Bass VI v's Shergold Modulator 6

[shadowplay]

I recently had the good fortune to be given a 67 bass VI for an extended loan.  I borrowed it ostensibly as the mastering of my album had been slightly delayed and I thought I might replace some of the tracks I recorded with my Shergold Modulator 6 String bass (with  recording module 5).  I have to say that I had long wanted a Bass VI but that I found myself mildly dissapointed with it in comparison to the Shergold.  Is this blasphemy?

Now guitar wise I can't see any futher than a Jazzmaster and Jaguar, to me they are the pinnacle and they are all I use for recording other than a smattering of Surfcaster 12.  But I was both gutted and yet secretly pleased that the Bass VI could only really trump my Shergold in looks (quazimodo in guitar form), weight (quazimodo in guitar form), narrower fingerboard which I liked and having a vibrato (no big deal as I have a Whammy pedal).  Other than that the Shergold can do pretty much all the sounds the Bass VI can but plenty it can't (especially sort of round synth tones and true bass tones).  The Bass VI has the edge on Vinny Bell twang though.

I guess that after years cursing US residents close proximity to reasonably priced vintage Fenders I have at last found a sort of payback.

I have tried a few 30 scale sixes and my Shergold blew them away but this was a huge surprise.  Despite my Nick my playing is certainly closer to bass vi players like Robin Guthrie than Peter Hook.

[eggwheat]

No its cool you prefer the shergold...I have to say Ive never played one..I always liked the sound hooky gets out of it though. As a seasoned  (old hehe) VI user and as Ive said many times before..i really do prefer the sound of the heavy ash bodied mid 70's VI's for the high bell like tones..however if i were to use one as a bass I would go for a '63 or even better a three switch 62.

[shadowplay]

Yes an early one might be a different story.  I should also say that the Fender maybe sounds better acoustically so the pickups might be the difference.  But since the Shergold cost Squier money it's a great alternative if you can find one.

[dain]

oh man, this is great.  i've been waiting for these reviews.  first off, PICS!  what does the recording module feature?  balanced output or something? also the shergold neck is wider right?  how much wider and is it wide even at the nut?  lastly...PICS!

also i'd love some pics of the surfcaster XII, i've always wanted one of those.  how are the pickups in that baby?

pics pics please!
sorry to be so demanding! 

[shadowplay]

I'll get some pics up as soon as there's some light, maybe do a beauty and the beast with the VI before I have to give it back.

My modulator has the Recording module.  Which has- phase switching, coil tapping and volume and tone for each pickup.  It might have something else as even the plain vanilla sounds sound slightly different than the basic module one that came with it.

The neck is similar in width to a jazz bass, has an oh so 70's brass nut and a real beardie session guy vibe.  I bought it a pretty long time ago and almost considered it a thing of shame as everyone I knew was obsessed by it's hideousness.  Nowadays I couldn't care less how a guitar looks only the sound.  My mate mike has a Marathon which is a bit more growly and better looking in the way that Harpo Marx is more hansome than Gene Wilder-  i.e not much    Maybe the best description I can give is to compare it to a 70's mercedes-benz; bluff, over engineered, uncomprimising, built to last and designed not styled.

Mine''s white but here's a black pic taken from http://www.shergold.co.uk/



The 1st gen ( black with lovely tarty pearl  )  surfcaster is a pretty decent guitar, maybe not as nice as a fender XII  but good value and tidily made compared to many Japanese guitars.  It has a stupid shallow shredder neck, which is more of an issue on the six string and is quite headstock heavy but is a good thing in general.  The pickups are fine, more powerful than Danelectro ones and in anycase I think lowish output is the way to go for 12's.  The pots are push pull for out of phase.  Oh and despite the Rick style headstock it's strung fender style

[mezcalhead]

Very cool. I've been searching for a Modulator 12 ever since I can remember.

[dain]

yea, shergold's are really funny with the whole popularity thing... they seem to have been overlooked (especially in the US where they are impossible to find) despite the awesome list of players.  off the top of my head:
the sundays  (this is the one that really sold it for me, but i guess he used a hayden?sp)
the church
joy division/new order
spacemen 3

IMHO pretty much a whos who of awesomeness, plus the whole plug in your sound thing rivals only the vox stuff for nerdy button pushing!

those surfcasters are weird. i know the guy who invented them and he had quite a time convincing charvel to step away from the superstrats...

[chase]

Don't be ashamed of the Shergold's looks! It may be plain and utilitarian, but it's far from ugly, and it's a great guitar with no real equivalent elsewhere.

The difference in sound between Module 5 and Module 1 might be down to pot resistances and capacitor values, resulting in a different treble response. Some Shergold owners have added a bypass switch to get a brighter sound, since a lot of Shergolds use 100K pots.

How useful do you find the phase switching on the Mod? I have a Marathon 6 I modded for series/parallel/split switching (original was parallel/split/parallel-out-of-phase). I also left off the caps on the parallel mode and used a 250k tone pot, so mine's a bit brighter than stock, too. I'd heard so many people dismiss the phased-parallel mode that I didn't even bother trying it.

I do recommend the series mode (strangely lacking on the original) for a really deep bass sound, and changing pots/caps might get you more twang (that's a pretty common mod).

And do you find the neck pickup useful? I don't mind the single pickup on mine, as I find myself sticking to the bridge pickup on my other instruments in that range, so I doubt I'd use it anyway, just curious.

Very interesting to hear your Bass VI-Modulator comparison (any sound samples?). I haven't played a Bass VI, but I have a Hellcat which until recently I was playing a lot more -  the neck is flatter and slightly wider than the Fender, so it's easier to get around on, and it's even lighter than the Fender - but I've been getting into the Marathon a lot more lately as I get used to the neck and the weight. I like the Marathon pickup a lot better, so now I'm planning on replacing the electronics on the Hellcat.

BTW, you may have paid Squier money for yours way back when, but the Shergold 6-string basses are much pricier these days - not as inflated as a Bass VI, but much harder to find - especially for those of us in the States.

[chase]

Oh, and by the way, for dain:

I believe the Bass VI is 1 1/2" at the nut. The Hellcat is 1 5/8" at the nut, the Shergold is 1 7/8". The difference is more apparent at the bridge (2" E-to-e vs more than 2 1/2") - the Shergold does spread out more. Both have pretty flat fretboards. I find the Hellcat a bit too tight at times, whereas I have to stretch my left hand a little more than I'd like on the Shergold. Both necks are really good though. Since the string spacing on the Fender is tighter (and the fretboard radius lower) I suspect I wouldn't find the neck very comfortable.

[eggwheat]

the nut width(f'nah) thread http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vie ... 991#p40991

I was recording my 70's Bass VI on a track just 5 mins ago...jezuz it's sounds so fucking good man...

[scottme]

Very cool. I've been searching for a Modulator 12 ever since I can remember.

You mean like mine?





I love it. Super strong pickups, and plays really well with a cappo.

[mezcalhead]

Yes, and it's the right colour too .. we discussed it a while back IIRC so I already hate you for it.

[shadowplay]

Don't be ashamed of the Shergold's looks! It may be plain and utilitarian, but it's far from ugly, and it's a great guitar with no real equivalent elsewhere.

The difference in sound between Module 5 and Module 1 might be down to pot resistances and capacitor values, resulting in a different treble response. Some Shergold owners have added a bypass switch to get a brighter sound, since a lot of Shergolds use 100K pots.

How useful do you find the phase switching on the Mod? I have a Marathon 6 I modded for series/parallel/split switching (original was parallel/split/parallel-out-of-phase). I also left off the caps on the parallel mode and used a 250k tone pot, so mine's a bit brighter than stock, too. I'd heard so many people dismiss the phased-parallel mode that I didn't even bother trying it.

I do recommend the series mode (strangely lacking on the original) for a really deep bass sound, and changing pots/caps might get you more twang (that's a pretty common mod).

And do you find the neck pickup useful? I don't mind the single pickup on mine, as I find myself sticking to the bridge pickup on my other instruments in that range, so I doubt I'd use it anyway, just curious.

Very interesting to hear your Bass VI-Modulator comparison (any sound samples?). I haven't played a Bass VI, but I have a Hellcat which until recently I was playing a lot more -  the neck is flatter and slightly wider than the Fender, so it's easier to get around on, and it's even lighter than the Fender - but I've been getting into the Marathon a lot more lately as I get used to the neck and the weight. I like the Marathon pickup a lot better, so now I'm planning on replacing the electronics on the Hellcat.

BTW, you may have paid Squier money for yours way back when, but the Shergold 6-string basses are much pricier these days - not as inflated as a Bass VI, but much harder to find - especially for those of us in the States.

I really like the out of phase sound it's quite spooky, sure it's slighly weak but in a good way. 

I'd heard so many people dismiss the phased-parallel mode that I didn't even bother trying it.

I don't tend to take much notice about received opinion and operate on a strict no rules, no right and wrong. (see my rant here which is slighly relevant) http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vie ... 55#p150155  I never thought about modding it, it came with two modules and in classic cold war style I just assumed seven knobs beat 3.

I might be unusual on the board but i'm 40 and I play a Jazzmaster and Jag because they were a cheap guitars in 86', I actually wanted a Gretsch at the time  .  I did realise that i'd made a good decision later though.  Sold my jag ten years ago, then bought an avri but I recently agreed to buy it back.

In my post I wasn't saying the bass VI sounded bad (and in any case I can only comment what sounds good to me in the context of a song), I was merely expressing my surprise that the guitar I always considered a substitute was actually the bass VI's equal, though being designed 15 years later it should be.  I slightly regret not buying one years ago when they were cheaper but I went though a period of many years where I didn't play much due to work and dissillusionment with my taste being out of step with much music and because musically I don't tend to play nice with other kids.  It's really only in the past year, when I started dating a much younger and less cynical girl who could sing and slowly got back into it, culminating in a friend passing a cd of my stuff to a label who expressed an interest in releasing stuff (Snow Whites World).  So i'm currently frantically trying to get up to speed with a Boss RC50 looper to fill in the blanks for live and teach my Gf's friend to play bass to a level where she can play the songs (not a very high level  ).

I was sort of joking on the Shergolds Ugliness I actually think the whole 'non-designed'  ugly logo, olde tea shoppe font etc is quite endearing.

As for samples they would have to be in context of a song, i'm currently laid low after a car accident but i'll see what I have when I'm better- maybe midweek.  I didn't really get any further than messing about and since i'd been given a few extra weeks before mastering I was dicking around with finished stuff in way that was probably unwise.

[tremolite]

I'm still kicking myself for passing on a Modulator 12 a few years ago. It wasn't even the first time I'd passed on one... saw a few over the years at Elderly in Lansing, MI. I've always liked them better than XII's in the playability department.