Hooky vs “regular” 6-string

[Greenman72]

For those of you who have played a Hooky bass 6, how does it compare to a “regular” 6-stringer? Any thoughts or comments are appreciated? Could you simply tune your sixer to EADGBE and have the same thing? (You’d have to change strings, of course.)

For those who don’t know, a Hooky Bass 6 is a bass with a 2-inch nut, 30-inch scale, tuned EADGBE.

(FYI - Most bass VI’s have a 1.58-inch nut, which makes them practically unplayable to my giant hands and sausage fingers. Hence why I’m asking specifically about the Hooky.)

Eastwood Hooky Bass 6 PRO

Story In the summer of 2017, we were given unique access to one of Peter Hook’s original Shergold Marathon 6 Bass guitars, an instrument that has always been a core part of Hooky’s unique style/sound, and an integral part of the sound of Joy Division and New Order.With this level of...

eastwoodguitars.com

 

[Riff Ranger]

Most typical six-string basses will have a 34 or 35” scale, so even if you restring them EADGBE, you would still notice that in both the stretches you’d have to make with your fretting hand and considerably higher tension on the strings (unless you adjusted string diameters to compensate) relative to bass vi style instruments.

I have not played the Hooky but at the moment I primarily play another 30” scale bass vi by Eastwood (the Sidejack version). The shorter scale and lower tension make anything chordal much easier for me, though big chords in the lower positions will tend to sound murky no matter what in that range. I don’t think I could pull off my big arpeggios at a scale length much greater than 30”, but I’d like to try on a 34” Ibanez Soundgear six-string just to see.

 

[Swift713]

You could also use a regular 34” six string and tune it eadgbe at the 3rd fret

 

[bholder]

sausage fingers

Great Super= / Anti- Hero name! All shall tremble before the might of Sausage Fingers!! hehe

 

[simisker]

In a nutshell, as an owner: the Hooky is a VI for bassists; a Fender Bass VI is a VI for guitarists.

I have smaller than average hands, but even so... as a lifelong bassist I find the Fender Bass VI way too cramped at the bridge end.

The Hooky is the only "VI" I've played that I could play fingerstyle.... if I wanted to. But I want all that gorgeous baritone twang, so I use a pick, and the string spacing is close enough to my 5-string basses that it just feels comfortable to play in a way that Fender VIs don't to me.

Essentially, on a Hooky, my muscle memory doesn't let me down.

Of course, you could get a regular 6-string extended range bass, get some suitable custom strings, a new custom nut, a capo and off you go. If you've already got a standard 6-er lying around spare, this is clearly the economical way to explore - assuming you're okay with fitting, shaping and filing a new nut.

 

[Wyrdlow]

In a nutshell, as an owner: the Hooky is a VI for bassists; a Fender Bass VI is a VI for guitarists.

Brilliant, thanks. Now, that makes sense.

 

[shwashwa]

What's the string spacing at the bridge on these?

 

[2groggy]

The specs for the Hooky bass don't say. I presume that the spacing at the bridge is the same as on a Fender guitar, so they could be built with common hardware.

 

[simisker]

What's the string spacing at the bridge on these?

Having just measured (at bridge, between saddle notch centres) ...

Hooky Pro: 12.5mm / 0.5inch
Harley Benton Bass VI: 10mm / 0.4inch

Slightly surprised by that, as the Hooky feels wider when plucking than the number suggests.

 

[Verne Andru]

Danelectro introduced the original 6-string bass back in the day. They advertised it saying bass players got 2 extra strings for free. Those were 30" scale, like the Hooky, and used the same bodies for 4-string basses and guitars. Fender later released their Bass VI following in Danelectro's 30" footsteps. The longer scale 6-string basses we see today are extended range regular basses that are relatively recent, in the scheme of things.

The Hooky will take regular Bass VI as well as Baritone string sets with its 30" scale. The single humbucker seems to be placed around where you'd find a Music Man bridge pup, so don't expect P-bass tones from it.