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Yes I agree it looks odd, it looks like its been stained and the pickup cover looks too large - although the pickup itself and ground plate and rout look fine. Perhaps its the angle? A bit of a mistake missing the obvious headstock picture - hmmm, curiouser and curiouser. Its not too far from me and I asked for pics too - we will see.

I have played several recent MIM basses and have had no complaints - the QC of some of the earlier ones may have been inconsistent however look at the roadworn and vintage series - I reckon the early roadworns will become the JVs of the next decade. I agree that the Pawnshop VI and the MIJ VIs are of different price points and there may be some compromises in terms of materials used however they are a similar animal and we all know how 'off the peg' Fenders differ in quality and appeal. We've all heard stories about 'those Japanese Squiers' that blow some USA Fenders out of the water.....no this is not an urban myth I own one that cost a sixth of what I paid for my '74 P. Bass and equals it in terms of quality I'd like to compare the necks - for example I've heard the Pawnshop has a flatter profile with a slightly wider string spacing and jumbo frets, I believe this is to appeal more to established bassists since the Bass VI has been regarded as a 'guitarist's bass/bassist's guitar' by its critics. My Bass VI is a beautiful instrument and top spec, one piece body, quality construction and materials yet the setup and stock strings were awful. I like the pickup configuration and switching options - very different with the Pawnshop version. I'm really looking forward to playing one!

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1366654809' post='2055583'] P.S. I would have preferred to have a MIJ Bass VI so i'll be interested in your comparison to the Pawn Shop version. [/quote] I'll let you know - apparently they won't have one in until August at my local music shop I have just fitted a set of La Bella round wounds on mine E measures 95 top E 26. Sound and feel great though pricey at £35 but much more like the stock original Fender set.

It's no wonder he looks so elated in the pic!

It's an early one with the Hayman headstock hole and large extra rectangular pick guard - these were used to cover the huge rout for the two split pickups on the Hayman 40/40 these bodies and necks were originally made for. I've emailed him about it and he offered it me for a price I wasn't prepared to pay given its 'yoghurt' covering Parts are hard to come by but there are people on the Shergold forum who can help with that. These are nice basses but keep in mind this has the earlier truss rod access method ( behind the serial plate over the neck plate) which I found to be a real faff.

[quote name='cocco' timestamp='1366615374' post='2054749'] Just watched the YouTube videos and I fail to see the point to be honest. What's it for? [/quote] I'm not sure the demo video truly represents it as a bass guitar - which it undoubtedly is. It is an extremely useable, versatile instrument. The Cure, Jack Bruce, The Beatles, Jet Harris, Glen Campbell, Carol Kaye, Placebo, to name a few have used the Bass VI on a wide variety of music to great effect. It can be used as a tic tac bass to compliment upright bass or a solo instrument as on Wichita Lineman (if you forward to 1.56 you'll hear that great solo sound on the closing link). Hooky used his Shergold Bass VI with chorus and made a trademark out of it. Placebo have tended to use it for a more aggressive indie rock sound. Jet Harris made a career out of his. Jack Bruce used it as a bass in early Cream. I used to own a Shergold Bass VI and regretted selling mine so I recently picked up a MIJ Bass VI and I've ordered the Pawnshop version to compare the two. I use mine in a surf and Rockabilly band where I mainly play double bass but the Bass VI sounds great on Dick Dale and Cramps songs - I also use it for Prog, classic rock covers and when I occasionally play Country. It's not everyone's cup of tea to play but I love mine and it always gets positive comments from band mates and audiences. If you get the chance it's worth trying out believe me it's great fun to play and makes you think a little differently about how you play! http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=4qoymGCDYzU&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D4qoymGCDYzU

I got Seymour Duncan to make me a Ripper pickup - took them a month to get it to me and they rang to ask if I wanted my name in the documentation certificate - great service and all through contacting them via the website.. The pickup was reasonably priced and very similar to the existing original in looks and sound. This is a great looking project, I did sell my Ripper but my Grabber is my keeper!

I agree that the supplied low E at 084 is too light making the lowest string buzzy and difficult to intonate. I read quite a number of articles on various forums and most long term users have used La Bella flats with a 095 E on their Bass VI. Apparently the bridge on a Pawnshop VI needs some adaptation to accommodate the width of the 095 - but this is contradicted in some discussions. The La Bellas are very expensive however (£60+) - having read an interview with Jack Bruce I put a Picato flat wound 095 medium scale E string and a 075 A on my MIJ Bass VI. Cheap and as a compromise it works the bass behaves much better although I think I'm going to save up for a La Bella set! An interesting discussion here about the Pawnshop version - http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=66276

...instant lifelong membership to the Tufty Club included