NB6D

[Jimi2]

New Bass VI day! I needed a bass for some recordings I’m doing, and I always thought it would be cool to have one of these for playing melodies over real bass lines. Got this as a scratch and dent for under $300 from Musicians Friend- it’s got a really nasty, large ding on the side but plays great, so I guess I’m good.

Not sure what strings it shipped with, but the low E is pretty floppy, so I’ve got a set of Fender 24-100s on the way. Think I’ll need a setup with the heavier strings?

[Steve DeRosa]

That thing is a 6-atring piano if you know how to play it right - ex-bandbud bought himself one a few years ago, does chord-melody solos above the tenth fret with bass lines in their proper register, and it sounds like a legit guitar-bass duet:



BTW if you haven't strung it up yet the go-to for the Bass VI is the LaBella 767-6F 26-95 flatwound set pictured above - last nearly forever, and they have the classic mellow punch heard on many '60s hits, including the 1961 million-seller "Calcutta" from Lawrence Welk featuring Neil Levang on the prototype:



FYI the instrument (finished in Daphne Blue) remained in the Welk band's possession for many years thereafter, and reappeared in the hands of the late Buddy Merrill in this 1971 revisitation:



Use it well and often...

[Jimi2]

Thanks Steve! I didn’t know too much of the history of the bass vi, other than it was used extensively by the Beatles. My round wound strings just got here today, so I guess I’ll try those first and see how it sounds, but the flats could be great too. Also just ordered a small Orange Crush amp for it - don’t want to make a habit of using my guitar amp.

Other than the aforementioned damage, this thing is pretty nice for a Squier!

[Glennwillow]

That's a very cool bass! Congratulations!

- Glenn

[YamahaGuy]

I had one for a minute (a few months while my band was finding a new bass player). Great instrument. There is a really inexpensive bridge mod that makes the tuning more stable.
https://youtu.be/G29pVjbQ8fk
In my experience, chording didn't sound so great. Enjoy it!

[Jimi2]

Originally Posted by YamahaGuy

I had one for a minute (a few months while my band was finding a new bass player). Great instrument. There is a really inexpensive bridge mod that makes the tuning more stable.
https://youtu.be/G29pVjbQ8fk
In my experience, chording didn't sound so great. Enjoy it!

Thanks, I’ll check that out. I havent had a chance to play it much yet - I can imagine chords get muddy. But I was playing around with approaching it like a fingerpicked guitar and having a lot of fun. Put the Fender strings on, and they sound good, but the low string is still floppy at .100 - I think I’d like to tune it to drop d for drone/melody playing. Does anyone know if I can get a short scale .110 somewhere to try?

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Jimi2

...Does anyone know if I can get a short scale .110 somewhere to try?

LaBella does make a short-scale flatwound .109 - I use their 49-109 flatwound set on my Gibson SG bass, and they're anything but floppy - but as I'm sure you're aware the Bass VI requires what essentially amounts to a long-scale string (due to the additional length between the bridge and tailpiece) with a very thin headstock end, to allow wrapping around the guitar-size tuners. Quite frankly this is one of the reasons the LaBella Bass VI set is the standard - with over 300 years of string-making heritage they know a little something about balancing the various components to achieve sufficient tension, and in their lighter gauges they're able to successfully combine the seemingly contradictory characteristics of sonic heft and easier fingering. FYI Sir Paulie Mac installed their 39-96 dedicated Hofner-spec set after he had his iconic '62 500/1 bass restored back in the '90s, after a lifetime of using the considerably heavier Hofner factory strings (which begin at .050), with no loss of tone - and while LaBella might agree to make you a custom set with a James Jamerson-approved high-tension .110 low E, I strongly suspect you'll find the standard 26-95 Bass VI complement more than satisfactory...

[Jimi2]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

LaBella does make a short-scale flatwound .109 - I use their 49-109 flatwound set on my Gibson SG bass, and they're anything but floppy - but as I'm sure you're aware the Bass VI requires what essentially amounts to a long-scale string (due to the additional length between the bridge and tailpiece) with a very thin headstock end, to allow wrapping around the guitar-size tuners. Quite frankly this is one of the reasons the LaBella Bass VI set is the standard - with over 300 years of string-making heritage they know a little something about balancing the various components to achieve sufficient tension, and in their lighter gauges they're able to successfully combine the seemingly contradictory characteristics of sonic heft and easier fingering. FYI Sir Paulie Mac installed their 39-96 dedicated Hofner-spec set after he had his iconic '62 500/1 bass restored back in the '90s, after a lifetime of using the considerably heavier Hofner factory strings (which begin at .050), with no loss of tone - and while LaBella might agree to make you a custom set with a James Jamerson-approved high-tension .110 low E, I strongly suspect you'll find the standard 26-95 Bass VI complement more than satisfactory...

Ah, ok, I wasn’t factoring in the tailpiece position, and the taper at the end - so sounds like Bass VI strings are their own thing. I watched a couple demo videos with the flatwounds, and they sound great - more like a real bass. But I’m thinking I like the sound of the rounds as well, for a more guitarish experience. The Fender strings I got are .024- .100; I’m assuming the LaBella’s, flats or rounds, would have less tension at .095 - don’t you think?

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Jimi2

...I’m assuming the LaBella’s, flats or rounds, would have less tension at .095 - don’t you think?

Not necessarily, since you need to take the whole package (materials, core wire/wrap wire ratio, construction methods, et al.) into account. It's generally known among long-time electric players that LaBella strings are historically (but not always) higher tension than their competitors - FYI they produce a "Low Tension" series that addresses this specifically - which is why, although I use them exclusively on my four-string basses (including the 1954-spec "James Jamerson" 52-110 flatwounds on my Pedulla P/J - heaviest bass strings out there, and probably well over 250 pounds total tension ) I favor D'Addario Chromes on my electric guitars for their easier bending qualities (I use a wound G, so this is a major plus). In short, you've seen the videos: while individual experiences can indeed differ, I wouldn't think twice about making the move to the dedicated Bass VI LaBella flats - and if you're looking for a more "guitar-like" tonality (think Glen Campbell's "Galveston") the right combination of pickup[s] and pick will get you there...