Squier Bass VI?

[blue]

Was killing 15 minutes in GC before my lunch destination was set to open and ran across a Squier Bass VI. Didn't plug it in, but played acoustically it was way too much fun!

I can totally see getting a used one down the road. New price is $450. First guitar I touched was around 1972. Up through the nineties I never dreamed a Bass VI would available for an even remotely affordable price, let alone dirt cheap!

[FrankHudson]

You are like me. Always intrigued by it, never thought I'd be able to afford one.

I have the Squier model you looked at.

Reasonable instrument quality, like many 21st Century Squires. Players tend to approach it with it's 30 inch scale as a short scale bass (Jack Bruce on the first Cream album) or a long scale baritone (Glen Campbell Wichita Lineman). You can tweak string gauges a bit if you want to bring out one side or the other of that duality, and what amp you play through changes the timbre too.

I mostly think of it as a bass (I have another baritone guitar). With the gauge strings I have on mine, the low E won't take a thumping without sounding a little floppy, so like the old "it hurts when I do that" joke, don't do that. I'm not a conventional bassist and usually play with a flat pick so there are probably other idiomatic bass playing techniques that won't work, but as a bass it sounds fine, no more of a compromise than any other short scale bass, and with the short scale advantages as a bass for smaller hands or guitarists who double on bass that the 30 scale brings you. Most 5 and 6 string basses give you an extended lower range, but the Bass VI gives you an extended upper range. That can be a really neat option. You can play "guitar" and "bass" at the same time sort of, e.g. bass riff on lower strings, move to higher neck position, guitar riff reply--but you're somewhat hampered in that by needing to compromise on amp choice and settings. A skilled player with two amps and an AB box two easily switch between them could probably fool with expectations on stage.

If you keep it E to E and use the bass register, remember that electric guitar speakers often don't appreciate loud, punchy bass playing. It can damage them. I use a bass amp, or plug in direct for recording with mine as a bass. Lower volume into my Blues DeVille 4x10 hasn't been an issue for when I want to bring out more the baritone personality.

I'll confess this lameness: I find it hard sometimes to transfer my knowledge of the guitar fretboard to the bass. It's actually comforting/helpful for me to have those upper two strings there, even if I don't play them.

As I said, I have another baritone. (Warmouth conversion neck). That's a 28 inch scale and tuned B to B.

Hope that helps.

[Steve DeRosa]

Lost my shot at the genuine article years ago (a NOS piece hanging in the window of Manny's on 48th Street in Manhattan since who-knows-when), so when they first came out I thought they were the greatest thing since brick-oven pizza; played about a dozen or so since then - some thoughts:

• QC is extremely spotty - you're going to go through a lot of dogs before you find even a potential keeper (neck twist, poor fretwork - Frank seems to have lucked out here), and when you do be prepared to sink some serious bucks into a ground-up setup job (fret grind-&-polish/nut filing and regrooving/neck angle adjustment, in addition to the usual truss rod/bridge height/intonation)...
• You're going to need to ditch the stock trem/tailpiece in favor of a USA/Japan locking unit (like the ones used on the original Bass VI) if you expect it to stay in tune, and while you're at it you'll probably want to replace the bridge as well - which leads me to:
• Many of the classic sounds associated with the Bass VI necessitated the use of muffled strings (the iconic "tick-tack" bass lines heard on recordings from the '60s), so unless you're playing in a seated position and/or have enough wrist flexibility to do palm-heel muting with the instrument in a comfortable bass-playing position plan on buying/installing a dedicated mute - and since TMK they're only available on the USA '65 Jaguar/Jazzmaster (the original Bass VI used the same bridge/tailpiece setup) and not through the parts catalog, good luck finding one...
• Pickups/controls are utilitarian at best - plan on replacement somewhere down the line...
• They're a lot heavier than they look - think '70s P/J-Bass here - so take that into consideration if, as I am, you're not getting any younger...

Although a good idea in principle, in this case you really are getting what you're (not) paying for - and as far as I'm concerned they had a lot of nerve jacking the price by $100 last year; frankly, if you're looking for this type of instrument you'd do well to check out the offerings from Schecter and Ibanez in the $600-700 price range - IMO it'll cost you less in time, money, and grief in the long run...

[YamahaGuy]

Originally Posted by blue

Was killing 15 minutes in GC before my lunch destination was set to open and ran across a Squier Bass VI. Didn't plug it in, but played acoustically it was way too much fun!

I can totally see getting a used one down the road. New price is $450. First guitar I touched was around 1972. Up through the nineties I never dreamed a Bass VI would available for an even remotely affordable price, let alone dirt cheap!

If you're ever in Northeast Ohio with $400 in your pocket I'll make you a great package deal on a like new one with hardshell case, extra strings, capo, Levy's strap with Dunlop straplocks, bridge mod, and a tuner. I love playing mine, but haven't had many chances to as of late.