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Anyone use a VI as their main bass? I'd like to see someone else do it, so I'm looking for some reasons to get another VI. I'm still not 100% convinced it can be as good and low/punchy as a 4 stringer.. so I'm looking for some convincing again.

No, but I would expect it to be more of a string or pickup problem than anything else.

Personally, I don't have a need for the extra strings. If most basses had only three strings, I probably wouldn't bother getting a four string. Although I do use the G string sometimes (but rarely).

I'd say it depends on the kind of music you play. The guitar player in my band has one of the Pawn Shop ones, and I've used it before at practice a couple times (I am the bassist). It's...interesting, but IMO doesn't fit into a mix of two heavy guitars very well, even through a bass amp. And that's what we do.

At .95, the low E string is only .10 smaller than a medium gauge bass string (.105), but that, combined with the shorter scale, Jaguar pickups, and Jaguar / JM trem, means it doesn't sound much like a standard bass. In both good and bad ways. You could put heavier strings on it, but the narrow string spacing isn't well suited to that, I imagine. This is why I've always felt it's much better suited to baritone (A to A or B to B) guitar tunings.

On the other hand, having the two extra strings is really quite interesting. If it were a little fatter sonically, I would use it regularly, because it would completely change the way I write bass parts, for the better. I bet some humbuckers and a buzz stop (or any of the other typical Jaguar / JM trem remedies) would do lots for it, but it's not my guitar, and I'm not convinced I want to buy one yet.

I use VI as my main bass, and I find it fills the role just fine, and has been doing so for for four years now. Through a bass amp, EQed right, you generally can't tell the difference on the EADG strings. I tend to bi-amp mine, into a bass amp and a Twin Reverb to get the best of both worlds. It definitely changes how you approach writing bass lines, even though I can play almost everything I play on VI on a 4-string... I probably never would have thought of certain phrasings due to fingering differences and hand position shifts.

Playing with a pick is easiest with the string spacing, though finger style, both standard guitar styles and top down bass styles, are possible... they just require some practice. Slap/pop isn't really a VI thing, though... but hey, no big loss there.

Samples of my band - http://thehightide.bandcamp.com/
The only tracks that use a 4 string are the songs I don't play bass on (though I did on the album): The Ghosts that Haunt Us, Radio and the Record Store (VI as lead), and Listen up Children.

the best practical implementation i've seen (other than swing hailey) was a band i saw open for butch walker several years back. they were a three piece with a guitar, bass VI, and drums. it kinda allowed them to get a two-guitar attack with bass and only three dudes. as i say, kinda. they pulled it off just fine, but i can see why it's not the go-to for most bands.

this is the best use of one for me. love how they sound with echo, that "tic-tac" sound that the baritone danos get too. definitely on my want list at the price.
[youtube][/youtube]

i've been using mine in the band i play bass in rather than my Precision, but that band is kind of unconventional in a lot of ways. it means i can get bottom end but also have the option of treating it like a guitar too for noisier bits.

i tried it when i was recording with my other, more conventional, band. sounded a bit shit except for one that i needed a specific twangy 60's sound for. it could have been made to sound decent, but compared to the P bass it was a no brainer for that particular application, much quicker just to go with a 4 string.

lolreconlol wrote:Anyone use a VI as their main bass? I'd like to see someone else do it, so I'm looking for some reasons to get another VI. I'm still not 100% convinced it can be as good and low/punchy as a 4 stringer.. so I'm looking for some convincing again.

Truthfully, who cares what other people are doing.
Get one and make it your main bass then make it work for you.
Your way.
For inspiration look at the Cure but please don't wear makeup when you get fat and middle aged like that unless you are in Twisted Sister.
Hhhhhhhmmmmm.... just skip the makeup and make good music.

Football, etc use one as their main bass too.

Josh wrote:this is the best use of one for me. love how they sound with echo, that "tic-tac" sound that the baritone danos get too. definitely on my want list at the price.
[youtube][/youtube]

hnnnng doin' an want