Fender Bass VI Electric 6-String Bass Guitar (1963)
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Fender Bass VI Model Electric 6-String Bass Guitar (1963), made in Fullerton, California, serial # L05848, Blonde lacquer finish, ash body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original brown tolex hard shell case.
The Fender VI (that is its original name, though it is universally called the "Bass VI") was the company's big instrument unveiling at the July 1961 NAMM show. Sadly for Fender it never lived up to the sales department's expectations despite being a very well-engineered and useful instrument -- as 6-string basses go! This extremely striking looking and sounding example is an extremely rare variant of the model with an ASH (not alder) body finished in blonde lacquer. Telecaster-style blonde was a Fender custom order option on higher-grade models, but ONLY blonde bodies were carved from ash, making this Bass VI part of an elite club sonically as well as visually. This was an extra-cost option at the time and VERY few of these were ordered compared to standard sunburst or even other flashier-colored models. We find ash-bodied Fenders from this period often have an extra resonance compared to their common alder-bodied brethren, and this VI certainly bears this out.
Although favored by some professionals in the 1960s, especially session players, the Bass VI never took off as a general sale item. After 1962 it was typically ordered by Fender dealers in very small numbers if at all, usually only if a customer requested one. As a result they often feature a wider spread of date markings than more popular models, as more parts were produced at times than needed to fill orders and would end up stockpiled awaiting assembly.
This bass has a date stamp on the neck heel of March 1963, while the body has a 7/63 pencil date in the trem cavity and pots are coded to the 40th week of that year. The thin-slab rosewood fingerboard is clay-dot inlaid. We have seen a number of Bass VI's assembled through 1964 and '65 with 1963 necks, which must have been overrun considerably at the time! This VI was likely assembled and shipped in late 1963; The L-series serial number is typical of this period. This neck has more tiger striped figure on the back than most period Fenders; perhaps the neck was saved from the production batch for a custom ordered instrument.
The blonde body it accented with a 3-layer tortoise celluloid pickguard. The pickups and electronics are similar to Jaguar practice, with a magnetic "claw" fitting underneath and simple on/off switching for each. These replaced the original Strat-like pickups in 1962-3 and at the same time a fourth "strangle" switch that cuts lows was added to the wiring rig, allowing a more guitar-like tonality. The floating trem system is the same as the Jazzmaster/Jaguar unit; this bass has the earlier serrated saddles on the wider floating bridge.
Despite being spotted in the mid/late '60's with artists as diverse as Glen Campbell, Jack Bruce, the Beatles (quite a bit, actually), Brian Auger's Trinity, Fleetwood Mac and the Soft Machine the Bass VI was regarded by most as a very expensive novelty. This lovely Blonde example is a serious rarity and a great sounding and playing Six-String Bass with an amazingly wide range of tones from its three pickups, and even a vibrato arm to play with, if you dare. This is just a supremely cool example of always one of our favorite instruments.
Overall length is 44 3/4 in. (113.7 cm.), 14 in. (35.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 30 in. (762 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/2 in. (38 mm.).
This lovely Bass VI is in very nice condition overall; it has some minor wear and tear but remains all original and unmodified. The body finish shows heavy checking with small chips and dings overall; there some light flaking on the back. From the look of it we would think the bass was exposed to moisture in the case long ago. The "spiderweb" checking to the blonde-over-ash lacquer is rather particular and we have seen it before on Fenders that spent some time in damp basements or attics. The neck finish has some odd scraped spots on the back we can't explain, noticeable but not too distracting when playing. The headstock is fairly clean with some darkening to the gold Fender logo decal.
The hardware is all original; the trem arm is intact, the bridge cover and flip-up mute are gone but everything else is complete. There is light corrosion to some of the metal parts. The pickguard is more shrunken up more than some; there are small cracks above the neck pickup, off the top screw behind it, above the switch plate and just below the bridge. None of these are causing any functional issues. It looks as though the lead pickup mounting may have been reversed at some point, the "claw" baseplate is facing opposite of the normal orientation. As the multi-pickup phasing and sounds are excellent we have not attempted to alter this!
The small-wire frets are original with hardly any wear. This VI is a lovely player; currently set up as designed with LaBella flatwound strings for the original E-E tuning. It can easily be adapted for baritone tuning with a lighter gauge set; there are used vintage green-silk Fender strings and a used modern roundwound set in the case as well. This is just a super cool looking and sounding Fender, a superb twang machine that will definitely stand out in any crowd! The rare original brown Tolex HSC is present with some wear; the interior has some light staining and a slightly musty odor we are currently clearing. Overall this is a fabulous Fender rarity, one of the coolest Bass VI examples we have had. Overall Excellent - Condition.
The Fender VI (that is its original name, though it is universally called the "Bass VI") was the company's big instrument unveiling at the July 1961 NAMM show. Sadly for Fender it never lived up to the sales department's expectations despite being a very well-engineered and useful instrument -- as 6-string basses go! This extremely striking looking and sounding example is an extremely rare variant of the model with an ASH (not alder) body finished in blonde lacquer. Telecaster-style blonde was a Fender custom order option on higher-grade models, but ONLY blonde bodies were carved from ash, making this Bass VI part of an elite club sonically as well as visually. This was an extra-cost option at the time and VERY few of these were ordered compared to standard sunburst or even other flashier-colored models. We find ash-bodied Fenders from this period often have an extra resonance compared to their common alder-bodied brethren, and this VI certainly bears this out.
Although favored by some professionals in the 1960s, especially session players, the Bass VI never took off as a general sale item. After 1962 it was typically ordered by Fender dealers in very small numbers if at all, usually only if a customer requested one. As a result they often feature a wider spread of date markings than more popular models, as more parts were produced at times than needed to fill orders and would end up stockpiled awaiting assembly.
This bass has a date stamp on the neck heel of March 1963, while the body has a 7/63 pencil date in the trem cavity and pots are coded to the 40th week of that year. The thin-slab rosewood fingerboard is clay-dot inlaid. We have seen a number of Bass VI's assembled through 1964 and '65 with 1963 necks, which must have been overrun considerably at the time! This VI was likely assembled and shipped in late 1963; The L-series serial number is typical of this period. This neck has more tiger striped figure on the back than most period Fenders; perhaps the neck was saved from the production batch for a custom ordered instrument.
The blonde body it accented with a 3-layer tortoise celluloid pickguard. The pickups and electronics are similar to Jaguar practice, with a magnetic "claw" fitting underneath and simple on/off switching for each. These replaced the original Strat-like pickups in 1962-3 and at the same time a fourth "strangle" switch that cuts lows was added to the wiring rig, allowing a more guitar-like tonality. The floating trem system is the same as the Jazzmaster/Jaguar unit; this bass has the earlier serrated saddles on the wider floating bridge.
Despite being spotted in the mid/late '60's with artists as diverse as Glen Campbell, Jack Bruce, the Beatles (quite a bit, actually), Brian Auger's Trinity, Fleetwood Mac and the Soft Machine the Bass VI was regarded by most as a very expensive novelty. This lovely Blonde example is a serious rarity and a great sounding and playing Six-String Bass with an amazingly wide range of tones from its three pickups, and even a vibrato arm to play with, if you dare. This is just a supremely cool example of always one of our favorite instruments.
Overall length is 44 3/4 in. (113.7 cm.), 14 in. (35.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 30 in. (762 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/2 in. (38 mm.).
This lovely Bass VI is in very nice condition overall; it has some minor wear and tear but remains all original and unmodified. The body finish shows heavy checking with small chips and dings overall; there some light flaking on the back. From the look of it we would think the bass was exposed to moisture in the case long ago. The "spiderweb" checking to the blonde-over-ash lacquer is rather particular and we have seen it before on Fenders that spent some time in damp basements or attics. The neck finish has some odd scraped spots on the back we can't explain, noticeable but not too distracting when playing. The headstock is fairly clean with some darkening to the gold Fender logo decal.
The hardware is all original; the trem arm is intact, the bridge cover and flip-up mute are gone but everything else is complete. There is light corrosion to some of the metal parts. The pickguard is more shrunken up more than some; there are small cracks above the neck pickup, off the top screw behind it, above the switch plate and just below the bridge. None of these are causing any functional issues. It looks as though the lead pickup mounting may have been reversed at some point, the "claw" baseplate is facing opposite of the normal orientation. As the multi-pickup phasing and sounds are excellent we have not attempted to alter this!
The small-wire frets are original with hardly any wear. This VI is a lovely player; currently set up as designed with LaBella flatwound strings for the original E-E tuning. It can easily be adapted for baritone tuning with a lighter gauge set; there are used vintage green-silk Fender strings and a used modern roundwound set in the case as well. This is just a super cool looking and sounding Fender, a superb twang machine that will definitely stand out in any crowd! The rare original brown Tolex HSC is present with some wear; the interior has some light staining and a slightly musty odor we are currently clearing. Overall this is a fabulous Fender rarity, one of the coolest Bass VI examples we have had. Overall Excellent - Condition.