I bought the SubZero Rogue first and fell in love with the feel of a Bass VI. I live in Canada so it was shipped from the UK and it had a bit of fret sprout and I had to level a couple frets but now it plays fantastic. I bought the Gretsch baritone after that and it's really a great instrument. Fret work is flawless and plays in drop F without any issues.
I got one today. If standard e (octave below actual standard e) is the “default” tuning, tuning up to f is waaaaay to tense it feels like it’s going to snap. How do you achieve drop f then?
Amazing video quality, superb editing and excellent overview, Gary! Your channel definitely deserves a hundred times more viewers. BTW, very stylish and sexy Ibanez baritone, it looks very comfortable to play
Absolutely love my Squier BassVI. And I’ve had the Jazzmaster baritone, if you missed out on getting a Jazzmaster baritone the Squier BassVI feels just like the JM but with different pickups. The bridges are different too but that’s about it. And I am looking forward to getting the new version of the SRC6 someday.
Some good point here. But. One thing I want to mention as a bassist that uses a bass vi the o the way round in metal to add guitar elements to a duo type band is the Eastwood hooky bass vi, this has a string spacing in between a guitar and a bass so you can play it more like a guitar or a bass
I kind of want to get one. I think it might sound cool to make metal using a normal 6 string guitar in E paired with a bass VI in more of a baritone guitar role an octave lower with some of the low end cut to make room for a regular bass guitar. I imagine a cool octave petal effect, but more natural sounding with the ability to harmonize in other ways.
Love my SRC6, bottom 4 strings are drop G(ish), 5th string is a 5th above the fourth string, 6th string is a 7th above the 5th string. When I saw they made a multiscale I felt like they made it just for me. Now I just have to get one.
I've got a Gretsch baritone and have been looking for new pickups. I had a SD Nazgul/Sentient set installed, but have had a lot of trouble getting rid of the muddiness. I'm tuning E1 standard, so I'm thinking it may be too much output? What would you prioritize if you were shopping for new ones? Something brighter with lower output?
I'm thinking about getting one of these from Harley Benton for a droney/doom project I'm working on. Do you have any suggestions for pickups or should I just rock the single coils? EDIT: Nevermind. Didn't realize the JM from Harley Benton was a 30 in scale. Gonna cop it.
Hey I got the same jazzmaster as you. Probably my favorite guitar. Did you end up replacing the nut? I notice I can't really go higher then like a 95 gauge without the lowest string sorta resting on top of the nut causing the string to mute and rattle alot.
I have that Gretsch baritone with the mini humbuckers. They are low output and the lows sounds muddy. How can I make those low chugs clear and punchy like you did? Any advice is appreciated. I'm using the Gojira plugin. I see you have the bass and the kick playing at the same time to make it heavier, but man that sounded great.
Try dropping the gain a bit on Gojira. And maybe even try adding a boost before the amp sim. See if that helps. If not then maybe add an EQ and bring down soe of the low mids.
I find that below a certain tuning some amp sims don't perform as they should. Gojira doesn't use low tunings in their music if you think about it, try the Fortin Nameless and you'll see what I mean. Beyond choosing the right amp and string gauge you'll have to EQ out the muddiness.
Other comments are right, but I'd recommend you (if you or a luthier can do it) on the Gretsch, that I own too, to set slightly higher the pickups so that they get closer to the strings. It will capture the sound more precisely
@@maximetabuteau3682 If you raise the pickups yourself, which is easy enough to do, just be careful not to set them too close to the strings. I did raise the pickups on my Gretsch when I first changed the strings and did a minor setup. Also wanted to add that trying some different IR's or mic placement within the ampsim might help as well.
@GaryHiebner I'm trying figure this out. Since the bass vi is 1 Oct below standard guitar if you wanted to make it tuned like a 7 string ( without the 2 high strings ) would you tune up rather than down?
Depends on how much gain you're using. More gain you will loose a bit of chord clarity going lower. But I do find with high gain, and single coils for low tunings, really work well
A Bass VI is a guitar tuned an octave lower E-e and has a longer scale length. They have the same string spacing as a guitar. A 6 string bass is tuned different. Its tuned B-c. And scale lengths from 34 to 35 inches.
Its processed like a guitar not a bass. And the instrument has similiar string spaci ng to a guitar not a bass. Bass VI is a thing! Its not a bass. Haha!
Actually, a bass vi is not trying to be a bass, its a down tuned guitar. Meant to compliment regular guitar and bass by providing the full harmonic range. if you want to be technical, bass guitars are actually CONTRABASS instruments, and the BASS VI is ACTUALLY a bass instrument, with regular guitars being BARITONE.
you basically bought, a 4 string shortscale, but with 6 strings (i know becase my shortscale bass fits in my fender strat case) at this point im gonna have to say it, just get a bass. Im in college studying bass, and i still get sht on by guitarists who havent heard me play, just for being a bassist. these guys only listen to rock and metal, and admitting they want to play bass is just too difficult for them. its cool if you need it for the tone, problem is metal and heavy doesnt equate to "lower pitch is heavier", youre stepping on your bassists toes, entering his atmosphere, and further limiting him to the first 3 frets. it makes your music sound smaller and duller when everything is a chase for "lower sound", lastly the majority of metal, rock, and all the other forms of pop .. the different musicians all come together to create *open chords) that is, the guitar plays higher octave notes, the bassist plays lower octave notes, and this makes the mix and atmosphere sound much more *epic* now go on, play your first four frets and keep reading tab lmao
Thanks for the comment. But totally disagree with you. Many modern metal bands have found Bass VIs and are tuning them lower then E1. And are using guitar amp processing on them. Because of this type of processing its enhancing the upper harmonics of the sound it's not stepping on the bassists tones. As it is still a midrange instrument. The bassist can play in unison with the guitarist and use bass am processing which focuses more on the low to low midrange. So its about the tonal processing of the instrument that makes it a guitar or bass. But obviously this is blurring the lines. Hopefully through your studies you'll learn this :) Check out some bands like Humanitys Last Breathe, Loathe, Sleep Token and Thornhill and you'll hear how the two don't compete and you can still have a full sounding mix. Have fun exploring low tuned extended scale and Bass VI bands :)
You know even John lennon, John Frusciante, Robert Smith, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour (the list goes on) used a Bass vi.... Legendary musicians will always bend the rules and push boundaries.. Honestly I like the fact that it's not meant for everyone... be unique and don't follow a herd... Maybe just give it a shot once you might like it, and/or guitar
Yeah I can put those strings on my Les Paul and play in the same tuning I hate these guitars they’re ugly sound god awful and are even longer than a standard scale giving you no playability even standard scale is too long hence why the Les Paul was invented it’s the new standard
That Schecter Hellraiser C-VI beckons me. 🤯 priced around $1200.
I've got the multiscale version of the SRC6 that I picked up last year, and it's easily my favourite axe right now. It is so versatile!
Nice. I really want to try the multiscale version.
The Hellraiser C-VI looks like pretty neat modern Bass-VI.
Yeah very cool modern looking Bass VI
I really want that hellraiser
T I I E M tones from II II II II + these guitars = PURE ⚡🔥
I bought the SubZero Rogue first and fell in love with the feel of a Bass VI. I live in Canada so it was shipped from the UK and it had a bit of fret sprout and I had to level a couple frets but now it plays fantastic. I bought the Gretsch baritone after that and it's really a great instrument. Fret work is flawless and plays in drop F without any issues.
I got one today. If standard e (octave below actual standard e) is the “default” tuning, tuning up to f is waaaaay to tense it feels like it’s going to snap. How do you achieve drop f then?
Amazing video quality, superb editing and excellent overview, Gary! Your channel definitely deserves a hundred times more viewers.
BTW, very stylish and sexy Ibanez baritone, it looks very comfortable to play
Glad you enjoyed the video. Yeah that Ibanez is very nice!
Absolutely love my Squier BassVI. And I’ve had the Jazzmaster baritone, if you missed out on getting a Jazzmaster baritone the Squier BassVI feels just like the JM but with different pickups. The bridges are different too but that’s about it.
And I am looking forward to getting the new version of the SRC6 someday.
Yeah those new SRC6MS look very cool
@garyhiebner riffs are fire. Keep Krushing bro!
Thanks Matt!
Just got an Olp mm5 baritone. Love that thing. It is my second 30" 🤘🏻
Wow, those OLPs are awesome. I am jealous
@GaryHiebner oh yes I love it as these are build more bass like making the 30" very comfortable to play. Feels shorter.
Damn dude. Those riffs!!!! Sick tones man.
Thanks!
Some good point here. But. One thing I want to mention as a bassist that uses a bass vi the o the way round in metal to add guitar elements to a duo type band is the Eastwood hooky bass vi, this has a string spacing in between a guitar and a bass so you can play it more like a guitar or a bass
Yeah have seen the Hooky bass and noticed the slightly wider str9ng spacing. Very interesting looking Bass VI.
I kind of want to get one. I think it might sound cool to make metal using a normal 6 string guitar in E paired with a bass VI in more of a baritone guitar role an octave lower with some of the low end cut to make room for a regular bass guitar. I imagine a cool octave petal effect, but more natural sounding with the ability to harmonize in other ways.
They so fun and addictive. Get one!
WOW man gorgeous SRC6... 😍 AMAZING VIDEO!!
Thanks man. Who ever has it now is very lucky ;)
@@GaryHiebner Hahaha Jip one lucky bugger...
Great explanation, well done! :)
Thank you!
I never knew this even existed,I have to get one now thank you
I have a Schecter Hellcat VI- I've used it in the studio for heavy music, but it feeds back a lot live with distortion.
Use a gate for for live use. My Jazzmaster is also so noisy. Bit a gate helps.
Great video! Just ordered one and was hoping it could chug. Thanks for proving it can!!! I’m going to use it in my punk rock duo with a drummer!
They can DEFINITELY Chug!
@@GaryHiebner Since it can chug, I'm certain it can punk! Thanks again!
The Fender Bass VI pretty much made the best album ever - Disintegration by The Cure. It is all over that album.
Yes! Robert Smith, thr Bass VI Master!
Love my SRC6, bottom 4 strings are drop G(ish), 5th string is a 5th above the fourth string, 6th string is a 7th above the 5th string. When I saw they made a multiscale I felt like they made it just for me. Now I just have to get one.
That 's an interesting tuning. Yeah that SRC6MS looks awesome.
@@GaryHiebner pretty sure I explained it upside down. Whoever said the "1st" string should be the highest one did not play bass.
well... the way things are going this will soon completely replace guitars as far as metal goes! lol Great video dude!
Fun fact, all of the "guitar" on Coloring Book EP by Glassjaw was played by Beck on a Bass VI 🔥
Yes! Glassjaw are one of my favorite bands. Beck is a genius!
Fun video
I wish someone picked up on obscure Ibanez SR7 bass VII which is obviously 7 string version of bass vi in B standard.
That SRCVII is SOOO Rare. Would love to get my hands on one.
Schecter also makes the Hellcat VI and Robert Smith's signature bass VI
Yeah. Those look great!
Just got an iyv off eBay. Absolutely love it, and the price i was unbeatable!
What scale length?
@@GaryHiebner 30”. They had one where they took the neck off to reduce shipping costs from Vietnam. It was super easy to reattach and get playing.
Was it just a neck? Or a neck and a body? If its a neck and body then yeah its alot of sense to remove the neck to reduce shipping costs.
@@GaryHiebner the whole guitar. They had it assembled and just took it apart for shipping.
Which sounds more low?
More bass?
Bass VI or Baritone?
Great video mate!
Thanks!
🙂 👍🏻
I've got a Gretsch baritone and have been looking for new pickups. I had a SD Nazgul/Sentient set installed, but have had a lot of trouble getting rid of the muddiness. I'm tuning E1 standard, so I'm thinking it may be too much output? What would you prioritize if you were shopping for new ones? Something brighter with lower output?
Definitely brighter and low output for lower tunings.
@@GaryHiebnerThank you for the response! It really helps. Cheers!
I'm thinking about getting one of these from Harley Benton for a droney/doom project I'm working on. Do you have any suggestions for pickups or should I just rock the single coils?
EDIT: Nevermind. Didn't realize the JM from Harley Benton was a 30 in scale. Gonna cop it.
Try out the stock single coils and see how they work. If you prefer a humbucker you could always get a mini-humbucker to chuck in there.
Hey I got the same jazzmaster as you. Probably my favorite guitar. Did you end up replacing the nut? I notice I can't really go higher then like a 95 gauge without the lowest string sorta resting on top of the nut causing the string to mute and rattle alot.
Yeah I replaced with a TUSQ nut and used a file to make the slot bigger so it could accommodate a 95
You can even just use the thick strings to file the nut wider. Just move it back and forward between the nut til it fits snug in the slot
I subscribed to your channel I hit the notification bell 🔔 I smashed a like 👍 on this video 📹.
How to tone ? Is the same guitar tone?
1E-2B-3G-4D-5A-6E 🤔💭???
That shoot out riff sounded very much like Soundgarden to me.
The src6 fits in a regular guitar case as well. You'll need a bass case for other bass vi guitars.
Yeah good point. Fits perfectly fine in a standard guitar case
2:01 THALL
Haha THALL!
Digging the Videos Gary! The incubus cover Rocked.... were could We find some Jimmy 12 "
Thanks Earl. Got some Jimmy 12 Inch stuff locked away in a Dropbox folder. Message me and can share the link.
Hey man I'm also south african, how did the shipping of these guitars work out
I found them locally. Got the Jazzmaster on the used guitar market. And the SRC6 was at TOMS.
I have that Gretsch baritone with the mini humbuckers. They are low output and the lows sounds muddy. How can I make those low chugs clear and punchy like you did? Any advice is appreciated. I'm using the Gojira plugin. I see you have the bass and the kick playing at the same time to make it heavier, but man that sounded great.
Try dropping the gain a bit on Gojira. And maybe even try adding a boost before the amp sim. See if that helps. If not then maybe add an EQ and bring down soe of the low mids.
I find that below a certain tuning some amp sims don't perform as they should. Gojira doesn't use low tunings in their music if you think about it, try the Fortin Nameless and you'll see what I mean. Beyond choosing the right amp and string gauge you'll have to EQ out the muddiness.
Other comments are right, but I'd recommend you (if you or a luthier can do it) on the Gretsch, that I own too, to set slightly higher the pickups so that they get closer to the strings. It will capture the sound more precisely
@@maximetabuteau3682 If you raise the pickups yourself, which is easy enough to do, just be careful not to set them too close to the strings. I did raise the pickups on my Gretsch when I first changed the strings and did a minor setup. Also wanted to add that trying some different IR's or mic placement within the ampsim might help as well.
@@sahamal_savu how does one EQ out the muddiness? I slightly lower the first and the last button, or whatever you call those. Any tips? Cheers
What tuning and strings are you using, anytime I Try to use my squire bass vi like this it just sounds like a bass guitar to me
I'm mainly using a 20-90 set.
@GaryHiebner I'm trying figure this out. Since the bass vi is 1 Oct below standard guitar if you wanted to make it tuned like a 7 string ( without the 2 high strings ) would you tune up rather than down?
You would tune it up to B. So a Bass VI is in E1 Std. And you will tune up to B1 Std and use lighter gauges. Maybe like a 11-58 set for B Std
@@GaryHiebner thanks I will look into this!
I want to see Black metal tremolo picking with all 6 strings involved lol
Challenge accepted!
B0! You are going to need a 42" scale bass to get down to B-1!
Haha! I played the bass in unison in B0.
@@GaryHiebner Smart move! I remember you posting about that a while back
Great info, thanks!
Which ones handles chords clarity better?
Depends on how much gain you're using. More gain you will loose a bit of chord clarity going lower. But I do find with high gain, and single coils for low tunings, really work well
.... he s not saying that...he plays guitar parts....and with that distortion you ll not hear the scale length difference
The video is titled 'Ultimate Modern Metal Guitar' of course there is gonna be distortion!
What amp?
I'm using the Otto Audio II II II II in this video.
Didn't Danelectro start it all off, actually?
Yes they did. Correct
Deftones tones ❤
As a happy owner of Ibanez SRC6MS I could tell you that it's a great thing, but it's almost impossible to play with palm mute
Ah damn. Because of the slanted bridge?
@@GaryHiebner Yeah, I just suck in that technique in general and angled bridge not making it any easier for me
Do you have a favorite?
The Squier Jazzmaster Baritone is my favorite. Got such character
@@GaryHiebner I wish they'd do a re-release :)
Isn't a Bass VI a Fender or Squier ,, the others are 6 string bass's . Some BA sounds there !!
A Bass VI is a guitar tuned an octave lower E-e and has a longer scale length. They have the same string spacing as a guitar. A 6 string bass is tuned different. Its tuned B-c. And scale lengths from 34 to 35 inches.
musicman do a bass vi
Those Musicman Bass VIs are awesome. Would love to get my hands on one of those.
I DONT WANT TO SOUND LIKE A BASS I DONT WANT TO TUNE TO B ZERO. No why are you tuning to drop b bass on your guitar? Gfys. Get an octave pedal
Cos it works better then an octave pedal. Less digital artifacts.
It sounds like a down tuned guitar, not a bass.
A Bass VI is a downtuned guitar. Its a guitar tuned an octave lower.
So you’re just playing bass okay cool do it on a four string squire or fender jazz or p bass like normal people
Its processed like a guitar not a bass. And the instrument has similiar string spaci
ng to a guitar not a bass. Bass VI is a thing! Its not a bass. Haha!
Absolutely right. The midrange is gone.
Those bass VI will never OUTBASS a 34or 35" Bass dont fool yourself😮
True. But they're their own beast. I mainly use them as a low tuned baritone. And then use a super long scale 37 inch bass with them.
Actually, a bass vi is not trying to be a bass, its a down tuned guitar. Meant to compliment regular guitar and bass by providing the full harmonic range.
if you want to be technical, bass guitars are actually CONTRABASS instruments, and the BASS VI is ACTUALLY a bass instrument, with regular guitars being BARITONE.
After decades of picking on bass players, suddenly every guitarist wants to play bass. That low B sounds so weak on that short scale.
you basically bought, a 4 string shortscale, but with 6 strings (i know becase my shortscale bass fits in my fender strat case)
at this point im gonna have to say it, just get a bass. Im in college studying bass, and i still get sht on by guitarists who havent heard me play, just for being a bassist. these guys only listen to rock and metal, and admitting they want to play bass is just too difficult for them.
its cool if you need it for the tone, problem is metal and heavy doesnt equate to "lower pitch is heavier", youre stepping on your bassists toes, entering his atmosphere, and further limiting him to the first 3 frets.
it makes your music sound smaller and duller when everything is a chase for "lower sound",
lastly the majority of metal, rock, and all the other forms of pop .. the different musicians all come together to create *open chords) that is, the guitar plays higher octave notes, the bassist plays lower octave notes, and this makes the mix and atmosphere sound much more *epic*
now go on, play your first four frets and keep reading tab lmao
Thanks for the comment. But totally disagree with you. Many modern metal bands have found Bass VIs and are tuning them lower then E1. And are using guitar amp processing on them. Because of this type of processing its enhancing the upper harmonics of the sound it's not stepping on the bassists tones. As it is still a midrange instrument. The bassist can play in unison with the guitarist and use bass am processing which focuses more on the low to low midrange. So its about the tonal processing of the instrument that makes it a guitar or bass. But obviously this is blurring the lines. Hopefully through your studies you'll learn this :)
Check out some bands like Humanitys Last Breathe, Loathe, Sleep Token and Thornhill and you'll hear how the two don't compete and you can still have a full sounding mix. Have fun exploring low tuned extended scale and Bass VI bands :)
You know even John lennon, John Frusciante, Robert Smith, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour (the list goes on) used a Bass vi....
Legendary musicians will always bend the rules and push boundaries..
Honestly I like the fact that it's not meant for everyone... be unique and don't follow a herd...
Maybe just give it a shot once you might like it, and/or guitar
Exactly. The Bass VI has been a staple of many popular musicians for decades. Its not JUST a bass! Haha
@@GaryHiebner They truly are amazing... that's why big brands like Fender and Ibanez invest in making these amazing instruments for us..
Yeah I can put those strings on my Les Paul and play in the same tuning I hate these guitars they’re ugly sound god awful and are even longer than a standard scale giving you no playability even standard scale is too long hence why the Les Paul was invented it’s the new standard
But you will have aweful intonation on a LP short scale guitar. That's the point of longer scale Bass VI guitars.
The src6 has been reissued
Edit: nvm you covered it 😅
Haha! Thanks for watching through till later where I mention the new version.