NBSD-new bass vi day!

[Odonian]

So I got myself a new classic vibe vi. I never played one of the vm's or pawn shops so I dont have any comparison notes. First impressions are that the fit and finish is quite nice, I love the neck profile and frets and I havent found any bad spots and there arent any sharp ends. The stock low E string is unusable floppy.
I've only played it through my Sansamp VT Deluxe so far. Currently my favorite sound is middle and bridge pickup both on, choke off, just a bit of drive.
If anyone who has been playing VI for a while has string recommendations I'd love to hear them.

[burntumber]

Good score!

I had a Pawn Shop, I couldn't gel with the finish on the neck, didn't like the JM HB in the bridge or the strat switch.
I have the VM now and love it, I set the saddle as far back as I can on the E and it still goes out of tune.

[BoringPostcards]

Good score. I've not tried a CV model yet. I did like the VM with a bit of work done.

Such inspiring instruments. So good for instrumental music. I always end up playing something Mogwai-esque.

[pikmin]

Labella has some great sets of srings for Bass VI but they are pretty expensive . I have a staineless steel set and it’s great .
Newtone strings makes a Bass VI set too . I have one waiting to be installed .
But I just realized Yesterday that the new Fender set Is different : 24-100 . It should resolved the floppy Low E string problem and that’s cool .

[Sauerkraut]

Good score!

I had a Pawn Shop, I couldn't gel with the finish on the neck, didn't like the JM HB in the bridge or the strat switch.
I have the VM now and love it, I set the saddle as far back as I can on the E and it still goes out of tune.

I still have a pawn shop VI. I sanded down the finish on the neck, replaced the shitty humbucker with a normal JM pickup, replaced the Strat switch with three toggle switches and got a staytrem bridge. It’s great now, but I wouldn’t have bought it if the seller had asked more than the 600 euros he wanted, cause I’d have been better off modding a Squier, which are much better value for money.

[windmill]

Nice looking guitar

If you search the forum there are some threads with string recommendations.

I have LaBella flats, they cost a bit but I dont intend changing them for a long time.

You could get away with just using a heavier gauge low E string.

HTH

[Odonian]

Labella has some great sets of srings for Bass VI but they are pretty expensive . I have a staineless steel set and it’s great .
Newtone strings makes a Bass VI set too . I have one waiting to be installed .
But I just realized Yesterday that the new Fender set Is different : 24-100 . It should resolved the floppy Low E string problem and that’s cool .

I'm definitely considering the LaBella option. They used to make a specific steele roundwound bass string that I loved on my mustang when I had it.

[Sauerkraut]

Forgot to say... congratulations!
and +1 on LaBella's, solved my floppy E problem.

Another tiny improvement I made to mine that you might find helpful: I added a 2nd string tree for the D and G strings as the D string kept jumping out of the nut.

[burpgun]

I own a PSVI I'm taking to the grave. Replaced the crappy humbucker, and it was reallllly crappy, with a spare pickup off a Classic Player Jazzmaster, although I mostly prefer the neck pickup. Have only used Labella VI strings. A bit pricey, but I usually get 10 months out of them before they get too dull. Sometimes I think about picking up a Squier as a back up. Used to have a Hellcat VI but the humbuckers in that thing weren't great, even as the rest of the instrument felt great and solved a lot of setup issues we all deal with on Fender VIs.

[ohm-men]

If you don't want to shell out for the la bella flats or you want something roundwound, you can try to put a buzz stop on your VI.
I know it sounds weird, but the trem is still usable, and it does not affect the sound/tone as it does with a JM or Jag due to the lower tuning. ( the so called behind the bridge sound is much less noticeable)
I usually put the much hated d'Addario XL 156 set on my VI, which has a floppy low E. But with a Buzz stop, It works quiet well.
Do not try Ernie Ball Bass VI strings as these are for Danelectro VI string and are too short to fit the Fender/Squier VI. (Although their low E is thicker...)

The La Bella set for the VI is superb, but for what I'm currently playing, I needed roundwounds. As the XL 156 set is easy to obtain and not expensive, as is a Buzz stop, it is actually cheaper then buying a set of La Bella strings.... As the re-issue come with the regular Jm/jag bridge, the thinner low E is also a bit easier to intonate. Just saying. I like to do some chording and fast loops, where the thinner XL 156 set comes in quiet usable.
But I still love the sound of set of La Bella flats on the VI...

Also for Bass VI players in Europe especially Germany) it's a good idea to contact "Pyramid Strings" by e-mail. They do custom Bass VI sets (that are somewhat less expensive then the La Bella set) both flat and round. The owner of Pyramid is a very nice person and knows his strings. They fell less stiff then the La Bella's. Although outside the EU, they might be too expensive to obtain. (I'm not affiliated by Pyramid in any way, I just happen to like their flatwound strings a lot, espcially for Jaguars and Jazzmasters....their flatwounds have a superb string tension and do not feel stiff in any way...)

[Zork]

I was looking for Pyramid Bass vi strings and they were in the 80€ range (flats, though). I did it before and I can't do it enough: I strongly recommend Newtone strings. They cost like 15£, are handmade in the UK and sound and play phenomenal. They use larger cores for the low e and a string, so you get more tension and a thicker tone on a .100 e and .080 a string. These are imo the most bestest roundwound strings you can get for a VI.

https://newtonestrings.com/shop/axion-c ... er-vi-set/

Edit: I did some sort of a review here: http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vie ... 7#p1600572

[Sauerkraut]

I own a PSVI I'm taking to the grave. Replaced the crappy humbucker, and it was reallllly crappy, with a spare pickup off a Classic Player Jazzmaster, although I mostly prefer the neck pickup. Have only used Labella VI strings. A bit pricey, but I usually get 10 months out of them before they get too dull. Sometimes I think about picking up a Squier as a back up. Used to have a Hellcat VI but the humbuckers in that thing weren't great, even as the rest of the instrument felt great and solved a lot of setup issues we all deal with on Fender VIs.

That humbucker was so shit, I thought it was broken. Still have it lying around somewhere, because who would buy that thing off me?
Re: labella’s, I’ve had the same set on mine since I bought them 3 or 4 years ago...not too dull for my ears.
Re: PSVI, I recommend replacing that 5-way switch, because that neck+bridge setting is my favourite

[Odonian]

I was looking for Pyramid Bass vi strings and they were in the 80€ range (flats, though). I did it before and I can't do it enough: I strongly recommend Newtone strings. They cost like 15£, are handmade in the UK and sound and play phenomenal. They use larger cores for the low e and a string, so you get more tension and a thicker tone on a .100 e and .080 a string. These are imo the most bestest roundwound strings you can get for a VI.

https://newtonestrings.com/shop/axion-c ... er-vi-set/

Edit: I did some sort of a review here: http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vie ... 7#p1600572

I did not expect anything from the UK to have that cheap of shipping. Definitely going to have to give these a try!

[JVG]

I’m also a fan of Newtone - excellent strings and excellent service. (Bear in mind it’s a very small operation - only 3 employees, i think - so it can take a week or so for your strings to be made).

If you don’t want their “standard” VI set, you can create your own here:

https://newtonestrings.com/shop/custom ... figurator/

You can have any gauge you want, in .001” increments, all the way up to .120”, and can choose wrap material and core type (round/hex). It’s awesome.

Cheers!
J.

[Odonian]

Ended up going for LaBella's because they were in stock at a store that also had something else I wanted. So far they sound exceptional and the feel is great on them. No more floppy E.
I also added a second string tree as recommended to me by someone on a different music forum, ended up getting a two pack of the american standard style ones because it was the same money as a second stamped style one like the stock one.
It only took a minor tweak of the truss rod so far, giving that a few days to settle before I adjust the bridge height and start playing with the intonation. I was definitely nervous about the trem and set up as this is my first trem guitar, but so far it seems to bounce back to pitch fine.