Name: Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI Review – Is It Worth the Money? | SharpenMyAxe
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Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI Review – Is It Worth the Money? | SharpenMyAxe

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Skip to contentOne of the coolest instruments I have ever owned has without a doubt been the Fender Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI. This instrument is technically considered a bass, although I would like to think of it as a hybrid instrument between the bass and guitar.Today, I am going to go over why I love this bass and we’ll talk about if I think it’s right for you to get one as well. I’m going to do my best to be as unbiased as possible but know beforehand that I really like this bass a lot.So before I dive into all of the specifics of this bass and how it sounds and is built, we should talk about what this bass even is in the first place. This is definitely a unique instrument, to say the least, and for the right person, it could be a ton of fun. Also before we begin, if you want to check the current price of this bass, you can click here or click on the image below.The Fender Bass VI was first introduced all the way back in 1961 and while an original will easily cost you over $7000, luckily, they made a Squier version of this bass that you can get for around $500.What makes the Bass VI unique compared to a regular 6 string bass is the fact that it’s basically more of a guitar than a bass. As a matter of fact, just about everything about this instrument is a guitar other than the fact that the strings are tuned an octave lower like a bass would be.This is why I say it’s more of a hybrid instrument than a bass. Imagine you tuned the strings down on your guitar and that’s a lot like what the Bass VI is like although it’s not exactly like that.It uses guitar pickups, a guitar neck, guitar scale length, etc. This instrument is even tuned E A D G B e like a regular guitar!Now that we know what the Bass VI is, let’s talk about every aspect of it in depth and what I like and dislike about it.Let’s start off by talking about some of the hardware on this bass. We’ll start with the thing that everyone always wants to know about from the get-go, the pickups.The Squier Bass VI comes with 3 single-coil pickups and I will say that they actually sound really good. These single-coil pickups have a very bright tone and hardly produce any buzzing even with the gain turned all the way up.Something that I also love about these pickups is the pickup selector itself. It has a really unique design that I kind of wish every instrument had, to be honest. Instead of a switch that you flip up or down, this bass has a switch for each pickup. This means that you can turn the pickups on or off in any combination that you’d like and it really makes experimenting with different tones a ton of fun.There is also a 4th switch that you might have noticed which also serves a really awesome purpose. This is known as the bass strangle tone switch and basically what it does is takes the bass-end out of the bass.You might be wondering how this could possibly be a good thing but let me explain. The super-low bass frequencies can be harmful to guitar amps and you can actually blow out the speaker in your guitar amp if you aren’t careful.The strangle tone switch allows you to take out the bass end which means that you can use this bass with a guitar amp just fine! I actually play mine on a Boss Katana 100W and I’ve had no problems.To hear the difference for yourself, go ahead and listen to these two audio clips. The only difference here is one has the switch off and one has the switch on, everything else tone-wise and setting else is exactly the same.You probably won’t notice much of a difference unless you have headphones on and turn the volume up but in real life, the difference is huge.Moving away from the pickups, the Squier Bass VI also comes with only one volume knob and one tone knob. In a way, I wish there were at least 2 tone knobs but at the same time, you probably won’t have to mess with the tone that much so it really isn’t too necessary.This Bass also came with a non-locking floating tremolo which I have to say isn’t too useful for a bass but nonetheless is pretty cool.From what I’ve seen, you can get this bass in 3 different colors. I have the 3-Tone Sunburst but I’ve also seen images of Black and Olympic White online so you have a couple of different options to choose from. All three also come with pretty decent looking block inlays.The tuners and knobs both feel very smooth to the turn as well which is something that I always like to see in any instrument.So, now that we’ve gone over the hardware, let’s talk about the way this thing sounds!For those of you who would like to see a list of specs for this instrument, here you go.I have to say, I really love the way this bass sounds. The tone is crystal clear on all three pickups and since I always run roundwound strings, the tone is nice and bright just the way I like it.With that being said, I’m sure that jazz players would love this instrument with some flatwounds put on instead. You can get really diverse with the tones of this bass so I’m going to go over just a few things you can do with it.I’ve recorded a ton of audio clips with different settings so you can hear the instrument for yourself! Keep in mind that I have the bass strangle tone switch turned off for all of the examples so you can really hear the bass-end of all the clips.Clip #1: Neck Pickup – Tone: 10Clip #2: Middle Pickup – Tone: 10Clip #3: Bridge Pickup – Tone: 10Clip #4: All Pickups – Tone: 10Clip #5: Neck Pickup – Tone: 0Clip #6: Middle Pickup – Tone: 0Clip #7: Bridge Pickup – Tone: 0Clip #8: All Pickups – Tone: 0Clip #9: Neck + Middle Pickups – Tone: 8Clip #10 Neck + Bridge Pickups – Tone: 5I know that was a lot of audio clips but I really wanted you to be able to hear some of the sounds that you can get out of this bass! Overall, I really love the way slapping sounds on this bass. The tone is very bright and rich, especially in Clip #10.There’s a ton more you can do, these are just some of the examples that I thought I’d show you.In my opinion, the Bass VI would be at it’s absolute best for jazz players and blues players. Although I don’t fall into this category, these two genres are really where I think that this bass would shine.This bass also works great for bass players trying to transition to guitar or vice versa. As I said, it’s not really a bass, it’s more of a hybrid instrument which makes it perfect for bass players who are trying to learn the guitar or for guitar players who are trying to learn the bass.Playing slap on this bass sounds absolutely beautiful, however, having 6 bass strings on a guitar neck comes with the unfortunate fact that the strings are super close together which makes slapping a lot more difficult than on a regular bass.It’s like slapping on a guitar, just a little bit harder because the strings are even thicker. I will say that slapping is 100% without a doubt possible, there’s just a little bit of a learning curve behind it.I would advise against using distortion with this bass because it’s going to sound extremely muddy. The fact that this bass uses single-coil pickups doesn’t help this fact either so if you turn on distortion, expect to hear some feedback.As one more small note, I’ll say that finger-style doesn’t really work so well for this bass especially on the lower strings. From my experience, either slapping or using a pick is more enjoyable.I will be completely honest, this bass wasn’t exactly built the best. A lot of the parts are cheap and lack that high-quality “feel”, however, this is a Squier instrument after all so this should kind of be expected.I really love the pickups on this bass and I think they are very high quality. The feeling of the neck is also very nice and the instrument has a nice weight to it which is something that I always prefer over something that is lighter-weight.The main issues I have with this bass are the switches but we’ll talk more about that later. The bridge, saddles, and tremolo also don’t feel super high-end but for a Squier, that should be expected. One other thing that feels pretty cheap to me is the machine heads but all of the parts that I listed are things that can be upgraded.Overall if I had to rate the build quality out of 10 in terms of what I paid for the bass, I would give this bass somewhere around a 7.In terms of the body itself, it is very sturdy (the finish also looks spectacular) and all of the parts are put in place nice and tightly. The wiring from what I’ve seen has been solid thus far and I have no complaints in that department.Overall, pretty decent build quality but I’ll be honest, they could’ve done a little bit better here.Something that I will say about this bass is that you absolutely have to take care of it and keep up with the maintenance if you want it to sound and play well.There are a couple of things that I’d highly recommend you keep up with regularly if you want to have an enjoyable time with this bass.First of all, just like with any instrument, make sure that you change the strings often. I should even really have to say this, but new strings make a massive difference in both how an instrument plays and sounds. If you notice the strings getting dirty, or the tone getting dull, it’s probably time for a new set of strings.Strings can be pretty hard to find for this bass, so if you need some, you can check out what I use by clicking here or on the image below.Next, something I noticed is that you have to keep a close eye on the truss-rod. Guitar’s weren’t exactly designed to have bass strings put on them so the truss rod going even a little out of whack can have some pretty negative consequences.It seems like Fender knew about this issue beforehand because my Bass VI came with an Allen Wrench for if the truss rod starts to bend. If we are being completely honest, I’ve probably had to adjust the truss rod on this bass more than I have with any other instrument I’ve owned.As long as you keep up with the truss rod and strings, chances are, you’ll have an enjoyable time playing this bass.Although the price might be slightly different by the time you’re reading this, I got my Classic Vibe Bass VI for about $500 USD. For that price, I would say yes, it is worth the money, however, I wouldn’t pay anything more than $500 for this instrument.Ideally, I think this instrument belongs more int he range of $425-450 but I can live with $500. If you are considering upgrades for this bass, you could be spending upwards of $750 so for that reason, I definitely wouldn’t pay any more than $500 for this bass.Overall though, you definitely won’t be getting ripped off for paying anything less than $500 so if you’re interested, go for it!I’m not going to lie, I’ve had a handful of small problems with this bass which is a little disappointing. Most of the issues were easily fixed but nonetheless, let me tell you about some of the troubles that I’ve had with this Bass.First of all, the worst problem that I had with this bass had to do with the pickup selector. Remember how I said earlier that a lot of the parts on this bass were made really cheap? Well, the pickup selector is probably the worst of all the parts.About 6 months into me owning this bass, the bridge pickup suddenly didn’t turn on. I thought that this could’ve been a loose wire but after opening up the instrument, it turns out that the switch is what was bad which was a real bummer.A replacement switch wasn’t expensive but it was a bit of a pain to have to unsolder and solder everything back together.Another problem I’ve had with this bass is the fact that the truss rod loves to go out of alignment very easily. This has been pretty annoying and has caused some of my strings to buzz but as long as you keep up with the adjustments as I said earlier, this isn’t too much of a problem.Other than that, the only other problem I’ve had is keeping the instrument 100% in tune. It isn’t actually very bad but the bass just goes out of tune slightly quicker than I would normally like to see.Other than the pickup selector, I’d say this bass is pretty unproblematic overall even if I made it sound like it sucks. It really doesn’t, it just requires a little more maintenance than most instruments that I’ve owned do.Something that is true without a doubt is that this bass NEEDS a setup badly before you can start using it. Whether that means doing it yourself or having it done by someone else, not having a setup makes this thing play like a piece of junk.I can’t really blame the bass itself as a guitar wasn’t meant to have bass strings thrown on it but out of the box, there were a handful of things that needed attention some of which included:After you have a setup done, the only thing that you really have to keep an eye on is the truss rod. If you have a setup done though, you are going to have a great time with this instrument.I know that I made it sound like there are a ton of downsides to this bass, but overall, I have to say that I actually really love this instrument and think that it’s a ton of fun to play.If you are someone who has no interest in keeping up with maintenance on a regular basis then I’ll be the first to say that the Classic Vibe Bass VI probably just isn’t for you.If you are interested in this bass, I would honestly say that it’s worth it to look past all of the negatives simply because of how much fun it is to play it. I will say that in terms of what I was expecting when it comes to playing in general, this bass definitely delivered.As an overall rating for this bass, I would honestly give it a solid 8.5 out of 10. If it wasn’t for the pickup selector, and the truss rod, this bass would be an easy 9.5 for me in terms of what I paid for. Anyways, I hope you found this helpful!One of the most helpful skills any guitarist can have is the ability to tune their instruments quickly and easily on the go. While using a tuner is one way of getting your guitar in tune, learning to...Continue ReadingIf you've ever had to hold a guitar for a long time, you'll know that it can start to feel really heavy after a little while and that it can put a lot of strain on your neck. While all guitars are...Continue ReadingHi there! My name is Alex Richards and I have been playing the guitar and bass for 7 years. Ever since I first picked up a guitar and gradually made my way to bass, I've been absolutely hooked on every aspect of both of them. My goal with this website is to share my passion for music and to make the learning process easier for you by sharing what I've learned up until now.This site is owned and operated by ACR Blogs LLC. 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Skip to contentOne of the coolest instruments I have ever owned has without a doubt been the Fender Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI. This instrument is technically considered a bass, although I would like to think of it as a hybrid instrument between the bass and guitar.Today, I am going to go over why I love this bass and we’ll talk about if I think it’s right for you to get one as well. I’m going to do my best to be as unbiased as possible but know beforehand that I really like this bass a lot.So before I dive into all of the specifics of this bass and how it sounds and is built, we should...

Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI Review – Is It Worth the Money? | SharpenMyAxe

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