Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

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BillClay
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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by BillClay » Mon Apr 19, 2021 3:03 pm

If the locking tuners are doing the job for all the other strings would it be possible to just reinstall one of your non wiggly original tuners for the E? It sounded like only half of your original tuners were giving you problems; maybe one of them can do the job of taking care of that E since you know they could handle the tension aspect?

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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by SmoggyTwinkles » Mon Apr 19, 2021 3:17 pm

BillClay wrote:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 3:03 pm
If the locking tuners are doing the job for all the other strings would it be possible to just reinstall one of your non wiggly original tuners for the E? It sounded like only half of your original tuners were giving you problems; maybe one of them can do the job of taking care of that E since you know they could handle the tension aspect?
Hmmm, interesting idea.

I got my digital caliper, why did I not have one of these before?

The low e string I am dealing with is .105

The LaBella flatwounds are .095 on the low e,

D'Addario sells a set for the VI where the low e is .084

Hmmmm. I mentioned that this was a "b-stock" purchase? What gauge do they ship with for the low e?

I'm starting to see what's happened here lol.

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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by Debaser » Mon Apr 19, 2021 4:11 pm

Hey, it’s your guitar, if that works for you :) I personally think that’s overkill, as the standard Gotoh split has a (mostly) solid shaft, no locking mechanism inside. A 0.056” flatwound on the low e, @25.5” scale, has about 27 lbs of tension. A 0.100” round wound bass string @30” scale has about 28 lbs, from D’Addario’s string tension chart. I’d try a solid shaft Kluson-type split, even the Ping variety are pretty good, as well as the Korean Hanchang’s (“HC”).
50,000 watts out of Mexico, this is the BorderRadio...

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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by SmoggyTwinkles » Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:22 pm

Yeah I'm going to put this thing aside for a bit.

I'm living in a locked-down region right now and so my local store is not open. It was a new "b-stock" instrument sold as used, or at least I thought, because it still had the plastic film on the pickguard and tailpiece, the string and paper label, the sticker on the pickguard etc, but there's a tiny gash on the back.

How the hell this thing ended up with a .105 low E string though, I don't know. Maybe someone actually did buy this, put those strings on it and immediately returned it, then I bought this "used" instrument.

Hmmm. Right, so anyway, the digital caliper is probably one of the most amazing and useful tools I've ever purchased. I have a lot of stuff to think about. But I think putting this aside until I can take it back to where I bought it just to tell them what happened to both the original low e tuner and the high quality one I put on there is probably worth exploring, just to see if there's any kind help or favour there.

So I'll update when I get this actually going again. Thanks for all the help everyone!

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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by andy_tchp » Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:38 pm

A lot of people use a .105" for the low 'E' as the stock string (.085" IIRC) is too light and don't provide enough tension when tuned to E.

A regular slotted Gotoh set is probably the answer as previously mentioned.
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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by SmoggyTwinkles » Mon Apr 19, 2021 10:31 pm

andy_tchp wrote:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:38 pm
A lot of people use a .105" for the low 'E' as the stock string (.085" IIRC) is too light and don't provide enough tension when tuned to E.

A regular slotted Gotoh set is probably the answer as previously mentioned.
Yeah. Problem is I'm not sure how to acquire a single tuner that will fit.

So, I'm left with trying to think of some other way to do it......

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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by SmoggyTwinkles » Mon Apr 19, 2021 10:36 pm

andy_tchp wrote:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:38 pm
A lot of people use a .105" for the low 'E' as the stock string (.085" IIRC) is too light and don't provide enough tension when tuned to E.

A regular slotted Gotoh set is probably the answer as previously mentioned.
pretty sure the .105 is what ruined both the stock tuner and the replacement, they weren't built to withstand that kind of tension.

and yet I was after more tension, just not at the tuner (over the bridge is what I was after)

I'll be back. I'll figure out how to make it work.

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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by kgbAttack » Tue Apr 20, 2021 12:11 am

Not sure about the replacement tuner, but as others have said .105" is normal for a Bass VI. I have had a .105" on a Squier and Pawn Shop and the regular tuners are perfect. However it is possible that locking tuners may not withstand that thick string, but if that's the case it's because the tuner is inappropriate for the instrument and not the string.

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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by MattK » Tue Apr 20, 2021 2:19 am

SmoggyTwinkles wrote:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 2:01 pm
My old '93 Jag could use some new tuners though, so I think I will order the non locking Gotoh's for that and a single mini bass tuner by Gotoh, yup I'm gonna frankenstein a bass tuner on there for the low e.
I'm old enough and cranky enough that I will take on the traditional role of reminding people that, particularly on a guitar, 95% of "tuner problems" are in fact nut problems. That 93 Jag would have shipped with Gotohs already.

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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by SmoggyTwinkles » Tue Apr 20, 2021 8:43 pm

andy_tchp wrote:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:38 pm
A lot of people use a .105" for the low 'E' as the stock string (.085" IIRC) is too light and don't provide enough tension when tuned to E.

A regular slotted Gotoh set is probably the answer as previously mentioned.
I agree.

So this is the problem I have....

I have a very nice set of Gotoh SD91 locking tuners on my bass VI.

The low E tuner is not having it, it's toast.

I've reached out to Gotoh, they've directed me to their Canadian distributor.

I have NOT reached out to the place I bought the tuners from, because it's not their fault, they sent me a beautiful set of tuners.

I am to blame for trying to tune up a .105 string on the Gotoh tuner. That's the string that my bass VI came with. It's big.

So that's where I am.

Also, bushing out my Bass VI low e tuner hole is 8.8mm, the Gotoh's came with two sets of bushings, the ones that fit are 8.5mm. You have to hold them while you screw in the tuners, and then they are nice and snug. So not a perfect fit while installing, but once everything is screwed in the bushings/tuners are solidly in there.

Damn I love this digital caliper.

So should I bother trying to contact JAPARTS.ca? Don't think so. Didn't buy the tuners from them, and I don't want to bother the place I bought them from, because it's not their fault I'm having these problems.

Any advice? Suck it up and try again maybe? Go watch something that relieves my stress?

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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by SmoggyTwinkles » Tue Apr 20, 2021 8:49 pm

andy_tchp wrote:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:38 pm
A lot of people use a .105" for the low 'E' as the stock string (.085" IIRC) is too light and don't provide enough tension when tuned to E.

A regular slotted Gotoh set is probably the answer as previously mentioned.
Hmmmm,

This is interesting.

I feel like all my problems with this Bass VI is being caused by me thinking the low e was too flubby (as in loose while in tune)

And it turns out this low e is .105

Wouldn't a skinnier string have more tension when tuned to pitch?

I mean, D'Adarrio at .084, LaBella at .095 and then whatever I'm dealing with being .105..........That's a massive difference IMO.

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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by andy_tchp » Tue Apr 20, 2021 8:57 pm

SmoggyTwinkles wrote:
Tue Apr 20, 2021 8:49 pm
Wouldn't a skinnier string have more tension when tuned to pitch?
No.

All else being equal (ie: two strings of different gauges are tuned to the same pitch), a heavier string will have more tension.

People change to the .105" because the original low 'E' is too loose.

Stringjoy string tension calculator sez:

String tension when tuned to E1 on a 30" scale instrument:
.085" - 21.1lbs
.095" - 26.8lbs
.105" - 31.1lbs
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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by kgbAttack » Tue Apr 20, 2021 11:14 pm

.105" has indeed higher tension than .084" and that is the exact reason why you cannot tune the low E with the locking tuner. The string exerts much more tension than the tuner can hold. And if you think that .084" is 40% thicker than a regular low E string, then you cannot know for sure that it would work with that one either.

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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by SmoggyTwinkles » Wed Apr 21, 2021 1:21 pm

Huh.

Well, when the original tuner was holding the .105 at pitch, I was like "this thing is way too flubby play wise"

Makes me think I'm never going to be satisfied with the way the low E string plays....... Something for me to ponder.

Maybe I should just try to get it back to where it was, and see if I could return it maybe (for credit) and just get myself a decent 4 string bass because I was really enjoying the Bass VI, but couldn't get over the idea that it could play better.

Really appreciate all the information you guys are giving me.

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Re: Squier Bass VI CV tuner upgrade options?

Post by SmoggyTwinkles » Wed Apr 21, 2021 1:23 pm

andy_tchp wrote:
Tue Apr 20, 2021 8:57 pm
SmoggyTwinkles wrote:
Tue Apr 20, 2021 8:49 pm
Wouldn't a skinnier string have more tension when tuned to pitch?
No.

All else being equal (ie: two strings of different gauges are tuned to the same pitch), a heavier string will have more tension.

People change to the .105" because the original low 'E' is too loose.

Stringjoy string tension calculator sez:

String tension when tuned to E1 on a 30" scale instrument:
.085" - 21.1lbs
.095" - 26.8lbs
.105" - 31.1lbs
And this string tension is between the nut and the bridge?

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