Falling in love with the Bass VI

[Dankology]

Well, Squire VI to be completely accurate.

 

I bought mine a couple of years ago on a bit of whim from someone local for about £120. Judging by the comments on his Facebook page after it sold, I suspect it had been an object of derision in his band and, to be fair, in its then state really wasn't much of an instrument.

 

Since then I've picked up one of the Staytrem bridges, shimmed the neck and switched to the fab Newtone Bass VI strings - I'm still pondering upgrading the pickups and nut as well as ditching the whammy bar but for now it is a useable bass and occasionally got used for overdubbed parts on the odd song.

 

But for the last few weeks I've been using it almost exclusively at rehearsal and it's been a bit of game changer. We're a guitar/bass/drums three-piece and using it for octaves, runs against open strings, chords and high register melodic stuff etc has allowed the guitarist and I to blur our roles and the jamming has lead to more bits of new music than we know what to do with. I'm also using more effects than ever before, which is fun.

 

It weighs a ton and the low end is a bit lacking for it to take the place of a normal bass but it is fast becoming one of my favourite instruments. So, is there anyone else in a similar position? These things seem to get very little love online (other than in the dedicated Facebook group!) but I suspect that that is more to do with the crappy bridge and strings that the Squires leave the factory with.

 

On the downside it has made me want one of those Hagstrom 8-strings...

[mr4stringz]

I bought a Revelation Bass VI not too long before Covid first hit. 
 

Have played it loads at home and LOVE IT, but haven’t yet used it much in my band. I do plan on doing so though as we’re only a two piece (bass&drums), so it’ll definitely get a ‘proper’ airing at some point.

 

And yeah, I know what you mean about the Hagstroms!

[Cat Burrito]

My story with the Bass VI is that I bought the Burns take on it last year. I co-produce and play bass on the albums of one of my bands and we had a track that was calling out for a Glen Campbell type line. I like to think it is me who takes care of the low end in my bands so I bought it on a good deal. As it happens, the thing is crying out for a good set up and the frets are badly finished in places. I learned the part and then we dropped the song! So it sat in storage for a few months. 

 

I then dug out my old Cure LPs and the thing is all over those. I noticed in a few bands that could be filed under Goth (loosely speaking) it makes an appearance, although I always associate it with the 60s. So I dug it out and took it to a rehearsal with my 80s alternative duo. Suddenly it has a life, but just not the one that was its original purpose. I sometimes wish I had bought the Squier but the Burn s is a bit different and I like the baby blue colour (a pointless reference given the black and white photo). 

 

As a point of interest, the recent selling point seems to be "a bass that guitarists can play" which I would imagine might put a few bass players off. Certainly there is much more to it than that.

 

[Cosmo Valdemar]

12 minutes ago, Cat Burrito said:

My story with the Bass VI is that I bought the Burns take on it last year. I co-produce and play bass on the albums of one of my bands and we had a track that was calling out for a Glen Campbell type line. I like to think it is me who takes care of the low end in my bands so I bought it on a good deal. As it happens, the thing is crying out for a good set up and the frets are badly finished in places. I learned the part and then we dropped the song! So it sat in storage for a few months. 

 

I then dug out my old Cure LPs and the thing is all over those. I noticed in a few bands that could be filed under Goth (loosely speaking) it makes an appearance, although I always associate it with the 60s. So I dug it out and took it to a rehearsal with my 80s alternative duo. Suddenly it has a life, but just not the one that was its original purpose. I sometimes wish I had bought the Squier but the Burn s is a bit different and I like the baby blue colour (a pointless reference given the black and white photo). 

 

As a point of interest, the recent selling point seems to be "a bass that guitarists can play" which I would imagine might put a few bass players off. Certainly there is much more to it than that.

 

I wish I'd bought one of these when I had the chance!

[Phill]

I absolute love any form of Bass VI, been using the Squier for many years & got to use it on a few sessions/performances too luckily!

Switched to the Labella flats first then shimmed the neck etc & had great results. I do have a very cool Fender Custom Shop Bass VI arriving on Monday 😄 which I've been waiting at least 2 1/2 years for

[BigRedX]

I bought a Squier Bass VIs many years ago when one of the European retailers was selling them at bargain bin (<£300 inc shipping) prices.

 

I liked the concept but wasn't that impressed with the actual bass mostly because of what I considered to be a very narrow neck even by normal guitar standards (it is certainly narrower than any of the guitars I own). It was fun but a bit of a novelty item, and it would have stayed that way and probably been sold when I did my last big clearcut, but then the guitarist in one of my bands quite rather than replace him, we tried a couple of rehearsals with me playing the Squier, and rearranging the songs so that the synth player took over the bass parts when I was doing the "guitar" lines. It turned out to be quite effective, but I really couldn't get on with the neck on the Squier so I started a search to find something more suitable.

 

For a while I was using a Burns Barracuda which had a wider neck but closer string spacing at the bridge compared with the Squier, but overall was easier to play. The Eastwood announced that they were going to be producing a Peter Hook signature version of the old Shergold Marathon 6 Bass. This is the Bass VI for me. A wider neck and string spacing at the bridge compared with all the other Bass VIs I had tried/owned. I'll almost definitely be selling the Squier and the Burns and buying another Eastwood to use as a backup at gigs. 

 

Here I am with my band "Hurtsfall" at last year's Leeds Goth City event playing the Eastwood:

 

[oldslapper]

Enjoyed my Squier VI, here’s mine with the Hollywood Killers a few years back.

A very useful mod was to get some “barrels” manufactured so the bridge sat snug in the body, with full contact. This stopped unwanted overtones. 
Very flexible instrument in itself. Although I wouldn’t want to play a whole set with one, as BRX stated, the string spacing is narrow.

[Storky]

I’m on my second Squier. I do like it and I love the tone, it works well with my 60s trio. I could develop it more with chords and more guitar like riffs etc, but I’m not playing it quite as much recently - scared of the string spacing, which does trip me up a bit, although it’s only practice and getting used to it. Mine it comfortable and not heavy. Great to palm mute and play with a pick

[Munurmunuh]

A nice, broad range of short demos of it in this video, from 1'55 to 5'35"

 

 

(and it's good to hear someone talking naturally on YouTube for once)

[Steve Browning]

I'd love one if I could play it like Jimmie Vaughan - solo starts at 1:58.

 

 

[Cato]

Just discovered this on the Eastwood site.

 

I think I'm in love.

[BigRedX]

Fantastic looking instrument. Be aware that the string spacing is tight at both the nut and the bridge.

[odysseus]

I'm intrigued by the idea, but never had the opportunity to try a VI.

 

I'd really like one of these Abasi Larada guitars though.... 

[Fishfacefour]

I've always wanted a bass vi but never quite got round to it. I've been considering a Baritone guitar this week. Anyone got any thoughts on a Bari versus a bass vi?

Wanting some twang!

[BigRedX]

Having owned both they are too entirely different instruments. Will explain in full when I’m on a proper computer and can type properly.

[BigRedX]

And as promised...

 

I currently own three Bass VIs (Squier, Burns and Eastwood Shergold copy) and used to own a HB Mosrite-influenced 28" scale baritone guitar tuned B-B). My take on it is, that while most Bass VIs tend to be positioned as bass guitars for guitarists, the baritone guitar is very much a guitar with a lower range. A lot of this is down to the type and positioning of the picks on the two different instruments. Baritone guitars usually have the pickups in the standard guitar bridge and neck positions and they will either be P90 types or humbuckers. Most Bass VIs will have 3 single coil pickups with the middle one roughly in the P-bass position in relation to the string length.

 

However what I have found to be the most important difference is down to what you can play on them. IME anything you can play on a normal guitar can be played on a baritone guitar, it will just be either a 4th or 5th lower (depending whether it is tuned B-B or A-A). All the standard guitar chord shapes work across all the strings and you should be able to get a clear and articulate tone even with full first position chords. On the Bass VI, while you can play it like a guitar, chord voicing are pretty awful until you venture up the neck or stick to the highest three strings. Play a first position E chord and it will just be an un-defined mush.

 

Baritone guitars only go down to B or A so you won't get the full range of bass notes that you will out of a Bass VI.

 

What I have found with both instruments though is that the supplied strings in every nearly case are much too light to get a decent tone out of the lower 2-3 strings. Baritone guitars suddenly sound much better with the heaviest standard baritone set from D'Addario, and Bass VIs are a completely different instrument once you fit either the LaBella Bass VI strings or the Newtone Axions. The only downside to putting heavier strings on the Bass VI is that the vibrato mechanism (if there is one) becomes almost impossible to use due to the increase in string tension.

 

 

[oldslapper]

Brilliant description of the difference. Should be pinned? Thanks @BigRedX