should i get a traditional bass or a bass VI?

Progrockabuse · Post by **Progrockabuse** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:59 am

the one thing i don't have for my little home studio is a bass guitar of some kind.
i could program my bass lines into a VST or fake bass it with the M5, but would rather use a bass.

just debate wether a bass VI would do for bass work or would get better result with a good old 4 string. i prefer to play finger style on bass which might feel cramped on a bass Vi. thoughts?

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 11:50 am

I'd say get a real bass. I love my VI but it'll never be a real substitute for a real bass. If I were in your position I'd get a real bass but keep an eye out for a second-hand VI, they're great fun.

Progrockabuse · Post by **Progrockabuse** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 11:54 am

quite like the thought that a cheap bass VI might be good for baritone work as well.

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 12:22 pm

I'd have said to get a real bass. You can get a reasonable Harley Benton or similar that will do exactly what you want, or for several times that, a Bass VI that won't to exactly what you want.

Although I suspect the answer you're looking for is:

► Show Spoiler

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 12:34 pm

The recent Squier basses are great. You could probable get a secondhand one (get one of the models with a P-Bass pup and a Jazz bridge PUP, that will cover all the sounds you could ever want). The one I had was about Â£60 in Cash Converters.

That'll leave plenty of scratch for the Bass VI too...

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 12:41 pm

Plus you never know when they'll drop the Bass VI all-together so I'd get one while the getting's good.

Make sure you see it in person, buying from eBay is only advisable if it's a super low price. I'm basing this from my experience of buying one new. The others in the shop all had issues. Look out for bad electronics, dodgy trems (put the bar in and try it), parts missing from the bridge (typical loose parts), binding having big gaps and badly dyed fretboards (you can spot these by the stain being on the binding too.

Don't be put off by this, if you get a good one you'll be A-OK.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 1:00 pm

CIJ Jaguar Bass on eBay. Seems like a good price for a Japanese.

It also has the "make an offer" option.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 2:34 pm

If you're primarily a guitarist and want a cheap bass for the studio that will be easier for you to adapt to I'd recommend either getting something 30" scale or a Jazz bass (very narrow taper towards the nut).

The squier Jaguar Bass comes in short scale, and has both P and J pickups for a variety of tones. my only gripe with it is the unfinished feeling neck but some actually prefer necks that way so I don't know.

Other 30" bases on the market include the epi/gibson eb bases, mustang, bronco, hofner, and a variety of 3/4 scale p and j types by student brands.

I've had a dano vi before. I found it too tempting to play it like a guitar (even chords, blech). I still would love a squier vi but tuned to baritone. Or at least after I've played bass for longer and can take a proper approach to a vi. And yes finger style will feel cramped on a vi. To me at least.

BearBoy · Post by **BearBoy** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 3:18 pm

Squier VM short scale bass is excellent value and I find the transition from guitar to 30" bass easier than to 34" (you, on the other hand, might be fine with a full scale bass). The PJ configurations lets you get plenty of different toanz too.

Then get the VI as well, obvs.

singlepup · Post by **singlepup** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 3:21 pm

I concur that you should get a traditional bass first. In my last band, we went back and forth between a Squier Bass VI and a traditional bass. The bass won out... We just couldn't get that beautifully rich, thick low end with the VI.

Nick and BearBoy are right on the money regarding the 30" scale. Loved my Musicmaster bass... So easy to play!

A Squier VI is a great instrument to have as well, but in my mind it serves a different function. Would be quite nice to have both.

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 3:55 pm

Thomas wrote:I'd say get a real bass. I love my VI but it'll never be a real substitute for a real bass. If I were in your position I'd get a real bass but keep an eye out for a second-hand VI, they're great fun.

I've been a primary VI player for about five-six years now; I almost never play my traditional basses. Pretty much unless you're looking to slap/pop it will fill a traditional bass role just fine (though playing traditional finger style will take a little practice). (Everything that I play bass on on this album is VI, which is all but four songs where the VI is lead, or I'm playing guitar or mandolin - http://thehightide.bandcamp.com the four string in those songs is a Squier Jaguar SS)

The VI is pretty versatile; traditional bass tones when run through a bass amp through baritone lead tones when running through a guitar amp... grab some baritone strings and tune it up and you can tune/play it as an actual baritone (in B or A rather than E), and the extended scale range offers some interesting options for bass phrasing and chording.

The only drawback that I've found is sourcing strings. They aren't cheap, though you can build sets from places like CircleK for reasonable prices. Whether Fender continues to support them or not is kinda immaterial, as there has been a strong VI community through the whole time that they haven't been in production. Also, don't forget about the VI options from Schecter, MusicMan, Danelectro, Burns, etc. Fender/Squier aren't the only options in town.
If you do get a current VI, something to be aware of is that they have been shipping with lighter strings in the past two years, going up to a 0.084. This is really too light for the scale length and makes the low E flubby. Replace those fuckers with a set going up to 0.095 and all is well; some have even gone up as heavy as about a .105

All that said, a traditional 4-string is going to be easier to get and maintain, with a lot of good options for quite cheap. I love my Aerodyne Jazz Bass, and have been super happy with the Squier Jaguar Bass SS I bought for my wife... it's super cheap and great playing and sounding without any hardware changes.

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 3:58 pm

Thomas wrote:CIJ Jaguar Bass on eBay. Seems like a good price for a Japanese.

It also has the "make an offer" option.

That's actually a fairly phenomenal price for a Fender Jaguar Bass...
These guys are kind of interesting. They have active/passive circuits, and a series/parallel switch in place of the high pass filter (though I think they should have maintained the high pass filter in honour of being, ya know, a Jaguar)... but it is full 34" scale, not an appropriate 30".

EDIT - wait, that was in GBP, and translates to about $740CAD... that's not that phenomenal at all, but is kinda reasonable. It's less than they went for new, but not much

Unless it's something that you really want, I wouldn't settle for that price.
EDIT 2 - Looking at the prices they're listing for right now, however, this is almost a 1/2 price listing. Most seem to be listed at $1200+

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 8:23 pm

It's also way cheap for one of those here in the UK.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 8:30 pm

i'd opt for a bass first, if it's just for bits and bobs at home.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 9:04 pm

Been swithering on this myself for a bit, and came to the conclusion to go for a standard bass...

This one:

Rox · Post by **Rox** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 11:57 pm

If you're gonna go cheap go both ..
If not what you can do is get a shortscale bass and throw some lighter strings . A Pawnshop Mustang bass would be perfect for that .

singlepup · Post by **singlepup** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 1:20 am

I was waiting for Ankhanu to post ITT! The Bass VI master...

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 1:50 am

singlepickup24 wrote:I was waiting for Ankhanu to post ITT! The Bass VI master...

Haha, always the same question, always the same answer

Progrockabuse · Post by **Progrockabuse** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 11:57 am

Quite tempted by the SS squire jag bass. Gal have got them at Â£191 free delivery. Is that a good price? And what colour should I go for? Thinking CAR to match the other red guitars I've gotten recently

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 12:28 pm

I'd say traditional bass - the VI is a little tight for fingerstyle, and they need a little work straight out of the box.

TBH, I have a Musicmaster bass, with shortscale strings on it and it isn't that good for fingerstyle, not enough tension. Its ok with a pick, but a fullscale bass sounds a lot better if you are playing fingerstyle.