Jump to content

Pre-purchase Squier Bass VI ramblings


gambit

Recommended Posts

  • Members

i've put a deposit down and should have a sunburst VI in my hands soon..

 

anyway, i'm wondering how to have it set up so just going to ramble for a bit:

 

i had a MIJ VI in the 90's, and i just tried out the Pawn Shop version to get a quick reminder of the feel and how it might fit my current playing style.

 

the low E is a bit useless to me. i don't want to be a bass player (as i used to use it) and the looseness and lack of definition on a wobbly low E doesn't interest me.

 

when these were first announced i was fully expecting to re-tune the whole thing to A or B tuning, but after noodling on the Pawn Shop version i quite liked the register on my usual playing area (8-12 frets, from D-string up)...

 

so now i'm thinking maybe i could just substitute the low E for another A string, so there's 2 tuned to unison.. i know BIG phat distorted riffs and cool-as-**** clean drones would be good with that. although i might go with a slightly lighter guage than whatever the stock A string is, as its pretty hefty.

 

or i just go for A-A..

 

any other suggestions?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you don't want / don't like the low E, I'd recommend treating it like a 30" Danelectro baritone, and using an A-A or B-B tuning for it. That will definitely require different string gauges, and possibly a new nut, but other than those two changes (and a full setup job), I don't think you'd need to change anything else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members


Phil O'Keefe wrote:

 

If you don't want / don't like the low E, I'd recommend treating it like a 30" Danelectro baritone, and using an A-A or B-B tuning for it. That will definitely require different string gauges, and possibly a new nut, but other than those two changes (and a full setup job), I don't think you'd need to change anything else.

 

After playing around with the Dano Baritone I have rented VS a couple different Bass VI's in local shops (Japan and Pawn Shop) i've decided I'm going to get a Squier VM Bass VI and treat it like a baritone, B - B.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I use wound strings. The gauge varies, depending on how much I want to hurt my fingers. ;) I need to see if Elixir has bari string packs available (I tend to kill strings fast), but in the meantime, I've been using either D'Addario XL157 (14-68 gauge) or D'Addario XL158 (13-62 gauge) strings on it. Again, unlike some baritone guitars that use a shorter scale, the Danelectro I have has a 30" scale, so similar gauge strings should work on the Fender for a B-B tuning, but you'll probably need to have a new nut cut for it and of course, adjust the entire setup - saddle heights, truss rod, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

cool.

i was playing with some alternative tunings last night and found that tuning the 'A' string down to unison with the 6th string (what would be E) was pretty nice..

should sound even better on the VI. but i guess i can just use matching string guages for the 5th an 6th..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

with the nut, can you explain what changes would be needed? if i'm going for a 13-64 set for example, i'm not going to need to widen the nut spaces or anything..
i'm a little ignorant to setups beyond bridge and saddle adjustments.

also there seems to be a few people talking about changing their VI nuts already. one pic i saw in the offsetguitars forum had a really shoddy nut-job (if you can excuse the terminology!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

The way the nut's cut is important. It sets the string separation and alignment at the headstock end of the neck. The way the slots are cut also determines the height of the open string at the nut. If the slot is too narrow, the string can bind in the slot, which can lead to tuning issues. If it's cut too deep, you can have issues with getting the action set properly. If the slot is too loose, or not cut so that the string sits on the leading / front edge of the nut, you can have other problems, such as the string buzzing and rattling, or moving around in the slot as you play, which can lead to loss of sustain, intonation and tuning issues, etc.

 

D'Addario XL 156's were designed for the Fender Bass VI. They go from 24-84. Compare that to the bari string set gauges I mentioned earlier (14-68 / 13-64), and you can see that there's quite a bit of difference between them. Because of that, I think a full setup and a new nut, properly cut for the smaller strings, will make a big difference if you plan on using the bari strings. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Yikes - that does look pretty bad. Not just the flash and extra material, but the slot spacing looks a bit iffy too. I saw a very slight amount of that "flash" on one of the nut slots of one of the Squiers I reviewed last year (I think it was the Jaguar short scale bass) but it was nothing like that nut. It looks like someone didn't bother filing and sanding that stuff to dress it once it was cut.

 

I'm not sure what the nut material is, but I suspect it's just some sort of plastic. A synthetic ivory replacement like Tusq, or a bone nut would definitely be an improvement, and I'd go with one or the other as a replacement. It should be much better than the stock one - especially if it's cut right.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...