I also vote for the bass vi kit! I have wanted one since the first time I saw "This is Spinal Tap"
"This guitar can never be played. Don't even LOOK at it"
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I also vote for the bass vi kit! I have wanted one since the first time I saw "This is Spinal Tap"
"This guitar can never be played. Don't even LOOK at it"
I owned a Squier Bass VI and the Pawn Shop model both back in 2013, and they were different... the quier had a thinner neck, less to really grab onto for me, and it made me like the Pawn Shop neck more. The bridge humbucker in the Pawn Shop model was also a crazy sound through my Bass Muff pedal. The locking vibrato on the Pawn Shop made me more comfortable using it over the non-locking Squier vibrato. The bass cut toggle on the Squier was incredibly useful though, and the Pawn Shop not having it was a letdown. Easy enough mod to add though, if you're handy with a soldering iron.
If PBG made a Bass VI kit, I'd want the following factors: one solid pickguard (no metal parts, which would reduce production cost), a hardtail bridge instead of a vibrato (maybe a Tune-o-matic with a little extra distance between the tailpiece and bridge), and a trio of mini humbuckers instead of the usual Strat pickups so we can get that hum cancelling jangle that plays better with high gain. Maybe a set of four
I have one more project after my current one before I get to the SG 3/4 scale bass I want to customize to be a Bass VI, but Fender style "offset" designs seem to balance better than an SG bass does, so a PBG bass VI would be a welcome addition to the family... Just less JGA-1, and more JZA-1 vibes. The JGA-1 is just ugly.
been eyeing off a Gretch baritone, haven't been able to find a Bass 6 to try
I had the Gretsch baritone and sold it and got a Squier Bass VI instead. To me the Gretsch was more of an instrument for a guitarist than a bass player - although I'm not exactly sure what I mean by that other than I never felt entirely comfortable with it! I'm just so happy with the Squier one as it's very comfortable and easy to play, and I guess I can't help myself when it comes to offset Fender shapes...
I liked the Gretsch baritone/bass VI, but I didn't like how the electronics weren't very flexible. No room in the cavities to add switches or anything. Plus, it was a little neck-heavy while standing.
On the other hand, if we could repurpose a GR-1SF or an ESB-4SC body with a 30" scale neck... maybe it would be better balanced than the long baritone neck alongside the smaller plywood Gretsch Jet body. Plus, it's easier to add control holes to hollow bodies than a solid body with a small cavity.
I have been working with the factory on this, but we need to settle on a scale length... 27" or 30"
Sorry, we can't do both.
Thoughts?
30" for me
The 30" allows you to tune baritone or octave down, whereas a 27" would be baritone only wouldn't it?
30" for me thanks!