SubZero Rogue VI: One Year Later

[@thebunn]

Love so many things about all of this. Music is awesome, cinematography rocks, subject is interesting. Excellent, excellent video man!

[@megatyaesree]

🤘

[@harrybrass734]

Love this update man! I've had my eye on the white version of this guitar for a while !

[@rathoquarter]

Thanks for checking out the video. Yeah they are fun guitars for sure. The white one does look great too. You reckon you'll pick one up?

[@SkunkDozer]

Glad you’re still rocking with it dude. Sounds great! I bought this guitar in white. I wasn’t satisfied with the QC on it. and sold it. Honestly it was just fit and finish mainly, and my experience with Gear4music wasn’t great. With that said, it inspired me and I got two baritones now: Squier Bass VI and the Gretsch G5260T. Love your vids and music. It inspires me to keep rocking out as well. Cheers!

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you, Sir! That is very kind and exciting to hear! Definitely keep rocking out! The QC was definitely going to be an issue for some, no doubt. It took me time to get used to, that's for sure. But nice to hear you grabbed two other baritones! The Gretsch really impressed me when I played one recently. It's a lovely guitar at an impressive quality for the money! A fine choice! Thanks for the comment and kind words.

[@joaoalcantara6676]

How's the Gretsch?

[@SkunkDozer]

@@joaoalcantara6676 The Gretsch is excellent. Quality in the hands felt the best of the three. Don’t care much for the Bigsby, though I thought I would-some might have diff opinions. I’d probably go for the hard tail next time.

[@everthealtruist]

I was checking this guitar out and I love how it comes with ceramic pickups. That's the first change I'd make and it's already got 'em.

[@rathoquarter]

Yeah I think they compliment the guitar well. I might actually end up upgrading these pickups one day but I’ll probably get a boutique version of something similar to what’s in there now.

[@ryankenny7726]

I remember watching the baritone on a budget a while ago and now here we are. The bunn brought me back. Great channel dude

[@rathoquarter]

I owe a significant debt of gratitude to the Bunn for his continued support! I appreciate the kind comments!

[@GaryHiebner]

Awesome update video. And love that riff. Super low and melodic. Also dig that bend after the bridge on those 0s!

[@rathoquarter]

Thanks so much, Gary!

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

There he is... as usual a slick af vid with great music.

[@rathoquarter]

Hahaha. I've been on hiatus for a little bit but its great to be back in the saddle. Thank you very much for the kind words!

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

@@rathoquarter no worries big man. I like your style; quite unique.

[@harpershittheroad6363]

Well, you've help convince a bass player of 15yrs to give this thing a try. I've been playing heavy music from the start and felt like I could branch out to do more on a smaller neck and tighter string spacing. I got the polar white version, should arrive within the week. I'm not an overly particular person so I don't think any minor cosmetic issues are going to turn me off from my purchase. Nice video and inspiration to try something new.

[@daemonwastaken]

Really enjoyed your original review and this follow up, it helped me cement in my head that this was the right baritone to purchase :D

[@rathoquarter]

Thats great to hear! I hope you are enjoying the guitar!

[@ilikechipsnsalsa9354]

It appears your Rogue VI came with a different bridge than mine. I was unable to remove individual saddles so I flipped the entire bridge around and then it intonated very well even at tunings well below the recommended E1. I later ended up getting a stainless steel bridge from ABM which oddly enough has those same retainer clips like your stock one has. Mine has a Nazgul/Sentient pickup set so when you're ready to upgrade, I'd definitely recommend taking a look at those.

[@rathoquarter]

Nice! I'll definitely be taking a look at that pickup set! Maybe there is a weird age difference in our Rogue VIs explaining the difference in bridge? Pretty strange!

[@jonny290]

That's a cool tip on the whole bridge flip. I just did my E saddle but am now considering reverting that change and doing the bridge 180. I just did a pickup swap on mine, pulled the stockers (they're 4wire btw, so if yall want to do a pull pot coil split mod all you need is the pot) and installed a set of Schecter Diamond Superrocks that a buddy kicked me because they were 'too bright'. They were the perfect antidote to the in-my-opinion too dark PAF style stockers. I'm gonna do series/parallel switching using two pull pots, so I keep humbucking but can get a crisper sound in parallel. Love this dumb thing so much. What a fun instrument.

[@chadrogers3575]

I know im late to the video but you have some great riffs man. And thanks for the idea on the bridge !!!

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you, Chad! I appreciate the comment very much! Glad you enjoyed it and hope the bridge tweak brings you some benefit! Cheers. M

[@davidhollowelljr949]

Glad to see this pop up, I've been considering buying one of these suuuper heavily.

[@rathoquarter]

I've got another video on this one which I made a little after I first bought it. Feel free to check that one out for more of a first impressions vibe. Thanks for checking out this video and for the comment, David! Cheers!

[@davidhollowelljr949]

@@rathoquarter Lol, I saw that one a ways back. And happy to check out some fellow BO crew lol

[@DethMetlZomb]

I love the background music during all of this, and specifically the tip mention at the Lets get to work! part. Thank you for also sharing the strings you use. Baritone's aren't commonplace, so those parts are important to talk about to me. I may order the white one today.

[@rathoquarter]

Thanks for your kind comment! All the bg music is from a song I’ll be releasing in the coming months! I’ll do a play-through of some kind on this channel. Let me know how you get on with your guitar.

[@7MNDmusic]

That was like watching a short film haha! Great video dude, lovely track as well

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you so much dude. That is super kind! Especially coming from a guy who knows how to put together some bloody gorgeous footage! Thanks!

[@antoineb8783]

I just bought this guitar today. Thanks for your test. I will watch your other videos.

[@rathoquarter]

You are most welcome! Enjoy the guitar and thank you for the comment!

[@gizmondo003]

just picked up the white model! can't wait for it to arrive glad i found this video for when it does!

[@rathoquarter]

Oh exciting stuff dude! Let me know what you think when you get it. It took me a little while to get acclimated to mine but I really enjoy it now. Thanks for commenting!

[@gizmondo003]

@@rathoquarter 100% I can’t wait to start writing some music with it!

[@abominablemusic]

flipping the saddle - good idea!

[@ChaziChaz89]

Bruh, the production is amazing in this vid. Subbed!

[@rathoquarter]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoy it!

[@LafBoi]

I’m trying a custom set from Stringjoy for drop C#, cross your fingers that it works. It’s 24-95.

[@nicks.8003]

Nice to see a fellow pinky rester. I see that pinky on the pick guard, no shame.

[@travissandersasbuttshitjac1458]

That sounded great. I love the look of that 30 inch neck.

[@ObstructTheTide]

Officially 1k likes! Great job man great video!

[@peterdenyer3002]

I had this in my basket for a while, but after reading tons of reviews here, mainly negative about certain strings not being long enough, I decided to go to the SubZero Paradigm Baritone Electric Guitar, Black Burl Burst, it's a 27 inch rather than the 30. I play ambient guitar mostly, so I didn't mind the shorter scale in that respect, the Para also has locking tuners, and a coil split function. Also I have up until now had little intonation problems. I am not trying one upmanship here, I really did like the rogue. Now after seeing what strings you use, I will have to rethink the purchase of a V1 now, after all, you can never have enough guitars eh? Excellent video.

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you! That’s very kind of you. Yeah, I think this instrument is a bit of a weird one. I had an incredibly close attachment to it at one point but the love has started to fade a little. Sometimes I just miss playing on a normal guitar with normal string gauges. That Ernie ball set on this guitar does not feel like that at all. Also the urge for metal players to go lower and lower can be weird. Loads of bands are starting to tackle that problem both digitally and with the evertune bridge now. And I’m some ways that’s kind of smart. I’d love to make another video on this whole subject more broadly actually. I have a few pieces of music that I’ve written on the Rogue VI that are quite dear to me (and would like to finish.) Once those are done and out, I will probably put the guitar on sabbatical for a time while I have fun with others in my collection. If you do end up going for some guitar that is in the 30inch scale neighbourhood, I’d also look at the Gretsch jet baritone. More expensive but it’s a classy well made instrument. I just got one and I can see it performing better than this one. Regarding the string lengths: I never really understood this problem because I always used that Ernie ball set and they’ve always been fine but I’m due a restring soon so I guess we’ll see. Thanks again and feel free to let me know if you pull the trigger on a longer scale instrument. I’d love to hear what you choose.

[@aussieb1416]

looking at one of these 2nd hand at the moment as I've never owned a baritone n your two vids are helping the decision. cheers

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you very much! So glad the videos are helpful. It's a whole different beast, this guitar so I hope you enjoy it when you get it!

[@beekflip]

Thats the song i was asking for in the previous subzero video! Sounding nice. I like the mix as well. I have bought this guitar a few months ago and comparing to my 7 string ibanez i was really dissapointed in how muddy it sounded in comparison even though subzero had a longer scale. I was really struggling to find the sound i wanted and then I decided to put on the normal guitar string set ending on the low 75. I ended up with very selective and clean low e sound which actually doesnt sound like a bass or total mud.

[@rathoquarter]

Thats an interesting experiment you've done there! It would be awesome to see a video or hear some audio of the results. You are right though: it is such a different guitar to most "normal" scale length guitars... I think I just embrace the mud! Then I cut loads of low in the mix and compress the fuck out of the kick drum... That seems to get me something I mostly like. I have finished the full arrangement of this song. I will almost definitely put an instrumental version of it on my bandcamp while I am working on vocals. Thanks for checking out the video and the comment!

[@tiborgulyas3921]

Quality content, subscribed after the first minute! Your channel deserves more subscribers, that's for sure! Cheers Bro!

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you so much! I hugely appreciate that!

[@kevinmyles6369]

Love the update! Great stuff! 👍👍

[@rathoquarter]

Thanks, Kevin! Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers for the comment!

[@kevinmyles6369]

@@rathoquarter been checking your Bandcamp stuff. Very nice and divers. 👍

[@rathoquarter]

@@kevinmyles6369 thanks, mate. It’s a bit out of date now! More stuff coming soon. It’ll probably still be pretty diverse mind you! 😂

[@kevinmyles6369]

@@rathoquarter cool hah 😃👍 yeah, noticed none of baritone ideas on it. No worries, i'll wait. Really liked what you did on your baritone Introduction video of your Sub Zero Rogue 6 guitar. Great tight epic metal frenzy 🤗🙂 always go back to that video to relive the excitement of the baritone experience.. cheers

[@daniwest1370]

Great production as always!

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you Dani!

[@mrblablablabla]

Nice vid, thanks for sharing your experience with this guitar. Accurate intonation starts with correct string height action. Of course the note will be sharp if you have to push down a lot on the string.

[@cjbogannam]

This is awesome - great content mate

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoy it!

[@projektmetrock]

Damn the tone is classy and so is your music . Loved it 😍..

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you so much for the kind comment! So pleased you enjoy it!

[@Low_Riffs_And_The_Hook]

That is how to make a top notch video! Awesome music and design! Besides that I own the same guitar since January and I love it. Turning the saddle was my first mod, a few weeks later the bridge pickup died, I replaced it with a SD Custom 5 which I had laying around. I´m in C#1 tuning with Newtone strings and the combinaion is killer.

[@rathoquarter]

Thanks so much! Great to hear you are enjoying the guitar too!

[@georgebrett1738]

Bro’s accent switches from South African to English so fluidly. It’s like my now fucked up accent in reverse 😂. Quality video mate, I’ve been meaning to pick one of these up for a while. I’m lefty so I’ll have to flip it, but they’re quite cheap so it’s not too bad.

[@rathoquarter]

Haha. Cheers, bru! God knows what my accent is doing these days. It sure thickens up when I’m back in the motherland I believe. Let me know how you get on with the guitar. I think they actually have a newer model of this now.

[@joshuamonroe4684]

Thanks for this video it answered my question clearly if the stock pick-ups were decent or not. You make em sound great. I'm gonna get one.

[@rathoquarter]

You are most welcome, Joshua! And thank you for your kind comment.

[@joshuamonroe4684]

I finally got one on the way! Should have it in my hands in 4 days. Can't wait.

[@joshuamonroe4684]

@@rathoquarter what's your go to tuning?

[@rathoquarter]

@@joshuamonroe4684 E standard. A whole octave down from a regular guitar.

[@Bandless]

100% Awesome! Love that headstock bend!

[@TheScott1670]

Getting the white version of the Rogue VI for Christmas this year. Already ordered a set of Seymour Duncan Nazgûl/ Sentient to swap the pickups out for. Looking forward to playing this thing. Thanks for uploading!

[@rathoquarter]

You are most welcome, Scott! It sounds like you have a formidable weapon in the making there! Excellent! Thank you for the comment!

[@TheScott1670]

@@rathoquarter I got the Rouge VI. I was setting it up and putting on a fresh set of strings and I realized every Ernie Ball set I had was too short to reach the tuning pegs on the guitar to restring. What strings do you use for yours? I tried putting on Ernie Ball Mamouth Slinky and they were far too short. Thanks!

[@rathoquarter]

@@TheScott1670 hey Scott. I use the Ernie Ball slinky nickel 6 string bass 20-90 strings. If you go to 5:44 on my previous video on this guitar, you can see the actual packaging in the vid. They are pretty chunky! But fun to play on. Hope that helps. Enjoy the guitar!

[@TheScott1670]

@@rathoquarter awesome thank you! Merry Christmas

[@rathoquarter]

@@TheScott1670 you too mate!

[@BadOhmbre]

Love the tune playing in the background! Video's super-well done too, man! I've been eye-ing this baritone myself, but I'm curious how it would play with my gear. I see you're using amp sims; did you ever plug it into a physical guitar amp? I'm afraid I'd blow a speaker if I played such a guitar at volume. Gonna check out the bandcamps! Thanks for the video!

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you so much sir! Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the comments. I have played this guitar through my Peavey 6505mh and I loved it. The sound might need a little EQ to sweeten the tone, and of course you won't get as much low end as you would through a bass amp (which probably isn't what you want from a guitar tone anyway.) The only reason I use amp Sims is for the practicality of it. If I had the space in my apartment I'd have my amp set up for recording all the time. Thanks again for the nice comment.

[@balares]

What a great format!!

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you!

[@inigolm1863]

Quality content, love that song!

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you so much, friend!

[@BrandonDeft]

Keep it up bud! Like I said before you know how to write a killer riff. Not sure why at least the low E saddles is not flipped from factory. I know I'm going to kick myself in the ass for not buying a this guitar to add to my baritones but I'm thinking of converting my Fender Meteora to a baritone it's already in drop A.

[@mortenwarmongerfjeldhaug5036]

thats it im buying a zubzero paradigm, thx m8, and damn nice toon u played

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you sir. I appreciate your kind comment!

[@geirisk8]

Great video! I have the white version of this guitar and I just posted my unboxing / first impression video of it with another one coming soon where I put the Seymour Duncan Mark Holcomb bridge pickup in it.

[@rathoquarter]

Thanks mate! Watch your channel quite a lot. Icelandic drone footage for the win!! I’ll go check that out. Definitely curious to get your take on the QC issues. Cheers for the comment.

[@trunks828]

Love the sounds of this I own one of these also mine came in bad shape Fret ends bowed neck some scratches but with the love and care and putting it back to one piece it does sound and play awesome I did the pickup switch with a Duncan jazz in the neck and a Duncan distortion in the bridge with better electronics definitely sings more than it did love everything about these guitars.

[@rathoquarter]

That's awesome! Interesting to hear what pickups people are throwing into these guitars, as I've got absolutely no idea what I would replace the stock pickups with. I will definitely do it at some point in the future but for now I'm going to try to make do with it in its stock config

[@trunks828]

@@rathoquarter what I would suggest is anything with a good amount of mids and less bass since the guitar is more of a bass the more mids and less bass makes the guitar cut through more

[@ThaiZeo]

This was sick man 🔥🔥🔥

[@jonathanprice1507]

Great music mate. I'm hoping to get one of these soon. Those pickups sound really good when you're playing

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you very much! You going polar white or tobacco burst?

[@jonathanprice1507]

@@rathoquarter Tobacco burst all the way. I l really like visible wood grain, It suits this guitar really well. This will be replacing my VM Jazzmaster, I couldn't get on with the P90 pickups

[@Dan-vb7lz]

Just picked one of these up and I think I've gotten very lucky with the QC on mine. No sharp frets, no scratches etc. Only issue is the toggle switch is a bit crap and loves to flip to the middle position with the smallest amount of force applied. Love being able to tune to low so easily

[@rathoquarter]

Nice dude! That's great. Yeah the toggle switch is like that on mine too! Did you go for the tobacco burst or the polar white?

[@Dan-vb7lz]

@@rathoquarter Tobacco Burst. May change out the pickups at some point, but for now I really can't complain for £300

[@lucascastro1869]

Hey there, im new on the channel! Was looking for some bass vi players and i loved how you tuned up yours

[@rathoquarter]

Thanks for the comment, Lucas! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@micahsnyder7299]

Bunn sent me over. Very tight video.

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you so much! The Bunn is an incredibly kind, inspiring and community focused guy. My channel wouldn't look anything like it does without his support. I hope to reward your sub with some cool content going forward. Thanks again!

[@АндрейЧмыхалов-ф8ц]

Amazing guitar

[@Strider1313]

Your really making me think about this guitar you make it sound so good. I got my heart set on somthing else though

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you so much, friend! I appreciate that. What, may I ask, is you heart set on?

[@Strider1313]

@@rathoquarter Chapman ml3 bea but I’m not looking to go much beyond drop drop G

[@reedengle]

Your video looks and sounds great. Now I need to have look at the saddles on one of my guitars and see if that trick helps with the intonation. Thanks.

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you very much! That's super kind! Yeah feel free to let me know if you feel like that little adjustment makes a positive difference. It's subtle but it definitely helps!

[@Hozenfefer]

Thank you for this video man! I'm curious, which puckups would you go for if you decided to change the stock ones. Also, really great riffing, I enjoyed the whole video.

[@rathoquarter]

You are most welcome!! Thank you for your kind comment. I have asked myself the same question several times actually: I think my best sounding guitar is actually my old and very cheap Jackson 7 string with bare knuckle aftermath pickups installed in it. They are fairly high gain passive pickup but they would probably be my choice. I am very partial to bare knuckle pickups generally but I think those are my favourite. I’m honestly not sure how well they would work in this guitar as the current pickups are very different from aftermaths. Bare knuckle also make the impulse pickup which seeks to be designed for lower tunings. So I’d choice those or the aftermaths.

[@pawepiatek3652]

You inspired me with that guitar and its sound. I buy a guitar and the same strings. I'm waiting for the shipment.

[@rathoquarter]

I hope you enjoy it, friend! Let me know how you feel when it arrives.

[@pawepiatek3652]

@@rathoquarter , did you already have Ernie Ball 2837 strings when playing the subzero guitar for this movie? Is this the sound of factory fitted strings - 0.24 - 0.84 gauge, I believe it's D'ADDARIO XL156 (24-84) NICKEL WOUND FENDER BASS VI?

[@rathoquarter]

@@pawepiatek3652 I have only ever played this guitar with those Ernie Ball strings. When I bought the guitar I changed the strings almost immediately.

[@MadkeimMusic]

Cool Video and cool track! I didn't know about the reverse bridge trick, it could be handy. I got the white version few months ago, no major issue on the guitar. The stock pickups are actually not that bad, but I still replaced the bridge pickup with a Seymour Duncan JB that I had. Works great! It is kind of a weird instrument, but also very fun and inspiring

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you very much for the kind words! It certainly is a strange instrument but yes, I find it gets the creativity going! I'm hearing about a lot of people swapping the pickups and it's making me feel like maybe I should look into doing the same! I have some fishman fluence classics that could maybe go in there. Reversing the string saddle definitely helped me with the more precise intonation and I recommend it for sure. Glad you're enjoying the guitar. Thank you for the comment!

[@davej8229]

Hey, thanks for making this video. It helped me deciding for a Rogue VI. I got a white on and rubbed away the colour until I had a completely wooden guitar. Do you switched the PUs already? Would be interested in your choice, while there are not many tested options for 30“ scale guitars. Please keep on posting, you‘re an inspiration to us all!

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you very much, Dave. I really appreciate your kind comment! I haven't switch the pickups on this guitar. I have thought about it a little bit though. I am a big fan of Bare Knuckle Pickups. I know they do a set called Impulse which I understand are designed to work well with lower tunings. I have Juggernauts in two of my guitars and Aftermaths in one of my 7 strings. I think the aftermaths are my favorite. They just sound so incredibly good and I feel inspired as hell every time I plug that guitar in (its also my cheapest guitar!) That guitar is tuned to drop A so not the lowest tuning. I am not sure how they would do with a tuning as low as my SubZero. I'd probably still give them a try though because they just sounds so good in my other guitar. Good luck in choosing. And I will definitely keep posting videos! Thanks again.

[@davej8229]

Hey Matt, thanks a lot for your detailed answer and for the Aftermath-idea, they‘ll go to my wishlist. Have a nice week!!

[@АндрейЧмыхалов-ф8ц]

Waiting for a new videos about this guitar))

[@ThatBaritoneGuitarGuy]

Instead of disassembling the bridge for that ONE saddle, I heard of people flipping the entire bridge itself.

[@ohbxnny6299]

Great video I loved how in depth you went and that trick on reversing the saddle is something I’ve been looking for as I’ve found the same problem with mine at times. My only question is is the action easy to adjust on it? I don’t mess with my guitars much other than changing strings but I feel like the strings are just a little too high to play as comfortable as I’d like

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. The action is relatively easy to adjust with that tune o’matic bridge but perhaps not the most precise. Something that really helped me regarding setting up my guitars was watching the John Carruthers guitar and bass setup videos. Here is the link to his bass set up series: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpaXZZiNjclspsU for my bass VI I think I just split the difference between the measurements he recommends for the guitar and bass setups. That said the action on my subzero is still pretty high. It’s kind of the nature of that instrument but I’m certain you could tweak it to your satisfaction. Getting a set of feeler gauges and some basic setup tools will go a very long way to empowering you to get it just how you like it! Good luck and thank you for the comment!

[@jdreyt9385]

only "complaints" is that the intro riff was a bit overshadowed by bass frequencies

[@rathoquarter]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@umbutuuubnunga6587]

Check out the Hipshot Tone a Matic for even more intonation options

[@megatyaesree]

🤘❤🤘

[@cagedoctaves]

You show Ernie Ball Bass VI strings being fitted to the SubZero Baritone VI. The tech I've employed to fit the strings found that the .074 string was about 3 inches too short and had to refit the D'Addario EXL156 string that came from the factory. Contacted Ernie Ball and this is the correct length for this particular string; Ernie Ball said - The .074 should be 39.5" in length with a taper beginning at 37". Did you have a similar problem?

[@rathoquarter]

I have used the Ernie ball 6 string bass strings (code: 2837) on this guitars since I bought it and they have been totally fine. I don’t know if they have recently made a change to that set or anything. I put on a new set of those strings about a month and a half ago. If memory serves I remember thinking “ooh the 90 gauge string just makes it!” But that was all.

[@outrsol8699]

@@rathoquarter I've literally just had the same issue with mine (sent it to tech after receiving it 3 days ago). Ernie Ball are adamant that this string set is for a non-reverse in line headstock of standard Jazz VIs, so it is no surprise to them that the extra length a reverse head and string through body require isn't met by their set. They do not currently offer a solution for this and instead suggest contacting Gear4 for their string spec (which is likely cut to fit in the factory of manufacture). I'm guessing there has been a change their end, because as Zon stated the specs listed are 39.5" in length. Sad times :(

[@rathoquarter]

@@outrsol8699 that is interesting. I guess it’s possible that the string spec has changed leaving us subzero rogue owners in trouble. Maybe some kind of custom string set is the answer. Let me know how you get on with it

[@outrsol8699]

@@rathoquarter For any UK based folks, I'm going to try out a custom set from Newtone Strings. Chap there said they cut the length to taper as specified so that would sort the issue. Still sucks that this guitar is being sold whilst currently having no commercial set for string swaps. At least not until, as the Ernie Ball brand manager said to me: "There is a massive and healthy demand for Ernie Ball to do so."

[@cagedoctaves]

@@outrsol8699 just bought 2 sets of D'Addario EXL156 from Strings Direct (the 72 gauge string was fitted to my Gretsch G5260 - tuned to F# standard) which look like the ones listed on the Gear4music page for the SubZero Baritone VI - I'll post how well they fit. In the meantime here's my octave method for a Baritone VI : E1 standard tuning - EADGBE posted on my website yesterday....cagedoctaves.com/blogozon690.html

[@juanmaliceras]

amazing production and performance. Which library you´ve used for drums?

[@rathoquarter]

I think it was probably GGD, One Kit Wonder Metal for this one. Thanks for the nice comment!

[@rathoquarter]

For what it’s worth this is now a full song called Basilisk which you can find on my bandcamp and all streaming platforms.

[@Meshuggah333]

That's a really cool guitar for how cheap it is. I really like your music.

[@rathoquarter]

Thank you mate. I appreciate that. It’s around £350 I believe. I’ve actually not checked the price in a while!

[@Meshuggah333]

@@rathoquarter it's still around that, it looks like good value.

[@rathoquarter]

@@Meshuggah333 Yeah its a fun guitar for sure. I'm a bit tired of it at the moment, as its all I've been playing lately. Looking forward to spending some time with a few of my guitars that don't have strings like suspension cables!

[@MarkNuuuuuutt]

I'm a bassist looking to get into guitar, and I want to play low tunings. You think this would be a good fit? Or should I start on a normal scale length??

[@rathoquarter]

Hi there! I don't see why not. This guitar is a pretty particular instrument though so I would say if you want to get a feel for more traditional electric guitars, this bass VI isn't really representative of them! I find myself playing this in a way that is quite different to how I play my other shorter scale length guitars. Both types of guitar and approach are entirely valid. I would say if your budget allows, I would recommend experimenting with different types of guitar and see what feels good.

[@MarkNuuuuuutt]

@@rathoquarter thanks so much :). I think I’m going to get this

[@KEOSOUNDS]

Very insightful, thanks ! What string gauges did you use for the new strings ?

[@SNAAAAAAAKE]

Answer is in the video🤷🏻‍♂️😄

[@KEOSOUNDS]

@@SNAAAAAAAKE Ha shit, you're right! Thanks man

[@SNAAAAAAAKE]

@@KEOSOUNDS Haha, no worries brother👍

[@Poshelvete]

Perfect, I was just thinking about buying this guitar when I saw this video. Do you use a standard tuned bass when you record these songs or is the bass also very low tuned?

[@rathoquarter]

Hey David! Thanks for the comment! The bass on the play-through track for this one is kind of interesting: For the bigger distorted riffs I use DjinnBass with a programmed bass part that is an octave lower than the guitar riff (so very low indeed!) Then in the cleaner arpeggiated part of the track I'm playing a bass line on my modified Squier 5-string bass and in that case the bass guitar is tuned to the same octave as the guitar (so standard tuned). I sort of finds it depends on the riff I'm playing but on this song it feels good to have that super low bass sound in the distorted sections (its this huge foundation for the guitar sound) but as I don't own a Dingwall or a Quake bass for the low stuff I just program it. Then I take the DI sound from DJinnBass and process it in a similar way to my Squier bass. So very low tuned for the distorted riffs and standard tuned for the cleaner stuff (mostly!) I hope that was helpful. Thanks. M

[@Poshelvete]

@@rathoquarter Cool, thanks for that information! Second time in a week I hear about DjinnBass now, that probably means I gotta buy it, haha. I'm currently writing a brutal death/grind album and I want a more unique sound than the ordinary albums in these genres, so I might buy this guitar to use on that.

[@AdamSyah]

hey, i'm planning to buy this, but can we use 0.10 string to play on standard e? I'm still curious about the sound, will it sound like a regular 6 string guitar?

[@rathoquarter]

Hi there! I imagine it could sound like a regular 6 string guitar but I am not sure exactly what the benefit of this guitar would be for standard E tuning: the scale length is really long (30 inches) so it might not be as comfortable to play. I have no doubt it would be an interesting sound though. The pickups are fairly low output standard guitar pickups so tonally it will sound just like a regular guitar. This company also makes this guitar in a standard scale length which might be more suitable for what you want? Nice metal covers by the way.

[@AdamSyah]

@@rathoquarter yes obviously i want to play low tuning with that guitar, but i'm just curious, because i know i'd be a little bored if i always play low tuning every day lol because after i bought this, this guitar became the only guitar, by the way thank you, your video also good and gave me confidence to buy this guitar, thanks for the answer

[@rathoquarter]

@@AdamSyah If you have the budget for it, definitely don't have this as your only guitar. To me it feels like quite a specialist instrument so I really appreicate having a normal 6 string in addition to this huge guitar! Thank you for checking out the video!

[@AdamSyah]

@@rathoquarter yes this guitar to be the only guitar for a while, I will definitely buy a normal guitar because I can't change the strings every time I want to cover/make a song lol, thanks for the advice

[@GaryHiebner]

You might be able to reach E std with a set of 8s. But tension might be super tight with 10s. But with this guitar and the super long scale it lends itself to lower tunings. The better option is to have a dedicated guitar for higher tunings, and then use this low boi for the low tunings.

[@adamontiveros-oberg1528]

Any thoughts on the viability of this instrument being used in the place of a traditional bass? I play a lot of indie/alt rock music, and I think that with a decent amp EQ it could be a pretty decent bass with the options for more melodic work in the higher registers.

[@rathoquarter]

I’ve never tried it like that. I also felt no real inclination to try it that way but I’ve been getting quite a few questions like this so I’ve decided to rework a little piece of music I wrote ages ago to try exactly that set up. So I’ll report back to you once I’ve tried. Personally I love a big meaty bass sound though and I’m not sure this guitar or pickups would give you that. But we’ll see how it pans out.

[@HappyChillmore]

Nice video. The one I’m looking at has a bigsby style vibrato but the headstock isn’t flipped. The shortest string is the low e. Isn’t that bad for a guitar like this where a flipped headstock makes sense?

[@rathoquarter]

Thanks very much! I have very little experience with the shorter scale bigsby version of this guitar unfortunately. I don’t think the headstock orientation will make any major difference though.

[@alejocobian]

Hi there! How did you find the bass stringing on this guitar? Because I have to change the strings and I don't know what to go with!

[@rathoquarter]

I use the Ernie ball 6 2837 string bass guitar set for this guitar.

[@SpaceOddity87]

I really couldn't get along with the stock pickups. I found them to be extremely microphonic and muddy, but I'm glad they're working out for you. Otherwise, it's been a good guitar for me.

[@rathoquarter]

I imagine I will change the pickups at some point as I've no doubt I could get a superior tone from some boutique or specialist pickups but I'm kind of in gear saturation at the moment. Feel a little like I have too much gear to fully enjoy so I'm trying to focus a little more on making music with the gear I have. I'm sure gear lust will overtake my gear guilt again at some point in the future! Thanks for the comment and checking out the video!

[@rathoquarter]

Just out of curiosity: did you replace the pickups? And what with?

[@SpaceOddity87]

@@rathoquarter I used a Guitar Fetish quick connect harness with their Crunchy Pat in the bridge and Dream 90 in the neck, and it's a substantial improvement. The original pickups squealed with basically any amount of gain, and the humbucker in there now is dead quiet. The stock pickups sound good in your demo, but of course, a lot depends on your set up.

[@rathoquarter]

@@SpaceOddity87 yeah I do end up with a fair bit of noise tbh. If I didn't have the gate in there doing it's thing it would be a bit of a mess I expect.

[@ootagootasolo3617]

Which style of wiring harness did you order from them?

[@Jay-wk9xj]

Fyi Firefly recently made a copy of this one.

[@TorqueBow]

Awesome video. Thank you for the follow up on this. I have a Gretsch Jet Baritone at 29.75 inches. Is the 30 inch scale gonna be very noticeable for a jump to that scale length?

[@rathoquarter]

You are most welcome! I actually played a Jet Baritone for the first time quite recently. I didn't have my SubZero with me to really compare them properly but to answer your question: while it wasn't a huge difference, it did feel a little more compact in terms of scale length. I felt like the difference was perceptible. I was also blown away by the quality of the Gretsch. Feels like an incredibly high quality well finished instrument, particularly for the price. I'm not sure I'd have it tuned to bass VI tuning like I do with my SubZero. Just based on instinct it felt like it would shine in a G standard or something like that. Such a sick guitar though so I imagine it would excel in loads of different tunings. Thanks for the comment!

[@g3e_star]

I'm very curious the guys in jamming with play in drop C seeing as this is stnd E but an octave lower world it hold out to Drop C (but an octave lower)?

[@rathoquarter]

Good grief that’s low!! I think I’ve maybe tried drop D once on this but not gone lower than that! I imagine it would probably work okay. Be very curious to hear if you try that.

[@6oundStudio]

I thought your first video on the matter came out like a month ago, why the fuck is time so fast

[@StebioVods]

I had one of these from the very first run and it was plauged with issues, the fret board was chipped and the frets were so wonky even after a level and recrown. I sold it not too long ago because i just didnt feel the vibe with it anymore as sad as that is to say. My band bass player loves it though so good for him

[@rathoquarter]

Yeah I had heard that the first run of these had some fairly serious issues. Sorry you didn't enjoy it. Based on my experience I don't believe mine has any really fundamental issues with it, but it's definitely not for everyone. It's kind of a weird instrument in some ways and some of the QC problems are definitely going to put people off!

[@celestialgamingxd]

What string set did you say you used? I am looking for a 90+ set that fits this guitar

[@rathoquarter]

I use the Ernie Ball 6 string bass set which has a 90 on the bottom. But I’ve not restrung in a little while and people tell me they now make the strings too short for this instrument or something? It’s not a problem I’ve had yet so we’ll see.

[@invisiblegraveyard4742]

how low are u able to tune it? Another youtuber said he can only get it to drop F# despite the 30 inches. thanks!

[@rathoquarter]

I have it in E standard with an Ernie Ball 90-20 string set on it. The intonation isn’t bad in my opinion but I’m not a luthier.

[@willodling9945]

the riffs in the play through are so good, are they part of a current or future song?

[@rathoquarter]

They are part of a future song. It's completely arranged but the vocal arrangement is still in process. I'll be sure to post it as soon as it's done. Thank you for the very kind comments

[@willodling9945]

@@rathoquarter no problem :) I had to spend the time between commenting and replying learning the riff haha

[@rathoquarter]

@@willodling9945 nice!! It's a super simple riff just weird time signature changes in the first section. I'm sure someone who actually knows something about music could tell me what the hell I had actually done there!

[@rogersaver2606]

I have a question, is this guitar the same as fender bass VI or is this more of a jazz master type?

[@rathoquarter]

This is probably more like the jazzmaster as it has a fixed bridge but in reality it’s probably quite different from both those guitars.

[@frankketelaar2765]

I'm curious which effect pedal is the black one (in the middle).

[@rathoquarter]

That is my Fortin Zuul noise gate. Quite a pricey pedal but it does a great job.

[@coreyhart309]

Is the bridge a normal tune o matic? Like can I just buy a normal sized TOM bridge and drop it in? Or is it a special size for the Bass VI’s? I’d want to drop a black bridge in there if I get it.

[@rathoquarter]

Honestly I’m not sure. You would have to check with both manufacturers

[@skipmilligan]

any chance of getting Your hands on a Harley Benton guitarbass VS? I have one and I'd love to hear Your opinion on it.

[@rathoquarter]

I’ve not tried one. I’ll see if I can get my hands on one at some point!

[@skipmilligan]

@@rathoquarter No worries if not. I know they catch a bit of a rap for being cheap and not up to most standards, however being My first 6 string bass/guitar and as a Bass Player to begin with that also plays guitar, these things are Super Rad. Haha. Thanks so much for the reply.

[@rathoquarter]

@@skipmilligan yeah a mate of mine has one of their fanfret 7 strings and it seems per good to me! I think the quality can vary quite a bit but there really is so much to get from more budget gear. I think the guitar in my collection that I am most likely to sell is also my most expensive guitar!

[@denni5aur282]

Would you prefer this guitar over a Squier Baritone Jazzmaster?

[@rathoquarter]

I've not played one so it's a bit tricky to say. The all black version looks incredible to be fair. But love that this guitar has humbuckers and a fixed bridge. Thanks for the comment!

[@Claytons91]

I really wish I could find a left handed one.

[@rathoquarter]

Oh I’m kind of surprised they don’t do a left handed one?

[@Patrick-rf7vx]

lowering the action also effects the intonation. Guitars like this are always a compromise. You can trade a better intonation for a bit of rattle.

[@rathoquarter]

Really interesting! I was aware of this but I've not really experimented with it. I'll definitely be looking into it. I wonder if there is a nice video to be made on the topic (albeit a pretty niche video!) Thanks for the comment and checking out the video! Definitely going to investigate that subject further

[@Patrick-rf7vx]

@@rathoquarter yeah why not. guitar setup is pretty important. when you think about it, it is logical, but since every step of the setup can effect another part of the setup it is probably hard to structure a video about the topic. I think of it this way: fretting a string is essentially a small bend, but vertically into the fretboard instead of side to side. the lower the action the smaller the bend needed to reach the fret, thus the fretted note goes sharp less with the same gauge of strings and same tuning opposed to a higher action.

[@asherplatts6253]

Would you mind playing this as a bass, with some overdrive on it, into a bass amp? I am thinking about getting one of these, more for having a short scale bass with humbuckers than for having a baritone guitar. Right now it is between this and the Harley Benton Guitarbass (which is all singlecoils, but I might replace them with hotrails or noiseless strat pickups).

[@rathoquarter]

That sounds like a really cool idea for a video. I'll give that a go

[@asherplatts6253]

@@rathoquarter Thank you! I'm primarily a bassist, and I had one of those Gretsch Short Scale basses, but it didn't actually come with humbuckers, and getting them to honor the warranty has been a nightmare. So I'm looking for a replacement. Most people play these BassVI type guitar/basses as baritones, or as tiktak bass in the reviews, but I'd really like to hear how it sounds when played *as a bass*, like through a bass amp with bass EQ in mind. If it's possible to get solid bass guitar tones out of it, I'm all in.

[@Ravelle17]

As far as short-scale basses go, I highly recommend the Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat!

[@asherplatts6253]

@@Ravelle17 Cool. One thing I am looking for too is a lower price point than that. The SubZero or Harley Benton is more in my price range.

[@JaFoste_Studio]

When tuning down that low, how does the bass need to be tuned? The same? Lower?

[@rathoquarter]

Such a cool question! This is a really good subject for a video itself. The answer is probably: “do whatever you want!” I do a combination of things: for slower heavier riffs I just djinn Bass to go a whole octave lower but that sound doesn’t always work that well depending on the riffs. So with faster slightly more intricate riffs I match the bass at the same octave.

[@JaFoste_Studio]

@@rathoquarter Thanks for the info, I’m looking at picking up the same guitar. But I’ve had bad experiences with Gear4music before. But I’m willing to give them another shot.

[@RojuOfficial]

Have you tried Squier Bass VI and compared to this guitar?

[@rathoquarter]

I have not. But that is an awesome idea. A buddy of mine owns the Squier Bass VI. I'll ask nicely and see if he'll let me borrow it for a comparison video.

[@jtsuxatgames]

So, I bought one of these things, and it shipped with near-perfect intonation. However, the second I put it through any type of gain, the pickups infinitely feedback. I can still play, but during palm muting and during instances where I'm not playing, it's constant feedback. Is this normal for the stock pickups, or have I potentially been shipped a model with really bad wiring? The feedback gets louder when I tap the pickup selector switch.

[@rathoquarter]

Hi Jayke. Really interesting comment. I haven’t played mine through an amp at particularly loud volumes but I certainly haven’t experienced the kind of feedback problems that you describe here. To me it sounds like a fault that G4M might want to address.

[@rathoquarter]

I’d be quite curious to know if you manage to get it resolved.

[@jtsuxatgames]

@@rathoquarter Update for you: I have played through an amp sim, headphones only, no possible way any natural feedback could happen, and it still has crazy feedback. I presume faulty wiring. I don't personally feel like shipping the guitar back to the U.K., so I'll have my guitar tech replace the components, and the pickups while I'm at it. Other than that, the guitar looks beautiful and plays nice, definitely needs a truss rod adjustment, it's bowed up quite a lot. I love it though, LOATHE got me into these and I adore actually being able to play their songs!

[@rathoquarter]

@@jtsuxatgames yeah that seems like the best place course of action. If you’re getting a feedback sound when playing through a plug-in there must be something very wrong with the wiring! Where are you based? So pleased you enjoy the guitar!

[@jtsuxatgames]

@@rathoquarter I'm based out of New Hampshire in the USA. It didn't take too long for it to get here which was surprising, but I just don't want to package it all back up and send it back haha! I've already adjusted the truss rod and am working on some of the action / intonation stuff. So far it shipped with near perfect intonation, chords on the 12th fret sounded exceptional. Just sucks that the wiring came somewhat faulty. I'm gonna get some hot rodded humbuckers and send it in to my tech, tell him to do a complete re-wire if possible. Hopefully that solves the problem!

[@roboravitz5572]

Anyone in commrnt section feel this could cover bass AND rhythm guitar positions in a band , simultaneously, in a band? If so , im just gonna ad a dtummer and start a 2 piece live power duo.

[@rathoquarter]

Love it. Signal splitter sending one signal to a clean bass amp and the other to a high gain guitar amp and you are living the dream.

[@roboravitz5572]

I'm good enough since I sing and play all instruments but drums

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

One of the few 30" scale length bass VI style instruments that I can afford... Yet I find it ugly as hell :'( I wish someone would release an affordable one of these that wasn't a Jaguar style body.

[@rathoquarter]

Haha. Yeah I guess that body shape isn't for everyone! I was kind of against it initially too but I came round to it eventually. I'm definitely more of a super strat guy but yeah there are very few affordable options like that. Good luck in your search.

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

@@rathoquarter Aye, the Jaguar has always been a divisive shape. Some people love it, others hate it. But its just not cool looking at all to me. But I really want one to pull double duty as my super low tuned metal machine without having to get an 8 or 9 string. As well as to use it for recording bass at home, since I hate the feel of playing an actual bass guitar and loath the idea of spending money on one lol.

[@Defekcija]

How well does this guitar hold tune? being cheap and all

[@rathoquarter]

Hail Satan. It does alright given how cheap as it is. I find myself checking the tuning as often as I would on most of my other guitars. I will say with the long neck and heavy strings, there is quite a lot of pitch deviation when you hit the strings (and depending on how hard you hit the strings too). I don't mind that sort of sound as its part of the character of the instrument. I've not tried an evertune bridge but I imagine that would make me never want to tune a normal guitar ever again.

[@Defekcija]

@@rathoquarter thanx for the reply man, cheers! Yeah, evertune is a game changer for sure.

[@rathoquarter]

@@Defekcija any time dude! I’m all about the feedback and banter in the comments section. Let me know if you decide to buy this guitar or what you think if you try someone else’s.

[@Defekcija]

@@rathoquarter Hey I really appreciate that! Many people say that but never reply. So, here's the thing, I ordered my gretsch g5260 and once it arrives I'll probably have a lot of questions as it's my first ever baritone. I really need to know about strings for different tunings and I'll probably try to learn everything you play on a baritone as there is limited sources/courses for this kind of stuff. I really dig your style and you play well. cheers my dude!

[@rathoquarter]

@@Defekcija thanks mate! I really appreciate that! I don’t play as well as I’d like but well enough that I’m able to have a pretty good time with it. So I have played the trem certain of the Gretsch G5260. It’s a really really nice guitar for the money. A buddy of mine has one and I loved playing his. It’s such a good choice for a long scale guitar. The quality and playability were such a surprise to me. I just go with the Ernie Ball bass VI strings, but depending on your tuning I imagine you’ll want to try a few different options.

[@selmics]

Is that accent by any chance South African?

[@rathoquarter]

It certainly is!

[@davidhooper259]

All guitars even ukuleles need a whammy bar