finebyfine
Well-known member
I've had this for a couple of weeks now but brought it into the tattoo shop today to take advantage of the photo setup here - not that I did a great job photographing it anyway.
Pictures before details and specs because that's what we all want first!
So this started it's life as an Epiphone EB-0, a short scale 4 string bass, and was converted to a Bass VI by Ben Groder who has done a handful of these conversions. I found him on Reverb because he is selling a Newport VI conversion and on a whim I decided to message him just to throw out a feeler of cost to do an SG, and two weeks later this was in my hands.
If you're unfamiliar with the Bass VI, they're essentially a 30 or 30.5 inch 6 string baritone tuned one full octave below standard guitar tuning strung with bass strings and played like a bass guitar or a baritone. They equally confuse guitar players and bass players at first - guitarists think "aren't all basses an octave below guitar?" - yes, but a 6 string bass (typically) adds a string below and a string above, and maintains bass guitar string spacing. I forget what bass players think, but there's a decent primer on Fender's website. A handful of models have been produced but the shorthand "Bass VI" comes from the Fender model with a jaguar body. Gibson did a run of 150 SG versions (the EB-6), which this is practically a reproduction of. Bass VI's got used a lot on early country recordings but also pop up all over the place once you know what you're looking for. Peter Green was a big fan to name just one player.
I own 2 Jag style Bass VIs, and the first made me feel like 13 year old me who fell in love with playing guitar all over again. I've never played more in my life since buying the first. But I really only tolerate Jag style bodies. I could try to explain why but at the end of the day they're just not my dream guitar body, even with the VI being my dream guitar style.
Anyway, this is my dream guitar. And now I own it. And get to play it!
And now for the specs
- Gotoh GB350 Res-O-Lite Tuners
It's currently (sloppily) strung with a set of Pyramid VI flatwounds, which have been my go to for VIs. It came from Ben with a nice set of D'Addario VI roundwounds but they just weren't for my playing style.
Thanks for reading, or skimming this far!
Pictures before details and specs because that's what we all want first!
So this started it's life as an Epiphone EB-0, a short scale 4 string bass, and was converted to a Bass VI by Ben Groder who has done a handful of these conversions. I found him on Reverb because he is selling a Newport VI conversion and on a whim I decided to message him just to throw out a feeler of cost to do an SG, and two weeks later this was in my hands.
If you're unfamiliar with the Bass VI, they're essentially a 30 or 30.5 inch 6 string baritone tuned one full octave below standard guitar tuning strung with bass strings and played like a bass guitar or a baritone. They equally confuse guitar players and bass players at first - guitarists think "aren't all basses an octave below guitar?" - yes, but a 6 string bass (typically) adds a string below and a string above, and maintains bass guitar string spacing. I forget what bass players think, but there's a decent primer on Fender's website. A handful of models have been produced but the shorthand "Bass VI" comes from the Fender model with a jaguar body. Gibson did a run of 150 SG versions (the EB-6), which this is practically a reproduction of. Bass VI's got used a lot on early country recordings but also pop up all over the place once you know what you're looking for. Peter Green was a big fan to name just one player.
I own 2 Jag style Bass VIs, and the first made me feel like 13 year old me who fell in love with playing guitar all over again. I've never played more in my life since buying the first. But I really only tolerate Jag style bodies. I could try to explain why but at the end of the day they're just not my dream guitar body, even with the VI being my dream guitar style.
Anyway, this is my dream guitar. And now I own it. And get to play it!
And now for the specs
- Gotoh GB350 Res-O-Lite Tuners
- The lightest bass tuners around. I was (needlessly) worried about neck dive and wanted to go as light as possible to prevent it. Especially because using bass tuners were a compromise as guitar tuners wouldn't fit. I don't like bass guitar tuners, and am very loyal to sealed locking tuners. It turns out locking bass tuners aren't really a thing, and only one small brand makes them. After reaching out to them a few times without response I took the hint.
- EMG 81X in the bridge and 60AX in the neck- I'm a big active pickup advocate, for any style, in any guitar. It's criminal that you probably only think of them as metal pickups, but I'll try not to rant here. The 60AX is the best neck humbucker I have ever played, period. It does everything. I'll be putting them in the neck position of the rest of my other guitars. The 81X is closer to the typical active pickup you're imagining but the X series adds some really nice versatility.
- The pickups are mounted with the help of some 3d printed frames that Ben made that help fill the hole of the original pickup.
- The bridge and tailpiece are just middle of the road Gotoh or Grover, I forget. I'm used to intonating TOMS but might upgrade to a better set eventually. It's currently (sloppily) strung with a set of Pyramid VI flatwounds, which have been my go to for VIs. It came from Ben with a nice set of D'Addario VI roundwounds but they just weren't for my playing style.
Thanks for reading, or skimming this far!
