VIGIER IT WAS whose memory system guitar and bass we looked at in the early days of One Two (December '83 issue), and we concluded then that their 19-memories-on-board bass was something of a handful for the average bass-person, specially as it would've set you back well over a grand. Vigier, a French maker, now seem to have come down to earth a little with these Passion guitars and basses — they've sidestepped the memory idea, dumped the "trapezoid" through-neck shape of the previous instruments, and now have a carbon fibre neck option, too.

And while we're looking closely at the bass, what else do we notice? This sample was finished in a very attractive creamy yellow, the neck going through it in black with a touch of grey on its outline. As before, this is a classy-looking instrument. Well, classy in finish, but the actual shape I find clumsy. There is a hint of Rickenbacker about the body, for sure, but those two horns just don't seem to balance one another.

But let's strap the bugger on. Enough of pedantic aesthetics. Immediately it's very well balanced, sitting snugly and feeling immediately responsive. I know, how can an object be responsive? Well this one was. I just had to play that thing, sir. But a few more close-up spyings before I get totally carried away.

A little rough edging around the pickup holes (there must be a technical term, I suppose), some slight discolouring of the G-string's saddle block (there now, those are technical terms), and something of a disconcertingly plastic feel to the body.

We have a parametric here. A non-imperialist skydiver, perhaps? Nope, an equaliser that has two knobs working in the active mode: one sets the frequency you're adjusting (across a reasonably wide range in this case), the other boosts and cuts at the chosen frequency. The system works in conjunction with a nearby flickswitch (the very thin, long sort that is prone to snapping) which selects: cut at the chosen frequency, parametric off, and boost at the chosen frequency, in each of its three positions. In the off mode, the knob which you were using for cut and boost becomes a normal tone control. Not immediately straightforward, and not totally ideal. There's a conventional volume and pickup select, too.

But the sounds you can whack out of the parametric are very useful, if a little tricky to recall. That's because there are no markings around the knobs. The knobs themselves do have white linemarkers on the tops, so any notes you keep for recalling sounds will have to rely on the rough positions of these. But then we're bassists, aren't we? So most likely we'll just stumble on one sound we really like and leave the controls there for the rest of the instrument's life. Ho hum.

Combining the controls on the parametric can be quite crafty. Something to bear in mind straight away is that if you choose the cut position on the flickswitch and a bass-end setting on the frequency selector, you're going to end up with a toppier sound. Get it? You're cutting bass, so you end up with more top. That can trouble your inner logic at first.

And all the better it is for being different. Honky bottom end romps were a treat, easily achieved, but the guitar's real forte was for snappy, lively, middle-and-top concoctions. This is where the bass really found its feet and was quickly striding around and showing off.

Another oddity is the pickup positioning. Both the eight-pole pickups are crowded down the bridge end (is that at Chelsea?). You can work out what that means without even having heard it, can't you? More top. Pickup near the bridge = top, near the fingerboard = bass, runs the familiar equation. But there's no shortage of bass with the Vigier's set-up, perhaps surprisingly, and this peculiar positioning seems actually to have paid off, helping along the sparkling top-end wealth that the bass possesses.

The fingerboard is smooth, the frets are relatively thin, the markers are reserved for the edge, and the end result is an elegant piece of neckery that's very good fun to play. You can get right up the top, too, thanks to ugly cutaway number two. Any adjustment you'd need to make to action and intonation are easily made at the bridge, where a good-looking roller saddle supports each string — a tiny Allen key each side will alter their height, while a slot-head screw on the back will shift them back and forward for intonation. Easy.

It's a matter of expense. Despite all the comfort and toppy soundscaping on offer, it's still expensive. Carbon fibre, sure. Well made, sure. But this is a big investment for a guitar that might have limited resale potential and is still, despite the importer's efforts and the hands of Nick Beggs, something of an unknown quantity. That's a little unfair on the bass itself, which is a good find, but it's reality.

And at that price I'd expect a manual that wasn't a few sheets of photocopied paper with largely illiterate "instructions". I was surprised, too, to see this so-called manual telling us to use metal polish to clean the fingerboard of the (delta metal) fretless version. I always thought that abrasives and guitars should share not even a casual co-existence. And talking of existence, the Passion's sheet also says, "If you want a bigger life... use alkaline batteries." Something to remember.

VIGIER Passion VP4CE bass: £850 inc case

CONTACT: Capelle Music, (Contact Details).