Me & My New Squier VI Bass

[zozoe]

After 50+ years as a 6 & 12 stringer, this Bass VI is an extreme afterthought as well as a fantasy for my palette, & there seems to be some WHOLE OTHER GOSH DARN COMMUNITY around these guitars & their probable issues.... I'm not going full-on bass, but this thing needs to rock properly,,
More clean than mean....!!

I'm an expert E-Bow'er, have 3 Sustainer guitars, 2 12-strings, & everything else has a Bigsby-like whammy going on.... It's a lifestyle choice...
Truth be told, I'm REALLY an amp guy!!!

Here's the Bass VI in action:
https://youtu.be/rcl8xx5tPbc
and
https://youtu.be/Rn3q2UawF3s

Now that I finally have the bass in hand, with strings loosened a bit, the bridge is simply flopping around in it's holes in the body, and my intuition tells me that this is not an optimum setup, & that the bridge would perhaps sit better in a threaded receptacle or even drilled directly into the body.... Is there something that most all new Bass VI owners do to improve on this flimsy setup??
Brass Bushings.... or nothing??

So, lemme have it, please,,,!!

oh, & I need another amp??🥵🥵

thnx ॐ🪕🪕
kenny

[Embenny]

The bridge is floating as per Leo's original design, so that the strings don't catch on the saddles when you use the vibrato.

If you don't use the vibrato, it does indeed benefit from a fixed bridge. I have a hardtail plate and fixed bridge on mine. I bought a Staytrem (best bridge in the world for the Bass VI) and opted for the "non-rocking" option which is simply their floating bridge with plastic sleeves on the posts to increase their diameter and fit snugly in the thimble.

[zozoe]

thnx, Mbene085... Hmmm, as I do fully intend to use the whammy, I should probably at least try it as is & see where the tuning falls... Anything about those brass bushings I heard about...? It perhaps seems that simply stabilize the posts somewhat w/o hindering the basic required movement....?

I dunno...

[jakeisjake]

Welcome to the board.

Most folks use heavier strings and that seems to sort things out pretty well.

[Axolotl]

Welcome on congrats on your new VI. It's truly an amazing instrument. I got one of the first Squier editions. With the years, I've been improving it in a number of ways. First a bone nut (the stock plastic nut sucks), thicker strings and the aforementioned staytrem bridge (the rocking version in my case).

A couple of days ago I got it back from a painter who did an awesome Ice Metallic Blue refin and I decided to throw in a Fender AVRI trem I wasn't using at the moment. I gotta say, if you are a tremolo user, this is a noticeable upgrade. The AVRI trem is much more responsive and smoother than the stock tremolo which I found nearly unusable for all this years.

[GreenKnee]

Welcome to the board and congrats on your Bass VI!

A year or so ago a good friend of mine bought a Bass VI and asked me to have a look at it to get it playing as it should. Here is what I did:

1. Shim the neck - I used a full 1degree shim in the neck pocket to increase the break angle over the bridge, which in turns holds that thing down a bit harder and keeps it stable.

2. LaBella Flatwound strings - these are specifically made for a Bass VI and feel smooth as silk. They are a slightly higher gauge than the stock strings and so tighten everything up and again increase the break angle over the bridge.

3. Setup and truss rod adjustments to accommodate for the new shim and strings - I didn't need to widen the nut slots, just lubricated them nicely with Super Lube - do not lubricate the bridge saddles of you're leaving it rocking. To get intonation spot on for the Low E I cut the intonation screw a little short to prevent it protruding up and into the path of the string. If it was my instrument I would definitely invest in the Staytrem Bass VI bridge.

4. Adjusted pickup heights to balance them out volume wise and to find the optimum height for the sound you're looking for. I did this with the bass cranked through a big bass amp so that all slight adjustments can be heard - I did it by ear and aimed for the bassier sounds, but it would be just as easy to alter them for a spaghetti-Western/baritone sound also.


Hope this helps!

[zozoe]

THANKS,,, As a guitar player, the spaghetti western, mid-register stuff is where I'm headed.... So,,,

1) How thick of a shim will yield a 1° tilt & would I measure this?

2) No bone nut?
& most important,

3) I plan to actively use the whammy, but I want more stability in between whams, & a more significant 'sustain'able string path.... Just maybe, Leo's recipe
of that floating bridge works well, but at what other cost? Is the StayTrem suitable for floating trees & precisely which one?

4) Would those suggested brass bushings help stability & offer better whammy return?

Thanks again, Kenny ॐ

[GreenKnee]

1) How thick of a shim will yield a 1° tilt & would I measure this?

Stew Mac sell neck pocket shims with different angles, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1 degree I believe they come in.

2) No bone nut?

A bone nut would definitely be a worthy upgrade but my friend didn't want to spend too much £££ getting the thing playing well and so I worked with what I had. The stock nut is working fine, I actually play in a band with this friend and the Bass VI never goes out of tune.

3) I plan to actively use the whammy, but I want more stability in between whams, & a more significant 'sustain'able string path.... Just maybe, Leo's recipe
of that floating bridge works well, but at what other cost? Is the StayTrem suitable for floating trees & precisely which one?

I left the bridge floating - with the shim and thicker strings it is held in place much more firmly and returns to position with heavy whammy use. The saddles are not lubricated at all and so there is a lot of friction there to rock the bridge backwards and forwards with whammy use.
https://www.staytrem.com/store/wide-bridge-for-bass-vi
This is the Staytrem Bass VI bridge. The plate is much wider to accommodate for better intonation. I got the intonation close enough with the stock bridge, but the Staytrem is a much better bit of kit and a worthy upgrade definitely.

4) Would those suggested brass bushings help stability & offer better whammy return?

That Staytrem can be ordered with plastic bushings that sit in the bridge thimbles that will then hold the bridge fixed in place. I have them on a '62 Jaguar of mine and they work as designed: the bridge does not rock and the strings move over the saddles with whammy use - lubrication now required.
There are pros and cons for fixing the bridge and it is a topic discussed here regularly. There is no right answer and it depends on your application and preference. Personally I fix them (Staytrem bushes or Mastery bridge) because I play quite hard, especially live, and so there is no danger of me knocking the bridge out of position. If I was sitting down and playing gently I would leave it floating.

[zozoe]

Thanks very much GREENKNEE!!
If I were to go with the sleeves, what type of lubricant do you suggest? I typically use a lead pencil/graphite on any catches I encounter. I'm unable to post the picture of my bridge, but it's identical to the one in the link you sent....

Again, thanks~

[GreenKnee]

No problem zozoe

For lubricant I use Loctite Superlube, pictured below. It's relatively inexpensive when compared to guitar specific lubricants and contains at least 10x more. I've not noticed any difference at all between it and Big Bends Nut Sauce, it works a treat on all my guitars' nuts and bridges.