Does anyone know if the LaBella Fender Bass VI flatwound set will work on a Danelectro Six String Bass?....would they be too long?
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The Short-Scale Six-String Clubfor the original six-string basses!
- Thread starter lunarpollen
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- Feb 24, 2004
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- Endorsing Artist: Phantom Guitars, Eastwood Guitars
Yeah it is a very sharp-looking instrument. But it has become redundant in my collection. Now I just need to find someone who would love one of their very own...
Ha I just replied to your post in the Amps forum
Actually, any amp that's good for bass is fine for the Hellcat VI. It has no special requirements...
Actually, any amp that's good for bass is fine for the Hellcat VI. It has no special requirements...
What would you boys say is the cut off as far as scale length goes for slapping some of those fender bass vi strings on a guitar/baritone??
Strings made for a Fender VI are too long for Dano/Jerry Jones 'VI's. That's why D'Addario makes two different roundwound sets for these instruments: the XL156 set for the Fender VI, and the XL155 set for the JJ/Dano 6.
If you want flats for your Dano you can likely have them custom made at a reasonable price.
I picked up a Fender 59 Bassman RI in January for like $400 used...not exactly the smallest amp you could use but a good deal because I was looking for something that was good for guitar as well as for VI. It may not be the most efficient as a bass amp, but it sounds pretty good if you play a VI like a "deep guitar" rather than a bass. I'm considering replacing it with a Fender Super Reverb at some point in time though. FYI, I do suck out a lot of bottom before running through this amp, with custom pedals, the tone stack, and by not heavily playing below low A. Probably recommended if you like the "guitar amp" sound but don't want to blow any speakers.
I didn't like playing my Hellcat VI through regular bass amps...I tried a bunch at Guitar Center...it makes it sound too much...like a bass. If that makes any sense... I don't play a VI for bottom-shaking rumble or super clean thump... But at some point in time I'll pobably pick up a traditional bass amp for when I want a good 4 string amp.
I'm trying an experiment with my Hellcat that I thought you guys might be interested in. I play in a three piece hard rock/punk band, and there are times when we could use a rhythm guitar. An example is the intro and breaks to The Ataris version of "Boys of Summer". When the lead guitar is doing the melody part just having a bass underneath sounds weak.
So I decided to try to play power chords with the root on the G string with some distortion to try and sound fuller and more guitar like without losing the low end. To make the chords easier to play I tuned the high B and E string up 1/2 step to C and F so I wouldn't have to reach 3 frets to play the 5th and octave. It sounds really good and works out well.
I was concerned that the higher tension on the high side of the neck would cause problems down the road, so I wanted to find some slightly smaller gauge strings. On the GHS Fender Bass VI strings I'm using the B is .035 and the E .025. I found a set of D'Addario Baritone strings made to fit 30" scale and ordered them. They have a .018 (plain) and .026 (wrapped) string in the set (for the 3rd and 2nd strings). They fit great, have the right tension, and sound awesome. The lighter gauge strings give more of a guitar sound (which I want), while the standard gauge G string (.045) still sounds like a bass.
When I play G string root power chords now I still get the bass sound on the G, but a guitar sound on the C and F. It sounds almost like a guitar and bass playing together, close enough anyway. And I can move to the low strings and play regular bass lines during the verse and choruses.
The GHS Bass VI strings I use:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
The Baritone guitar strings I bought:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I use a Boss Bass OD for the distortion. It can be adjusted to leave the low end clean. This works out really well for this because I can get a guitar like distorted chord but not lose the low end.
So I decided to try to play power chords with the root on the G string with some distortion to try and sound fuller and more guitar like without losing the low end. To make the chords easier to play I tuned the high B and E string up 1/2 step to C and F so I wouldn't have to reach 3 frets to play the 5th and octave. It sounds really good and works out well.
I was concerned that the higher tension on the high side of the neck would cause problems down the road, so I wanted to find some slightly smaller gauge strings. On the GHS Fender Bass VI strings I'm using the B is .035 and the E .025. I found a set of D'Addario Baritone strings made to fit 30" scale and ordered them. They have a .018 (plain) and .026 (wrapped) string in the set (for the 3rd and 2nd strings). They fit great, have the right tension, and sound awesome. The lighter gauge strings give more of a guitar sound (which I want), while the standard gauge G string (.045) still sounds like a bass.
When I play G string root power chords now I still get the bass sound on the G, but a guitar sound on the C and F. It sounds almost like a guitar and bass playing together, close enough anyway. And I can move to the low strings and play regular bass lines during the verse and choruses.
The GHS Bass VI strings I use:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
The Baritone guitar strings I bought:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I use a Boss Bass OD for the distortion. It can be adjusted to leave the low end clean. This works out really well for this because I can get a guitar like distorted chord but not lose the low end.
Hey guys, I apologize if this question has already been asked, but I just wanted a definite answer. It seems like from you guys have been saying, you can tune a bass VI to B-b, but you usually can't tune a baritone to a bass VI tuning. Could I possibly tune a Jaguar Baritone Special to E-e with Bass IV strings, or would this not work with the 27" scale length? Sorry if this is a stupid question. Thanks.
Short term I am using Apple Garage Band and playing through some nice Klipsch computer speakers (with separate woofer) that I have. Sounds amazing with all the options (amp mods/stomp boxes) that are available. Works great with headphones as well and keeps piece in the faily as I can rock out all I want in relative silence.
Anyone else doing this? What GB settings do you like?
Anyone else doing this? What GB settings do you like?
Usually you can tune a VI like a baritone, but not the other way around, dependent on the scale length and gauge of strings used. You *might* be able to pull off a VI tuning on a 28.5" (not 27") scale, but it would be a bit loose feeling for my tastes I think. I think of a VI as having at least a 30" scale, and an E-E tuning is still slightly loose feeling on a 30" scale IMHO, though if you made it any longer then chords would be difficult to pull off. But with lighter gauge strings you can do an A-A or B-B baritone type tuning on a VI with ease, though I personally have never had a reason to do this.
I use a gig bag...Schecter makes a hard case but for $100+ everyone says its not all that great, so for me a good bag is a better buy.
I keep my Hellcat VI in a basic hardshell Stagg guitar case (model # GCA-XH) which I originally bought for my Fender Jaguar. Perfect fit.
If you're going to buy case from a local guitar shop it's best to take your Schecter with you so you can size a couple of cases before you buy.
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