Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI Upgrades - Part 6 (of 6)

From Junk to Jewel: Upgrading a Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI
PART 6: Wrap-Up, Cost Discussion and Sound Demo
It took a while, but here we are and it's time for the final part of this series. I talk about all the changes and upgrades I made to the Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI and the overall cost of the instrument, parts and labor involved. Amp used here is a Peavey Classic 50 head with a Marshall 1965B cabinet I converted from 4x10 to 2x12, with Scumback speakers in it. (‪@scumbackspeakerscabsinc4526‬ )
I used this BVI to record the lead single "Flightline" off my upcoming surf-adjacent EP, "Project: MAYHEM." The single is available now at hypersonicsecr.... I recorded that direct plus miking a Fender '59 Bassman Reissue 4x10 combo.
VIDEO FOR "FLIGHTLINE" IS AT • Hypersonic Secret - Fl... (‪@boneyardrecordsmusicgroup2535‬ )
Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI: www.sweetwater... (‪@sweetwater‬ ‪@fender‬ )
Staytrem bridge for the Bass VI: www.staytrem.c...
Fralin pickups: www.fralinpick... (‪@FralinPickupsOfficial‬ )
As always, I'm using my trusty Rattlesnake cables - this time, their brand-new 25' coily cable in beautiful bright red. Best cables on the planet! ‪@RattlesnakeCableCompany‬ Use my affiliate link to get a discount on your purchase and shuffle a little love my way. www.rattlesnak...

[@Wodawic]

Excellent work Chiba. One of the most overlooked instruments in the myriad of guitar-ish things out there. Bridge and Middle is indeed the sizzle. Starting with basically firewood and melted down bicycle parts, if we appropriately replace certain attack surfaces with the good stuff, they're gem-worthy instruments lying in the rough to say the least. So versatile... I appreciate your effort on this one. Having built a few of these from scratch with a bevy of vintage and cutting edge parts, it's cool to see the opportunities available on an 'upgrade' project. Might have to steal that from ya - but I'd of course sent you a cut of the profit... I do the same with low-end Jazz-masters, upgrading the pups, wiring, pots, bridge, nut, tuners and strings and the results are similarly frigging awesome, one-of-a-kind pieces of engineering. I don't want to paint over a perfectly good and new finish, which is why I do the "from scratch" work from select timbre out of the UK or wherever, client's choice, typically with Nitro. Finding the necks is the biggest hassle, but I've got my "dealer" now so it's much less painful. (Sounds like a drug thing, but I guess in a way it is a similar process....) Keep up the good work dude. We'll all be watching... Cheers, RR

[@chiba131]

Appreciate it, seriously. I've thought about doing it with a CV Jazzmaster, but after doing this project I'm not sure I want to invest the time, let alone the money, when I already have a great JM to play. I do like a project, though...

[@MojoUX]

Absolutely fabulous!

[@chiba131]

thank you!

[@prismatic1239]

Woah I though part 6 was a myth

[@chiba131]

Yeah I definitely dragged my feet on getting this one out :)

[@911elijah]

I have the stock squire bass 6. I am considering doing something similar. Why didn't you replace the pots?

[@chiba131]

They're not terrible and they're mini-pots, so putting in standard size pots would probably require removing some wood.

[@911elijah]

@@chiba131 I am just learning how to change out pickups and wiring. I was taught that the mini-pots were cheap and don't sound good. I have even heard experienced people say to change the electronics first before you swap your pickups out because they have a big affect on the guitar tone. That said, I am a guitar player and a beginner in working on guitars.

[@chiba131]

@@911elijah Mini pots are often of lower quality than "regular" pots, but in my experience it's a longevity and functionality deficit, not necessarily a tonal one. Changing them out is not a bad idea by any stretch of the imagination, but in this case here, I didn't find them to be negatively affecting the tone. I leave them both turned all the way up, so any tonal problems they might have are mitigated by that.

[@chickenlickin3820]

Wow thats some expense, you would be sick knowing what i payed for my Vintera II Bass VI in Fiesta Red.

[@chiba131]

I probably would ... but remember at the time I got this, Fender hadn't made ANY BVIs for a long while, and outright said they wouldn't be adding the BVI to any of their other lines. Seeing the BVI pop up in the V2 lineup was a big surprise to many of us. If I got a V2 BVI, I'd still have to have it worked on, as I cannot stand the 7.25" fretboard radius, so at a minimum a re-radius and refret would be in order. Even with getting a V2 BVI at a good price, doing so with a re-rad & refret would put the cost at around where the Squier played out.

[@pete3767]

I'm not sure if you're aware but when you flipped the bridge pickup 180 degrees in the earlier video, you're now running it out of phase (which is why when you do bridge+neck it sounds kinda honky and nasal). It's a cool effect (one I often add via a switch on a few of my guitars) but I'm not sure if it was intentional here 😁

[@chiba131]

That's not how phase works re: guitar pickups. I would have to flip the magnet or reverse the wires to get it out of phase.

[@pete3767]

@@chiba131 ahh maybe I'm conflating a rotation on the wrong axis with what sounded like out of phase, hmm!

[@chiba131]

@@pete3767 No worries - it's a really common myth that turning a pickup around affects phase.

[@13StJimmy]

Long story but I’ve come to have an extra offset guitar body and was thinking of building my own bass vi, have you thought about new tuners or have any you would recommend?

[@chiba131]

I haven't done any research on tuners yet, sorry.

[@ue4058]

I haven't watched the whole series yet, so I'll just ask: Did you have to shim the neck?

[@chiba131]

I did not shim the neck.