CS Bass VI Olympic White Just Arrived!

[starfish]

Hi from a brand new member.  I've been a longtime Jazzmaster fanatic and some of you may know me from the Gear Page and further back - H.C.  I also recently posted as 0ffs3t on FDP because my starfish username was locked due to non-use for 3 years.    But, I'm so glad I found this forum.  I had no idea it existed.  It's like finally finding a great pub that plays all your favorite music and serves your favorite stouts and lagers.  A home away from home.

Well, let's start my first post by introducing my newest offset in the family, a CS Bass VI in Olympic White.  So far it's the only one in white though I read a post here that someone else has one on order.  It was ordered by Hill Country Guitars, a custom shop dealer who was permitted to order a custom color.  HCG also specializes in Collings acoustics and I had just bought a nice D2HSB there when low and behold, the CS Bass VI in olympic white shows up.  One of those "must act now" opportunities.  I moved mountains and now it's here!

Just like every custom shop guitar I have played, this Bass VI is a high-quality instrument. I confirmed that it is 30" scale, at least mine is. It makes me wonder if the website and prelimenary literature just copied the 90's MIJ reissue specs or measured from the outside of the nut which would be incorrect.  The sound is terrific. The guitar is super resonant and sounds great just strummed unamplified, which is always the sign of a great guitar. Add a classic tube guitar amp and the tone is very warm.   I was playing through my original BFDR and was in tone heaven.  The guard looks better in person than in the photo.  There are some nice areas of yellowish lava lamp marble swirls.  The guard is much darker red than either of my vintage JM's.

But there are still a couple quirks. The case candy included a bridge cover. It doesn't fit. It just falls right off like it is too wide for the bridge. The cover does fit my vintage Jazzmasters. This makes me wonder...  Did I get the wrong bridge or the wrong bridge cover?  Anybody else have this issue?   The bridge I'll bet is a jaguar bridge and I received a JM bridge cover.   There are a couple minor fit and finish issues, some rough spots to the side of the fretboard (others have reported this) and the tortoise guard had some minor marks. The action and neck relief needed to be tweaked to avoid fret buzz.  The factory set up was terrible.

Otherwise I'm very very happy.    I  have long been a fan of The Church, Cocteau Twins, and The Cure and have longed for a Bass VI for quite some time. Unfortunately I never snagged a vintage one back when I got my vintage Jazzmasters (1961 slab sunburst and 1964 Oly White), long before price insanity hit the vintage market.

Here's a picture. It's one from the dealer. I'll take some more with my vintage JM's when I get a chance.  If you look very very closely, you will see a diagonal scratch in the plastic wrap over the pick guard.  It starts at the top right by the control plate.  It looks like the machine that applies the protective plastic to the guard left that mark because it ran past the pickup and bridge, so it was done before the guard was fitted to the guitar.  After removing the plastic, there is a very very faint line that appears to be part of the guard mold, not a scratch, but a smooth area.  It's so faint you have to look in bright light and tilt the guitar to see it.  But I mention this because for $2600 shipped, which is still a good price for a custom color,  I would expect less amateurish issues from the custom shop.  Add this to the rough fretboard sides, the terrible set up, and bridge cover mismatch and you have poor quality control IMO for a special dealer ordered custom color.

[sookwinder]

starfish,  welcome to our area and btw a great way to make an entrance ... with a OW CS Bass VI.  Looks great.  I must admit though that I still cannot understand the fender logic/process....  for 12 or more months all we heard was you can have any colour you want on these CS Bass VI reissues, as long as that colour is sunburst.  Many discussions here about how much more they would sell if custom colours were available. I already have a 67 SB Bass VI, but if it had have been available in Foam green (don't touch it !!!) I would have ordered one in a heart beat.

Then over the past month or so rumours and now confirmation that OW was available at selected CS dealers ... just doesn't make sense. 

But ....  your bass VI is great to look at and I am sure you will enjoy it. Some here like the standard Fender Bass VI strings  , others 9such as myself) prefer other types of strings.  There are threads here to read where you can get all the discussions, so I won't go into the various choices here now.

Also btw the Jaguar bridge is exactly the same as the Jazzmaster bridge and the covers are the same.  If it is falling off, just put the end bits between your thumb and fingers and squeeze it in a bit  Or hit it lightly with a wooden mallet  (Jim Shine told me that is what they actually did in the Fender Factory in the 60s)

[Daysleeper]

Despite the minor things you mentioned...I am still very jealous!

Beautiful guitar man, I LOVE Olympic White with Red Tortoise Guards! Welcome...

[Stereordinary]

Holy shit! 

Is the maple in that neck slightly figured?

[starfish]

Holy shit!   :?

Is the maple in that neck slightly figured?

Yes, I believe it's quartersawn and the figuring is nice but I saw another post here where someone has an insanely figured neck.

[starfish]

Here are my other offsets, a 1961 slab sunburst and a 1964 OW w/ matching head.  The 1961 was owned by John Paul Jones and came from his massive collection.  He's actually the star Rob Reiner was poking fun at with the Nigel guitar collection scene in Spinal Tap.  JPJ is notorious in certain circles for a huge  collection, thousands of guitars.  BTW, neither of these guitars are as clean as they look in the photos.  Plenty of honest character, love and wear.  But they still look great!  Now you've met the whole family!

[DB]

Great looking Bass VI.  Glad you got them to do the custom color - I had no luck (they wouldn't even consider it they said). The price mark up you paid for it is a good deal.

Like yours, mine has the minor rough edge on the fingerboard.

DB

[thewizardofaz]

Absolutely gorgeous. Congratulations!

[starfish]

Great looking Bass VI.  Glad you got them to do the custom color - I had no luck (they wouldn't even consider it they said).

Thanks.  That sucks that they gave you a hard time.  I know that HCG moves a pretty good volume of custom shop gear and as a preferred dealer Kevin can order pretty much anything he wants from the custom shop.  It was just lucky for me that he ordered one in OW on a whim 8 mos. ago and it turned up a couple weeks after I bought a Collings acoustic guitar from him.  Well it was fate.  When I saw the OW on his new arrivals blog I knew I had to act fast.  I did have to sell a couple pieces of other gear to fund it, but no regrets at all.

[starfish]

Also btw the Jaguar bridge is exactly the same as the Jazzmaster bridge and the covers are the same.  If it is falling off, just put the end bits between your thumb and fingers and squeeze it in a bit   Or hit it lightly with a wooden mallet  (Jim Shine told me that is what they actually did in the Fender Factory in the 60s)

Thank you!!!  I did the wooden mallet trick and it works!  Now I'll likely never use it though because the low E, where I have it positioned on the saddle, does not clear the cover and mutes out.  Oh well.  It looks pretty hanging on the wall though. 

[scottme]

Very nice score!

There are at three of us here who have pendng orders on custom colour CS VIs. Mine is a Burgundy Mist, and I believe there is another Olly White and a Lake Placid Blue on order as well.

Although it's no big deal, I hope mine is a little less rough around the edges. It seems the later batches of CS VIs have some level of figuring on the neck.

[zhivago]

great guitars, Starfish, welcome to the website!

I remember you from HC from years ago (I left the FX forum years ago) I was Zhivago there too, by the way

great pic of the '61....it's my favourite year for Jazzmasters...is thata pic from Rumbleseat music? They used to have a similar carpet they'd take pics on

[dc]

welcome! that Bass VI looks amazing!

and any fan of the Church, Cocteau Twins and the Cure will be at home here. the "Starfish" album has my favorite guitar sounds ever! 

[starfish]

great guitars, Starfish, welcome to the website!

I remember you from HC from years ago (I left the FX forum years ago) I was Zhivago there too, by the way

great pic of the '61....it's my favourite year for Jazzmasters...is thata pic from Rumbleseat music? They used to have a similar carpet they'd take pics on

Hi, yes I remember you as well!  I left HC quite some time ago too.  There were just too many off topic posts and TGP (the gear page) really became the on topic place to post about effects pedals, etc. 

The photo is from Rumbleseat.  I bought the guitar several years back from the store owner who personally knows Led Zepplin (or maybe it was the former band manager).  I told him I was looking for a '61 JM slab. The guitar came right from the John Paul Jones collection to me.  I didn't even have to pay an upcharge for a celeb guitar.  Not that the JM was used much.  I think it was one of his thousands of show pieces.  Anyway, I have dozens of photos taken since, but the Rumbleseat photo looked great and was taken on the case with the tags, a shot I never bothered replicating.

[starfish]

welcome! that Bass VI looks amazing!

and any fan of the Church, Cocteau Twins and the Cure will be at home here. the "Starfish" album has my favorite guitar sounds ever! 

Cool!  Though it isn't my favorite Church album, Starfish certainly ranks right up there.  I always thought it would be a great nic and have been using it since the early days of the net, back to '95 and rec.music.makers.marketplace and alt.guitar.effects, etc.