BigRedX

Well I was able to try the Revelation Bass VI at Hotrox today. The neck is definitely more comfortable for me than the Squier but still not really wide enough for me. What was interesting were the tonal options. Three pickups that look like P90s with what looks like Strat-type switching. The really interesting bit was the 5-position “Varitone” switch, giving a total of 25 different sounds nearly all of which could be useful. The only minus mark is that the Varitone switch isn’t easily manipulated mid-song. Aparently Hotrox also have a Burns Barracuda in their off-site stock, so I’ve arranged for them to get it in the shop for me to try next week...

At the moment I don't really know about timings. When I had my G1 Guitar made back in 1999 it took less than 3 months. The Black G3 Bass a few years later took just over a year, although a lot of that was due to the fact that Simon was looking for a new supplier of black chrome, and when that didn't turn out to be feasible, looking for suitable alternatives (we ended up going for black anodising). The actual build shouldn't be too difficult as it's essentially a slightly modified version of the G3 Baritone which has a 30" scale length and a standard nut width of 45mm. The nut and neck width can be changed if I decide I'm going to need it to be wider, although 45mm is the same as my 5-string Gus G3s so that might be a good starting point. I'll probably go for 3 single coils in typical Bass VI configuration. Don't know about the switching options. And I probably won't bother with a vibrato system. Colour-wise, I have to say I really like the white of the Squier although I'd be tempted to go slightly less "yellow" any maybe have a bit of a metallic flake in there? Maybe have some red somewhere to echo the tort on the Squier? Cost... The list price for a standard G3 Baritone is currently £4500.

Of course what I really should do is to get Simon Farmer to make me a suitably modified version of the Gus G3 Baritone which as standard has a 30" scale length and a nut width of 45mm...

And let us not forget that the only reason the more unpleasant brick wall limiting that can be found on some CDs didn't make it onto vinyl, is because the production and playback mechanisms simply wouldn't allow it.

Unfortunately not yet. We're 3 rehearsals in to our new guitar-less format and have 4 songs partially rearranged to suit the new line-up and 2 new songs about 3/4 finished. However we will be going into the studio as soon as we feel we are ready.

IME most 3M spray glue is nasty stuff so make sure you use it with a mask in very well ventilated area.

You can get a perfectly suitable hot glue gun plus 12 glue sticks for £7 from Hobbycraft.

Me! The guitarist from one of my bands recently decided to leave and we decided not to replace him, so I've been using a Bass VI. I share the bottom end duties with the synth player, so when I'm playing in the upper register he's holding down the bass, and when I'm doing a more conventional bass line he's playing the melody. Works very well, and it gives plenty of sonic space for our fantastic singer.

I spent most of the 80s and 90s playing in bands that used lots of synths and other high-tech gear in the days when it still very expensive in real terms. The band I was in during the 90s regularly had £30k + worth of gear on stage - synths, samplers, a digital mixer, and a sequencer to control it all as well as complex guitar and bass rigs, plus the drum kit, consequently using a £5k Gus bass (going into a rig of similar value) at a Terrortones gig didn't really concern me!

I once took my 3 Gus G3 Basses and and Gus G1 Guitar to a gig. Total value along with the bass rig I was using at the time, somewhere around £25k...

And Ed Friedland says that despite their looks they are mini(stacked?) humbuckers. The Revelation 6-string bass looks interesting and according to the Hotrox website they have them in stock, so I may go and check one out next week and see if the 43mm nut width is sufficiently wide for me.

According to the Ed Friedland video, the Sidejack pickups are mini-humbuckers, but the Eastwood site describes them as P90s...

There's no need for vinyl to be expensive. The Terrortones only did a 500 pressing of our LP "SnakeOil For Snakes" but we are still able to sell it with its fancy packaging at £10 + P&P and make an overall unit profit. However it's when record shops want to add their markup that the prices become ridiculous. We approached Rough Trade here in Nottingham to take some, but couldn't agree on a compromise price where the shop would actually be able to sell their copies and everyone would make some money.

@basselfman Spurred on by using my Bass VI in one of my bands and deciding that the neck really is far too narrow I started this thread which has thrown up some interesting possibilities that might suit your quest for a wide-necked short-scale 6 string bass.

I've also found this from Music Man. Its slightly under 30" scale length and pickup type and placement seem to indicate it's more of an A-A Baritone guitar than a Bass VI, although it does have a 44.5mm wide nut. It's also probably the blandest of all the instruments listed here IMO...

I'm aiming for more of a post-punk sound - two note chords and alternating drone and melody string plucking. I also have my Bass VI tuned E A D G C E Maybe the Moserite styling of the Sidejack will be slightly more suited to what you want from the affordable end of the bass VI options.

And there's these from Mensinger. More "conventional 6-string bass" styling, although I do like the look of the 3 Hollow-body versions with the twin pickups.

A search for 6-string short and medium scale basses on Thomann has also brought up the Gretsch G6120TB-DE Duane Eddy. It doesn't appear to be available yet and when it is it will be a snip at just over £3k...

As someone who also owns a Baritone Guitar (one of the Harley Benton dekos) IMO there is a place for both, but for Baritone I would go for 28" scale and tune B-B. With the right strings (the heavier of the two D'Addario Baritone sets for me) it gives a rich low tone that is still clear even in 1st position chords. Pickup position and type also has a lot to do with whether an instrument should be considered a Bass Vi or a Baritone guitar. Those on the Gretch (and the Sidejack) are very much in the Baritone position and type IMO.

Those Agile Bass VIs don't appear to be available anywhere. I couldn't even find a web site for them! Also some of the configurations are more in Baritone guitar territory than bass VI. Without confirmation of a 30" scale length I couldn't take a punt on one even if I could find one for sale.

That Burns Barracuda Bass is very nice looking and according to the specs has a 45mm nut, so hopefully more comfortable string spacing. Pity the pickups are Rezomatics rather than Tri-Sonics. I have a 60s Burns Sonic with Tri-Sonic pickups that has a fantastic sound. According to the Eastwood rep I was chatting with on line the other day the Sidekick Bass VI is still available. The Schecter Hellcat VI has been discontinued. I found it in the "vault" section of their website.

A proper "bass" pedal board should always be a more reliable option for what you want. However if the Behringer FCB1010 will work in the way you want, then it will be more versatile since you can attach any Midi Note Number to any foot switch and not be limited to a single octave.

I've recently started using my Squier Bass VI a lot with one of my bands and while the sound and extended range fits in really well, the extremely narrow neck makes it very difficult for me to play accurately. So I've started looking at alternatives with roughly the same sound but featuring a neck with a more comfortable width. One of the problems I've come up against is how do manufacturers define this measurement? Is it the actual width of the nut from edge to edge? Or is is the distance between the centres of the highest and lowest strings? While defining the measurement as the actual width of the nut is the obvious choice, this measurement doesn't make any sense to me as it doesn't allow for how far in from the edge of the neck the outer strings actually are, which from a playing comfort PoV is far more important to know. So what I really need to do is to try some of the alternatives and see what feels and sounds the best for me. Anyway on with the choices... First and most confusingly the latest version of the Squier Bass VI appears to have a wider neck than mine (bought about 2 years ago). The Fender web site specifies a nut width of 42mm. Does anyone have a one of the latest models to check for me? My Bass VI has a nut width of 40mm and measures 35mm between the centres of the two E strings. The there are two models from Eastwood. The Sidejack Bass VI appears to be very much a baritone guitar with a 30" scale neck rather than a Bass VI. The nut width is given as 41mm. There is also a Teisco influenced version - the TB64 which has the more typical 3 pickup configuration and a seemingly more generous 43mm wide nut. I'm still waiting for Eastwood to get back to me with confirmation of these widths and hopefully also actual string spacing at the nut, since the last customer rep I spoke to thought that both models were the same. Does anyone have any recent experience with ordering from the Eastwood web site? How are they with returns since there doesn't appear to be any way of trying before I buy? I would have liked to try the Schecter Robert Smith Ultracure Bass VI, but it doesn't appear to made any more. I couldn't find it listed under either guitars or bass on the slow and difficult to navigate Schecter web site. Finally as a sort of left-field choice Ibanez do a 30" scale 6-sting bass - the SRC6. It's rather conventional looking compared with the other choices and is more like a normal bass guitar in design rather than a bass VI. Also the nut width is only 42mm. So does anyone actually own one of the above instruments and would care to comment on their playability and sound compared with the Squier Bass VI? Alternatively are there any other Bass VI type instruments that I should be looking at? I think the wider the nut the better. I couldn't say for sure until I've tried them, but I do know that the 40mm nut with 35mm E-E spacing of my Squier is far too narrow for me. I'm not bothered about having a vibrato - with proper bass VI strings on the Squier the tension renders it virtually useless. I do like the voicing options of the 3 pickup design which gives me both guitar and bass like sounds as required. Any ideas?

Especially considering that every time you play your vinyl you are wearing it away very slightly.