Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
No. I don't have recording capability at this time and the bass is out getting a new bone nut.
You rock. I wants one. Yeah, what about the strings. They're like mediums, right? 55-95, I thinks.
Just a heads-up that I got an email Tuesday letting me know that the new Japanese Fender 2012 Bass VIs will be available for sale the end of this week or beginning of next week. Again, they are available ONLY in Japan. Price? About US$2,000 after shipping and duty if you can find someone willing to ship it abroad. Normally Japanese retailers do not sell brand new Fender Japan guitars to international customers due to restrictions imposed by Fender World HQ. They are prohibited from selling NEW CIJ items outside of Japan.
All in all, very curious to hear how they are. Anyone taking the plunge?
All in all, very curious to hear how they are. Anyone taking the plunge?
So, for you more technically inclined..Looks to me that the bridge pup on the new MIJ Fender VI is closer to the bridge than that of the 2012 Hellcat VI. I am aware that the Fender has a floating bridge and the HCVI is a hard-tail - is that difference an issue vis-a-vis pup placement? And that aside, what implications would the different placements have sound-wise? And..which would be preferable and why? Thanks!
Attachments
First vids I found of the new MIJ Bass VI. The verbiage just says it's the new one. No real comments about it..
Fender Japan Bass VI
Fender Japan Bass VI
Fender Japan Bass VI
Fender Japan Bass VI
My Ultra VI.
I'm happy to have something that's a bit different to a Fender VI; the "Gibson" style (mahogany, set neck, 3x3 headstock, minibuckers) Ultra VI suits me better.
I'm not competing with guitar or bass; I'm playing with a violinist and a cellist, so all of the low end is mine and plenty of the midrange too. Brightness isn't what I'm looking for. I wanted a big deep round sound, so I felt that the U6 would suit me well and it does.
Playing style:
I've seen some people saying that short-scale bass sixes can't be played fingerstyle like a "real" bass. I disagree; you can play most bass styles on a six without much change of technique, but you do need to adapt a bit.
What I've found works well for me is a kind of nylon-string-esque psuedo-classical/Spanish fingerstyle. I'm not any kind of classical player, but I can play a dumbed-down fingerstyle, and it works really well on a bass six.
I use a pick on some things, but I've been mostly playing fingerstyle bass six. I'm more a guitarist than a bassist; I love both but I've played guitar a lot more over the years. Working with the string players has led me to want to play bass more, but I'm approaching it from a melodic guitar-player direction, not a rhythm-guitarist direction, and not a bass-player direction.
Arpeggios and partial chords played on the higher strings over a droning lower string work really well on the bass six. I'm currently listening to more classical guitar music to see what I can [del]steal[/del] re-purpose for the bass six.
I've seen some people saying that short-scale bass sixes can't be played fingerstyle like a "real" bass. I disagree; you can play most bass styles on a six without much change of technique, but you do need to adapt a bit.
What I've found works well for me is a kind of nylon-string-esque psuedo-classical/Spanish fingerstyle. I'm not any kind of classical player, but I can play a dumbed-down fingerstyle, and it works really well on a bass six.
I use a pick on some things, but I've been mostly playing fingerstyle bass six. I'm more a guitarist than a bassist; I love both but I've played guitar a lot more over the years. Working with the string players has led me to want to play bass more, but I'm approaching it from a melodic guitar-player direction, not a rhythm-guitarist direction, and not a bass-player direction.
Arpeggios and partial chords played on the higher strings over a droning lower string work really well on the bass six. I'm currently listening to more classical guitar music to see what I can [del]steal[/del] re-purpose for the bass six.
Jack Bruce played fingerstyle when he played a a Bass VI, so it's definitely do-able.
That sounds (like it would sound) awesome. Do you guys have any videos or recordings online?
(By the way, I don't think the Duncan Design pickups suck - they just didn't give me the sound I wanted. Part of the reason I replaced my minihums with Novak singles was because I realized that the problem I had with the pickups was more that they were minihums, than that they were cheap. I'm sure switching to Seymour Duncan minis would have sounded *better*, but they still wouldn't have sounded like the original Bass VI pickups. It's certainly possible to get good sounds out of the DDs, I've done it and I've heard other people do it. But I'm very much going for a twangy octave-guitar sound, not a bass sound, so they didn't work for me.)
Not yet. We're still in the process of expanding, it was a violin/guitar duo for a year or so, and we're adding drums and cello and I'm adapting some of the guitar parts to bass six. And trying to work that around people's schedules, as both the drummer and the violinist have busy jobs and play in multiple bands... once the expansion/conversion is complete the next priority is recording a demo and chasing up more gigs.
I'm really happy with the sound we're getting, so I really really hope we can keep it going. It's sort of cinematic instrumental music, looser than the usual rigidly structured post-rock stuff, more jammy and improv based.
When we have some recordings online, I'll post a link here in the B6 club.
So I stopped in the Sam Ash store on 48th street in NYC today. And in the bass department they had a 90's era Fender Bass VI vintage reissue. I really could kick myself for not getting one of these back in the 90's because they were far less expensive back then. This particular specimen was in pretty good shape. The price? $1999! Pretty steep IMHO. But in the grand scheme of things this is far more reasonably priced than the versions that the Fender Custom Shop is currently offering.
All of this being said, I think Fender would do pretty well if they considered reissuing the Bass VI again in the US market. There seems to be a market for this instrument.
Granted, it's been a while since I've seen one of these in person, but OMG is the string spacing tight! Especially between the low E and the A string.
All of this being said, I think Fender would do pretty well if they considered reissuing the Bass VI again in the US market. There seems to be a market for this instrument.
Granted, it's been a while since I've seen one of these in person, but OMG is the string spacing tight! Especially between the low E and the A string.
They can be had for less than that. Just keep watching eBay. And it your case don't forget about the 8.8% NY sales tax if you had bought it there. They are cheaper than the Custom Shop because they are of far, far lessor quality. Also, quite a few people had issues with their 90's reissues and had to spend more money to upgrade various components like bridges and pickups. And even these mods did not always make them satisfied owners.
True. Fender Japan has just reissued it again. Cost? Probably around $2,000 after shipping and duty if you can find a Japanese retailer who will ship it to you. Schecter now has 4 models of a VI. Eastwood just released one as well.
That's a VI - of any brand.
All in all, many benefits of a Fender Bass VI can now be had by getting the 2012 model of the Schecter Hellcat VI. And at a cost of around $600 delivered it is a great deal. There's not been a head-to-head comparison. But, hard to believe the $2,000 new MIJ Fender Bass VI will be 3 times better than the $600 Schecter HCVI.
So there's a new hellcat at 600 AND the ultra at 750??
I've seen sources who had the 'hellcat' at 600 and now only sell 'hellcats' at 750.
I've been afraid I need to get off the pot and grab one for 600 while they're still available. Not so?
I will qualify my comments regarding the 90's era Fender Bass VI reissue: the bridge saddles for the E and the A string looked a little funky. And it was to the point where it was affecting the position of the E string over the pickup pole. I would be very surprised if that wasn't contributing to low output on the E string, too.
Schecter Guitar Research Hellcat VI Electric Guitar: Shop Guitars & Other Musical Instruments | Musician's Friend Out-of-stock until first week of March at which time they should be shipping the new 2012 model. But, in Burst color only.
Email Skaught Parry at [email protected] and tell him you got his name from TalkBass. He'll "treat you right." BUT..the condition is no mentioning of your specific deal particulars in any forums. The specifics are between you and him. Deals with other members - and myself - here have been fantastic though.
Also here Invalid Link Removed But, out-of-stock right now. They show the old model BUT they are selling the 2012 for $599 delivered.
Thanks but just after my previous post I went out on the web to check prices and found a blemish for 80 off with no tax or shipping. I jumped on it(or possibly fell for it) Hopefully this weekend I'll have a pic and apply to join this fine organization. 
The discount on this hellcat is coincidentally the same as the total price I paid for the used Bronco I've been playing with.
The discount on this hellcat is coincidentally the same as the total price I paid for the used Bronco I've been playing with.
what is the length of a set of Bass VI strings?
I had a crazy idea and it requires strings that are a little longer than 30" scale.
I just picked up a Douglas Semi-Hollow from Rondo. a 32" scale instrument with a tune-o-matic bridge.
The guitar has a nice, wide-ish neck (I will measure it later)
Tuner holes need to be filled and then drilled for 3-on a side tuners.
I had a crazy idea and it requires strings that are a little longer than 30" scale.
I just picked up a Douglas Semi-Hollow from Rondo. a 32" scale instrument with a tune-o-matic bridge.
The guitar has a nice, wide-ish neck (I will measure it later)
Tuner holes need to be filled and then drilled for 3-on a side tuners.
