TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
I have one of these (right-handed), use it for Joy Division and Cure-type stuff (in the style of), love it.
The tiers are wicked weird. I don’t want a squire and I won’t pay $1200 for a polyurethane MIM fender. I have closet queen 25yr old MIM poly Stratocasters that did not age well.
I've seen a couple FCS BVI's on different guitar shop's websites that have been marked down (and then back up after the sale ends) to about $4.8k on a few occasions and they're still sitting there 2 years later.
I've owned and sold a first generation Hellcat VI and currently have and love to pieces a Fender Pawnshop VI. Unless you utterly love VI playing and are rich, I cannot fathom buying any of the super expensive stuff on this list, and would note a lot of folks get into VIs and come away disappointed due the unique nature of the instrument. If this is your first foray with VIs I'd go with either the Vintera or Hellcat if you want to spend a bit, but you'd be fine with the Squier provided you can handle setting it up.
I don’t even want a 50yr old fender. I’m marginally pleased with how my 25yr old gear has aged. lol.
I've got a PSVI and the term's been locked since I got it. The string bending isn't missed but the string behind the bridge definitely contributes to the instrument's sound.
Eastwood side jack deluxe is a real looker. I’ve been wanting one for a while. Check it out.
Click on the price. The link I included is from the North American distributor of the brand, "The Guitar Boutique" in Bethany, Ontario, which is at least something. OTOH, the instrument shows as pre-orderable ("1-4 Month Build Time").
It's weird because I also play a bunch of different string instruments and i don't have too much trouble switching, and I was at a big music store playing a bunch of different guitars and basses for half a day. But the bass vi instruments mostly felt "wrong" in the proportions of string gauge/tension/spacing/height. It would be a lot better if I was a primarily a pick-playing rock guitarist, but I'm the opposite of that, so I have to conclude it's just not for me. I even got to play the Fender Custom Shop and a couple high-end vintage ones, and i just didn't vibe.
Yeah, I have a cuppla guitars from that brand, a 6 and a 12, as well. They are designed in England; a marketing point is the Townshend pick-ups. They are made in China, then set-up in England . I am not aware of any American distributor but there were at least two in Canada. The only issue I have had is I wore out some frets on my RJT60 in about 3 years time, but have since found a different jazzmaster-type that I prefer. Still my go-to Bass VI, and I really like the 12.
Could it be this?
Fender make a .100 set. I have a set arrived just before Christmas as the .84 D'Addarios and the .90 EBs are a little slack feeling to me. Now I'm reminded, I might install them (Ibanez SRC6) tomorrow afternoon when I do some other mods, repairs and restrings.
Sweet. You very rarely see these even mentioned, let alone in the wild. My Bass VI class journey started with the OLP MM5 which I found locally for peanuts maybe 15ya, then sold sadly a few years after when I was broke. I can't afford an EBMM, so I looked for alternatives and am very happy with my SRC6.
The string gauges look right. How old is that package? I think that the set comes in a cardstock envelope now.
I got a bunch of them out of a bargain/blow out box, maybe at a GC, maybe at a mom’n’pop, maybe at an overstock/surplus place that is hooked up with one of the Musician’s Friend/GC warehouses, it’s been so long I don’t remember.
I just put these on my PSVI. The heavier gauge improves the instrument as a "proper" bass if that's what you need and is also cheaper than the Labellas I'd been using for the last decade. I had to adjust the neck due to the new tension but my PSVI has been deviled by a volatile neck.
