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Thanks - yeah it's a beauty and I love using it. Yes, I've been using it often on recordings since I got it. Nothing I can reveal at present, but yeah - it has appeared on at least three albums since purchase. I love the Providence bass chorus on it and a reverb like the Empress or something really interesting and bendy. Drive wise it goes great with a Klon or similar. And I love it through guitar amps: '65 Fender Blackface Deluxe or JC120.
I'd get the LaBella's. Flats or rounds, whatever you prefer. In rounds, they do stainless or nickel, so that's more your choice, I prefer nickel.
I think I saw on your Instagram post about the (fantastic) new St Vincent album that you played your Bass VI on it, among your many other contributions.
I've become a recent Bass VI convert, and it's now the only bass I'm taking to rehearsals. Being in an originals band I don't need to worry about trying to sound just like the recording of anything, which is both great and does lead to a bit of options paralysis. I'm wondering how you used it on this album, in addition to or instead of a more traditional bass for example?
In general, would be great to hear your thoughts on using the Bass VI as the only bass in a song, and how that would influence your choice of amp, as you mention liking putting it through a Deluxe or JC120.
I've become a recent Bass VI convert, and it's now the only bass I'm taking to rehearsals. Being in an originals band I don't need to worry about trying to sound just like the recording of anything, which is both great and does lead to a bit of options paralysis. I'm wondering how you used it on this album, in addition to or instead of a more traditional bass for example?
In general, would be great to hear your thoughts on using the Bass VI as the only bass in a song, and how that would influence your choice of amp, as you mention liking putting it through a Deluxe or JC120.
On the St. Vincent LP I'm using it either for big impact moments, or for atmospheric counterpoint...single-note low strikes vs. two-note chords, but always heavily processed with verb and multiple modulations. (Another example of this: listen to the Deafheaven song "In Blur" at the 1:59 mark...during that second verse I simply adapt a sound to act as a marker of each changing chord...doesn't exist in the first verse, but in the second verse, that use creates some elevation of drama). Bass VI is rarely ever something I use "for bass". I know some people who dig it that way, especially with heavier LaBella flats on there. But I tend to adapt it for a sparing use of it for a dramatic or emotional effect. I know Steve Kilbey used to play only Bass VI for a time, and there are probably other examples. I exclusively run it through guitar amps, at least thus far, because I want the spring and/or a particular break-up.
Thanks for the really interesting reply. Those are some great ideas for how to use it in a really creative way when we (hopefully) get into the studio. Adding to my options paralysis is that I'm currently running it through a Fender TMP which at the moment doesn't have any bass amps. So I've been trying it out with all kinds of different guitar amp models, the studio pre-amp that's in there, various cabs, 3rd party IRs etc. And trying out the various effects that are in there. Having a great time doing this, but at some point I need to make some decisions about what sounds best for our band.
Here's a cool set of Quicksand that I just found a few days ago where Sergio Vega is using his Bass VI throughout and I think it's a fantastic use. He bounces between using it for straight bass, guitar-y textural arpeggio stuff and some ambient interlude stuff. These songs are mostly pretty old and he didn't use the VI on the original recordings, but I thought the way he fit it into these modern interpretations was pretty cool:
I also play a VI occasionally, and like Justin I also tend to prefer it through a guitar amp (where the twangy character can shine) though I've gotten great results through bass rigs too- particularly tube rigs using Fender tonestacks to favor that high-midrange attack. A great combo for VI is a low-watt tube guitar head like a Bandmaster or Bassman played through a bass cab IME (sealed cabs like Ampeg-style 10" cabs are particularly nice). For strings I really dig these LaBella pure nickel "Chicago-style" rounds: La Bella "Chicago Style" Pure Nickel Bass Strings Bass VI 26-95 or the LaBella flats are a classic choice too if you want a more thumpy tone. The Chicago-style rounds are warm but still super articulate, they can twang really nicely without being obnoxious. They are really well-rounded and prefer them quite a bit to the current Fender Super 250 round set (which are still pretty nice and much better than the older Fender set that used to have a skinny .085 E string)
Great video, and great to see how someone is using it as the only bass in the band. I want to find ways to really take advantage of all that a Bass VI can offer.
I actually have two of them, one with Newtone Stainless Steel Axion Bass VI strings 24-100, and one with the Labella Flats. I've got a few different presets set up on the TMP. One is using the Bassbreaker (a modern take on the Bassman) with an Eden 4x10 IR which sounds good. And one using the Tube Pre-amp through two IRs, the Eden and an SVT 410. Got it sounding pretty darn close to an SVT. Plus a Deluxe guitar rig. It's fun being able to just hit a footswitch to take it into totally different sonic territory.
As a bit of backstory, for about 5 years I was in a 60s Garage band, where my JMJ Mustang into a vintage bass amp was all I needed. Didn't use any pedals or effects. Now I'm in an originals band with total creative freedom to do whatever I want with the low end. The problem is just figuring out what I want
I foresee many pedal stompings and knob turnings in your future with a final revelation that what you want is your JMJ into your vintage amp.Great video, and great to see how someone is using it as the only bass in the band. I want to find ways to really take advantage of all that a Bass VI can offer.
I actually have two of them, one with Newtone Stainless Steel Axion Bass VI strings 24-100, and one with the Labella Flats. I've got a few different presets set up on the TMP. One is using the Bassbreaker (a modern take on the Bassman) with an Eden 4x10 IR which sounds good. And one using the Tube Pre-amp through two IRs, the Eden and an SVT 410. Got it sounding pretty darn close to an SVT. Plus a Deluxe guitar rig. It's fun being able to just hit a footswitch to take it into totally different sonic territory.
As a bit of backstory, for about 5 years I was in a 60s Garage band, where my JMJ Mustang into a vintage bass amp was all I needed. Didn't use any pedals or effects. Now I'm in an originals band with total creative freedom to do whatever I want with the low end. The problem is just figuring out what I want
The Bass VI is a challenging instrument in a way, because it offers a player the option to fill a lot of different sonic space and texture but with that comes alot of responsibility too! I see it most often used in the baritone realm, often alongside a dedicated bassist but there are plenty of notable exceptions to that and new ones every day. In my experience occasionally using it in a "bass" context, I always have to remind myself to lay off too much chording- or when I do, I try to focus on wide intervals that sound cleaner and create less mud (like playing a chord fragment using root in the bass and a 10th or 12th instead of a 3rd and/or 5th for example) or playing arpeggiations instead of chords (which the VI can excel at due the more focused tone). Then again, (especially with some distortion) even those low chords can be sometimes be molded to fit in. If you are in a band with a guitarist or two then it can be tough not fighting with their sonic space while also making use of what makes the VI special to begin with. This is why that Quicksand video I posted earlier stuck out to me, as he managed to tastefully fill the bass role while also expanding it when it was well suited.Great video, and great to see how someone is using it as the only bass in the band. I want to find ways to really take advantage of all that a Bass VI can offer.
I actually have two of them, one with Newtone Stainless Steel Axion Bass VI strings 24-100, and one with the Labella Flats. I've got a few different presets set up on the TMP. One is using the Bassbreaker (a modern take on the Bassman) with an Eden 4x10 IR which sounds good. And one using the Tube Pre-amp through two IRs, the Eden and an SVT 410. Got it sounding pretty darn close to an SVT. Plus a Deluxe guitar rig. It's fun being able to just hit a footswitch to take it into totally different sonic territory.
As a bit of backstory, for about 5 years I was in a 60s Garage band, where my JMJ Mustang into a vintage bass amp was all I needed. Didn't use any pedals or effects. Now I'm in an originals band with total creative freedom to do whatever I want with the low end. The problem is just figuring out what I want
Honestly I feel like today is really the renaissance of the Bass VI instrument in a sense, as in the first 40 or so years of the instrument there just weren't that many out in the world for people to stumble upon and make new sounds with. The Squire VI made an affordable decent version available for a lot of people for the first time (I had a Danelectro VI previously, I would say tuned as a VI it wouldn't fit the "decent" part of my statement though I loved it in its own right and it just made me GAS even harder for a nicer version of that type of instrument) and so there are a fair number of younger artists really redefining what that instrument can do in recent years who often are probably often (wonderfully) ignorant of its supposed limitations (being young is great that way). Here's a cool younger band where he uses a VI instrument to go between bass and baritone uses in a cool way:
Some of my favorites that inspired me to pick up a VI:
It can work for really conventional bass sounds, even played fingerstyle (though Roy Babbington is one of the few I've seen pull that off so well with that super tight string-spacing!). If you can remember that the VI can do this stuff well, then the rest of the instrument is just the frosting on top!: .
Blonde Redhead was one of the first bands where the really characteristic VI sound really caught my ear (they both used old Teisco TB-64s at times, then some customs)- I feel like they do a good job of that wide interval arpeggiation/ chord fragment approach that a Bass VI sounds so good at (the whole "Misery Is a Butterfly" album features this stuff nicely):
Then there's the way so many classic artists used it more in a baritone context (Robert Smith from the Cure, Peter Hook in New Order, etc):
Cocteau Twins had some great examples over the years, this is actually dual Bass VIs: or this from Tortoise alongside a standard bass, which is one of my first big Bass VI GAS memories when I got deep into this album (at the time I just thought it was a standard baritone when I saw them live when this came out as I didn't know what a Bass VI was yet!):
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What a fantastic post! BR adopting the Teisco VI was pretty cool to see live, I remember it well. I've spoken with Simon Raymonde in the past about the occasional CT use of the VI, but now I want to ask him for some more track titles! Of course, The Cure might be the highest watermark. Their consistent and creative use over the years of multiple VI's live (and all over essentially every record from Faith onward) was something to behold. Here's an excellent document...check out Perry's counterpoint on his "flipped" VI coming in at 00:30, with Robert arriving a bit later:
Blonde Redhead is one of my all-time favorite live bands, I felt like their adoption of the VI really filled their sound out perfectly!
I’d love to have any opportunity to talk to Simon from Cocteau Twins!! I saw Robin Guthrie eating lunch with Harold Budd one time in LA but wouldn’t have dared bother them- I did get to meet and eat a few meals with Harold later though which was a treat (RIP).
The Cure indeed might be the greatest masters of the VI- watching that video makes me feel like it’s almost a shame to try to shoehorn the VI into a bass-centric role. They just layer those 4 guitar instruments so masterfully without stepping on each-other. Of course they’ve just helped open the door for all of us to try to experiment even further with what that instrument can do!
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What actually inspired me to post this question is that I went to a gig by an excellent young Scottish band the other day, Swim School (the singer has said Wolf Alice were a huge inspiration for them, and it shows). A three piece with no bass player, and I didn't miss the bass. I'd heard so many people saying you can't use a Bass VI as a bass, and here I was seeing you can make excellent rock/pop music without any bass at all. Which really opened my mind to the idea that you can do anything with anything as long as it sounds good. Incredibly creatively freeing, and a bit scary at the same time.
Absolutely! I've seen a number of heavy band duos (guitar/drums) lately using Bass VI type instruments in a sort of downtuned guitar capacity through lots of distortion- it can be really effective, but definitely not how I feel when I approach that instrument at all (with the mind of a bassist)! I have actually seen quite a few great bands without dedicated bassists over the years, which if anything just motivates me to add even more evidence to the record of what a good bass(ist) can contribute to the cause. I do play other instruments too, but I guess I always approach those with the mind of a bassist as well!
This... I mainly play my Bass VI through headphones at home, but recently I took it to the rehearsal space where my Fender Studio Bass is... sounded marvelous! Added some chorus and "Dreams Never End" practically played itself!
Apart from Hooky, I really like Doug McCombs Bass VI playing! This one solo performance is particularly nice:
I used the Squier VI in a bass context, occasionally doing some chording. The band I was playing in was composed of an electric guitar and slide guitar with no "real" rhythm guitar, so I got to do that on occasion.
It was a fun instrument, and I like the look and sound a lot, but I just couldn't get over how crappy the Squier played. Tech after tech, trying to get the action low enough at the 12th fret to be acceptable in a baritone-ish role-- it just wasn't happening. If I ever find a good deal on an MIJ reissue, I'll probably jump on it. But, until then, this is the compromise I've come to be happy with:
The sunburst and the sparkle-red bass is an old Grass Roots-brand signature model for the bassist Tetsuya, of the band L'arc-en-Ciel. The pink-rose gold one is a project bass that I bought from the builder. They're all 34'' scale. The 4th switch on the Grass Roots basses is a bypass of the volume/tone knob, which can act either as an always-on tone brightener, or can be used to passively get the effect of a volume/treble boost. The 4th switch on the pink bass originally did nothing, but I had it wired the same as the other two.
My first exposure to baritone guitar and to the VI was in the late 2000s-early 2010s via the music of Nico Audy-Rowland and his band Trocadero, through which he composed the early music seasons of Red vs. Blue. Bass VI and baritone is spattered all over their music, and my fascination really started when I just couldn't get those sounds on my regular guitar or bass.
Those “Bass IVs” look awesome! There’s actually a modded Squier Jag body in the TB classifieds with 3 Jazz pickups right now that would make a cool take on one of those!
I’ve only picked up a few Squier VIs, but I suspect lots of them could stand to have a fret level at the least and probably plenty have twisted necks. Putting those big bass strings on a skinny guitar neck was always a strange proposition, and without some fairly hefty strings (they still ship them with a .084 low E which is crazy dinky!) you’ll often need some high action and/or a very light touch to get clean notes on the E and possibly A strings. I’ve never played any Fender VI that didn’t feel that way, even my guitarist’s old MIJ Fender VI (though I’ve never held a vintage VI so they might have been a bit more formidable). I think I read some quip from someone involved in the Cure that they always had trouble getting clean notes on the low E too so usually avoided it with their lines on that instrument (which helped kinda define part of what they did do with it).