New Bass VI set to be announced at NAMM...

[JimN]

The Deep Purple Clown demonstrating the Bass V1 is just the sort of guy who would make me
bolt to the nearest exit of his emporium of evil guitar usage!!!
Mike

Ah... frettedamericana... entertaining, if little less...

In fact, he's become so popular that he doesn't even need to know about any of the musical genres the guitars are suited for.

JN

PS: Why does he keep going on about the Bass VI's "phase inverter"?

The tone switch on the Bass VI and Jaguar is not a phase switch. It works on any combination of pickups, including just one, so obviously cannot operate by inverting the winding direction of the coil(s) of one pickup.

[cockroach]

WHY does he talk such crap? WHY is this new model not reasonably accurate like most of the other reissues?

...because the world currently worships youth and its fickle wishes etc...

We've had our day folks!

(mumble, mumble....time for me medication and a lie-down..)

[noelford]

Six inches of gaffer tape would have made that demo a hundred times better, and I don't think I need explain where I would apply it!

[JimN]

WHY does he talk such crap? WHY is this new model not reasonably accurate like most of the other reissues?
...because the world currently worships youth and its fickle wishes etc...
We've had our day folks!
(mumble, mumble....time for me medication and a lie-down..)

The Offset Guitars website is already a hotbed of conjecture on the possibility of replacing the scratchplate (and the bridge pickup) with the sort fitted to the original (which would include the two metal control plates and the four slide switches). It might not be all that expensive (within say, £150).

But this is a Pawn Shop model; the whole point of that range is to produce classic models with replacements and modifications representing the sort of things that happen in the real world to (some) original instruments. Hence humbucking pickups, Strat-type or Jazzmaster-type switching on Jaguars, etc.

[Geoff Alderton LH]

Hi all.
I do agree with all the comments regarding Phill X especialy the one on Gaffer tape. He is a well respected guitarist in the States and is normaly the first choice stand in for many top USA rock bands, lead guitarist.
The actual Bass VI he is playing is, or was, Nigels from Cheap Trick. He is obviously selling one of his two originals.
Regards Geoff.

[cockroach]

Thanks for explaining Jim.

So, if I've got this right, the manufacturers are now reproducing the sort of butchery which folks used to perform on then-vintage models in the '70's etc- which immediately lowered the value of those modified original instruments when the vintage guitar market started?

Someone in the classic car world once said in relation to modifications to vintage cars, that it didn't matter if it was original (contemporary) vintage car bodging or not, it was still bodging...!

Just before Christmas I bought an old mid-'80's Aria Pro II solidbody cheaply from a pawnshop- I must confess that I've spent a few evenings after work this last week modifying it to suit my taste...perhaps I should apologise to any vintage Aria collectors?

[JimN]

Thanks for explaining Jim.

So, if I've got this right, the manufacturers are now reproducing the sort of butchery which folks used to perform on then-vintage models in the '70's etc- which immediately lowered the value of those modified original instruments when the vintage guitar market started?

Yes! That's the essence (or seems to be) of the Pawn Shop range.

To be fair, some of the changes are highly practical. The Jaguar and Bass VI switching system (the slide switches), the Jaguar and Jazzmaster bridge and the attachment method for the tremolo arm (Jaguar, Jazzmaster, Bass VI) have all attracted criticism over the years and it seems sensible for Fender to address at least part of that. The Fender "Johnny Marr" Jaguar (a great guitar, by the way) has all of those problems "fixed" - and the switching is more like this new Bass VI system...

Someone in the classic car world once said in relation to modifications to vintage cars, that it didn't matter if it was original (contemporary) vintage car bodging or not, it was still bodging...!
Just before Christmas I bought an old mid-'80's Aria Pro II solidbody cheaply from a pawnshop- I must confess that I've spent a few evenings after work this last week modifying it to suit my taste...perhaps I should apologise to any vintage Aria collectors?

Pictures?

[cockroach]

No pictures at this stage Jim, as all I have done so far is to crudely create (with a chisel!!- it's a plywood body...) a 'bathtub' cavity instead of the previous three separate slotted cavities which held the standard SSH (bridge h/b)setup. Had to discard most of the scratchplate except for an escutcheon for the controls. Also blocked off the Strat type vibrato unit to create a hardtail setup which I always use- no vibrato arms for me, thanks- as far as I am concerned they are 'de-tuners'...never used one as part of my playing...I only started playing as a beginner in 1963, and only got playing properly in about early 1965...then it was Stones, Kinks, Who etc- not Hank style playing.

I'm changing the Aria Pro II Cat to HSS (i.e. humbucker neck with middle and bridge single coils) I think this would be more versatile for what I need- which is mainly playing live, as I haven't done any recording (home or studio) for years. Always been searching for and modifying guitars to find the ideal guitar which suits most styles- until I find this, I use a Chinese Squier Telecaster with a few mods.

[chas]

They're spoilsports with their pawnshop range - why can't they stick to their nice original designs and let us mess about with them.....

[chas]

[* I know that Phil won't mind me saying that there was a very slight problem with that track. I have a corrected version available.]

JN

Do tell Jim - I have a copy - pm if you prefer.