Fender Vintera II Bass VI Review

It might be my first time with a Bass VI, but like the other Fender Vintera models, I’m impressed.

This year has been the first time I’ve really ventured into extended range instruments. Earlier this year, I had a killer experience with a Pure Salem Urge guitar on UG, and now I’ve been lucky enough to get my hands on something else. This is the new Fender Vintera II Bass VI. It’s part bass, part guitar.

It may have six strings that are all tuned to E to E like a guitar, but it’s a bass for sure. The strings are close together, so it feels very comfortable and familiar to a guitarist like myself. But with a 30″ scale length and thick gauge strings, you find yourself in uncharted waters with a Bass VI.

You’ll notice three single coil pickups, almost Jaguar-like, and four switches. These switch each pickup on or off, and the fourth is bass boost of sorts. It’s not a complex instrument by any means, but it is undeniably quirky.

Here’s the demo, where I plug the Bass VI into my Ruby and Dream amp sims from Universal Audio and run it through some pedals. Namely, you’ll hear the Heather Brown Spirit In The Sky, EHX Memory Man Deluxe Nano, and Shotmaker Instruments Heroine.

This is an unmistakably fun guitar, and most importantly, the QA/QC from Fender seems to be back on track. Not only did this guitar show up in brilliant shape, but I’ve heard generally great things about other Vintera II products to date.

The Vintera II Bass VI is sonically special. It’s not quite a baritone, but not quite a bass, and playing bass chords is supremely easier than normal. I can see why Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 often used this to double his bass parts on their untitled album. The Bass VI fills in a unique space, and sort of blends in with the guitar and bass parts around it. It’s hard to explain, but it adds an overall depth that is hard to get from either instrument.

If you’re stuck in a rut or missing something on a recording, this is a great weapon to have around. It forces you to think outside the box, because if you’re a guitarist, the chords and pentatonic patterns aren’t quite as easy to fall back on. Likewise for bassists, there’s a lot more melodic potential from the extra strings, and having them physically closer together invites more upstrokes and picking patterns.

On this Bass VI, the fretwork and neck was outstanding. Vintera series stuff always has that slightly worn in vibe, as they obviously are leaning into classic vintage Fender here. And they seemed to have nailed it on this one.

• If you want a more detailed review, head over to my Ultimate-Guitar article!
• Wanna buy one? Please use my Sweetwater affiliate link!
• Otherwise, come talk trash on Instagram or Facebook you losers