The Fender Bass VI was released in 1961 to compete with the popular Danelectro UB2, which had come out five years earlier.

The one we use is a "partscaster," an instrument made of original factory parts: a 1962 neck, early 1970s Seth Lover pickups, and a 1975 body.

"Partscasters" are a way to get the build quality and the sound of vintage Fenders at a fraction of the stratospheric price of the original instruments, but they require patience and access to a good repairperson / luthier.

Since it is a 30-inch scale instrument, it can either be tuned in Bass VI tuning (octave down from a regular guitar) or, as we do, in a baritone tuning using lighter gauge strings.