BigRedX

Cocktail sticks and wood glue. Cocktail sticks are harder wood and will give better purchase for the new wood screw.

Trump isn't the problem with Gibson's potential for recovery, but the continued presence of Henry Juszkiewicz very much is. A while back Gibson's main creditors but together a package that would have allowed the company to continue trading as normal, but the stumbling block was that they insisted on the removal of Henry Juszkiewicz as CEO, and he wouldn't step down, hence the current Chapter 11 situation. Personally I can't see any future for Gibson while Henry Juszkiewicz retains any role whatsoever within the company. So either he will be forcefully removed (if that is indeed even possible) or Gibson will collapse completely and the name and IP will be bought up - Yamaha's name has been mentioned more than once in this respect - in which case they will cease to be a US company and Trump will no longer be a concern. Also I can't see what the big deal is with US-made instruments. The products of all the big US manufacturers are without exception vastly over-priced compared with what is actually on offer. It's not like the 50s and early 60s when US manufacture counted for something, and the rest of the world was still lagging behind when it came to both design as well as actual build quality. Nowadays great musical instruments are being made all over the world, and TBH at an equivalent price point for mass-produced instruments the output of just about any-non US factory is far superior.

Chords on a Bass Vi are very variable and depend entirely on the chord and where you play it. IME in the lower register they don't work very well at all, everything is muddy and indistinct and not at all guitar-like. In the upper register things are much better, but full barre chords are hard work with Bass VI strings (even the lighter gauges), and also then you might as well be using a normal guitar. I'm using the extra upper register along with the fact that the band has a synth player to fill in at the bottom end, and everything else that I'm doing in terms of two-note chords and alternating melody drone picking could be done on a conventional 4-string bass. Have a listen to the latter part of the Ed Friedland vide posted earlier on in this thread to see how well (or not) different chords work. If you are really interested in full chords in a lower register than the standard guitar. then you should be looking at a Baritone guitar. For me a 28" scale Baritone tunes B-B is perfectly usable for full chords including all the 1st position open string ones, and maintains that richness of guitar tone. However you don't get the full 4-string bass guitar range, so it's all a bit of a trade off.

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.