The Short-Scale Six-String Club—for the original six-string basses!

[Pennydreadful]

Hey, no problem, Basshappi. I meant that more in a smartassy way, but I guess it came off as offended.

By the way- I wish people called me Tex all the time. I mean, without me asking them to.

 

[lunarpollen]

I love these basses!

I've wanted one for so damn long.

I think the best option is to find a new Schecter Hellcat VI online (approx $550). It's a great instrument, string spacing isn't too cramped, not too expensive compared with almost all other options.

OK, here's the updated member list. Forgive me if I missed anyone; I am quite tipsy at the moment.

001 lunarpollen
002 eboe
003 Showdown
004 iamthebassman
005 numberfourthree
006 bass_drum
007 A9X
008 lousybassist
009 davelowell2
010 Mr M
011 Mitchell Royce
012 guitfiddle0409
013 Pennydreadful
014 Randy Ward
015 zazz
016 Verne Andru
017 de1orean
018 Bassman62
019 hellboy

I wonder how many members we'd need before we can have the world's first Bass VI Convention and rent out a place for a weekend (e.g., a Masonic hall) for short-scale sixer owners and fans from around the world to meet up and bask in all things VI. And we could have the worlds biggest short-scale six-string simultaneous jam and get in the Guinness Book.

 

[Tony In Philly]

I think the best option is to find a new Schecter Hellcat VI online (approx $550). It's a great instrument, string spacing isn't too cramped, not too expensive compared with almost all other options.

OK, here's the updated member list. Forgive me if I missed anyone; I am quite tipsy at the moment.

001 lunarpollen
002 eboe
003 Showdown
004 iamthebassman
005 numberfourthree
006 bass_drum
007 A9X
008 lousybassist
009 davelowell2
010 Mr M
011 Mitchell Royce
012 guitfiddle0409
013 Pennydreadful
014 Randy Ward
015 zazz
016 Verne Andru
017 de1orean
018 Bassman62
019 hellboy

I wonder how many members we'd need before we can have the world's first Bass VI Convention and rent out a place for a weekend (e.g., a Masonic hall) for short-scale sixer owners and fans from around the world to meet up and bask in all things VI. And we could have the worlds biggest short-scale six-string simultaneous jam and get in the Guinness Book.

Sounds like one crazy party....

 

[Basshappi]

Hey, no problem, Basshappi. I meant that more in a smartassy way, but I guess it came off as offended.

By the way- I wish people called me Tex all the time. I mean, without me asking them to.

 

[Bassman62]

Sounds like one crazy party....

Don't think I could afford the air fare from the UK have to use a video link.

 

[Tony In Philly]

Don't think I could afford the air fare from the UK have to use a video link.

Maybe that's the most realistic method for all of us....

 

[Pennydreadful]

My Hodad came today. I Frankensteined a Danelectro U1 pickguard onto it (had to trim off about a half inch from the left side, because it was cut for a single pickup and the Hodad has three). The guard was clear with the black outline and Dano "D", but I painted the back of it cream- so it still has the black accents, but on a cream background.

The tone and playability are excellent. Goes from a fairly nice thump (considering it's still tuned as a baritone right now) to a really great twang. Some mild neck dive, but that's to be expected, considering the short upper horn and the 30" scale neck stuck on a guitar body. With a non-slick strap, it's not all that noticeable. And, man, this thing weighs NOTHING. I have a U1 guitar, too, so I was expecting that, but still...

This Hodad is now the single coolest instrument I own. I really wish I could post pics, but I dun't has a camera. Maybe I could stick it in my scanner?

 

[Verne Andru]

Is a baritone guitar the same thing?

Sorry for my noobishness.

My understanding, which could be totally wrong, was that Danelectro made the original 6 string bass @ 30" scale tuned E to E. They were a monumental marketing flop and sorta disappeared for a while, but the same guitars were restrung with different guages, tuned B to ? or A to ? and rebranded as baritones. I'm not exactly sure, but I seem to recall the Fender Bass VI were shorter than 30". The point here is that the baritone was derived from the original bass 6. Or so I believe, but could be totally wrong.

 

[Verne Andru]

FWIW Evets/Danelecto's new guitars include a baritone, long scale bass and short scale bass with the "Hornet" body style.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

That body was originally used for the Silvertone amp-in-case model and I'm sure purists will scream foul since that was only ever a guitar, and a short-scale at that. But that is my fave Dano body style of them all and really look forward to being able to play one.

 

[Saturday]

hello, i'm new here.
i have a question regarding these instruments. since i live in south america and i'm poor, i will probably never being able to buy an original or an schecter. but i thought about asking a luthier to make one for me.
how are the specs exactly? i know that it's a 30 inch scale, 6 strings, with jaguar (guitar) pickups.

so, correct me if i'm wrong, but we are just talking about a guitar with a 30 inch scale neck?
thanks.

 

[Verne Andru]

hello, i'm new here.
i have a question regarding these instruments. since i live in south america and i'm poor, i will probably never being able to buy an original or an schecter. but i thought about asking a luthier to make one for me.
how are the specs exactly? i know that it's a 30 inch scale, 6 strings, with jaguar (guitar) pickups.

so, correct me if i'm wrong, but we are just talking about a guitar with a 30 inch scale neck?
thanks.

That's the case with the Danelectro's.

 

[Tony In Philly]

hello, i'm new here.
i have a question regarding these instruments. since i live in south america and i'm poor, i will probably never being able to buy an original or an schecter. but i thought about asking a luthier to make one for me.
how are the specs exactly? i know that it's a 30 inch scale, 6 strings, with jaguar (guitar) pickups.

so, correct me if i'm wrong, but we are just talking about a guitar with a 30 inch scale neck?
thanks.

Exactly right; you could get a 30 inch neck (and a body) from USA Custom Guitars and have a luthier put it together for you:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Also, I think that they could send you the basic specs for the rest.

 

[Tony In Philly]

I'm not exactly sure, but I seem to recall the Fender Bass VI were shorter than 30". The point here is that the baritone was derived from the original bass 6. Or so I believe, but could be totally wrong.

The Fender Bass VI has always been 30'' and tuned E-e. Because lots of guitarists have also used it in the baritone range for that deep throated Duane Eddy-type sound, it has caused the distinction between Bass VI-type instruments and the more customary B-b / A-a baritone guitar to blur a bit. Here's a great example of how it has been used that way:

 

[Pennydreadful]

The more recent Fender Jaguar "baritone custom" (I think that was the model name) had a 28--" scale (even though it was still tuned E-E), but the actual bass VI is indeed 30".

 

[zazz]

hello, i'm new here.
i have a question regarding these instruments. since i live in south america and i'm poor, i will probably never being able to buy an original or an schecter. but i thought about asking a luthier to make one for me.
how are the specs exactly? i know that it's a 30 inch scale, 6 strings, with jaguar (guitar) pickups.

so, correct me if i'm wrong, but we are just talking about a guitar with a 30 inch scale neck?
thanks.

if i were you i would search for a second hand olp mm shortscale bass ...it may not have the look but it should be about the cheapest functional option out there since they are already cheap when new. If you go for a custom made it might end up not easy to play or just sound bad ...you just dont know what you might end up with.

 

[thedavegreen]

Hi Everyone,

I can't tell you how much I appreciated stumbling into this forum. I'm currently at a decision-making crossroads and could use some advice. It is my intention to find/buy a "Fender" Bass VI type of instrument OR go the USACG custom route.

Getting a true Fender Bass VI (vintage or even the current Fender Custom Shop model) seems to be beyond my financial means right now. When I consulted with a local luthier about putting together a Bass VI from the USACG body and neck, he suggested I start looking for some of the Japanese "Lawsuit" replicas, and specifically recommended I look for one made by Greco. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find Greco's version of the Bass VI (in fact, the Teisco TB-64 is the only "replica" I've been able to find so far.

So, two sets of questions come up:

1. Do any of you know of the specific brand and model numbers for some of the "Lawsuit" replica Bass VI style basses so I can search for them (it's hard to search for something when you don't have a brand name or model number)?

and/or

2. For those of you who went the USACG route (which from your pictures all look AWESOME!), how and where did you go about getting all the hardware for it? Furthermore, do you still have your hardware "shopping lists" and do you remember where you bought your hardware from? Did you have USACG finish the body and neck for you? Once all was said and done, around how much did it cost to build your dream bass?

I really would appreciate any and all input - I've been spending a lot of time surfing the web on this and hitting a lot of dead ends. Even USACG and their affiliate BestGuitarParts don't really know where to send me.

Thanks in advance - I really do look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Thedavegreen (at yahoo dot com)
Currently Six-less
Los Angeles

 

[Tony In Philly]

For those of you who went the USACG route (which from your pictures all look AWESOME!), how and where did you go about getting all the hardware for it? Furthermore, do you still have your hardware "shopping lists" and do you remember where you bought your hardware from? Did you have USACG finish the body and neck for you? Once all was said and done, around how much did it cost to build your dream bass?

I really would appreciate any and all input - I've been spending a lot of time surfing the web on this and hitting a lot of dead ends. Even USACG and their affiliate BestGuitarParts don't really know where to send me.

Thanks in advance - I really do look forward to hearing from you.

I did not go the USACG route (their remakes look AMAZING) myself, but anyway here is an isnside look at the BASS VI from a French site:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Verne Andru]

As an alternative you could pickup a cheap Squier Strat and a Dano re-issue baritone neck [allparts.com, danguitars.com, etc] and probably put one together for under $200. The Dano reissue necks are very nice once the frets have been dressed. I used one on my double.

 

[Saturday]

2. For those of you who went the USACG route (which from your pictures all look AWESOME!), how and where did you go about getting all the hardware for it? Furthermore, do you still have your hardware "shopping lists" and do you remember where you bought your hardware from? Did you have USACG finish the body and neck for you? Once all was said and done, around how much did it cost to build your dream bass?

hello and welcome. i'm new here too
check this thread at offsetguitars.com with a detailed list of everything you should need to build your bass vi.

Invalid Link Removed

 

[no1likesme]

I just pulled the trigger on a Gretsch G5265