MIJ Bass VI Bridge and Tailpiece Issues

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Synchro
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MIJ Bass VI Bridge and Tailpiece Issues

Post by Synchro » Thu Mar 16, 2023 9:38 pm

I have a 2013 MIJ Bass VI that I like overall, but I’m a bit less impressed by the behavior of the bridge and tailpiece. I’m thinking of a StayTrem bridge, but I’m open to suggestions.

The tailpiece works, but the trem’ arm is too low and very floppy. I could do a StayTrem arm, which I assume would be the 10 mm variety, but whatever I do, I want to do it once, and do it right. I have a Fender American Original tailpiece on my Squier CV Jaguar, and it’s left a positive impression. I assume that this would work on the VI, but I imagine that there could be differences that are not obvious. If anyone here has any experience with this, I’m all ears.
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inkeye
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Re: MIJ Bass VI Bridge and Tailpiece Issues

Post by inkeye » Sun Mar 19, 2023 5:41 pm

I see a familiar SG101 name.

I don't have an MIJ Bass VI but assuming it uses the same sort of quality parts as a Mid-90s MIJ JM trem -- the Staytrem arm is an improvement, sometimes it sits high but you can bend to get the angle you are looking for. My most recent upgrade to my MIJ trem is a spring replacement. It smoothed things out and got rid of the clicking trem sound.

I bought this one.
Fender Replacement Spring

It smoothed out my MIJ trem. I don't know if there is enough tension in the spring to support Bass VI strings. I'll know later on when I have more upgrade parts come in this summer for my Squier CV Bass VI.

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Re: MIJ Bass VI Bridge and Tailpiece Issues

Post by Synchro » Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:02 pm

inkeye wrote:
Sun Mar 19, 2023 5:41 pm
I see a familiar SG101 name.

I don't have an MIJ Bass VI but assuming it uses the same sort of quality parts as a Mid-90s MIJ JM trem -- the Staytrem arm is an improvement, sometimes it sits high but you can bend to get the angle you are looking for. My most recent upgrade to my MIJ trem is a spring replacement. It smoothed things out and got rid of the clicking trem sound.

I bought this one.
Fender Replacement Spring

It smoothed out my MIJ trem. I don't know if there is enough tension in the spring to support Bass VI strings. I'll know later on when I have more upgrade parts come in this summer for my Squier CV Bass VI.
Thanks for the info, InkEye.

The tremolo itself seems pretty decent, but the collet, and trem’ arm are a new low, in the world of Offset tailpieces, and that’s saying something. If the StayTrem arm is a bit high, I can live with that. The OEM arm is way too low, almost to the point of being useless. It works, but the downward range is quite limited. I may give that spring a try.

The plan is to de-tension the strings and remove the tremolo in a day or two. The pickguard is being shipped off to be used as a template for a new white pearl guard, so I have to take it apart for that. While it’s apart, I’ll verify that the collet is metric thread, and get a StayTrem ordered. It’s an ongoing project.

I recently bought a Squier CV ‘70s Jaguar, and I’m quite impressed. The quality is excellent, it plays well, and sounds great. The Squier lineup has really become a great product. I did put a Fender US vintage style tailpiece on it, and that was a definite improvement.
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Re: MIJ Bass VI Bridge and Tailpiece Issues

Post by Soniqfreq » Sat May 27, 2023 10:23 pm

Synchro wrote:
Thu Mar 16, 2023 9:38 pm
I have a 2013 MIJ Bass VI that I like overall, but I’m a bit less impressed by the behavior of the bridge and tailpiece. I’m thinking of a StayTrem bridge, but I’m open to suggestions.

The tailpiece works, but the trem’ arm is too low and very floppy. I could do a StayTrem arm, which I assume would be the 10 mm variety, but whatever I do, I want to do it once, and do it right. I have a Fender American Original tailpiece on my Squier CV Jaguar, and it’s left a positive impression. I assume that this would work on the VI, but I imagine that there could be differences that are not obvious. If anyone here has any experience with this, I’m all ears.
I have the 2013 Bass VI and had the same problem. Once I put heavier gauge (.095) strings on and set it up, the vibrato arm dropped and was useless. I think it is definitely caused by the weak spring. To set mine up right, it needed a shim to increase the break angle and get the bridge off the deck. The spring is too weak to handle the added tension.

If you want to use the vibrato, I say get a stronger spring or, better yet, go with the mastery vibrato. It’s worth it! Sits just right and doesn’t have the noisy (and pointless) lock. The bridge is not the issue if it’s set up with some break angle.

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Re: MIJ Bass VI Bridge and Tailpiece Issues

Post by Synchro » Sun May 28, 2023 4:24 am

Thanks for the reply, Soniq. I had somewhat forgotten about this thread. I ended up putting a new Fender US trem’ on it and that resolved matters to my liking. I’m amazed by how effective the trem has become, since making the swap.
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Re: MIJ Bass VI Bridge and Tailpiece Issues

Post by Soniqfreq » Sun May 28, 2023 7:42 am

Synchro wrote:
Sun May 28, 2023 4:24 am
Thanks for the reply, Soniq. I had somewhat forgotten about this thread. I ended up putting a new Fender US trem’ on it and that resolved matters to my liking. I’m amazed by how effective the trem has become, since making the swap.

Awesome….good to know the USA trem works properly on the Bass VI. I think the trem is essential to the VI experience. The VI is such a unique instrument and the very limited MIJ edition is tops.

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Re: MIJ Bass VI Bridge and Tailpiece Issues

Post by Synchro » Sun May 28, 2023 9:25 am

Soniqfreq wrote:
Sun May 28, 2023 7:42 am
Synchro wrote:
Sun May 28, 2023 4:24 am
Thanks for the reply, Soniq. I had somewhat forgotten about this thread. I ended up putting a new Fender US trem’ on it and that resolved matters to my liking. I’m amazed by how effective the trem has become, since making the swap.

Awesome….good to know the USA trem works properly on the Bass VI. I think the trem is essential to the VI experience. The VI is such a unique instrument and the very limited MIJ edition is tops.
I had craved a VI since the first time I saw one in a Fender brochure, when I was just a kid. I liked it because I wanted to double on bass, and thought that the 6 string layout would be more familiar. It was a long time before I actually saw a Bass VI, and even longer before I got to play one. I finally bought a Fender Custom Shop VI, which wasn’t a bad instrument, but I found it not to my personal liking. Several years later, I found a “used” MIJ 2013 VI, which suited me much more than the Custom Shop VI. I ended up replacing the pickups with Pure Vintage and put on a set of LaBella flat-wounds. At that point, this VI was exactly what I wanted; an instrument that could be used effectively as a bass, and also used as a lead instrument.

The VI wants to sound like a guitar. It’s really optimized for that role, and its proper name is not actually “Bass VI” , but instead is “Fender VI Bass Guitar”. It seems to me that it is more of an answer to the 6 string Danelectro. But with the flat-wound strings, more than one pickup selected, and played fingerstyle, it’s a pretty decent bass, sort of along the lines of a Jazz Bass. But it’s exceptionally versatile.

Recently, I recorded a simple little Surf tune that I wrote. I wanted a song with an open, uncluttered sound, but not too empty. I started with a bass line, played on my Mustang bass. It’s simple, mostly roots and fifths, played in half notes. The lead was played on a Jaguar, with abundant spring reverb. Then, I played a simplified melody on the VI, an octave below the lead line. The VI was routed through the same reverb pedal. On the second 32 bar trip through the song, I played the lead line, deep in the bass register, and played an economical rhythm guitar part on the Jag, two octaves above the melody I was playing on the VI.

The amazing thing was that even when I was playing the melody, deep in the bass register, the VI remained distinct from the part I played on the Mustang bass. In this case, the VI was on the bridge pickup with the strangle switch engaged, and that, IMHO, is the genius of the design; the design of the VI and the genius of the Jaguar/Bass VI switching. The strangle switch is an amazing idea.
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