bassmansmith

Whoops…it didn’t look like it had been sent the first time, or second time, or third time….!

Zzzz I’ve looked around as I generally prefer high mass or string-through bridges. The choices for replacement 6 string bass bridges are pretty limited from what I can gather. Hipshot manufacture one that will give you 19mm string spacing, but it’ll cost you as much as the bass.

This is an incredible bass. I have several jazz basses, including the Steve Bailey signature 6, the Marcus Miller MIJ 4, a fretless Squier VM, a Fender MIC modern player, and a few other non-JB fenders. I purchased this out of curiosity, but also because the SB6 is a rare thing that I wanted to keep pristine (so only use for gigs, not practice, to minimise wear and tear). I had pretty lowly expectations having picked up a few Affinity basses in guitar shops over the years. This is not your run of the mill affinity. The finishing is immaculate on the one I received, the output and tone is comparable to other passive JBs I own. The neck is a slim 12 inch radius, and feels like an Ibanez 6 string. String spacing at the bridge is 17mm, slightly less than the SB6, but as a result feels easier for finger style playing. I’m guessing the tuners and pots might wear quicker than my fender basses, but they are perfectly functional at the moment, and the bass stays in tune. I’ve found the neck on my Squier VM fretless so be a bit flexible (most notable when I am sat back on the sofa noodling), but this thing is as stiff as a board. The finger board was spotless, not dry and no fret sprout. The only adjustment I made was to lower the action at the bridge. The relief on the neck was perfect. In summary, I’m pretty shocked that Fender are selling this with the Affinity label, at the price point. As a university educator, I was fortunate enough to receive a hefty discount and only paid £205.00, direct from Fender. It really is a crazy bass for crazy money. If their QA is consistent, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to experienced players that want a genuine 6 string jazz bass, or those wanting to dip their toe into the 6 string world without breaking the bank. Anyway, I hope this helps. I’ll post some close-up photos when I get a moment. In the meantime here’s a photo I pulled together to compare the size and scale of the SB6 and Squier….

I’m seriously considering it. I have the rare Steve Bailey 6er by Fender, but feel this would be a good substitute in certain circumstances. Has anyone here purchased one yet? What’s the verdict?

I know this is an old post, but I thought I’d state my experience for those that are reading this and thinking of buying an Ashbury. As other people have noted they are nice looking, nicely made basses. I had one for 2 years and thoroughly enjoyed playing it. However, sadly the tuning started to slip. Initially I thought it may be the machine heads but on further inspection the steel strings were pulling through the wooden bridge, damaging the bridge and body of the bass. The only way to repair it would have been to remove the back, which for a circa £250 uke bass wasn’t worth it. Sadly, I had to bin it.

On a similar subject....will the adhesive on a Roland gk3b ruin the nitro finish on my lovely new 6 string fender bass?

I’ve just managed to get hold of the stunning 6 string jazz bass (Steve Bailey model). To keep the boss happy I had to swap it out for my old 6 string Aria equivalent. The thing is my Aria used to be set up with my VB99 via a stuck on GK1B. I’d like to fix the gk3b to the fender, but I’m worried that the adhesive strip to the pickup will damage the nitro finish. Any suggestions, other than buy a stunt double?

Confession time. I managed to pick up the white fretted G77 from Bass Gallery. I have to say I'm really chuffed with it. Sadly the GR77b synth had already sold with the rarer black fretless model. Nonetheless I subsequently picked up a GM70 midi converter on Reverb. Having played with it for a bit triggering soft synths I decided the delay on the lower notes was a show stopper. I subsequently did a bit of searching online and found a brand new boxed VB99 in a shop in Greece. The combination of modelled tones (No delay) layered onto midi triggered soft synth is the business. I can see why the VB99 and G77 are so sought after. Incidentally I also have the peavey midi bass and variax basses, but neither compare with this set up. The midi bass whilst great in terms of midi triggering is a delicate bit of kit that needs constant care and maintenance. The variax, which I also love, just doesn't cover such a broad range of sounds and obviously is for modelling only. Anyway...I could go on (but won't).

Thanks for the reply. Yes checked,all seems ok. It seems to be the active treble control..it's very hissy...if I have the treble turned down to zero its not a problem.

Just purchased a lovely used custom shop Aria swb03. I'm absolutely delighted with it except for the noisy magnetic pickups. Has anyone got any suggestions? The piezo pups in the bridge are fine.

Hi, I purchased a Aria SWB03 from Fleabay via basschat. It arrived earlier this week. I must say I have been pleasantly surprised at how DB like it is in terms of playability. I've been using it for unplugged practice (for the same reason as you), and it's loud enough to hear what you are playing in a quiet room. My only criticism would be the tubular frame that comes off the back which has a tendency slip. Hope that helps.

That's amazing. It does look remarkably similar to my Steve Bailey 6 string. I love this bass...only purchased from the Bass Gallery (London), about 2 years ago its now no. 1 in my collection. The quality is comparable to the Yamaha signature series, my only criticism is the scratch plate feels a bit thin. Enjoy....