2005 Fender® Masterbuilt LEFTY Bass VI Sunburst, Near Mint, Original Hard, $4,995.00

For Sale: Left Handed 2005 Custom Shop Fender Bass VI, Masterbuilt by Chris Fleming, 100% Original with OHSC and COA.

This is a special-order factory Left Handed Fender Bass VI from 3/9/05, Masterbuilt by Chris Fleming in the Fender Custom Shop. The guitar is in Near Mint Condition with just a few light scratches that you can only see in the proper light.

The Bass VI has less than 1 hour of play time, and actually closer to 15 minutes. There is no fret wear. The plastic is still on the pickguard. This is as close to a new Masterbuilt Lefty Bass VI that you will find!

Background:

The Fender VI was released in 1961 and followed the concept of the Danelectro six-string bass released in 1956, having six strings tuned E to E, an octave below the Spanish guitar.

The Bass VI was closely related to the Fender Jaguar, with which it shared styling and technical details, notably the Fender floating tremolo. The VI had an offset body similar but not identical to that of the Jazzmaster/Jaguar.

It departed from the concept of the Fender Precision Bass in having six strings, a shorter scale and thinner strings, and a mechanical vibrato arm. The Bass VI never caught on to the extent that the four-string Precision Bass and its derivatives did. The model was discontinued in 1975.

Specs:

Like other Fenders of the time, the Fender VI had a 7.25-inch fingerboard radius. The Fender VI, along with the Jaguar, the Jazzmaster and the Electric XII, was given a bound fretboard with rectangular block inlays in 1967, followed by a thicker black CBS-style headstock decal and polyester finishes instead of nitrocellulose lacquer in 1968.

-Solid body (alder) fretted electric bass guitar, six strings in six courses tuned E-A-D-G-B-E an octave below the standard guitar tuning.
-Scale length 30" / 762 mm (as opposed to 34" / 864 mm for the Jazz and Precision basses) for the U.S. versions, 30.3" for the Japanese versions.
-Curved fingerboard (rosewood), radius 7.25" / 184 mm, 21 frets
-Standard strings .095 .075 .055 .045 .035 .025 inches
-Fender floating tremolo arm

Electronics:

The original issue Bass VI had three Stratocaster-style single coil pickups (although the internal construction was more similar to the Telecaster's bridge pickup with its metal base and mounting screws), which were mounted in special chrome rings and were controlled by a panel of three on/off slider switches rather than the conventional three-position switch.

When the Fender Jaguar was released in 1962, it used the Jazzmaster body with its unusual lead/rhythm electrics and the floating tremolo, but with a short scale-length neck, the Bass VI switch panel and two unique "toothed" pickups. With only two pickups to control, on the Jaguar the third slider switch served as a bass cut (also known as "strangle") switch.

In 1963, the Bass VI electronics were revised to incorporate some features from the Jaguar, with the adoption of toothed pickups and the addition of a fourth slider switch to provide bass-cut. This remained the setup of the Bass VI throughout its remaining 12 years of continuous production.

Electronics mentioned above were all passive electronics.

-Three pickup on/off slider switches.
-Tone control slider switch (bass cut-off, or "strangle") (not on very early models).
-Volume control potentiometer.
-Tone control (treble cut-off) potentiometer.

Recent Trend:

In recent years the Bass VI has made a huge comeback. Players like Robert Smith of the Cure have done a lot to keep it in the public eye, and the recent surge of interest in extended range instruments has also done much to bolster its reputation.

Includes OHSC, COA, trem arm, strap, and Accessories Bag(polish cloth, cable, owner’s manual, sticker). This is a Very Rare find!