Squier CV Bass VI

[40Hz]

How can you own one of these and not know the EADG are the same frequency as what you would get on any 4 string bass whether it’s a 34” or 32” or 30” neck?

Are you done yet?

 

[2F/2F]

I am jonesing for one of these and I know I cannot count on you to talk me out of it so this is your opportunity to talk me into it. I do have a couple of questions:

This is tuned one octave below a guitar, they say, but a regular four-string bass is also tuned one octave below, right? That is.... on a four-string bass, the E played at the seventh fret of the A string is the same note as the open E string on a guitar, right?

What is the lowest note these Squier VI basses play? Is it a B?

What is the string spacing?

How do the pickups sound? Will I want to upgrade the pickups? If so, are they hard to find and/or expensive?

They are sub-octave guitars: E–E, an octave below a guitar. It's as simple as that. Don't overthink it.

Center-to-center string span at the bridge is about 2 1/8", with about 3/8" of space between each string. They play like a long-scale guitar, in that regard. Much more suitable to picking than finger plucking (but you can use your fingers).

They have a vibrato with matching rocker bridge, and a strangle switch, like a Jaguar guitar – and unlike most other sub-octave guitars ("six string basses") of the time. The Fender is far more guitar-like than the others.

You don't need to upgrade anything on them, IME. I just set mine up very nicely, being quite adept at doing Jazzmaster and Jaguar setups. Have played it hard for hours at a time, and it held tune and sounded great.

That said, I eventually installed a $15 Squier Jazzmaster bridge, however. I prefer the individually height adjustable threaded saddles. They allow for much better setups. You can set string height individually, which is important to achieving the best possible setup. You can adjust string spacing with the threaded saddles, which is also very important for that great setup. And you can jack up the saddles as high as possible off the bridge plate, which is a key element of a great Jag/JM/VI setup.

The stock set of strings is not great. Too tight on the top, and too loose on the bottom, IMO. So I also have a custom ordered set of near-balanced-tension LaBella round wounds waiting in the wings, which I will install when the stock strings wear out. I wanted low tension for the classic Bass VI board slap and flop, so I started with the lightest high E they offered. I chose the rest of the strings to get close to that tension. I ended up with: 22, 30, 38, 52, 70, 94.

 

[Iristone]

The original instruments had been used by giants like Jack Bruce and John Entwistle.
For Squier CV instruments, pickups shoudn't be the limiting factor. The hardware (especially the Jazzmaster vibrato tailpiece) could do with an upgrade, though.

 

[PennyroyalWe]

I’ve played one and really didn’t care for it. I thought it’d be cool for doing guitar parts in a bass register, but that really didn’t sound good. Using it for normal bass parts wasn’t as easy or comfortable as using a 4 string. So I really couldn’t figure out where I’d use, so I passed on it…but maybe you’ve got better ideas.

 

[A9X]

IMHO, the current master of the VI (although hers is a Lakland) is Julie Slick. Check out this set of her with her band EchoTest to get some ideas about the cool things you can do with one of these things:

I quite enjoyed that thanks. Not entirely my cup of tea musically, but I got some ideas on things to do with my SRC6s I hadn't thought of before.

Please don't compare a Lakland to a Squier VI. I cannot imagine Lakland would sell such a piece of firewood.

Then you need to get more imagination or lower the snob threshold some. Look at the pic below and notice a) the name on the headstock, and b) the oval shaped bridge. Looks to me like a Lakland.

 

[dangevans]

Please don't compare a Lakland to a Squier VI. I cannot imagine Lakland would sell such a piece of firewood.

To the OP, find a used Squier VI that some delusional soul thought he could improve on because they way they shipped, they were a disaster. Find a used one with a StayTrem bridge so you stand a chance at getting intonation right. See if that same bass has had a shim installed in the neck (does wonders for correcting a horrible neck), cleaned up the rough fret ends and maybe even leveled the frets. Then, if you're really lucky, you might even find one with useable tuners. You may find a few, along the way with some of these repairs/upgrades but try to get a used one with as many as you can so you don't tear your hair out in frustration over the way these things originally shipped from the factory. They were nothing short of a disgrace.

Did you ever have one?

 

[Spupilup]

In fact I did, a white one that I struggled with for a few months, swapping out the bridge for an old ‘60’s bridge because StayTrem stopped exporting their bridge. I did everything I could to make that piece of fancy firewood work. I finally sold it off to GC because my conscience wouldn’t let me sell it to anyone face to face.

 

[dangevans]

I got one used here off the TB Classifieds, from a fine TBer. I’d read the confusing mix of satisfied reviews from owners (I think there’s a “club” thread here), as well as the dismal stories about horrible trems, impossible intonation challenges, third party replacement bridges, flipping bridges around, etc. I decided to try one anyway. I got a very cosmetically nice one here, with some setup issues. I surfed up the factory specifications, and spent an afternoon setting it up to factory specs, figuring that I would tweak from there. Gee, it sounded pretty good already! I then bought a set of Labella flats as raved about in the threads, and I couldn’t be more pleased. The neck is amazing and is always the first thing anyone says when they pick it up. The 3-pickup, 4-switch configuration yields a LOT of interesting tones. Played with a pick and palm muting, it’s a funk machine!

I wouldn’t recommend it as your only bass (but I could make do, without slapping), but as an extra instrument it’s a totally different animal. It’s a very versatile instrument to have in a home studio. YMMV, as is obvious from the varied comments, but I sure won’t be letting mine go anytime soon.

I agree with this post 100%. You aren't going to get the perfect setup/bass out of the box with Squier- but it's not like you are paying a fortune for it, either, so that is expected.
Putting flats on these make a world of difference, IMO, if you want it to really sound like a bass. This seemed to help with a lot of the issues others don't like about the bass.
I never found a great use for the tremelo, for bass playing anyway. Kind of a fun toy, I guess, but I just take it off and play.
Fingerstyle is a challenge because of the spacing, but not impossible. I play pick style on everything, so it wasn't a big issue for me.
Some like them, some hate them... The important thing is to listen to reviews from people who actually owned one and took the time to set it up properly and play it for more than 5 minutes. Good luck!
Oh yeah- it is worth checking out other brands, such as the Bass VI's offered by Eastwood, etc.

 

[NoiseNinja]

If you are expecting either a downtuned guitar or a 6 string bass from a Bass VI chances are high you will get disappointed, it's closer to a downtuned baritone guitar than the two former though, but really rather an unique instrument all in its own regards, and you need to understand and treat it like that to really be able to make proper use of it.

 

[msb]

A lot of people that buy these will be disappointed , there might be some great used deals a little further down the road . They do not play like a bass , or a guitar . They’re quite a unique thing . That said I can’t keep my hands off mine . It’s a hoot .

 

[DirtDog]

A lot of people that buy these will be disappointed , there might be some great used deals a little further down the road . They do not play like a bass , or a guitar . They’re quite a unique thing . That said I can’t keep my hands off mine . It’s a hoot .

Same here. It took me owning a couple of different baritone guitars to realize what I was looking for was in fact a Bass VI. So I got one and I am quite pleased with it. But then again, I like odd ball instruments.

If you really want an unplayable guitar, try one of the 90s/2000s Danelectro reissues. Those are REALLY unstable. I had one of their standard guitars and their baritone. Nope. The Squier Bass VI is miles and miles ahead of those.

 

[Skillet]

Behold, the Harley Benton GuitarBass VS.

These are inexpensive, and mine came ready to play out of the box. I have been quite impressed.

 

[Critter Music]

I own one. It fits a niche. I’ve had no problems with setup, tuning stability etc. I play guitar (of many types, incl pedal steel, console steel, dobro, a couple of different bait ones and lots of basses, Nashville high strung Tele….so on). Quality seems in line with the price I paid for mine.

Keep in mind that this is not a bass nor is it a baritone. All different animals. Shorter scale and one octave higher than bass (string 25-95). If you expect to do what a bass can or play it like a bass, you will be disappointed.

Play it with a pick, palm muted and plugged into a nice tube amp with reverb, kick in the strangle circuit and, man, you get THAT sound. From the Beatles to Glen Campbell to The Cure to Yo La Tengo.

Yeah I'm pretty much the same boat as you- I lay pretty much all the aforementioned style guitars as well. I've wanted a Bass VI to itch the Cure "Fascination Street" and Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" itch for awhile.

As you astutely noted- its its own beats. Expecting it to be anything other than a Bass VI will lead to disappointment and frustration.

And for me- the low E is damn near useless. My next step is to try a bigger gauged string but its just to sloppy loose at 30" scale length.

 

[Lobster11]

I quite enjoyed that thanks. Not entirely my cup of tea musically, but I got some ideas on things to do with my SRC6s I hadn't thought of before.

Cool. Here's a short demo of some stuff she does with the VI playing solo -- aided by a looper and other fun toys. (The first bit is played on a five-string but the two others are played on the VI.)

Look at the pic below and notice a) the name on the headstock, and b) the oval shaped bridge. Looks to me like a Lakland.

Right; it's a Lakland Decade 6. (Julie is pretty much all Lakland, all the time.)

 

[msb]

Fender now makes a Bass VI set with .100 for the E string . It makes a difference .

 

[Killing Floor]

I was hoping the low string could be a B. What was I thinking? Scale length is 30".

If you’re hoping for a B-B get a baritone guitar. A bari is a great instrument, I play mine all the time. But it’s not the same as a bass VI. There are people who string/tune a bari to Bass VI, etc. but a true bari has a guitar neck that’s 27-30” scale. It will feel like a Strat only longer, not wider.
If you want to try a Bass VI the Squier is a fabulous deal. There’s a real 63 VI locally that I’d love to be able to score but it’s a lot more than the Squier.

 

[Spupilup]

Then you need to get more imagination or lower the snob threshold some. Look at the pic below and notice a) the name on the headstock, and b) the oval shaped bridge. Looks to me like a Lakland.
View attachment 4486795

I think you misunderstood me. I like the Lakland version but have not tried it. I owned the Squier Bass VI and it is the fancy piece of firewood I was referring to.

 

[SmokinJoe992]

I have been interested in the Squier bass vi, Schecter Hellcat or Ibanez SRC6. The question I have is couldn’t you accomplish about the same thing with an octave pedal?

 

[A9X]

Illustration, which would you rather have, a 1957 Chevy or a 2022 Toyota Camry?

If the choice was only one of them and I needed to do everything in it, the Camry.

Here's a short demo of some stuff she does with the VI playing solo -- aided by a looper and other fun toys. (The first bit is played on a five-string but the two others are played on the VI.)

I'll have a listen when it's daylight. It's 330am here and a neighbour just called the Police on me because my bluetooth speaker playing a podcast was too loud.

Fender now makes a Bass VI set with .100 for the E string . It makes a difference .

They can be hard to get though. Kalium makes lots of sets even larger in gauge than that.

I think you misunderstood me. I like the Lakland version but have not tried it. I owned the Squier Bass VI and it is the fancy piece of firewood I was referring to.

I misunderstood, and apologise,

I have been interested in the Squier bass vi, Schecter Hellcat or Ibanez SRC6. The question I have is couldn’t you accomplish about the same thing with an octave pedal?

I have 2 SRC6s and I don't think any of my guitars with an octave pedal sounds the same.

 

[jnewmark]

Here's a nice intro to Bass VI and the Eastwood version of one.

Eastwood Sidejack VI - YouTube