synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4446
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Nov 21 2023 02:25 PM
kleptolia wrote:
I love my Squier Bass VI. It’s a tobacco burst, and I have no plans to paint it. I’m going to leave it stock. I think it would be interesting to have a band with no actual bass guitar, but use the Squier in place of the traditional bass section. The way it distorts is quieter than a regular guitar, but thicker than a bass. You don’t need to add extra fuzz to get it to break heavily. I think that opens the possibility for some unique timbres in a 3 or 4 piece band.
I’ve used one as a bass, and it is up to the task. It takes a degree of adjustment in technique, but you can get into Jazz Bass territory, fairly easily.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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surfbulleit
Joined: Dec 13, 2014
Posts: 6
Manchester
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Posted on Dec 06 2023 05:15 AM
I love the idea of a Bass VI and probably had a few different makes over my lifetime (Squier, Fender, Burns) and sold them every time.
For me, it's an instrument that doesn't really know what it is. It's not a Baritone guitar and it's not really a six string bass. I don't find it unique enough as a tonal palette. But maybe the question was more aimed at who actually loves them 
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4446
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Dec 06 2023 09:55 AM
surfbulleit wrote:
I love the idea of a Bass VI and probably had a few different makes over my lifetime (Squier, Fender, Burns) and sold them every time.
For me, it's an instrument that doesn't really know what it is. It's not a Baritone guitar and it's not really a six string bass. I don't find it unique enough as a tonal palette. But maybe the question was more aimed at who actually loves them
I know what you mean. It’s an interesting instrument, but its identity is a bit nebulous. The first time I heard of a Bass VI, was seeing it in the 1967 Fender catalog, and as a fairly new guitar student who wanted to double on bass, I thought that this was great, a bass which would be perfectly familiar to a newly minted guitarist. Of course, at that point, I knew very little about bass playing, and didn’t understand that the upper two strings on a VI wouldn’t be very useful for playing an actual bass part.
I see the Bass VI as a viable bass, if you use multiple pickups simultaneously and perhaps roll the tone back slightly, but it’s not my first choice as a bass. It lacks the heft of a P-Bass, Jazz Bass or even a Mustang Bass. The string spacing is very tight, and it’s not as easy to play as a bass, as it is with a pick.
What I have concluded, regarding the VI, is that it’s at its best when it’s used as what it actually is; an oversized Jaguar tuned an octave below standard guitar pitch. It works great as a lead instrument in the bass range. It has a nice twangy nature, and works well for Instrumental Rock and Country. You can choke it back easily, with the tone control, if you want something darker, but that’s not its greatest strength.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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surfbulleit
Joined: Dec 13, 2014
Posts: 6
Manchester
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Posted on Dec 07 2023 02:27 AM
synchro wrote:
surfbulleit wrote:
I love the idea of a Bass VI and probably had a few different makes over my lifetime (Squier, Fender, Burns) and sold them every time.
For me, it's an instrument that doesn't really know what it is. It's not a Baritone guitar and it's not really a six string bass. I don't find it unique enough as a tonal palette. But maybe the question was more aimed at who actually loves them
I know what you mean. It’s an interesting instrument, but its identity is a bit nebulous. The first time I heard of a Bass VI, was seeing it in the 1967 Fender catalog, and as a fairly new guitar student who wanted to double on bass, I thought that this was great, a bass which would be perfectly familiar to a newly minted guitarist. Of course, at that point, I knew very little about bass playing, and didn’t understand that the upper two strings on a VI wouldn’t be very useful for playing an actual bass part.
I see the Bass VI as a viable bass, if you use multiple pickups simultaneously and perhaps roll the tone back slightly, but it’s not my first choice as a bass. It lacks the heft of a P-Bass, Jazz Bass or even a Mustang Bass. The string spacing is very tight, and it’s not as easy to play as a bass, as it is with a pick.
What I have concluded, regarding the VI, is that it’s at its best when it’s used as what it actually is; an oversized Jaguar tuned an octave below standard guitar pitch. It works great as a lead instrument in the bass range. It has a nice twangy nature, and works well for Instrumental Rock and Country. You can choke it back easily, with the tone control, if you want something darker, but that’s not its greatest strength.
Couldn't have said it better myself! I agree with the summary and conclusion
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Tqi
Joined: Dec 07, 2014
Posts: 1222
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Posted on Dec 11 2023 05:55 PM
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Last edited: Jan 31, 2024 15:32:23
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ZoukBoy
Joined: May 04, 2008
Posts: 80
Lubbock, Texas
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Posted on Dec 27 2023 11:35 AM
I got the first Squier reissue a few years ago. Was great right out of the box but I restrung it for baritone A-A and it smokes. Love it through my Fender Excelsior w/tremelo!
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4446
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Dec 27 2023 11:20 PM
ZoukBoy wrote:
I got the first Squier reissue a few years ago. Was great right out of the box but I restrung it for baritone A-A and it smokes. Love it through my Fender Excelsior w/tremelo!
That would be a great amp for a VI.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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Tqi
Joined: Dec 07, 2014
Posts: 1222
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Posted on Dec 28 2023 05:30 AM
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Last edited: Jan 31, 2024 15:27:54
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4446
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Dec 28 2023 07:46 AM
Tqi wrote:
synchro wrote:
ZoukBoy wrote:
I got the first Squier reissue a few years ago. Was great right out of the box but I restrung it for baritone A-A and it smokes. Love it through my Fender Excelsior w/tremelo!
That would be a great amp for a VI.
It really would! I'd worry a little bit about an open back guitar cab for it though, but that IS what the strangle switch is for, right? 
The Strangle Switch is a great secret weapon, and a perfect tool for making a Bass VI even more unique.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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