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Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI: Practical applications

#21
I just ordered mine. Back ordered so I probably won't get it for at least a few weeks. I also have been concerned with the strings. As others have stated, the stock strings are probably going to be too light to play practically as a normal bass. However I have seen plenty of Ernie Ball Slinky 6-string bass sets, roundwound .20-.90 for less than $10 a set on Ebay. Thinking about ordering some of these in advance. Anyone try a set of these? Flats are not for me and I don't want to spend a fortune on strings, so hoping these EBs will do the trick.
 
#24
BassDudeSA said:
I just ordered mine. Back ordered so I probably won't get it for at least a few weeks. I also have been concerned with the strings. As others have stated, the stock strings are probably going to be too light to play practically as a normal bass. However I have seen plenty of Ernie Ball Slinky 6-string bass sets, roundwound .20-.90 for less than $10 a set on Ebay. Thinking about ordering some of these in advance. Anyone try a set of these? Flats are not for me and I don't want to spend a fortune on strings, so hoping these EBs will do the trick.
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That would be awesome if those strings worked.. Be sure to update once you get it!
 
#25
nukes_da_bass said:
Brian Wilson loved his Bass VI. I hear it all OVER "Pet Sounds".
I'm not saying he was the bassist on all or any of those tracks, but he was the producer and had 100% control over arrangements on the album. Take a listen and hear all the arpeggios, and even some metal-like pick driven figures!
If I was producing music this instrument would be mandatory in my studio.
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That's Carol Kaye. She's a guitar player.
 
#27
Munjibunga said:
That's Carol Kaye. She's a guitar player.
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She ALSO plays guitar. EXCEPT when she's playing bass!
Carol Kaye did sessions for everyone, including Barry Gordy at Motown, on guitar AND bass.
I recall an interview where she was answering the question "did you play the bassline on "Bernadette?"
Her answer was "I can't even remember but it could have been me, Babbitt, or Jamerson. I can hear my own playing in that line, and theirs. I honestly can't remember!".
 
#28
nukes_da_bass said:
She ALSO plays guitar. EXCEPT when she's playing bass!
Carol Kaye did sessions for everyone, including Barry Gordy at Motown, on guitar AND bass.
I recall an interview where she was answering the question "did you play the bassline on "Bernadette?"
Her answer was "I can't even remember but it could have been me, Babbitt, or Jamerson. I can hear my own playing in that line, and theirs. I honestly can't remember!".
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She was a guitar player first. While she is a phenomenal talent on both, her guitar roots show through in her busy bass lines.
 
#29
BassDudeSA said:
I just ordered mine. Back ordered so I probably won't get it for at least a few weeks. I also have been concerned with the strings. As others have stated, the stock strings are probably going to be too light to play practically as a normal bass. However I have seen plenty of Ernie Ball Slinky 6-string bass sets, roundwound .20-.90 for less than $10 a set on Ebay. Thinking about ordering some of these in advance. Anyone try a set of these? Flats are not for me and I don't want to spend a fortune on strings, so hoping these EBs will do the trick.
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That EB set is specifically for the Music Man Silhouette Bass 6. From what I understand, they're not long enough for a Fender Bass VI. Keep in mind the Bass VI has the Jaguar tremolo, so the winding length is longer than other bass 6's (like the Silhouette and Schecter Hellcat).
 
#30
Mark Nye said:
That EB set is specifically for the Music Man Silhouette Bass 6. From what I understand, they're not long enough for a Fender Bass VI. Keep in mind the Bass VI has the Jaguar tremolo, so the winding length is longer than other bass 6's (like the Silhouette and Schecter Hellcat).
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Thanks, good to know. Crazy question... but... since I am one to like a real thick low end sound, what about using the Fender or D'Addario VI sets and tossing the high E string, moving all the other strings over one place and use another .95 or 1.00 from a standard bass set to cover the E? Would the much thicker strings fit in the nut and bridge slots, and/or would that be too much tension? Considering we use normal bass string sets for the typical 30" short scales, I'm hoping the tension would not be too much.
 
#31
The issue there is not the thickness of the string, but rather the ball end and where the taper starts. A Fender VI will definitely take a .095 low E. Fender used to make a set with one. However, the ball ends on Bass VI strings use the smaller guitar ball. Bass strings won't work (or at least don't work well), because the ball won't make contact with the tailpiece due to the wide angle of the core wire around the ball.

(NOTE: This is what I've been told by other players or found out by researching. I have not personally attempted to use regular bass strings on my Bass VI. Check out this thread for more discussion on the subject http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f16/bass-vi-strings-880259/)
 
#32
Thanks for the info on Carol Kaye's use of the Bass VI, but (respectfully) take the guitarist/bassist debate somewhere else. It's outside the scope of this thread (and I specifically asked - again, respectfully - in the OP that this type of debate be kept out of it).

Thank you.
 
#33
More field testing:

Took my Bass VI on the road this weekend for a few shows. We were sharing backline with the host bands in a few different cities, so I used it as an opportunity to run the it through a few different rigs. Twangy blues rock was on the menu, so it was standard basslines. Nothing fancy, but I was able to work in a few "baritone" chords here and there when it was appropriate. I played it with a light pick. This is normally a gig that I do fingerstyle on a Precision, so it had a bit of a different flavor. Still cool, though.

The first was an Acoustic head and matching 1x15 cab.

Meh. It was alright. I wasn't too thrilled, but in defense, I don't think I'd have been thrilled with any other bass, either. I've never been a fan of run-of-the-mill 1x15s, and the head had way more parameter controls than I need/like. However, I was very grateful to the host band for saving me from having to haul my rig. Allowed me and the guitarist to take a car instead of a van.

The second was an older GK RB 2x10 combo.

This thing was great. I took advantage of the kickback shape and heard everything I wanted to hear. The Bass VI was nice and full in the bottom end, and articulate in the mids and highs.

And it still looks badass on stage...

Link Removed
 
#37
CBNJ said:
Love your reviews! Starting to convince me on this.. Waiting patiently for any videos that might come out. :)
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Honestly, this guy has about the best video review I've seen so far. He cycles through all of the pickups, plays fingerstyle, picked, clean, overdriven, single notes, arpeggios, chords...the whole 9. And unlike the guitar shop guys who yap about the product for 10 minutes and actually play it for 10 seconds, this guy plays the whole time and doesn't say a word (a perfect demo, IMHO).



I attempted a video last week, but it sounded like ass, so I didn't even consider posting, and deleted it. The only things I own that can record video are my MacBook and my phone, neither of which has a mic that can capture the sound very well. If anyone ever catches a gig video worth anything, I'll post it.
 
#39
Mark Nye said:
The issue there is not the thickness of the string, but rather the ball end and where the taper starts. A Fender VI will definitely take a .095 low E. Fender used to make a set with one. However, the ball ends on Bass VI strings use the smaller guitar ball. Bass strings won't work (or at least don't work well), because the ball won't make contact with the tailpiece due to the wide angle of the core wire around the ball.

(NOTE: This is what I've been told by other players or found out by researching. I have not personally attempted to use regular bass strings on my Bass VI. Check out this thread for more discussion on the subject http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f16/bass-vi-strings-880259/)
Click to expand...

Actually, this is exactly what I did. The ball end fits in the tailpiece just fine, and though I had to put a couple extra windings on the tuner it seems to play fine. There isn't a huge tonal difference between the .95 bass E string and the A above it as far as I can tell. D'addario Bass VI strings: $11. D'addario Bass .95 E: $5. $16 for a bass guitar set really isn't bad at all, I would say.
 

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