I found one of these in a pawn shop a few years ago. Every once in a while I will think about it and wish I had purchased it. It’s such a unique instrument.
a few months ago i was at a pawnshop and saw a schecter hellraiser c1 and since that was my first guitar i purchased it because of nostalgia so when i picked it up i realized something was off and when i looked it up it turned out it is a schecter hellraiser c1 vi and since it was dirt cheap i took home with me...glad i did since it is very unique
Absolutely man, I was at the music store for something completely different when I saw it. Couldn't really afford it but still went for it and I don't regret it at all 😀
I love mine. It’s so versatile with the bass strangle switch, and it sounds different through either a guitar or bass amp. And with effects, the possibilities are limitless.
I feel it's both. I've strung my VI with a thicker gauge set then it originally came with, and and that makes a lot of difference! Playing single bass notes is easy enough (you'll get used to the smaller string spacing), and playing chords is a lot of fun too!
Yeah, any time these are strung up with an 84 on the bottom end, that's just trouble when at Standard E-E tuning. They need a 100 on the bottom end, minimum. Fender's newer set that ends with a 100 is just so much better than the 84 set that my 2013 Bass came with.
It was often used as a bass guitar by jazz musicians back in the day. One of them was the brilliant bass player Bradley Bobo, who used a Bass VI while on tour with the late Eddie Harris in the early 90s. They even played a show that was was broadcast on german TV where he could be seen playing the VI (finger-style). Great instrument, great player. The Fender VI has been forgotten a bit by many and just recently, it was (kinda) rediscovered.
I'll look him up and see if I can find some videos. And yes, it seems like there is a growing interest in the bass VI now, probably due to its appearance in Get Back.
"It was often used as a bass guitar by jazz musicians back in the day. " It IS the bass guitar. The 4 stringed instrument people usually refer to as a "bass guitar is technically an electric bass.
I have two bass vi. One fender and one squier. The squire one has thinner bridge. Also the squier came with thinner strings than the fender. Both factors worsen the intonation issues. You can try reversing the bridge so that the intonation screws face up the neck. This will allow a bit more adjustment, since the spring is no longer compressed.
I too am primarily a guitarist, but I learned to play bass as a teen. Afterwards, I learned classical guitar technique and shed the pick. I understand why so many that have got this model play it with a pick, but I do believe that people can learn how to play this one traditionally.
It is possible to pluck it more traditionally but the string spacing just makes it very weird. I wouldn't be surprised if it was designed for those who play bass with a pick.
I personally use 106's for my VI, and i shimmed the neck a few degrees, and my intonation is PERFECT now. These can be pretty tricky to set up but they are worth it!
I always wanted one, back in the 90's, but it was hard to find here in Brazil. If someone had one, it would never sell it, hahah Nowadays, we have this vintage re-edition, so, I can buy it someday. The same sound, but, only made now and not at the 60's/70's, and, still rocks!
I am thaving the same issue on the low E string. I removed the saddle spring and pushed it all the way back, and lowered the nut slot a little. That helped, but the intonation is still sharp on the low E. Why Fender didn't make a wider bridge like the Staytrem is beyond me. We should be able to intonate the guitar.
I had the Fender Pawn shop version with the Jazzmaster style humbucker in the bridge, and one of the first run of Squiers from a few years back, sadly I no longer have either. I picked up the Fender for $400 at Sam Ash and sold it for $1700 to buy myself a vintage JCM800 . They are super cool and unique instruments though. I just bought a new Squier and can’t wait to get my hands on it
The main complaint on these is the floppiness of the bass strings and intonation. Usually a .90 for the low E does it. String joy makes a really good set for the bass VI. And as for bridge, the cheapest option would be a $20 mustang big barrel saddle bridge. The barrels are semi hollow to allow the spring to compress within it giving you just enough room for perfect intonation. Might also have to slot the top a little for the string thicknesses. Then theres staytrem and mastery that $200+
Rick Danko of The Band played one of these while in the Ronnie Hawkins Band. Believe my friend bought his guitar from a pawn shop. There are photo's of Rick playing it.
I had one of these for a while, such a fun fucking instrument to play, sounds absolutely incredible with my slash MXR octave fuzz. Playing chords on it is a really unique sound. They clearly play like a squire, but it sounds awesome. I highly recommend these if you want a new, unique sound, this bass is also incredibly versatile. I played this in a 4 piece punk band and it was fuckin awesome for playing live and recording.
My band bassist left and we couldn't find the right player so i consider to buy one of this I test it on a store and i fell in love but didn't the budget to buy it so i made my own from old guitar pieces, i put 100-45 bass strings for the lower strings and a 5th and 6th guitar strings for the higher ones and it sounds reaaaally big on bass lines and have a great tone on rythm
Hiya champ, this is a 30-inch scale guitar with an 84 gauge string on the low E. My baritone is 28.5 inch scale with a 72 gauge for the low E (Ernie Ball). This guitar sounds very similar to my baritone and nothing like my p bass. This squire sits somewhere in that gray area between a baritone and a bass.
@@Kbald When i used to be the bassist of the Punk Rock band i'm in, i used a Bass IV as guitar is my main instrument, and it felt more natural to use the IV..
I've had varieties of these for well over a decade, until Squier came out with theirs I couldn't afford the real deal. My friend had the true real deals back in the day, early 90s. Huge Cure fans, so always loved to play the melodies, etc on them. But they are quite flexible for playing lots of things. They chord really great. I still have my OLP copy of the MM version, and my Schecter Hellcat VI. I had a Gretsch at one point but sold it to get the money to buy the Squier.
I read something where a guy put the bridge on backwards so you would have to adjust the intonation from the pickup side. He claimed it gave him just enough to get the E string right. Just wanted to share this.
The heavier strings help but for me I had to buy a StayTrem bridge to get the saddle back where it needed to be. I didn’t have to shim the neck, but others say it’s a necessary mod as well.
Here is one of the Fender VI you can see being used on the big hit "Who Loves You?" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The bassist using it is doing a phenomenal job on this bass! Great stuff and the Fender looks awesome with several close ups. Sounds outstanding too. th-cam.com/video/-KtYgOM62fk/w-d-xo.html
Staytrem make a wider bridge to compensate for the intonation issues. I also bought an American vintage tremolo system for mine but it didn’t quite fit the existing routing. The non-locking unit it came with has the common issue of the bar fitting quite loosely and so rattling significantly when in use.
@@Kbald they are made in very small numbers in the UK, so sometimes there is a significant wait to get one. As a result some people will attempt to resell their units for extortionate prices. I would avoid the temptation to buy one on the second hand market so as to not encourage such behaviour! It’s also been mentioned elsewhere, but LaBella make a good bass VI string set in both round and flat wound. They’re a bit pricey at 50 bucks set, but they are very good.
I use this on all my recordings when i need to play the bass its so good and seeing it in get back was super cool and this was a really good video keep it up🤘
I play upside down and backwards, (left handed, bass strings at my feet). I wish so badly that Squier would make a Left Handed version of this. Great video!
Hopefully they will make it left handed at some point. These Bass VI are becoming quite popular so there must be a market for it. Thanks for checking out the video, glad you enjoyed it.
as a bass player for 25 years, i always tell guitar players i've worked with about the Beatles playing the Fender Bass VI... I say yeah if you can find one play it and buy IT! cause it just seems it's easier for guitar players to play the Fender Bass VI then a Normal Bass..(and good Demo Video)
I tried the LaBella flatwounds but didn't like them so I put the old strings back in. The flatwounds sounded great but I didn't like how the felt when I was plucking with my thumb.
I did the same with my 2014 Squier VI, ordering a Staytrem bridge (before they stopped exporting to the US) and LaBella roundwounds; no intonation issues, and sounds great with the heavier gauge strings.
I ended up opting for a Baritone Telecaster. Some of the things I like to do on bass (tapping for example) just doesn't work well on this due to the string spacing, and playing chords is still a bit too muddy. Baritone is a great in between where I can play guitar stuff at a lower frequency. I'll leave bass stuff to a regular bass.
Which baritone Tele did you go for? I had one recently which was made in Mexico, quite fun to play but the pickups sounded a bit dull. There is a video here on my channel where I’m playing it, a cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit.
@@Kbald Oh, absolutely! I was just thinking from a practical standpoint😂 haha Regardless, it's such a cool instrument, I would love to try one out sometime🥰
Just ordered one of these, I've played bass for years but originally started with guitar and always thought of my bass strings at the top 4 strings of a guitar just played differently, I'm really excited to see how this fits my playing style
I really wish this argument would end. Fender made it to be something between a bass and a guitar that wasn't a baritone guitar. It's both, depending on how you use it, and it and others like it (Schecter Hellcat VI, Ibanez Crossover, etc.) occupy their own space. I don't think there is much better proof that it's both and neither at the same time than The Cure's Disintegration album, where Robert Smith used one almost exclusively, but Simon's bass is still more prominent and cuts through the mix.
You should probably get a set of 24-100 Gauge Bass VI Strings cause they're better balance tension wise and the 100 Gauge Low E will have even better intonation.
To fix the intonation, push/strech the string close to the bridge to make it form an proper angle (not an arc). If I'm not clear, watch the 2nd tip of the video "Six Baritone Hacks | BO•021" by "The Bunn" on youtube.
Glen used Carol Kaye's Dano Six on Wichita Lineman and Galveston. Bill Pitman "King of the Dano 6" used one a lot including some Jan & Dean stuff. And the theme to the Wild Wild West. Glen can be seen playing a VI on a video from the 60's though.
I'm a bass player that wants to start also playing guitar and is heavily considering picking this bass(?) up, at least more for the sake of getting more comfortable with tmstring spacings as well as the fact that it can. (seemingly) function as a guitar if needs be!
@@user-bp3zx7ow1g I should have edited this comment to give a follow up lmao - I ended up buying it like a month after leaving this comment and i love the thing to pieces (though it has a lot of issues, i definitely still need to make some upgrades and modifications to make it play at its best). really is a cool instrument, I mainly use it as a guitar, mostly so I have a reason to use buth my main bass and my bass vi for different reasons!!
I enjoyed mine while I had it, but I had (relatively common) issues with intonation, tuning stability etc. It just felt like the hardware was not made to sustain what this instrument is trying to do. After a couple hundred bucks of upgrades and constant tinkering I never got it to be a true workable instrument. Do your research first if your looking into getting one.
i dont know if this helps for the fender to, but i have a different bass vi with a tune-o-matic bridge and for me it helped quite a lot to turn the saddle around for the intonation, those extra few millimeters are just the ones i needed! Maybe you could try that
I found mine to make a terrible bass and converted it to a baritone, which is working out much better. As a bass I found the string gauges to be unbalanced and way, way too slack on the 6th string.
Interesting, I have had many questions here in the comments where people are asking if it can be converted into a baritone. I would be interested in hearing how it sounds.
@@bioklastik1062 Sorry I didn't see this sooner. I used s set of D'Addario EXL157's, it's a 14 - 68 baritone set. I had to get the kind folks at D'Addario to make me some 1st strings, special order, the one in the package was a couple inches too short. They sent me 5 of them free of charge, can't beat that. The other string I had to address was the 6th string. I didn't use the 68 in the package, I retained the original bass VI string in that position. I found that (84 gauge I believe) string to be sad sacked tuned to low E, but crank it up to A and it's perfect. The whole set works well in A, and you can still go +/- from there plus drop tunings like drop A. It plays like a heavy duty guitar, the tank of guitars. Mine is quite heavy unfortunately, not sure if they're all like that. As for the pickups, I haven't been overly impressed and would imagine some aftermarket jobs would make for an improvement. This is true of all lower cost guitars I suppose. I would just leave the original wiring and change the pups out. I don't play mine enough to make such an investment. It might sound better through a tube amp, I use a Mustang III. My Mustang sounds great when I use other guitars with Seymour Duncan's and EMG's but the stock pups in the Squier VI are kinda underwhelming as are most stock Squiers. Just okay.
@@user-bp3zx7ow1g I likely could have made a usable bass out of it with some changes in the string gauges. That's funny you went the other way, human nature to try something different! The stock set on my VI seemed all over the road for tensions, the 6th was so slack it was ridiculous and rattled. The original Fender VI had a 95 in that spot which would have been in greater tension. String gauges and the resulting tensions at given pitches is everything, yet few of us well understand it, including myself before this experience got me looking deeper into it. I used an online string gauge tension program to gain better understanding and have since used it in other applications, making some changes to my string gauge selections as a result. I also made myself a handy reference chart for play 'feel' vs string gauge vs tuning pitch vs scale length as a learning tool and gauge selector. One can pretty much predict what a set of strings or given strings within a set will feel like before they're even on the guitar. It's just some elementary physics when you get right down to it. The online calculators supplied by string makers are a great resource.
I also find I have great versatility employing a capo. Tuned in A as I am I can go all the way up the neck to any tuning I want. No intonation issues to speak of, I usually don't even have to tweak the tuners. I can play classical fingerstyle on the thing doing this, the action gets even better. I invested in a 30" neck checker to keep the action optimal. They are a must for every instrument or you're only guessing.
It's definitely worth it. I wasn't planning to buy a new guitar/bass when I saw it but still decided to take it home, even though I should be saving money for my upcoming holidays 😆
I think factory strings on Squiers are really terrible. The low E string was slightly out and I was not able to fix the intonation problem on my Squier CV late 50s P bass. I replaced it with a same gauge Thomastik Infeld set and the intonation problems were gone immediately. Since then I have a D'Addario black nylon set on the instrument and it is still perfect.
Sounds like a guitar but also not. Unique tone for sure. Maybe the intonation issue is string height. Same as length but opposite direction. The bridge probably should have been tilted to compensate for scale length. Curious this guitar could be why the beatles sounded as they did. Still a bit confused on its vision however.
Yeah, it is possible that it might have to do with string height. I might try heavier strings at some point, maybe try a 105 in the low E. I'm sure there is a way around it.
i only did bridge reversal and adjusted action and got good results , this is vid : th-cam.com/video/dAIe4dI3iRw/w-d-xo.html or if you don't trust links haha (me neither) type ' Squier VI Vintage Modified Bass 6 string intonation' .
I play guitar and bass myself. Since I've got some classical training on both, I have managed to create a kind of hybrid technique for my Bass Six which permits me to generate traditional bass guitar tones on it without the spacing getting in my way. My issue with it is that the pickups need to be wound for a sharper output.
Keep watching this video again... Intriguing, enthralling fascinating sounds properly juicy! There's a much more expensive Fender it's based on I assume? It's new to me...... The band you're in? Meg algersen I heard.. Liked it! I can't add anymore likes to this.. Then the kemper profiler video is calling... It's just money money Money though ahhhhhhhh!!!! Regards to you kbald
You make this sound better than just about anyone else I've heard demoing them on TH-cam. I'm thinking about getting one, and I'm between this classic vibe model and the Schecter Hellcat. Did the Squier need a lot of setup work to get it playing nicely? In a lot of the demos they sound kind of buzzy.
Thank you, glad you liked the sound of it. The only thing I did really was to replace the low E string and put a 0.95 in there if I remember correctly. The E string still sounds a bit funny so I’m thinking about putting some flatwounds in there and see how it goes.
@@Kbald Nice! Thanks for the reply. I can imagine half the battle is finding the right strings for what you want to do. In the end there's a second hand schecter in my area that I'm going to check out first
Que padre que pudieras tocar con ese bajo yo estoy pensando en conseguir uno, saludos desde México 🤘🇲🇽, gracias por los subtítulos en Español que buena onda Bro.
There's a vid somewhere showing some mods involving the trem plate and bridge to improve the intonation ect and something about the strings, when I have the money I will be doing it to mine
@@Kbald one site explaining upgrades and strings was "Destorying amp gears demos" titled I have upgraded the squire bass VI this leads on to other chaps videos improving the Bass. VI. You should find something
I replaced the bridge on mine. It wasn't cheap, about £70 or £80 a fair few years ago, but it's a better design and I was able to intonate it properly. More recently, I bought the Harley Benton version, which I suspect comes out of the same factory as the Squier. I've defretted the HB to make a fretless Bass VI 🙂
@@Kbald It is fun! A purpose built one would be better -- decent fret markings on the top of the fingerboard and on the sides as well. (I know, I know, I should play more by ear!) I think people in the US talk about Mastery bridges, mine came from Staytrem here in the UK.
Depending on string gauge (and type and brand), you may be able to fix the low E by shortening or removing the spring, and shortening the saddle screw as well. This is not unusual on some short-scale basses, like Ibanez Micro. I believe that Mastery has a replacement bridge, but it will be spendy…
About digital ; you ll come back from it ; I had a kemper too altho I loved it I really think nothing can replace amps and pedal ; but for light gigs get rid of heavy tube amp just a transistor one can easily make it work
You've got a point there. I love the Kemper and the options it brings but at the same time I really like the analog stuff as well. At the moment the Kemper is the perfect solution for me but if circumstances change I will definitely start using more analog stuff again.
I tried one of these in a store and I couldn't get past the string spacing. So I didn't buy it. I usually play a guitar with a superwide neck to suit my fingers so the bass VI was really not working for me. A 5 string bass is in my future I think.
I wasn’t sure about the string spacing either when I first tried it at the store but I’m quite happy with it now as I’ve found a way to play around it with the thumb or pick.
@@Kbald For me it was my left fretting hand that was the problem. I was fine with the right hand. I'm more of a finger picker than plectrum user on guitar, so the Vi didn't present much problem with my right hand.
Thank you for this video. I just watched a lot of videos on this guitar and those clowns from across the pond had me convinced I didn't want one. This demo gave me the feeling back that I might want one. Several people have recommended LaBella flat wound strings to improve the intonation and tone qualities. 👍
Thanks for checking out the video. I’m very happy with my Bass VI, it is a lot of fun to play. Doesn’t cover all my bass needs but great for certain things. I actually tried the flatwounds LaBellas but took them back out as I found a bit hard to play fingerpicking on those. I think I definitely give them another chance.
Awesome! I want one.
Highly recommend it! So much fun to play and sounds fantastic 👌
I want one too!
how much is it
Around $500
@@lemau8458 there are several listed on Ebay
I found one of these in a pawn shop a few years ago. Every once in a while I will think about it and wish I had purchased it. It’s such a unique instrument.
a few months ago i was at a pawnshop and saw a schecter hellraiser c1 and since that was my first guitar i purchased it because of nostalgia so when i picked it up i realized something was off and when i looked it up it turned out it is a schecter hellraiser c1 vi and since it was dirt cheap i took home with me...glad i did since it is very unique
Absolutely man, I was at the music store for something completely different when I saw it. Couldn't really afford it but still went for it and I don't regret it at all 😀
You can still get them new I’m pretty sure!
@@jasosmurray137 Tbh the Squiers being made now might actually be better than the Mexicans they made a few years ago...
how much was it?
I love mine. It’s so versatile with the bass strangle switch, and it sounds different through either a guitar or bass amp. And with effects, the possibilities are limitless.
Absolutely, amazing instruments.
Can you give suggestions on what amps work well with this guitar?
Robert Smith of The Cure is also a frequent Fender Bass VI player
And he uses it like a guitar, that’s the epic thing about it, you can approach it like a bass or a guitar, it’s it’s own instrument
I feel it's both.
I've strung my VI with a thicker gauge set then it originally came with, and and that makes a lot of difference!
Playing single bass notes is easy enough (you'll get used to the smaller string spacing), and playing chords is a lot of fun too!
Yeah, any time these are strung up with an 84 on the bottom end, that's just trouble when at Standard E-E tuning. They need a 100 on the bottom end, minimum. Fender's newer set that ends with a 100 is just so much better than the 84 set that my 2013 Bass came with.
I'd recommend Fender Super 250's strings, they're made for the Bass VI and will probably solve your problem. They go from 0.24 to .100 :)
It was often used as a bass guitar by jazz musicians back in the day. One of them was the brilliant bass player Bradley Bobo, who used a Bass VI while on tour with the late Eddie Harris in the early 90s. They even played a show that was was broadcast on german TV where he could be seen playing the VI (finger-style). Great instrument, great player. The Fender VI has been forgotten a bit by many and just recently, it was (kinda) rediscovered.
I'll look him up and see if I can find some videos. And yes, it seems like there is a growing interest in the bass VI now, probably due to its appearance in Get Back.
"It was often used as a bass guitar by jazz musicians back in the day. "
It IS the bass guitar. The 4 stringed instrument people usually refer to as a "bass guitar is technically an electric bass.
Amazing, I played one in the late 70s as a bass on The Reels Albums. (Australian Band)
Cure fan, been desiring one and playing variants for 2 decades now. Never forgotten here as Robert Smith has used one as a melody machine since 81.
A set of La Bella Bass VI strings really helped a lot. The rounds really accentuate the twang.
Really cool sounds. Thanks for making this video, a very fascinating Bass
Thanks Simon 🙌 I’m very pleased with it. A really cool instrument 👌
I have two bass vi. One fender and one squier. The squire one has thinner bridge. Also the squier came with thinner strings than the fender. Both factors worsen the intonation issues. You can try reversing the bridge so that the intonation screws face up the neck. This will allow a bit more adjustment, since the spring is no longer compressed.
Thanks for the tip, I will give it a go and see if it gets better 👍
Thank you for playing clean without distortion!
I too am primarily a guitarist, but I learned to play bass as a teen. Afterwards, I learned classical guitar technique and shed the pick. I understand why so many that have got this model play it with a pick, but I do believe that people can learn how to play this one traditionally.
It is possible to pluck it more traditionally but the string spacing just makes it very weird. I wouldn't be surprised if it was designed for those who play bass with a pick.
Good luck with that. This guitar is impossible to play traditionally. It was made for a pick hence the string spacing.
The secret is to be persistent, @@noahcristian5814. Like any other instrument, it would be a lot easier if I played it every day.
Great guitar. Love the fresh direction it takes my bass lines when I'm writing.
Totally agree, love this instrument. It's something completely different to the traditional electric bass.
I personally use 106's for my VI, and i shimmed the neck a few degrees, and my intonation is PERFECT now.
These can be pretty tricky to set up but they are worth it!
Thanks for the input, might give the heavier strings a go and then look into doing some shimming if needed.
Fender updated the gauges of their Bass VI strings & now they're a 24-100 gauge set.
Very detailed review. So good that it's making me want to buy one :)
Absolutely beautiful sounding instrument
Great overview and demo, it’s one of the instruments I think about getting every now and then.
Thanks Paul, glad you enjoyed the video!
Cool instrument!
I like the old-style music you were playing. That [baritone guitar] sounds interesting and that type of music sounds good on it.
Glad you enjoyed it ☺️🙏
Aria Guitars in Japan created a 6 String Contrabass Classical Guitar which is actually an Acoustic Bass VI.
I always wanted one, back in the 90's, but it was hard to find here in Brazil. If someone had one, it would never sell it, hahah
Nowadays, we have this vintage re-edition, so, I can buy it someday. The same sound, but, only made now and not at the 60's/70's, and, still rocks!
I am thaving the same issue on the low E string. I removed the saddle spring and pushed it all the way back, and lowered the nut slot a little. That helped, but the intonation is still sharp on the low E. Why Fender didn't make a wider bridge like the Staytrem is beyond me. We should be able to intonate the guitar.
Wow. I’ve only heard of this instrument today, & I am a Bassist - omg 😱
I had the Fender Pawn shop version with the Jazzmaster style humbucker in the bridge, and one of the first run of Squiers from a few years back, sadly I no longer have either. I picked up the Fender for $400 at Sam Ash and sold it for $1700 to buy myself a vintage JCM800 . They are super cool and unique instruments though. I just bought a new Squier and can’t wait to get my hands on it
The main complaint on these is the floppiness of the bass strings and intonation. Usually a .90 for the low E does it. String joy makes a really good set for the bass VI. And as for bridge, the cheapest option would be a $20 mustang big barrel saddle bridge. The barrels are semi hollow to allow the spring to compress within it giving you just enough room for perfect intonation. Might also have to slot the top a little for the string thicknesses. Then theres staytrem and mastery that $200+
Thanks for the tip. I will look up these barrels and see if I can get some.
I finally put the Staytrem on mine and it instantly made it more playable and perfect intonation. I can't put it down now...@@Kbald
Fender makes a Bass VI set with a 100g E string that work excellent and take care of intonation problems.
This is kind of blowing my mind, I was a little interested in baritone but I am super interested in this!
Awesome man! I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with it if you end up getting one.
@@Kbald already on the used market checking what I can afford or potentially trade for. Great video got a like and sub from me!
Thanks for the support and welcome to my channel!
Rick Danko of The Band played one of these while in the Ronnie Hawkins Band. Believe my friend bought his guitar from a pawn shop. There are photo's of Rick playing it.
I had one of these for a while, such a fun fucking instrument to play, sounds absolutely incredible with my slash MXR octave fuzz. Playing chords on it is a really unique sound.
They clearly play like a squire, but it sounds awesome. I highly recommend these if you want a new, unique sound, this bass is also incredibly versatile. I played this in a 4 piece punk band and it was fuckin awesome for playing live and recording.
I can imagine it must have sounded really cool in a punk band. It has that edge to it, especially when played with a pick.
Probably confused the hell out of the audience lol
I found a new saddle called a StayTrem from the UK. Makes the Squier bass vi a ton more playable
@@4stringz. I concur absolutely - the Staytrem saddles really lift the Squier as an instrument.
My band bassist left and we couldn't find the right player so i consider to buy one of this
I test it on a store and i fell in love but didn't the budget to buy it so i made my own from old guitar pieces, i put 100-45 bass strings for the lower strings and a 5th and 6th guitar strings for the higher ones and it sounds reaaaally big on bass lines and have a great tone on rythm
Awesome man, glad you could find a way to make it work.
Hiya champ, this is a 30-inch scale guitar with an 84 gauge string on the low E. My baritone is 28.5 inch scale with a 72 gauge for the low E (Ernie Ball). This guitar sounds very similar to my baritone and nothing like my p bass. This squire sits somewhere in that gray area between a baritone and a bass.
Interesting, yes it's somewhere in between but can definitely be used as a regular bass in some situations.
@@Kbald Absolutely!
@@Kbald When i used to be the bassist of the Punk Rock band i'm in, i used a Bass IV as guitar is my main instrument, and it felt more natural to use the IV..
I have one on order now. Should be here in April.
Thank you for what you do! Turn the saddle around so the break point makes the string longer. If need be, remove the spring.
Thanks for the tip 👌
I've had varieties of these for well over a decade, until Squier came out with theirs I couldn't afford the real deal. My friend had the true real deals back in the day, early 90s. Huge Cure fans, so always loved to play the melodies, etc on them. But they are quite flexible for playing lots of things. They chord really great. I still have my OLP copy of the MM version, and my Schecter Hellcat VI. I had a Gretsch at one point but sold it to get the money to buy the Squier.
I use the Fender VI for Beatles songs like Hey Jude .Yours Is a very good explanation to how use it.
I read something where a guy put the bridge on backwards so you would have to adjust the intonation from the pickup side. He claimed it gave him just enough to get the E string right. Just wanted to share this.
Thank you for sharing ☺️🙏
The heavier strings help but for me I had to buy a StayTrem bridge to get the saddle back where it needed to be. I didn’t have to shim the neck, but others say it’s a necessary mod as well.
I have seen quite a few people mentioning the StrayTrem bridges. I will definitely look them up 👍
I love my 5 string squire. Doesnt have the bar, but it has great action if you want to play fast.
What a badass sounding instrument! :)
It is indeed 🔥😎
This instrument is the key to the radness of The Cure.
It definitely has a unique sound.
And The Church used it a lot too.
Here is one of the Fender VI you can see being used on the big hit "Who Loves You?" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The bassist using it is doing a phenomenal job on this bass! Great stuff and the Fender looks awesome with several close ups. Sounds outstanding too. th-cam.com/video/-KtYgOM62fk/w-d-xo.html
Staytrem make a wider bridge to compensate for the intonation issues. I also bought an American vintage tremolo system for mine but it didn’t quite fit the existing routing. The non-locking unit it came with has the common issue of the bar fitting quite loosely and so rattling significantly when in use.
Thanks for the tip. I've seen many people mentioning the Straytrem bridges here in the comments. I will look those up.
@@Kbald they are made in very small numbers in the UK, so sometimes there is a significant wait to get one. As a result some people will attempt to resell their units for extortionate prices. I would avoid the temptation to buy one on the second hand market so as to not encourage such behaviour! It’s also been mentioned elsewhere, but LaBella make a good bass VI string set in both round and flat wound. They’re a bit pricey at 50 bucks set, but they are very good.
I use this on all my recordings when i need to play the bass its so good and seeing it in get back was super cool and this was a really good video keep it up🤘
Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching 🙏🤟
I play upside down and backwards, (left handed, bass strings at my feet). I wish so badly that Squier would make a Left Handed version of this. Great video!
Hopefully they will make it left handed at some point. These Bass VI are becoming quite popular so there must be a market for it.
Thanks for checking out the video, glad you enjoyed it.
If you're comfortable with some DIY, Warmoth offers a left handed Bass VI body and neck.
Thankfully Fender updated the String set for it, it's now a 24-100 Gauge String set.
Really good insights into the instrument and what it's like to live with and use in different settings - thank you!
Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching 🙏
as a bass player for 25 years, i always tell guitar players i've worked with about the Beatles playing the Fender Bass VI... I say yeah if you can find one play it and buy IT! cause it just seems it's easier for guitar players to play the Fender Bass VI then a Normal Bass..(and good Demo Video)
Thank you man! Yes it is very easy to adapt to it as a guitar player, much easier that a normal bass. I'm very happy with it.
I put a Staytrem bridge and a neck shim in mine. LaBella 105 string set too. No more intonation or tuning problems :) Great guitar
Thanks for the tip, I might give these a go. Are the LaBells’s round wound or flatwound?
@@Kbald I went for the roundwound because they didn't have the flats in the heavier gauge and I was too impatient to wait :)
I tried the LaBella flatwounds but didn't like them so I put the old strings back in. The flatwounds sounded great but I didn't like how the felt when I was plucking with my thumb.
I did the same with my 2014 Squier VI, ordering a Staytrem bridge (before they stopped exporting to the US) and LaBella roundwounds; no intonation issues, and sounds great with the heavier gauge strings.
Really...Fantastic thing.Should of come out when leo fender made the first strat.That bass is excellent.
That Witchita lineman line you played was Carol on bass, Glenn used a Danelectro 6 string bass for that awesome lead.
You are right. Such an awesome bass line and the solo is amazing as well.
I ended up opting for a Baritone Telecaster. Some of the things I like to do on bass (tapping for example) just doesn't work well on this due to the string spacing, and playing chords is still a bit too muddy. Baritone is a great in between where I can play guitar stuff at a lower frequency. I'll leave bass stuff to a regular bass.
Which baritone Tele did you go for? I had one recently which was made in Mexico, quite fun to play but the pickups sounded a bit dull.
There is a video here on my channel where I’m playing it, a cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit.
@@Kbald the new squire classic vibe one, basically a regular Tele with a Baritone neck. I use it for math Rock and emo and it's great.
Nice 👌
This is so cool! I feel like this bass really would benefit from slightly tilted frets to make up for the intonation issues:)
That could solve some problems but then it would lose the vintage feel I guess.
@@Kbald Oh, absolutely! I was just thinking from a practical standpoint😂 haha Regardless, it's such a cool instrument, I would love to try one out sometime🥰
As soon as you touched the tremolo, all I get is The Cure. lol
Just ordered one of these, I've played bass for years but originally started with guitar and always thought of my bass strings at the top 4 strings of a guitar just played differently, I'm really excited to see how this fits my playing style
It's been 8 months how's it been?
I really wish this argument would end. Fender made it to be something between a bass and a guitar that wasn't a baritone guitar. It's both, depending on how you use it, and it and others like it (Schecter Hellcat VI, Ibanez Crossover, etc.) occupy their own space. I don't think there is much better proof that it's both and neither at the same time than The Cure's Disintegration album, where Robert Smith used one almost exclusively, but Simon's bass is still more prominent and cuts through the mix.
I have an Acoustic Bass VI.
You should probably get a set of 24-100 Gauge Bass VI Strings cause they're better balance tension wise and the 100 Gauge Low E will have even better intonation.
Thanks for the tip. Might give those a try 👍
@@Kbald Yes Fender recently solved that intonation issue by updating the gauges on their Bass VI set.
Wow this is really cool! I had no idea these existed! Great video, great demo! New subscriber!
Thank you man! Glad you enjoyed the video and welcome to my channel 🙏
To fix the intonation, push/strech the string close to the bridge to make it form an proper angle (not an arc). If I'm not clear, watch the 2nd tip of the video "Six Baritone Hacks | BO•021" by "The Bunn" on youtube.
The New ones supposedly come with a new bridge and the intonation is actually close LOL. So they say.
Thanks for the tip, will definitely check it out.
I have a few VI. Nothing sounds better for cleans…like the left half of a piano.
Glen used Carol Kaye's Dano Six on Wichita Lineman and Galveston. Bill Pitman "King of the Dano 6" used one a lot including some Jan & Dean stuff. And the theme to the Wild Wild West. Glen can be seen playing a VI on a video from the 60's though.
You are right, Carol played the bass on Wichita Lineman.
@@Kbald Yes FenderPrecision Bass. But Glen did play the Dano 6.
I'm a bass player that wants to start also playing guitar and is heavily considering picking this bass(?) up, at least more for the sake of getting more comfortable with tmstring spacings as well as the fact that it can. (seemingly) function as a guitar if needs be!
@@user-bp3zx7ow1g I should have edited this comment to give a follow up lmao - I ended up buying it like a month after leaving this comment and i love the thing to pieces (though it has a lot of issues, i definitely still need to make some upgrades and modifications to make it play at its best). really is a cool instrument, I mainly use it as a guitar, mostly so I have a reason to use buth my main bass and my bass vi for different reasons!!
Very good demo, by the way, your band sounds really cool.
Thank you very much 🙏☺️
I enjoyed mine while I had it, but I had (relatively common) issues with intonation, tuning stability etc. It just felt like the hardware was not made to sustain what this instrument is trying to do. After a couple hundred bucks of upgrades and constant tinkering I never got it to be a true workable instrument. Do your research first if your looking into getting one.
Thanks for your input.
I put baritone strings on mine
Robin Mullarkey is using one of these on tour right now with Jacob Collier!
Great Vid' Was just wondering about this thing.
Thanks ☺️
Thanks, the flaw you mentioned near the end stopped an impulse buy
i dont know if this helps for the fender to, but i have a different bass vi with a tune-o-matic bridge and for me it helped quite a lot to turn the saddle around for the intonation, those extra few millimeters are just the ones i needed! Maybe you could try that
I found mine to make a terrible bass and converted it to a baritone, which is working out much better. As a bass I found the string gauges to be unbalanced and way, way too slack on the 6th string.
Interesting, I have had many questions here in the comments where people are asking if it can be converted into a baritone. I would be interested in hearing how it sounds.
How do you convert it to baritone? I have an Ultracure VI that I want to do that with. What strings did you use?
@@bioklastik1062 Sorry I didn't see this sooner. I used s set of D'Addario EXL157's, it's a 14 - 68 baritone set. I had to get the kind folks at D'Addario to make me some 1st strings, special order, the one in the package was a couple inches too short. They sent me 5 of them free of charge, can't beat that. The other string I had to address was the 6th string. I didn't use the 68 in the package, I retained the original bass VI string in that position. I found that (84 gauge I believe) string to be sad sacked tuned to low E, but crank it up to A and it's perfect. The whole set works well in A, and you can still go +/- from there plus drop tunings like drop A. It plays like a heavy duty guitar, the tank of guitars. Mine is quite heavy unfortunately, not sure if they're all like that. As for the pickups, I haven't been overly impressed and would imagine some aftermarket jobs would make for an improvement. This is true of all lower cost guitars I suppose. I would just leave the original wiring and change the pups out. I don't play mine enough to make such an investment. It might sound better through a tube amp, I use a Mustang III. My Mustang sounds great when I use other guitars with Seymour Duncan's and EMG's but the stock pups in the Squier VI are kinda underwhelming as are most stock Squiers. Just okay.
@@user-bp3zx7ow1g I likely could have made a usable bass out of it with some changes in the string gauges. That's funny you went the other way, human nature to try something different! The stock set on my VI seemed all over the road for tensions, the 6th was so slack it was ridiculous and rattled. The original Fender VI had a 95 in that spot which would have been in greater tension. String gauges and the resulting tensions at given pitches is everything, yet few of us well understand it, including myself before this experience got me looking deeper into it. I used an online string gauge tension program to gain better understanding and have since used it in other applications, making some changes to my string gauge selections as a result. I also made myself a handy reference chart for play 'feel' vs string gauge vs tuning pitch vs scale length as a learning tool and gauge selector. One can pretty much predict what a set of strings or given strings within a set will feel like before they're even on the guitar. It's just some elementary physics when you get right down to it. The online calculators supplied by string makers are a great resource.
I also find I have great versatility employing a capo. Tuned in A as I am I can go all the way up the neck to any tuning I want. No intonation issues to speak of, I usually don't even have to tweak the tuners. I can play classical fingerstyle on the thing doing this, the action gets even better. I invested in a 30" neck checker to keep the action optimal. They are a must for every instrument or you're only guessing.
Schechter made a VI too, even a signature model for The Cure.
That's cool, haven't seen that one yet.
Due to the name, it's a bass. A very cool bass.
I have been eyeing up one of these I think I might take the hurting from pocket for sound like that omg
It's definitely worth it. I wasn't planning to buy a new guitar/bass when I saw it but still decided to take it home, even though I should be saving money for my upcoming holidays 😆
Thank you for the wonderful sound
I think factory strings on Squiers are really terrible. The low E string was slightly out and I was not able to fix the intonation problem on my Squier CV late 50s P bass. I replaced it with a same gauge Thomastik Infeld set and the intonation problems were gone immediately. Since then I have a D'Addario black nylon set on the instrument and it is still perfect.
Sounds like a guitar but also not. Unique tone for sure. Maybe the intonation issue is string height. Same as length but opposite direction. The bridge probably should have been tilted to compensate for scale length. Curious this guitar could be why the beatles sounded as they did. Still a bit confused on its vision however.
Yeah, it is possible that it might have to do with string height. I might try heavier strings at some point, maybe try a 105 in the low E. I'm sure there is a way around it.
Listen to Priest=Aura by The Church. Steve Kilbey used the Bass VI as the only bass on that album. He got a great bass sound out of it.
@@zoeherriot thanks.
@@Kbald sounds like a plan.
Intonation free fix , loosen strings , take out bridge and rotate 180 degrees so the screw heads are facing the bridge pick up
i only did bridge reversal and adjusted action and got good results , this is vid : th-cam.com/video/dAIe4dI3iRw/w-d-xo.html or if you don't trust links haha (me neither) type ' Squier VI Vintage Modified Bass 6 string intonation' .
Thanks for the tip and for the link. I will definitely check it out.
Great description of the Bass VI!! Eric Johnson just released a new video where he solos on the Bass VI. It's called "Another One Like You".
Thank you! Wow, I really need to check that out. I’m a huge fan of his.
I think Joe Perry used one of these on Back In The Saddle.
I play guitar and bass myself. Since I've got some classical training on both, I have managed to create a kind of hybrid technique for my Bass Six which permits me to generate traditional bass guitar tones on it without the spacing getting in my way. My issue with it is that the pickups need to be wound for a sharper output.
Wow, @@user-bp3zx7ow1g, thanks.
Cool! Thanks! 😎
This thing sounds like it would be killer on surf rock.
I’m sure it would sound awesome ☺️
great video!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
I have to buy me one. Great video :-)
Thank you! 🙏
Keep watching this video again... Intriguing, enthralling fascinating sounds properly juicy! There's a much more expensive Fender it's based on I assume? It's new to me...... The band you're in? Meg algersen I heard.. Liked it! I can't add anymore likes to this.. Then the kemper profiler video is calling... It's just money money
Money though ahhhhhhhh!!!! Regards to you kbald
You make this sound better than just about anyone else I've heard demoing them on TH-cam. I'm thinking about getting one, and I'm between this classic vibe model and the Schecter Hellcat. Did the Squier need a lot of setup work to get it playing nicely? In a lot of the demos they sound kind of buzzy.
Thank you, glad you liked the sound of it. The only thing I did really was to replace the low E string and put a 0.95 in there if I remember correctly. The E string still sounds a bit funny so I’m thinking about putting some flatwounds in there and see how it goes.
@@Kbald Nice! Thanks for the reply. I can imagine half the battle is finding the right strings for what you want to do. In the end there's a second hand schecter in my area that I'm going to check out first
Listen to Jet Harris and Hank The Knife. Two great Fender VI guitarists
Finger pressure is a huge thing. Sometimes a softer touch solves the intonation problem.
These are like the secret weapon of Robert Smith and The Cure's sound.
Que padre que pudieras tocar con ese bajo yo estoy pensando en conseguir uno, saludos desde México 🤘🇲🇽, gracias por los subtítulos en Español que buena onda Bro.
On my way to collect 2nd hand like yours!
There's a vid somewhere showing some mods involving the trem plate and bridge to improve the intonation ect and something about the strings, when I have the money I will be doing it to mine
Interesting, will try to look that up.
@@Kbald one site explaining upgrades and strings was "Destorying amp gears demos" titled I have upgraded the squire bass VI this leads on to other chaps videos improving the Bass. VI. You should find something
I replaced the bridge on mine. It wasn't cheap, about £70 or £80 a fair few years ago, but it's a better design and I was able to intonate it properly. More recently, I bought the Harley Benton version, which I suspect comes out of the same factory as the Squier. I've defretted the HB to make a fretless Bass VI 🙂
Man, I can imagine that must be fun to play. I might look into upgrading the bridge on the Squier at some point.
@@Kbald It is fun! A purpose built one would be better -- decent fret markings on the top of the fingerboard and on the sides as well. (I know, I know, I should play more by ear!)
I think people in the US talk about Mastery bridges, mine came from Staytrem here in the UK.
I’ve heard good things about the Straytrem bridges. Might give them a go.
Depending on string gauge (and type and brand), you may be able to fix the low E by shortening or removing the spring, and shortening the saddle screw as well. This is not unusual on some short-scale basses, like Ibanez Micro. I believe that Mastery has a replacement bridge, but it will be spendy…
Robert Smith took this to another level on Disintegration.
He'd been using it since Faith - but Disintegration had some his most memorable hooks.
About digital ; you ll come back from it ; I had a kemper too altho I loved it I really think nothing can replace amps and pedal ; but for light gigs get rid of heavy tube amp just a transistor one can easily make it work
You've got a point there. I love the Kemper and the options it brings but at the same time I really like the analog stuff as well. At the moment the Kemper is the perfect solution for me but if circumstances change I will definitely start using more analog stuff again.
I tried one of these in a store and I couldn't get past the string spacing. So I didn't buy it. I usually play a guitar with a superwide neck to suit my fingers so the bass VI was really not working for me. A 5 string bass is in my future I think.
I wasn’t sure about the string spacing either when I first tried it at the store but I’m quite happy with it now as I’ve found a way to play around it with the thumb or pick.
@@Kbald For me it was my left fretting hand that was the problem. I was fine with the right hand. I'm more of a finger picker than plectrum user on guitar, so the Vi didn't present much problem with my right hand.
Ah I see.
Did you find a sollution for the intonation issue? Heavier strings?
Thanks for a great video, loved the live footage
Thank you for this video. I just watched a lot of videos on this guitar and those clowns from across the pond had me convinced I didn't want one. This demo gave me the feeling back that I might want one. Several people have recommended LaBella flat wound strings to improve the intonation and tone qualities. 👍
Thanks for checking out the video. I’m very happy with my Bass VI, it is a lot of fun to play. Doesn’t cover all my bass needs but great for certain things.
I actually tried the flatwounds LaBellas but took them back out as I found a bit hard to play fingerpicking on those. I think I definitely give them another chance.
Great tutorial. Aloha from Hawaii.
Thanks for watching, greetings from Reykjavik 🇮🇸
I’ve heard replacing the bridge and tuners, as well as heavier gauge strings, can solve the intonation problems.
Take the intonation screw out of the saddle and cut the spring down to 1/3 it's original size fixes the problem.
Cool review man, new subscriber 👍🏻 keep it up
Awesome, welcome to my channel. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Great video. Thank you for posting.
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching!