• 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.

new BASS VI day

fretless714

fretless714

Supporting Member
Mar 22, 2003
195
620
Grimsby, Ontario
#1
hi all, I wanted to show off a custom build by Belvedere Guitars in Montreal. like a lot of us here I started my Bass VI journey with a Squier Classic Vibe, I enjoyed it but found the string spacing at both ends to be too narrow for my tastes. I’ve been playing bass for over 50 years and I just find the standard specs to be a little too cramped. last spring I had purchased a Belvedere Viper guitar which was amazing and I reached out to Brett to see about commissioning a Bass VI build. we put our heads together and nailed down the specs going back and forth over a period of time, Lollar T-Bird pickups, Halon Guitars 55.5mm bridge, ObscuraMFG hardtail plate, Steinberger tuners and most importantly I wanted it to look like a Creamsicle! 😁 well the bass showed up a couple of days ago and it. is. AWESOME!!! Brett and his crew really nailed it perfectly. enjoy the pics of the new Viper Bass VI as well as a pic of the guitar that inspired me to commission the build.


IMG_4859.jpeg
IMG_1116.jpeg
IMG_1115.jpeg
IMG_1113.jpeg
IMG_0861.webp
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Love
  • Wow
Reactions: nonohmic, gambit0714, HeavyJazz and 37 others
#2
fretless714 said:
hi all, I wanted to show off a custom build by Belvedere Guitars in Montreal. like a lot of us here I started my Bass VI journey with a Squier Classic Vibe, I enjoyed it but found the string spacing at both ends to be too narrow for my tastes. I’ve been playing bass for over 50 years and I just find the standard specs to be a little too cramped. last spring I had purchased a Belvedere Viper guitar which was amazing and I reached out to Brett to see about commissioning a Bass VI build. we put our heads together and nailed down the specs going back and forth over a period of time, Lollar T-Bird pickups, Halon Guitars 55.5mm bridge, ObscuraMFG hardtail plate, Steinberger tuners and most importantly I wanted it to look like a Creamsicle! 😁 well the bass showed up a couple of days ago and it. is. AWESOME!!! Brett and his crew really nailed it perfectly. enjoy the pics of the new Viper Bass VI as well as a pic of the guitar that inspired me to commission the build.


View attachment 7395100View attachment 7395101View attachment 7395102View attachment 7395103View attachment 7395104
Click to expand...
Wow! Have a happy Orange Creamsicle Holiday!
 
  • Like
Reactions: nixdad and fretless714
#4
JonathanPDX said:
Congrats, what a cool axe!

I'm curious what role you use this for in a band. Is it filling the traditional bass role, or something you use alongside a regular 4+ string bass in ensemble settings? How does it's tuning/range compare to a standard guitar?
Click to expand...
hmmm, I’m not currently in a band actually. I’m in my 60s and haven’t gigged in quite of few years, since when I was in my 40s and realized I had to grow up and get a real job. 🙂 I was able to make a living at it up until that point.

but to try and answer your question, I play a bunch of different instruments nowadays and I just find that it’s a wonderful new thing to add something to the palate. I was up until 4 o’clock this morning playing it through all sorts of pedals and plugins and I just find it (and anything else that’s new) to be very inspiring and allows me to create music for my own enjoyment if only to keep myself sane and happy. good enough for me!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bartrinsic, urkel3000, thisheregiraffe and 2 others
#7
pcake said:
wow - that sure is purty! and looks like a creamsicle...

and a great idea. i find regular bass VIs too tight to play comfortably.
Click to expand...
the other thing I don’t like about Bass VIs are the pickups, too thin for my liking. this thing sounds like a BASS, especially the neck pickup. the bridge pickup is of course a bit less bottom heavy due to its positioning but it’s a useable thinner sound.
 
  • Like
Reactions: nixdad, Iristone and pcake
#9
It's not my personal aesthetic, but I love that it's very unique. And orange. As someone else said, play the paint off it.

I have an Ibanez SRC6 and love the Bass VI style so my next order (paid for, just waiting on it) is an Ibanez GVB36 which will be E-E, sort of a crossover of a crossover. It's also sort of orange.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fretless714
#12
There’s a sheep you don’t see every day. Love it.

How’s that bridge working out? I’ve got a VI with a Mastery and it’s nice enough but I’m not thrilled with it. At some point I might consider a hardtail modification (though I probably will just live with the Mastery).
 
  • Like
Reactions: fretless714
#13
crazycloud said:
It's not my personal aesthetic, but I love that it's very unique. And orange. As someone else said, play the paint off it.

I have an Ibanez SRC6 and love the Bass VI style so my next order (paid for, just waiting on it) is an Ibanez GVB36 which will be E-E, sort of a crossover of a crossover. It's also sort of orange.
Click to expand...
yeah the retro/future thing isn’t for everyone, but I used to love watching the Jetsons when I was a kid so perhaps that has something to do with it. 😁
 
  • Like
Reactions: dabbler, pcake and monsterthompson
#14
monsterthompson said:
There’s a sheep you don’t see every day. Love it.

How’s that bridge working out? I’ve got a VI with a Mastery and it’s nice enough but I’m not thrilled with it. At some point I might consider a hardtail modification (though I probably will just live with the Mastery).
Click to expand...
you’ve got an F Bass VI right? I’ve been to the shop a couple of times lately getting some work done and was checking them out while I was there, Marcel told me that some of the feedback they were getting was similar to my issues with narrow string spacing at the nut and bridge. I told him about the Belvedere and showed him some work in progress pics and he was very interested in the wider spacing of the bridge I’d specced out as well as the t-bird pickups. I couldn’t stand the trem when I had the Squier so the hardtail plate you see here was on that until I took it off when I sold it. I told Marcel when it’s done that I would bring it in so he can check it out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: monsterthompson and N4860
#16
fretless714 said:
you’ve got an F Bass VI right? I’ve been to the shop a couple of times lately getting some work done and was checking them out while I was there, Marcel told me that some of the feedback they were getting was similar to my issues with narrow string spacing at the nut and bridge. I told him about the Belvedere and showed him some work in progress pics and he was very interested in the wider spacing of the bridge I’d specced out as well as the t-bird pickups. I couldn’t stand the trem when I had the Squier so the hardtail plate you see here was on that until I took it off when I sold it. I told Marcel when it’s done that I would bring it in so he can check it out.
Click to expand...

I do have one of the F Bass. I’m not bothered by the spacing that much, but I grew up playing guitar. In fact, I kinda wanted the narrow spacing for reasons. I have been curious about VI designs that use wider spacing (I believe the Eastwood Hooky does).

I’ve been playing around with the VI and trying to record a few things in ways I normally wouldn’t (all in the box). I’m trying to get a set of sounds where the VI plays the bass and “guitar” parts by switching up pickups and using the bass choke, and a variety of amp/cab sims. It’s been an interesting and mildly frustrating experience so far, but I gotta figure this all out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fretless714

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back