The Fender Bass VI, a unique six-string electric bass guitar, has always held a niche position in the music world. While never achieving mainstream popularity on par with the Precision Bass, its profile was significantly boosted by Peter Jackson’s Beatles documentary, showcasing John Lennon wielding a Bass VI in the studio. Interestingly, while Fender itself doesn’t currently produce a Bass VI, their subsidiary Squier has stepped in to keep this distinctive instrument alive. A special thank you to The Arts Music Store, a fantastic Canadian retailer with a great online presence, for providing access to the Squier Bass VI for this in-depth review. If you’re in Canada, be sure to check out their store.
Before diving into the specifics of the Squier Bass VI, let’s journey back in time to understand the origins and evolution of the Fender Bass VI, which paved the way for the contemporary Squier model.
The Bass VI Legacy: A Dive into Fender History
Introduced by Fender in 1961, the Bass VI was conceived as a six-string electric bass guitar. It adopted a similar concept to the Danelectro six-string bass from 1956, tuning E to E, an octave below standard guitars. The Bass VI shared close ties with the Fender Jaguar, evident in its styling and technical aspects, most notably the inclusion of the Fender floating vibrato system – often referred to as a tremolo by Fender, despite being a vibrato in function. Its offset body shape, while reminiscent of the Jazzmaster/Jaguar family, possessed its own distinct contours. Upon unboxing the Squier Bass VI, the resemblance to a larger Jaguar was immediately apparent, especially to anyone familiar with Fender’s offset designs.
The Bass VI marked a departure from the conventions established by the Fender Precision Bass. It featured six strings, a shorter scale length, lighter gauge strings, and the aforementioned vibrato arm. Despite its innovative features, the Bass VI never attained the widespread popularity of traditional four-string basses. Consequently, Fender ceased its production in 1975.
However, the Bass VI story didn’t end there. From 1995 to 1998, Fender Japan produced a vintage reissue, faithfully recreating the 1963 model with its Jaguar-style pickups and electronics. Fender’s Custom Shop followed suit with a similar reissue from 2006 to 2008. In 2013, Fender reintroduced the Bass VI as part of their unconventional Pawn Shop series. Staying true to the Pawn Shop ethos of reimagining classic Fender designs, this iteration featured a Jazzmaster-type humbucking bridge pickup and a Stratocaster-style five-position pickup selector, replacing the original separate switches. It was offered in brown sunburst with a tortoiseshell pickguard, black with a tortoiseshell pickguard, and candy-apple red with a white pickguard and painted headstock.
Squier’s Modern Take: Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe Bass VI
In 2013, Squier entered the Bass VI arena with the release of their Vintage Modified Bass VI. This model adhered more closely to the traditional Bass VI design, incorporating four switches: on/off for each pickup and a “strangle” switch (a high-pass filter). It also featured a Jaguar-style control plate. Specifications included a synthetic bone nut, a rosewood fingerboard (until 2018), medium jumbo frets, chrome hardware, and alnico custom single-coil Jaguar pickups complete with the iconic “claw” base plates. Continuing the trend set by Squier’s Vintage Modified Jaguars and Jazzmasters, it sported a non-locking vibrato plate, unlike the original units which had a vibrato locking button. The Vintage Modified Bass VI was available in three-color sunburst with a 4-ply tortoiseshell pickguard, Olympic White with a brown tortoiseshell pickguard, and black with a white three-ply pickguard.
2019 saw the introduction of the Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI, available in three-color sunburst and black, both paired with tortoiseshell pickguards. This model featured a slightly wider nut width compared to the Vintage Modified Bass VI (1.685″ vs. 1.65″). The nut was upgraded to bone, and the Indian laurel fretboard was fitted with narrow tall frets. The pickups were updated to Fender-designed alnico single-coil pickups, while still retaining the classic Jaguar claw shielding rings. The hardware was also switched to nickel. This Classic Vibe model is the focus of this review.
First Impressions: Unboxing and Initial Assessment
My first encounter with the Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI was right out of the box, before any professional setup. The model I received is finished in black with a faux tortoiseshell pickguard. As mentioned earlier, the immediate visual impression was that of a larger Jaguar, a guitar I personally find exceptionally comfortable to play. Consequently, it wasn’t surprising to find the Bass VI equally comfortable in hand. The black finish and gloss clear coat are remarkably well-executed, exhibiting no noticeable imperfections.
The laurel fretboard appeared darker than anticipated. For players seeking a closer visual resemblance to rosewood, a product like Monty’s Guitars Montepresso could easily enhance its richness. As is typical with instruments shipped overseas in containers, the neck had a slight bow, requiring a quick truss rod adjustment to achieve my preferred flat profile. The frets are well-finished, notably lacking any fret sprout on the bound neck – a level of quality often absent even in significantly more expensive guitars. If I were to keep this instrument, fret polishing would be on my list, a standard practice for me with any new guitar. Surprisingly, the factory strings were clean and sounded quite decent, despite my general aversion to Fender factory strings.
For those seeking alternative string options, several manufacturers offer Bass VI string sets. Curt Mangan provides sets gauged 24-90, and StringJoy offers a balanced set in similar gauges. D’Addario and La Bella also have multiple Bass VI string sets available, in addition to Fender’s own strings.
The three pickups visually resemble Jaguar pickups, and the control plate is equipped with four switches. From headstock to bridge, these switches function as on/off toggles for each pickup, with the fourth switch being the “strangle” switch, mirroring the Jaguar guitar. A single volume and tone pot, along with a top-mounted output jack, complete the controls.
I appreciate the balanced weight distribution inherent in offset body designs. Being a short-scale bass, the Squier Bass VI isn’t neck-heavy, although the CBS-sized headstock was a slight surprise, deviating from the traditional Fender headstock shape. The tuners are functional and reliable, showing no signs of slippage or backlash. The nut is well-cut and free of binding. The bridge is a Fender roller saddle type, a significant improvement over the bolt-type saddles sometimes found on reissue Jazzmasters and Jaguars, which I personally find less desirable. The vibrato system is the familiar Jaguar/Jazzmaster design, featuring a large plate with springs concealed beneath the body.
Playing the Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI: A Hands-On Experience
Eager to explore its playability, I immediately strapped on the Squier Bass VI (a personal habit, I always use a strap) and plugged it directly into my EBS Microbass 3, feeding a Headrush 12” FRFR powered cabinet. Due to timing constraints, I couldn’t use my larger Fender Bassman or Traynor bass amps for this initial session. The EBS Microbass 3 is a versatile unit, capable of driving an FRFR cabinet and offering DI output for direct interface recording.
The Squier Bass VI proved to be remarkably easy to play. It feels akin to a guitar with wider string spacing and heavier strings. Despite the heavier gauge strings, playing for an hour or so caused no discomfort in my fingers or fingertips, even with the factory round wound strings, which aren’t the smoothest available. Playing lines and chords felt natural and intuitive, although full chords can sound somewhat dense. String bending is achievable, although naturally requiring more effort than on a standard guitar, particularly on the higher strings.
The three single-coil pickups, while similar in character, offer tonal variety due to their distinct positions. The volume taper is well-implemented, and the tone taper is also functional. The strangle switch operates as expected, although its practical application remains elusive to me personally, despite its appeal to other players. Engaging the strangle switch effectively transforms the tone pot into a secondary volume control. Despite being single-coil pickups, I was pleasantly surprised by the absence of typical single-coil hum or noise.
The overall sound was rich and clear. Bassists who enjoy playing higher up the neck will find the Bass VI particularly appealing. For guitarists transitioning to the Bass VI, the familiar fretboard layout and chord shapes provide a comfortable and immediate sense of familiarity. I initially had concerns about potential “flappiness” of the low E string, but it proved to be surprisingly well-behaved. After adjusting the truss rod, the action became quite low. For recording purposes, I plan to slightly raise the bridge on the low E side to eliminate any minor buzzing that might occur with such a low action. I will use a proper action gauge to fine-tune this adjustment.
The EBS Microbass 3 features a subtle built-in compressor, which I engaged to even out the dynamics, as I found myself gravitating towards playing the Bass VI with a pick rather than fingers. Its effects loop houses original releases of the Diamond Halo Chorus and a large enclosure Memory Lane analog delay, both contributing to a rich and inspiring sound palette. The EBS Microbass 3 also has a drive channel, and while not typically my style, the Bass VI sounded surprisingly engaging in this mode as well.
The instrument’s inherent playability kept me engaged for over an hour, exploring runs, chords, and riff ideas. Some instruments simply inspire creativity, and the Squier Bass VI undeniably possesses this quality.
While some may dismiss instruments manufactured in China, my recent experiences, including this Squier Bass VI, have revealed consistently high quality and craftsmanship, often surpassing instruments from American or Mexican factories. In Canada, the Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI has a MAP price of $659.99, representing exceptional value for such a well-made and inspiring instrument.
Recording with the Squier Bass VI: Plug-ins and DAWs
To prepare for recording, I began by experimenting with software plug-ins, specifically Neural DSP’s Darkglass and Parallax plug-ins. Plugging the Squier Bass VI directly into a UA Apollo interface and using these plug-ins as virtual amplifiers and cabinets, monitored through studio monitors, yielded excellent results. Next, I connected the Bass VI to my Quad Cortex, which houses various bass amp/cabinet setups, including emulations of Ampeg SVT, Mesa Boogie Subway, and MarkBass rigs. I monitored the sound through both a Fender 12-inch FRFR cabinet and the DI output from the Quad Cortex into Logic Pro. Finally, I explored Universal Audio’s LUNA DAW, utilizing their UA Ampeg SVT plug-in. While currently macOS-exclusive, LUNA has matured into a streamlined and efficient DAW. The Squier Bass VI sounded impressive across all these recording setups. Ultimately, for its straightforward workflow, I opted for the Apollo interface and direct input into LUNA for my recording sessions.
