John Lennon and Fender VI

The list of 6-string players include The Beatles (both John and George were pictured playing one), Peter Hook, Robert Smith of The Cure and Jack Bruce in Cream. Do you see a pattern, there? They were either guitarists, or very melodic bass players who played bass more like a lead instrument than “just” part of the rhythm section.

Peter Hook and his Shergold bass with Joy Division

4-String vs. 6-String Bass… Who Wins?

Though 4-string basses are the most commonly used by bassists of any style, there’s an argument for the benefits of owning a 6-string bass. 

The 6-String bass wasn’t invented as a gimmick or to make things more complicated – in fact, it can make playing even easier!

Firstly, it’s not more difficult to play than a 4-string bass – because you can play just the same, but the two extra strings actually make it easier for the bassist to hit higher notes without moving too far down the fretboard – which some players might prefer.

Also, it’s worth considering that while a 4-string bass is tuned EADG, a 6-string bass is tuned EADGBE – just like a guitar, in other words. So, while you can still play songs the same way you’d play using a 4-string bass, because you’ll have 4 strings tuned the same, you can also play chords just like a guitar thanks to the extra two strings, which can be very interesting.

The only issue about 6-string bass is the string spacing. In some models, which have narrower necks more like a guitar, the strings are closer to each other than on your average 4-string bass, which means bassists used to a 4-string bass might sometimes find it harder to adapt. On the other hand, if you choose a 6-string as your first bass or if you started playing guitar, then you’ll no doubt feel comfortable with a six-string bass.

Watch: Cream, ‘Strange Brew’

6-String Bass vs. Baritone Guitar

It’s important not to confuse 6-string basses with Baritone guitars. Some may think they’re similar, but the results are very different – a baritone guitar can sound deeper than a normal guitar, because it’s tuned lower, but it’s still unmistakably a guitar.

Whereas a 6-string bass might look like a baritone sometimes – but it has thicker bass strings and sounds, obviously, bassier than a baritone.

Having said that – guitarists used to baritone guitars might be pleasantly surprised to find that a 6-string bass is a great alternative to use, whenever they want something “meatier”.

Watch: Eastwood TB-64 review

Eastwood TB64 Teisco Tribute

One of the hottest 6-string basses right now is, without a doubt, the Eastwood TDR-Series TB-64 bass. This model is a tribute to a very rare Teisco model, as used by Kazu Makino from New York’s Blonde Redhead.

Kazu from Blonde Redhead

Alongside the Sidejack Bass VI and the Squier/ Fender Bass VI, the TB-64 is one of the few six-string basses suitable for indie/ alternative/ classic rock – well, at least in terms of looks!

In fact, there are other types of 6-string basses by brands such as Warwick, who makes the Corvette bass. This type of 6-string bass has much wider neck to allow for bigger string spacing, like that of a regular 4-string. 

Warwick 6-string bass

It’s never a great idea to generalise, but it’s probably true you won’t find many players in rock bands playing a bass like that. This kind of bass is great for jazz players and slap bass, for instance.

But whatever your style – maybe it’s time you considered a 6-string bass. After all, why limit yourself?

Why Play 6-String Bass Guitar? from MyRareGuitars.com

Eastwood Flying BV bass in black or natural

Flying V guitars have always been very niche, and not a huge amount of famous players have favoured them over the years, when compared to other, more usual models – for this reason, perhaps, there’s still an air of novelty when anyone is faced with a “V-shaped” guitar. And if the list of players who’ve used “V” guitars isn’t massive, it’s certainly impressive: Jimi Hendrix, Dave Davies (The Kinks), Albert Lee, Lennie Kravitz, Lonnie Mack, Michael Schenker, Noel Gallagher and John Entwistle included.

Some (most?) players won’t own or wish to own a V-guitar. It’s often seen as a bit “too much”. But… and this is a big “but”, those who do like a Flying-V shaped guitar don’t just “like” it, they really love it! Maybe this explains the recent success of the latest Eastwood Custom Shop projects, the Flying TV Tenor guitar, and the Flying BV bass. The former reached it’s 100% target in under a week and is on the way of at least doubling it, whereas the latter is on its way to repeat that same level of success.

Eastwood Custom Flying TV tenor guitar

Maybe we shouldn’t be too surprised: after all, a Flying-V bass or a Flying-V tenor guitar are not something you see everyday! Both projects are still crowdfunding at the time of writing, so if you want to guarantee yours, make sure to leave a deposit soon: crowdfunding ends May 11 for the Flying TV, and June 1 for the Flying BV.

Flying High: New Eastwood “Flying V” Bass & Tenor Guitar! from MyRareGuitars.com

The Happy Guitarist

We ship a lot of guitars every month, all over the world. Rarely if ever do we get to meet our customers face to face, but fortunately, some take the time to write. It makes everyone’s day when those letters/emails come back to Eastwood HQ. Here are a few from the past couple of months.

Eastwood Sidejack Baritone Guitar (Black Finish, Left-Handed)

“My leftie baritone Eastwood arrived today! It is gorgeous and the sound right out of the case is astonishing. I’ve been dreaming about this for quite awhile and all my expectations and more were delivered! You deliver dreams. Thank you so much. Keep us lefties in mind. Rarely anyone does these days and your consideration deserves a secret handshake!” – James Spina

Eastwood Classic 12-String Guitar (Walnut Finish)

“LOVE this guitar! It’s an extremely versatile 12 string, ranging from a total acoustic sound to the 60’s Beatle/Byrds/Tom Petty sound. I use a Janglebox effects box with it and it chimes! Also, the action’s great on it. It’s easy to barre chords, and do fast runs that are more difficult with other 12 strings. This guitar makes me sound like a better player than I really am! I own a Danelectro 12 string, but the Classic 12 has a much fuller sound being it’s a hollow body. I’m very happy!” – William Evans

“Guitar looks beautiful and plays like a dream. Excellent craftsmanship and bang for the buck. A great instrument!” – Robert Porembski

Eastwood Stormbird Bass Guitar (Metallic Blue Finish)

“What a very impressive example of this old gibson bass guitar design. This is my first experience with eastwood guitar. I am very happy with this bass and I am looking forward to owning it for years to come. Thank You very much for creating this trully killer bass guitar.” – Jon David Lippens

Eastwood EEB-1 Bass Guitar (Black Finish)

“The bass is fantastic and belies it price, excellent setup really helped show the bass in it’s best light. I just wanted to tell you how pleased I am with the bass and the whole experience. Much of my purchasing is completed on line (I live out of town by a beach) and so it is always a little worrying spending money with people I don’t know, but you made it easy and have really delivered with your product and its price.” – Paul West

Airline ’59 Custom 3P Guitar (G Love Signature Model)

“Thanks for the speedy delivery of my new Airline ’59 custom 3p G Love Signature. Wow what a cool guitar! The neck is perfect, very well intonation and low action. Really easy to play.” – Martin Hammare (Sweden)

Airline Tuxedo Guitar (Black Finish)

“I know I sound like a broken record but just wanted to say Tuxedo is beautiful and kicks you know what sound wise. Just spent the afternoon going from sweet clean sounding country blues to chest thumping boogie on overdriven sound. Construction is flawless. I salute your quality control which is sadly lacking in some of the top US made guitars.” – Michael Cefola.

Eastwood Mandocaster (Sunburst Finish, Left-Handed)

“Just wanted to let you know that I received the Mandocaster just now and am having a hard time getting back to work.I don’t want to stop playing it. Whoever does the setup on these instruments deserves a raise.Very low action,no buzz,intonation is spot on.Very nice quality instrument. It was just what I was looking for and I love the case it came in.Thanks for helping out us leftys.I will spread the word.” – Chris Thomas

Eastwood Warren Ellis Signature Tenor Guitar (Vintage Cream Finish)

“Just received my new W.E. Tenor and am compelled to write.When I was a kid I wanted to play the tenor banjo, ya know, Eddy Peabody, Dixeyland and all that stuff so my mom got me a little wonder tenor banjo, lessons and the rest is unfortunate history until this week. When I got into my late teens and early 20s and playin with other guys, Oh how I wished I had asked to play the 6 string guitar. Now having 3 sons, 2 of which are musicians, there are many trips to the music store. Ah yes, literally hundreds of guitars hanging on the walls and nothing for me. NOTHING! Until now. This jewel from it’s wider neck to the length of the scale is the nearest thing to tenor guitar perfection that I have held in my 61 years. And yes, I chose the vintage cream. Just beautiful. Not even my Martin 018-Ts really play in tune all that well. It seemed like all the other electric tenor attempts were really converted 6 string formats. Guild, Gibson, Harmony, etc. Not anymore. You guys have nailed this and I love it. Not only is it beautiful, but it feels great, plays in tune and finally a real electric guitar for ME! Will definitely be sharing with my other Goofball tenor playing friends. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Sincerely,” – Stephen De

Airline ’59 Custom 3P Guitar (White Finish)

“I just unwrapped the ’59 Airline 3p last week. It’s like love with a new woman. I was knocked out by the comfort and playability. The design is not just radical. It’s real. In forty years I’ve never played an axe that has it all. Sound, versatility, smooth action, and best of all — It’s a total knockout! I have 5 guitars. No junk. I own a Guild Nightbird; a ’64 Telecaster; a Danelectro Baritone, and a classic Gibson Les Paul Double Cutaway. In the ’60’s I got a Gretsch Country Gentleman w/Bigsby. The Airline does everything I was doing by changing out gear onstage. The unlimited sound settings of separate tone/volume knobs for each of the three pickups makes the sonics unmatched. I thought the Vintage voice single coil pickups might be limiting, but they create a foundation of graphics that unwraps into a full array of effects. I’ve heard a nasty lipturned overdrive snarl, a smooth womanly warmth, and a fully honed razor edge knife cut lead. This guitar whips the air unleashing slashes of sound when needed, or fills the background completely by expansive rhythm tones. The Bigsby gives the freedom of surf sounds, or bluesy bends with a wrist flick. Maybe it exists, but in forty years of professional playing, I’ve never seen a more powerful, responsive, eye-grabbing instrument. I can’t thank you enough. This will be my last guitar.” – Greyson Dyne

Happy Customers Check in with Eastwood HQ from MyRareGuitars.com

New 34" Scale Electric Bass Models from Eastwood Guitars & Airline Guitars

What is the downside to the short scale bass?

1. Shorter strings have less tension, and therefore the tone tends to sounds tubbier or even muddy, and with far less sustain. Not a bad thing for many 60’s style applications, but does not give you a huge, booming tone.
2. Longer scale basses have more overtones, clarity and punch.
3. 30-inch scale feels noticeably short or awkward to a P-bass player and may be tough to make the adjustment.

Although I still feel every bass players needs a short scale bass in their arsenal, I too feel that Eastwood should have more 34″ scale options for our customers. In fact, we have had many customers over the years asking us to reach out to the 34″ crowd. So that time has come and we are now introducing 3 new Bass models this summer:

• The Hurricane ($429)
• The Stormbird ($469)
• The 34″ Airline Map ($879)

Enjoy!

Order before June 30th and we will throw in a $99 hardshell case for FREE.

New Eastwood & Airline Electric Bass Models – Moving Upscale from MyRareGuitars.com

Eastwood Sidejack Bass VI Guitar (Vintage Cream)

All orders in the month of August will receive a free Green Room gigbag (value $29).

Three things make the Bass VI better than anything else on the market,

1. The tremolo makes for a much more versatile instrument
2. The P-90 pickups allow for a much brighter tone, most competitors use humbuckers and have a muddy tone
3. The price. This is a solid gig-worthy workhorse of an instrument at an unbeatable price.

Here are a couple of demos showing the versatility of the Bass VI:

New Sidejack Bass VI from Eastwood Guitars! from MyRareGuitars.com

Eastwood Magnum Electric Bass Guitar (Sunburst)

New Eastwood Bass Model coming next month! Here is a sneak peak at the new Eastwood MAGNUM Bass, the first 34″ scale BASS from Eastwood in many years. A tribute to the 1970’s Ovation Magnum Bass which features:

• Model: Eastwood Magnum Bass Guitar
• Colors: Sunburst, Natural
• Body: Mahogany
• Neck: Bolt-on Maple
• Fingerboard: Rosewood, Dot Markers
• Scale Length: 34″
• Width at Nut: 1 1/2″
• Pickups: Neck Humbucker, bridge Single Coil
• Switching: 3-Way
• Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone
• Bridge: Fender Style Adjustable, Rear String Mount
• Hardware: Gotoh Nickel/Chrome
• Strings: #45-#100
• Case: extra
• Unique Features: Wide Tonal Palette
• Suggested Retail: $759.00 US
• Availability: Early February 2011
• Street Price: $579

Eastwood Magnum Electric Bass Guitar (Sunburst)

Eastwood Magnum Bass Guitar Coming Soon! from MyRareGuitars.com