tele bass design with the single coil in a true lefty. Not from Fender or Squier. I'd sure like to see that happen.

These have been out since last spring or summer

I love the look of both, and I've been very impressed with Squier's stuff in recent years. I'd be tempted to try the P, as I'm still on my endless quest to find, "The one" for gigging.

Yes, it would be great to see a real Fender lefty reissue of that design. Meanwhile I am very tempted by this: https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton ... series.htm
Crazily cheap and pretty good according to online reviews.

Wow... for a $100/bucks or so, it looks good, and sounds good too! Listened to the sound samples... very nice!

Also nice in sunburst. Very tempting but I don't think it's available in the USA anyway. Maybe just as well. Even that cheap and with the +++ reviews, I'd still want to go and try one.

Has anyone played the Jazz? How do they compare with the Vintage Modified series?

If nobody has, I am willing to be the guinea pig for the group. I would also be willing to put some money into it to upgrade the hardware (the bridge, in particular, looks a little flimsy), but I don't want to bother with something that is going to have playability issues.

I ask because, while I am "happy" with my tone, I feel like there is something missing, and I am really digging the tone lf this bass in this video (playing starts at 2:00):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXRXLqxtR4c#t=120

I have owned the VM 70's Jazz in natural (and painted mine blue) and currently own the CV 70's Jazz, there are some major pros and cons to both for me - but the current CV Jazz is much improved.

The pickups and body wood selection on the CV 70's Jazz are much much better than the old VM version, I really hated the Duncan Design pickups in the VM. The new ones are built with An5 pickups, and they sound really good.
The best feature, the pickups are in exactly the right spot. The bridge pickup is definitely in the 70's position and it really adds to the quality of the tone.
I'm not a big fan of the heavy coat of tinted gloss on the CV version, my neck looks like it's coated in pure amber.
The machine heads and bridge on the CV are the same as the VM, and are pure suck - they're the first thing I replaced. I put a Fender BA style hi-mass bridge on and a vintage style set of classic Schallers on for tuners. More mass on both ends is good.
It took a few neck adjustments for me to get the setup dialed in to where I like it, and I think the next thing I'll invest in is a fret level and dress. Again, the workmanship is ok - but the frets are a bit pokey in spots and not 100% perfectly level. I tend to setup with as close to "credit card" action as I can.

Overall, the black CV 70's Jazz is totally worth it. It's a very solid platform for modding, and it's even a pretty good bass if you leave it alone.

Thanks, man! That is a lot of great information!

Is the bridge you got a drop-in? I am happy to replace the bridge, tuners and electronics (although you said they are pretty good, and they sound good to me). It's the workmanship that I am worried about.

In light of that, would you recommend getting this bass and upgrading it, or would I be better off investing in a higher-level bass? Maybe a Sire V7 Vintage, or even something a step up from that? I am happy to pay the money for a nice-playing bass. I just want to be sure to get the sound I am looking for.

I like the Sire stuff, the workmanship on the Sire basses feel great. I just can't hang with the headstock, it takes me right out.

The bridge was a straight drop in. One of the interesting changes lately with Fender & Squier is that they aren't using different tooling the differentiate the series as before. So generally a stock replacement bridge or pickguard for current production stuff seems to work just as well on an Am.Pro as it does a CV from China.
The fretwork is the weakest link on the CV Jazz, it's pretty uneven. It's playable, but not if you like really low action. I prefer my action super low, so I know this bass is going to go in for a fret level soon if I keep it.
I also have to remove a bunch of the finish off the back of the neck, it's super tacky feeling gloss.

Thanks again!
The fretwork issue has me worried. I don't mind some action (I can't stand fretbuzz), but ... I don't know. I understand it's more of an entry-level bass, so I'm not expecting a Fodera or anything, but I don't want something with issues right out of the box that I can't fix. Maybe it's not a big deal. Or, maybe I should go with a Sire V5 or V7 Vintage. I just love the sound of that Squire in that video.

I live in a very dry place, so my experiences with fretwork are different that most. Nearly every bass I've had has needed a certain amount of fret dressing within the first 6 weeks of being here.
(We have the same humidity as the Gobi Desert in the winter months, fun!)

What actually throws me off the most about it is the weight, for a bass that's supposed to be poplar bodied, it's as heavy as any northern ash body I've owned.

I recently did a quick A/B between the CV 70s Jazz and the Am Pro II Jazz, and the pickups are definitely hotter and more 70's sounding. But I do find the V-Mod II Jazz pickups a bit subdued, although VERY clear and accurate and great for recording.