The Bass VI: Bass or Baritone Guitar?

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Bryan Holst | 7836 Comments

Written by (courtesy of Fender)

 

The Bass VI: Emphatically a bass guitar.
The Bass VI: Emphatically a bass guitar.

Bass guitar, for sure.

The Bass VI, recently resurrected in hot-rodded form by Fender and in its classic form by Squier, is a six-string bass guitar. It was designed and offered as a special kind of bass guitar during its original run from 1961 to 1975, and it is designed and offered as such today. It is not a baritone guitar.

Then what’s the difference between the Bass VI and a baritone guitar? If it isn’t a semantic matter of two names for the same thing—as some suppose—what distinguishes one from the other?

Baritone guitars are considered just that—guitars. They’re strung with guitar strings, and they have a scale length usually somewhere around 27”, which is between the standard scale lengths for a guitar (around 25”) and a bass guitar (usually 34”; around 30” for short-scale and 32” for medium-scale models). Baritone guitars almost never use standard guitar tuning (EADGBE). Rather, they’re usually tuned a fourth lower than a guitar (BEADF#B), with the fifth-string E matching the sixth-string low E on a standard guitar. Baritone guitars are sometimes tuned a fifth (ADGCEA) or even a major third lower (CFBbEbGC) than standard guitar tuning.

The current Fender and Squier Bass VI models are considered bass guitars, as was the Fender original. They’re strung with bass strings, albeit a special set made specifically for the model. They have a 30” scale length, like most short-scale basses, and they use standard tuning (EADGBE) one octave lower than a guitar.

You could use alternate tunings on the Bass VI if you wanted to, but that wouldn’t make it a baritone guitar; it’d just be, well, a Bass VI with another tuning. And the converse would be pointlessly impractical—slapping a set of bass strings on a baritone guitar probably isn’t going to work because bass strings will likely be too floppy on a 27”-scale instrument to be of any use, and the tuners would likely be too small to be able to accommodate bass guitar strings anyway.

So it really isn’t just a matter of semantics. As Fender has always intended and characterized its Bass VI, the terms “six-string bass guitar” and “baritone guitar” are not interchangeable. Although the differences might seem subtle to some, they’re definitely two different kinds of instruments.

In the few instances when Fender has offered true baritone electric guitars, they’ve been billed as just that; i.e., the Sub-Sonic Baritone Stratocaster of 2000-2002, the Jaguar Baritone Special HH of 2005-2010 and the Blacktop Telecaster Baritone of 2012-present. All three instruments have a 27” scale.

To reiterate, however, Bass VI models old and new are considered bass guitars and have always been billed as such by Fender.

Incidentally, the new Bass VI models don’t say “Bass VI” on the headstock. They say “Fender VI” and “Squier VI” on their headstocks, respectively. This is in keeping with the style of the original instrument, which said “Fender VI” on its headstock even though it was first billed in the 1961 Fender catalog as simply a “New Fender bass guitar” and as the “Bass VI guitar” and “Bass VI” in subsequent catalogs throughout the rest of the 1960s and into the 1970s.

Click here to see more details on the Bass VI

Posted in bass, fender, guitar, squier


Next

Previous

Liquid error (templates/article line 78): internal Responses

AddicyIncibia
AddicyIncibia

June 09, 2021

can hydroxychloroquine be purchased over the counter https://chloroquineus.com/ can you buy chloroquine over the counter chloroquine phosphate online hydroxychloroquine over the counter

Astemncredcrecy
Astemncredcrecy

June 09, 2021

https://genisotretinoin.com/ buy accutane online buy accutane online buy isotretinoine online roaccutane side effects

AddicyIncibia
AddicyIncibia

June 09, 2021

https://chloroquine500mg.com/ cloroquina https://chloroquine500mg.com/ – can you buy chloroquine over the counter hydroxychloroquine uses

Illurffloorne
Illurffloorne

June 09, 2021

buy isotretinoine accutane accutane ipledge side effects of accutane https://accutaneisotretinoine.com/

unlashThaph
unlashThaph

June 09, 2021

slots online gold fish casino slots online casino gambling

AddicyIncibia
AddicyIncibia

June 09, 2021

chloroquine https://hydroxywithchloroquine.com/ chlorochin aralen hcl chloroquine otc canada

trommilyhobby
trommilyhobby

June 09, 2021

what is modafinil provigil generic what is provigil modalert 200 https://modalertmodafinil.com/

Illurffloorne
Illurffloorne

June 09, 2021

chloroquine phosphate tablet https://chloroquineclinique.com/ hydroxychloroquine covid hydroxychloroquine side effects doctors prescribing hydroxychloroquine near me

ScelfNuhciliect
ScelfNuhciliect

June 09, 2021

https://paperwriterkjd.com/ writing an essay https://paperwriterkjd.com/ – argument essay write an essay for me

Illurffloorne
Illurffloorne

June 09, 2021

chloroquine side effects https://aralenhydroxychloroquine.com/ clorochina hydroxychloroquine online buy chloroquine online

AddicyIncibia
AddicyIncibia

June 09, 2021

https://hydroxychloroquinesulfatex.com/ hydrochloride cream side effects of hydroxychloroquine how to get hydroxychloroquine chloroquine phosphate generic name

emennarcelm
emennarcelm

June 09, 2021

online casino slots free casino slot games online casino games

ScelfNuhciliect
ScelfNuhciliect

June 09, 2021

https://sotretisotretinoin.com/ i pledge accutane program how does accutane work roaccutane side effects accutane side effects

AddicyIncibia
AddicyIncibia

June 09, 2021

https://usachloroquine.com/ plaquenil hydroxychloroquine plaquenil hydroxychloroquine plaquinol does hydroxychloroquine

AddicyIncibia
AddicyIncibia

June 09, 2021

https://hydrochloroquine200.com/ where can i buy hydroxychloroquine https://hydrochloroquine200.com/ – what is hydroxychloroquine prescribed for hydroxychloroquine dosage

ScelfNuhciliect
ScelfNuhciliect

June 09, 2021

hydroxychloroquine over the counter https://chloroquinestablet.com/ – hydroxychloroquine interactions hydroxychloroquine zinc buy hcq buy plaquenil

tadalafil 40 mg daily
tadalafil 40 mg daily

June 09, 2021

tadalafil pills https://superactivetadalafil.com/ tadalis sx tadalis sx

Logpradoendonna
Logpradoendonna

June 09, 2021

slots online casino blackjack best online casinos https://casinorealmoneydwq.com/

Illurffloorne
Illurffloorne

June 09, 2021

https://essaywritingeie.com/ essay writer online https://essaywritingeie.com/ – paying someone to write a paper essay writing service

Astemncredcrecy
Astemncredcrecy

June 09, 2021

plaquenil how to make hydroxychloroquine at home hidroxicloroquina hydroxychloroquine https://chloroquinehydro.com/ – how to make hydroxychloroquine at home

Illurffloorne
Illurffloorne

June 09, 2021

https://predforteprednisone.com/ buy prednisone online without prescription prednisolone tablets methyl prednisolone prednisone and covid vaccine

LyncHelLKayandy
LyncHelLKayandy

June 09, 2021

casino game slots online online casino real money

trommilyhobby
trommilyhobby

June 09, 2021

https://isotroinisotretinoin.com/ buy accutane online i pledge accutane program isotretinoine how does accutane work

AddicyIncibia
AddicyIncibia

June 09, 2021

https://hydroxychloroquin1mg.com/ where can i get hydroxychloroquine https://hydroxychloroquin1mg.com/ – chloroquine tablet online doctor to prescribe hydroxychloroquine

AddicyIncibia
AddicyIncibia

June 09, 2021

plaquenil side effects https://hydroxychloroqui.com/ – chloroquine hydrochloride doctors for hydroxychloroquine chloroquine prophylaxis do you need a prescription for hydroxychloroquine

Leave a Reply