The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Other Bass Brands => Topic started by: dadagoboi on July 25, 2013, 09:43:06 AM
-
30" scale, 24-84 string set $449.
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/ME/RondoSixer_zpse9529483.jpg) (http://s976.photobucket.com/user/cata1d0/media/ME/RondoSixer_zpse9529483.jpg.html)
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/ME/argus630singlesurfgreen5_zps94f05f45.jpg) (http://s976.photobucket.com/user/cata1d0/media/ME/argus630singlesurfgreen5_zps94f05f45.jpg.html)
-
Can you educate me? Why is this considered a bass?
-
It has thick strings. ;D
-
Can you educate me? Why is this considered a bass?
Rondo doesn't call it that. They call it an "extended range guitar". Many call it a baritone guitar, I've never considered them basses. But they seem to have a lot of fans around here.
-
Can you educate me? Why is this considered a bass?
I'll play. Having owned several 6-string basses since 1990(and with another on the way) I should be able to answer your question. It is a short-scale(30") bass with 2 extra strings above the normal 4. String manufacturer's set guages vary but they are usually lighter guage than standard short-scale strings. I usually use a .95 low E string on my 6s. Due to the close string spacing they are usually, but certainly not always, played with a pick.
The 6-string bass was introduced in the 50s by Danelectro. Leo Fender saw the Dano and came up with the Fender VI. Several other companies produced 6-string basses including Hagstrom, Rickenbacker, Epiphone, and Gibson.
They were popular in the Country music at the time, used to double the stand-up bass part on recordings, to accentuate the bass part on car radios.
Just off the top of my head here's a few folks known to have used a 6-string bass:
The Hollies
The Who
The Byrds
Soft Machine
The Beatles
Cream
The Band(still known as The Hawks at that time)
Plenty more but that's all I can think of right now.
-
...and if that pretty green Agile bass were available lefty, I'd have one of those too.
-
To me, it's still a bass. No less a bass than those multi-string long scales that extend into the guitar range.
IIRC, I Feel Free and others from Fresh Cream were recorded on Jack Bruce's Bass VI.
-
It has thick strings. ;D
:thumbsup:
-
It has thick strings. ;D
Aha! I had a feeling that the answer would be scientific in nature.
-
I'll play. Having owned several 6-string basses since 1990(and with another on the way) I should be able to answer your question. It is a short-scale(30") bass with 2 extra strings above the normal 4. String manufacturer's set guages vary but they are usually lighter guage than standard short-scale strings. I usually use a .95 low E string on my 6s. Due to the close string spacing they are usually, but certainly not always, played with a pick.
The 6-string bass was introduced in the 50s by Danelectro. Leo Fender saw the Dano and came up with the Fender VI. Several other companies produced 6-string basses including Hagstrom, Rickenbacker, Epiphone, and Gibson.
They were popular in the Country music at the time, used to double the stand-up bass part on recordings, to accentuate the bass part on car radios.
Just off the top of my head here's a few folks known to have used a 6-string bass:
The Hollies
The Who
The Byrds
Soft Machine
The Beatles
Cream
The Band(still known as The Hawks at that time)
Plenty more but that's all I can think of right now.
Mike Rutherford played a Micro-Frets 6-string bass on "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" and later owned a Shergold Marathon 6-string. Other Shergold 6-string players were Clive Mitten of Twelfth Night and of course Peter Hook of New Order.
Was Rickenbacker 4005/6 a short scale or the standard Rickenbacker 33"-and-something?
Here's my Aria SB700 6-string, tuned E-E with 90-70-50-30-25-20 strings. It has two guitar pickups and a bass pickup (from a Waterstone TP-2) with it's own output. Plays and sounds great and is of course with a 34" scale wich allows to use thin strings without being too floppy.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4322198/IMG_2492.JPG)
It used to be a 9-string (eeE-aaA-ddD), that's why there's too many tuners.:)