Fender Custom Shop Bass VI in Candy Apple Red

2016 Fender Custom Shop Special Bass VI NOS.

This "Candy Apple Red" Custom Shop Special Bass VI NOS (New Old Stock) weighs 9.40 lbs. Offset asymmetrical solid alder body. One-piece maple neck with a nut width of just over 1 1/2 inches, a short bass scale length of 30.25 inches and a very comfortable medium profile. Veneer rosewood fretboard with 21 medium frets and pearl dot position markers. Individual Fender 'single-line' Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons. Single "butterfly" string with metal spacer. Headstock 'transition' style logo with "Fender VI" in gold with black trim, "Electric Bass Guitar", one design and two patent numbers in black below it. Small circular "Offset Contour Body" decal on the ball end of the headstock. Four-bolt neck plate with serial number "CZ 527358" between the top two screws and the Fender Custom Shop logo beneath. Back of headstock with Fender Custom Shop logo in black. Three Jaguar-style (white six-polepiece) pickups with serrated chrome surrounds and outputs of 6.58k, 7.96k, and 6.44k. Four-layer (tortoiseshell over white and black) plastic pickguard with beveled edge and twelve screws. Two controls (one volume, one tone) and jack input on lower metal plate adjoining pickguard and four two-way pickup selector switches (one for each pickup, the fourth being a 'frequency' switch)  all on a metal plate inset into the pickguard. Seven-sided black plastic knobs with white markings. Six-saddle bridge with adjustable mute and separate vibrato tailpiece. This superb Bass VI is in brand new and unused (9.50) condition and is complete with tremolo arm with white plastic tip, chrome-plated bridge cover, Fender Custom Shop Certificate of Authenticity and all of the original Fender Custom Shop 'case-candy' including black leather guitar strap and cord. Housed in its original Fender two-latch rectangular black hardshell case with black leather ends and burgundy plush lining (9.50).

The original Fender Bass Vl was produced in very small numbers from 1961 to 1975, usually to special order.

Jet Harris of The Shadows played a Fender Bass VI. His first solo single was a six-string Fender Bass VI guitar version of the Latin standard "Besame Mucho" (May 1962). The follow up to "Besame Mucho," again featuring the Bass VI, was Elmer Bernstein's "Main Title Theme" from "The Man with the Golden Arm" (No. 17 in September 1962). His other big hits included "Diamonds" (No. 1 in February 1963), "Scarlett O'Hara" (No. 2 in May 1963), and "Applejack" (No. 9 in September 1963). Other players include Jack Bruce, Graham Maby, Robert Smith of The Cure and Eric Haydock of The Hollies. Curiously, George Harrison and John Lennon played a Bass Vl on "Hey Jude", "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road". Peter Green made extensive use of the Fender Bass Vl as a solo instrument during his live performances of "The Green Manalishi" with Fleetwood Mac from 1969-1970. Noel Redding used one when he played with The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Robert Smith from The Cure uses one in writing many Cure Albums, Disintegration for example. Mark Hoppus from Blink-182 and +44 used two Bass Vl's on the writing and recording of Blink 182 and during live shows. And finally, one of my personal favorite Jazz/Fusion bassists, Roy Babbington who played with The Soft Machine from 1973-1976. Roy often coupled the guitar with a fuzz box and a wah-wah pedal - take a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njVcutKBPTo

"After noting the popularity of the Danelectro 6-string bass (tuned EADGBE, like a guitar, but an octave lower) in the Nashville studios, Leo decided to build his own version. He introduced the Fender Bass VI in 1961. The original version looked vaguely like a Jazz Bass but had a 30" scale length, three pickups, and three sliding switches that allowed seven different pickup combinations. That wasn't enough for Leo, apparently, so a year later he added a fourth switch -- the so-called 'strangle switch' that cut low frequencies. The pickups were also modified and a mute added. The Bass VI was never very popular, but it remained in the catalog until 1975 and was later revived, in a Japanese-made reissue, in 1995" (Jim Roberts, American Basses, p. 55).

"Every musician will readily recognize the potential of the New Fender six-string Bass Guitar inasmuch as it offers an entirely 'new sound' to every playing group. Tuned one octave below the standard guitar, numerous new tone combinations are made possible with three full range pickups. The circuit incorporates three two position switches enabling the player to select the pickups individually or in any combination. In addition, a tone control positioned adjacent to the volume control permits further tone modifications of any selector position. The Bass Guitar is a fine addition to the Fender line and answers the demand for a high-quality six-string bass" (July 1961 Namm Daily advertisement in J.W. Black and Albert Molinaro, The Fender Bass, p. 31).