Tell me about fender/ squier bass VI please

[Cato]

17 hours ago, rmorris said:

I love the idea and look of the Bass VI and copies of but I can't see the tight string spacing at the nut with beefy strings working for me.

Maybe just as well as have run out of bass space 🤣

 

I'd say, using a pick, that it's no more difficult or fiddly to play than a standard solid body electric guitar, anyone who plays  even a little bit of guitar as well as bass should be able to pick a VI up and hit the ground running.

Edited April 27 by Cato

[Rosie C]

On 17/04/2024 at 10:12, police squad said:

I'm thinking about a bass vi for a bit of fun.

What are the thoughts of the BC  massive.

 

 

I'd not heard of this creation and it has me confused. Is a regular bass guitar 2 octaves below a regular 6-string, and the VI sits in between?

 

[Cato]

11 minutes ago, Rosie C said:

 

I'd not heard of this creation and it has me confused. Is a regular bass guitar 2 octaves below a regular 6-string, and the VI sits in between?

 

 

Esentially it was designed as a guitar to be tuned one octave below standard.

 

It can sound either more or less identical to a standard bass guitar on the bottom 4 strings or like a baritone guitar depending on how you employ the pickup selector and and the bass cut switch.

Edited April 27 by Cato

[Cosmo Valdemar]

15 minutes ago, Rosie C said:

 

I'd not heard of this creation and it has me confused. Is a regular bass guitar 2 octaves below a regular 6-string, and the VI sits in between?

 

The lowest 4 strings on the VI are the same tuning as a standard bass.

[Baloney Balderdash]

5 hours ago, Rosie C said:

 

I'd not heard of this creation and it has me confused. Is a regular bass guitar 2 octaves below a regular 6-string, and the VI sits in between?

 

As already said the 4 lower strings are tuned exactly like a standard 4 string bass, and it features a 30" scale length, so same as a standard short scale bass, but with 6 strings, tuned like a guitar, only an octave lower, and with narrow string spacing like a guitar as well.

 

The Beatles used it as a regular bass on quite a few tunes, whenever John Lennon or George Harrison had bass duties, instead of Paul.

 

"Helter Skelter", just to mention one, is an often used example of this.

 

And The Cure used it on most of their songs really, played by Robert Smith, but more as a melodic instrument. 

 

You can see him play it on pretty much any live shot of The Cure, or in the music video for "Pictures of You".

 

Edited April 27 by Baloney Balderdash

[rmorris]

On 27/04/2024 at 12:34, Cato said:

 

I'd say, using a pick, that it's no more difficult or fiddly to play than a standard solid body electric guitar, anyone who plays  even a little bit of guitar as well as bass should be able to pick a VI up and hit the ground running.

 

Depends on the individual obviously. But I do think heavier gauge strings are easier with a bit more spacing. fwiw I'm not really a fan of wide string spacings in general eh prefer 19mm Vs 20mm @ bridge. It may work out better as a baritone.

Edited April 29 by rmorris
spelling and typo

[ASW]

I had this Bass VI for a couple of years. I probably played it half a dozen times. I had good intentions to do something interesting with it in a band, but it never came to fruition. I have recorded with it though doing a baritone riff and it sounded great.

 

I echo other's feelings that the string spacing is too tight to be used easily as a main instrument fingerstyle if you are used to more typical spacing.

 

I have since purchased a 'proper' 6 string bass that is more like a standard bass guitar string spacing, but with an added lower and higher string. Much easier to play despite the wide neck (especially if you are used to 5 strings). So much so that it's my main player now.

 

It really depends what you want out of the instrument and your expectations as to whether a Bass VI will be any good.

[police squad]

29 minutes ago, ASW said:

I had this Bass VI for a couple of years. I probably played it half a dozen times. I had good intentions to do something interesting with it in a band, but it never came to fruition. I have recorded with it though doing a baritone riff and it sounded great.

 

I echo other's feelings that the string spacing is too tight to be used easily as a main instrument fingerstyle if you are used to more typical spacing.

 

I have since purchased a 'proper' 6 string bass that is more like a standard bass guitar string spacing, but with an added lower and higher string. Much easier to play despite the wide neck (especially if you are used to 5 strings). So much so that it's my main player now.

 

It really depends what you want out of the instrument and your expectations as to whether a Bass VI will be any good.

wow a custom shop one, bet that was a few quid!!

 

I would play it it with a pick probably, if I go that way