Headlining Squier’s newest bass guitars is the Vintage Modified Bass VI, based on the early ’60 six string bass guitar.
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Unlike modern five string and six string basses, the Bass VI plays and looks much like an electric guitar – but tuned an octave lower.
After the release of the Vintage Modified Cabronita Telecaster, Squier unveils another barrage of new instruments, this particular one was the first to catch our attention.
The original Fender Bass VI has become quite rare and thus expensive, but thanks to Squier’s remake, this special instrument is now more accessible. This affordable remake looks and plays the part nicely, following the original design closely including the Mustang body shape, hardware and control configuration and looks. To keep up with the needs of modern players, Squier infused a touch of modern playability into this traditional looking instrument.
The body has a familiar Mustang “offset” double cutaway shape. It is carved from basswood, which is a favorite low-cost alternative by guitar manufacturers. You can pick between three finishes – Olympic White, Black and 3-color sunburst.
The bolt-on maple neck comes with a rosewood fretboard. It has a modern “C” neck profile which makes it easier to play and setup when compared to the original configuration. It has 21 medium jumbo frets with pearloid block inlays acting as fret markers. To fit the instrument’s octave lower tuning and string configuration, the fingerboard radius is set to 9.5″ while the scale length is 30″.
Fender Squier implemented modern pickup design when they created the three custom Jaguar single-coil pickups. All pickups come with notched “claw” shielding rings, while the middle pickup is reverse-wound and has reverse-polarity to match the neck and bridge. Instead of a pickup selector, the Vintage Modified Bass VI features 3 on/off slide switches for each pickup and a 2-position slide switch for its bass-cut “Strangle” circuit. Basic master and tone knobs wrap up the electronic features.
This remake comes with a 6-saddle vintage-style non-locking floating vibrato bridge and vintage-style tuning machines that looks much like the original. Note that this instrument requires a special set of strings from 0.2 to 0.95 tuned E to E – an octave below standard guitar tuning. Both the Olympic white and 3-Tone Sunburst models feature tortoise shell pickguards, while the black model comes with a three-ply white-black-white pickguard.
The MSRP for the Squier Vintage Modified Bass VI is $549.99. More information is available at Fender.
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