Fender’s 6-string Bass in All Its Vintage-correct Glory
The Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Bass VI Journeyman Relic is a vintage-accurate tribute to one of the most distinctive instruments in the vintage Fender catalog, championed by artists ranging from Cream to the Cure. This 6-string bass/guitar hybrid starts with a lightweight offset 2-piece select alder body, loaded with a trio of Custom Shop Vintage Jaguar pickups — bright and snappy single-coil pickups that counterbalance the Bass VI’s natural depth with a touch of articulation. A robust shaft of quarter-sawn maple in a ’60s oval “C” profile is sure to please bassists and guitarists who prefer a substantial feel in their palm while sliding across the 7.25-inch-radius round-lam rosewood fingerboard and 21 medium vintage frets. Finally, the Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Bass VI Journeyman Relic sports a Jazzmaster/Jaguar-style floating tremolo and bridge system, supplying expressive pitch-bending capabilities rarely found on bass guitars.
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The halfway point between bass and guitar
For as idiosyncratic as the Bass VI’s design is, it’s an exceptionally versatile instrument that’s equally attractive to both bassists and guitarists. A 30-inch scale length meets in the middle of Fender’s standard guitar (25.5-inch) and bass (34-inch) scale lengths, allowing for an E-E tuning that sits exactly one octave below the guitar. This allows both guitarists and bassists to translate their fretboard knowledge onto the Bass VI with little to no learning curve — a fact that Fender was keenly aware of, as the Bass VI is widely believed to have been designed to enable guitarists to serve double duty on both guitar and bass in the studio.
’60s Oval “C” profile neck
There’s a reason why the “C” profile neck has served as the standard Fender neck shape for decades — it’s simply a great middle-ground neck style that all types of players have come to love. That being said, the “C” has quite a few minor variations, and if you’re a player that likes a slightly chunkier neck, you’ll love the Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Bass VI Journeyman Relic’s ’60s Oval “C” profile. This profile offers all the comfort of a standard “C,” but with a greater heft to better fill your hand. Plus, this vintage-style neck is outfitted with a variety of old-school appointments: 21 medium-vintage frets in a vintage-correct 7.25-inch radius make navigating the Limited-edition Bass VI Journeyman Relic’s long 30-inch scale a breeze.
An assortment of period-correct accouterments
The Limited-edition Bass VI Journeyman Relic was crafted by the Fender Custom Shop to perfectly reflect a true vintage Bass VI, with all the distinctive accouterments that the vintage-correct design entails. From the bass-cutting strangle switch to the flip-up foam mute system, the Limited-edition Bass VI Journeyman Relic captures every little vintage-correct detail of an early-era Bass VI. However, both Sweetwater’s guitarists and bassists agree that one element takes the cake: the floating tremolo system. Frankly, it’s an extraordinarily rare feature for any bass to have, although one sway of the Limited-edition Bass VI Journeyman Relic’s highly expressive floating tremolo will have you questioning why it’s not standard issue on all basses!
Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Bass VI Journeyman Relic Features:
- Hybrid 6-string bass/guitar design with a 30-inch scale length and an E-E tuning one octave below the guitar
- Perfect for guitarists looking to cover bass duties or bassists looking to expand their sonic range
- Highly resonant 2-piece select alder body
- Quarter-sawn maple neck carved into a chunky ’60s Oval “C” profile
- Round-lam rosewood fingerboard loaded with 21 medium-vintage frets in a vintage-correct 7.25-inch radius
- 3 Fender Custom Shop Vintage Jaguar pickups with a versatile per-pickup switching system produce everything from traditional Fender bass sounds to treble-biased grit and growl
- Strangle switch cuts your bass frequencies for a more focused and cutting tone
- Flip-up mute system reduces sustain and allows you to cop warm and relaxed ’60s-style thump
- Floating tremolo system adds a touch of shimmer and movement to your playing
- Nitrocellulose Journeyman Relic finish for a friendly, worn-in feel
- Classic vintage-style Fender machine heads make string changes a breeze and prevent any extra string from poking out of the tuner
