bass vi vs baritone geetz... talk to me...

[magiclawnchair]

Jason from Bass Strings Online said he's been nagging DR to put out a Bass VI set. As of yesterday, they weren't even aware Fender had reissued the instrument via the Pawn Shop series. Actually, he said every major string company he contacted about Bass VI strings was pretty clueless about the lack of options.

DR showed some interest, hopefully they'll put something out eventually.....

thats great! ive always used dr strings up until i got into flatwounds and the guitars that dont have flatwounds on them have dr strings. they dont make flats for guitar do they? do they have electric 12 string sets? i didnt see them a few years ago when i was playing the 10 string a lot and i havent looked for them recently.

[kosta]

The Jaguar Bottom Master is 28.5" scale and is tuned E-e like a Bass VI.

Good luck finding one.

True. I made the comment moreso to say that you can tune that scale length to one octave below standard, but that the strings will be a little bit floppy potentially.

[Holy Schnikes]

Jason from Bass Strings Online said he's been nagging DR to put out a Bass VI set. As of yesterday, they weren't even aware Fender had reissued the instrument via the Pawn Shop series. Actually, he said every major string company he contacted about Bass VI strings was pretty clueless about the lack of options.

DR showed some interest, hopefully they'll put something out eventually.....

thats great! ive always used dr strings up until i got into flatwounds and the guitars that dont have flatwounds on them have dr strings. they dont make flats for guitar do they? do they have electric 12 string sets? i didnt see them a few years ago when i was playing the 10 string a lot and i havent looked for them recently.

Yeah, I LOVE DR strings, best for the buck imo. Use the Tite Fit EH-11 (11-50) on almost all my guitars and some nickel plated Low Riders on my bass. Don't think they offer flats and not sure about 12 string sets but I'll look into that. Wouldn't mind trying some flats honestly.

Anyone interested should email DR and let 'em know you'd be after a Bass VI set. They hear it enough and they'll probably release it.

In regard to the Bass VI set, here's the email DR just sent me. I think they're confused as these are 4 string sets....

HI Shannon,

Thanks for being such a loyal customer!! We may be able to help you with that bass. We make 2 light sets: the XLR-30 (30-90) & the LLR-40(available in 4 different styles, 40-95) If your local store does not have them, simply special order them through an online site that carries us or through the aforementioned local store.

All the best,

The DR Staff

[Bon Hoga]

[Holy Schnikes]

I know right!

I replied with some Bass VI spec details, see what they come back with this time....

[gunslinger_burrito]

Soo, maybe this will be informative, since my baritone is tuned from LOW-low to relatively high.

The Jaguar Bottom Master is 28.5" scale and is tuned E-e like a Bass VI.

Good luck finding one.

True. I made the comment moreso to say that you can tune that scale length to one octave below standard, but that the strings will be a little bit floppy potentially.

Here's my input.

I made a baritone out of a Blacktop jazzy body and a warmoth 28" scale neck. It's tuned in a lowered version of new standard tuning. Here's the tuning, low to high, and the corresponding gauges:

F: 90 bass string
C: 70-.75 bass string (I don't remember if it's 70 or 75.... )
G: 46 bass string
D: 26 from a D'addario 14-68 baritone set
A: 017
C: 13

I think the 17 and 13 are just regular guitar strings..... The high C is pretty tense, but not scary tense, more like a 12 in standard. The low F is just a tiiiiny bit too loose for me, but it's totally playable. I just thought of this, too. Since it's a jazzy body, the strings extend over the bridge quite a ways further than most guitars. I think it might help the tension some

@magiclawnchair: If you like the feel of the scale on the agile (it's 28" right?) then maybe this will give you an idea of tension, etc. If you wanted to tune in the bass register, and not have really huge strings, you probably want the 30" scale.

I dunno where y'all live that you can't get single bass strings....but you should be able to order singles from d'addario if you're unlucky enough not to have a local shop that sells singles. D'addario also makes a light gauge bari set that actually use for my 25.5" guitar in dropped Bb.

Edit: Also, I cut the bass string at the single-wound portion of the strings, leaving enough room to fit through the tuner, but there's a superfluous bit of string wrapped around the stem. It looks kinda dumb, but it works fine.

[Holy Schnikes]

So I emailed LaBella today looking for a round wound Bass VI set with nickel plating instead of stainless steel and they directed me to the custom order page on their website. Prices look extremely fair and they have a HUGE selection of gauges available. Not the flats but better than the stainless imo. Wait time is only 3-7 days, really busting ass over at LaBella.

http://www.labella.com/products/hrs-custom/

After tons of research, decided to go with a little heavier gauge for the low end but attempted to keep the tension semi-balanced. Went with 22-32-42-56-76-100, cost was $19.41 shipped, a SUPER DEAL honestly! I'll let you guys know how it works out and if the set needs some tweaking.

[Achtane]

Sweeeeeet, thanks for the heads-up. If I ever change my strings that looks like it's definitely the way to go.

[Holy Schnikes]

Sweeeeeet, thanks for the heads-up. If I ever change my strings that looks like it's definitely the way to go.

No problem. Def the best I could find in terms of variety AND price, for sure.

They have a shit ton of available gauges and they ask what instrument they're for with each specific string you put in the cart so specs should be good to go. Considering they're one of the only companies doing Bass VI sets, I'm confident they can get it right.

Circle K seems to have the same kinda deal but they were a little more costly. Figured I'd try the LaBellas first and go from there.

[MEC]

[Holy Schnikes]

Pretty close but I'm thinking that 90 low string isn't quite enough. You could get away with the rest probably. 20 would be pushing it too.

Are they 36" ball to silk tho? That seems to be the biggest issue with Bass VI strings, never long enough. That JM style trem adds some extra length requirements when paired with that 30" scale.

[Achtane]

Sweeeeeet, thanks for the heads-up. If I ever change my strings that looks like it's definitely the way to go.

No problem. Def the best I could find in terms of variety AND price, for sure.

They have a shit ton of available gauges and they ask what instrument they're for with each specific string you put in the cart so specs should be good to go. Considering they're one of the only companies doing Bass VI sets, I'm confident they can get it right.

Circle K seems to have the same kinda deal but they were a little more costly. Figured I'd try the LaBellas first and go from there.

Yeah, Circle Ks are on mine right now, but the only reason they just barely fit is because the strings go through the body behind the bridge a bit. Even then the part of the string meant to be played is starting to wind around the tuners' pegs, so it's iffy. They're just way too long.
But, they're the only string makers that allow me to tune a 30"-scale six string to A standard, lower than my "real" bass

[MEC]

Pretty close but I'm thinking that 90 low string isn't quite enough. You could get away with the rest probably. 20 would be pushing it too.
Are they 36" ball to silk tho? That seems to be the biggest issue with Bass VI strings, never long enough. That JM style trem adds some extra length requirements when paired with that 30" scale.

They are 44" from the ball to the end of the string. No silk, the string just tapers down.
I have them on my Mudfuzz VI tuned E-E and they seem fine to me tension wise.
They're also $7.99.

[magiclawnchair]

Sweeeeeet, thanks for the heads-up. If I ever change my strings that looks like it's definitely the way to go.

No problem. Def the best I could find in terms of variety AND price, for sure.

They have a shit ton of available gauges and they ask what instrument they're for with each specific string you put in the cart so specs should be good to go. Considering they're one of the only companies doing Bass VI sets, I'm confident they can get it right.

Circle K seems to have the same kinda deal but they were a little more costly. Figured I'd try the LaBellas first and go from there.

Yeah, Circle Ks are on mine right now, but the only reason they just barely fit is because the strings go through the body behind the bridge a bit. Even then the part of the string meant to be played is starting to wind around the tuners' pegs, so it's iffy. They're just way too long.
But, they're the only string makers that allow me to tune a 30"-scale six string to A standard, lower than my "real" bass

[Holy Schnikes]

Yeah, Circle Ks are on mine right now, but the only reason they just barely fit is because the strings go through the body behind the bridge a bit. Even then the part of the string meant to be played is starting to wind around the tuners' pegs, so it's iffy. They're just way too long.
But, they're the only string makers that allow me to tune a 30"-scale six string to A standard, lower than my "real" bass

What gauges you using for that tuning out of curiosity and how's the tension? I'm really wanting to go lower than E-E, not quite A standard, but somewhere down there...

Pretty close but I'm thinking that 90 low string isn't quite enough. You could get away with the rest probably. 20 would be pushing it too.
Are they 36" ball to silk tho? That seems to be the biggest issue with Bass VI strings, never long enough. That JM style trem adds some extra length requirements when paired with that 30" scale.

They are 44" from the ball to the end of the string. No silk, the string just tapers down.
I have them on my Mudfuzz VI tuned E-E and they seem fine to me tension wise.
They're also $7.99.

Cool, thanks for the recommendation. I'll have to try those out for sure, can't beat that price. Shit, could even use the majority of the set and order some singles (if needed) and still get away cheaper than custom sets or most stock sets.

Figure it's gonna take some experimenting anyway to find what I'm after. Better figure out what I'm gonna tune it to first...