Bass VI

[Abou]

Hello!

I'm planning to build a Warmoth Bass VI, with 2 or 3 single coil PU. I'm totaly lost for choosing which pickup will be the best for me. I like the sound of the bass on the album "Rome" (Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi), i've read it's a bass VI on it.

Maybe the Vintage Jaguar - Bridge (SJAG-1b) and Neck (SJAG-1n), to have good vintage tone, but i'm affraid to not have good low ends (I want a multipurpose instrument).

With a Classic Stack Plus Strat - Middle (STK-S4m) on middle position ?

With a topped 5 way switch, and a low cut toggle switch ? If you have wiring diagram and info on capacitors, I'll take it.

To resume, I want a deep bass sound, and a vintage tone too !

Thank you in advance for your suggestions and advices!


Amaury

 

[Sovereign_13]

I'm also building a VI, and I went with GFS Li'l Killer rail-style pickups.  The instrument isn't assembled yet, so I don't have any way of telling you what they sound like, but they were only $80USD for all three shipped (domestic).  When I emailed SD about it, they recommended the Antiquities Texas Strat set.  DiMarzio recommended the rails-style single-coil-sized humbuckers.

The pickguard cutouts will fit just about any Strat-style pickup.  Jaguar pickups might work depending on how close they are to Strat pickup sizing.  I think SD Jag pickups are almost identical in size to their Strat pickups.  Others may vary.

One thing you should know is that a Bass VI, no matter what pickups, won't have the same bottom end as a traditional-scale bass, as it is only a 30" scale.  It has its own unique sound that's a little thinner and a little brighter.  It's kind of like the difference between a bass amp with one big 15" speaker vs a bass amp with 2x10" speakers.  It's less "boomy" and more "punchy".  The 30" scale combined with thinner gauge strings just can't produce those strong fundamental bottom notes like a 34" scale bass would.

 

[Abou]

Thank you for your interesting message !

What do you choose for the selector: 5 way or on-off switches?
What capacitor?

I think a low cut should be nice.

 

[Cagey]

I built a Bass VI for somebody several years ago, but the only thing I remember is you gotta be careful buying tuners. The string gauge size increase you need for that scale length puts regular 6 string tuners on the hairy edge of not having large enough holes to feed the strings through. Just something to watch out for.

 

[amigarobbo]

I'm tempting fate to say that the old skool split top one should be better than the ones with the hole drilled through.

:icon_scratch:

 

[TBurst Std]

Regarding tuners, I was in Hipshot’s Page last night and as I recall you can order tuners with a larger hole of .090

 

[Sovereign_13]

For switches, I actually have both a 5-way blade switch (for pickup selection) and the three DPDT switches (for series/parallel switching on each pickup.)  Of course, series/parallel only works if you use a single-coil-sized humbucker, rather than a conventional single coil.  The "bass cut" you see on the modern Squier Bass VIs is now on a push-pull switch in the tone pot.  500k pots for volume and tone.

As for capacitors, I just used the usual values for a Bass VI: 47nF on the tone control and 3.3nF on the "bass cut".  You'll sometimes see these values as .047uF and .0033uF/3300pF, respectively (because engineering units).  Should be ordering the body, neck, bridge, and tailpiece this month, and I've deliberately put off ordering tuners for that reason.  No one wants to give out information on the core diameter of their strings.

I intend to use the instrument in a trio to occupy the bass/rhythm guitar spot in the mix.

 

[Abou]

I built a Bass VI for somebody several years ago, but the only thing I remember is you gotta be careful buying tuners. The string gauge size increase you need for that scale length puts regular 6 string tuners on the hairy edge of not having large enough holes to feed the strings through. Just something to watch out for.

Hi Cagey, finaly which tuners worked fine for the bass VI you built?

 

[TBurst Std]

I’d look to Hipshot was you can order .090. Most are only .060

 

[Cagey]

I built a Bass VI for somebody several years ago, but the only thing I remember is you gotta be careful buying tuners. The string gauge size increase you need for that scale length puts regular 6 string tuners on the hairy edge of not having large enough holes to feed the strings through. Just something to watch out for.

Hi Cagey, finaly which tuners worked fine for the bass VI you built?

I don't remember what was provided. I think it was only the low E that had an issue, and I believe I just drilled it out to suit. Didn't need much, it just wasn't quite enough as it was.

 

[zebra]

Regarding tuners, I was in Hipshot’s Page last night and as I recall you can order tuners with a larger hole of .090

God bless Hipshot!
I love them and their products!