Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI
Greg Kocis The Pawn Shop Bass VI
The Pawn Shop Bass VI was introduced in 2013 as a modern reinterpretation of Fender’s unusual Bass VI, which Fender originally produced from 1961 through 1975. Fender itself describes the Pawn Shop model as the “revamped return” of the historic Bass VI.
Unlike a conventional electric bass, the Bass VI occupies an interesting space between guitar and bass. It uses a 30-inch scale and is normally tuned E–E, one octave below standard guitar tuning. This gives it the low register of a bass while retaining a more guitar-like playing feel.
The Pawn Shop version retained the basic concept but substantially modernized the electronics. It featured:
- 30-inch scale length
- 21 medium-jumbo frets
- Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard
- Special Design Hot Jaguar single-coil pickups in the neck and middle positions
- JZHB humbucking pickup in the bridge position
- Five-way pickup selector
- Master volume and master tone
- Six-saddle bridge
- Floating tremolo tailpiece
- Vintage-style tuners
The combination of two Jaguar-style single coils and a humbucker was a major departure from the electronics of the original Bass VI. Rather than reproducing the vintage switching arrangement, Fender gave the Pawn Shop model a more familiar five-way Stratocaster-style pickup selector.
It was offered in 3-Color Sunburst, Black, and Candy Apple Red. Fender’s 2013 price list listed the model with an MSRP of $1,079.99.
When was it discontinued?
The Pawn Shop Bass VI was discontinued in 2014, making its production run relatively short—roughly 2013–2014. Fender subsequently continued to revisit the Bass VI concept through other instruments, including the Squier Vintage Modified Bass VI introduced in 2013 and, much later, the Fender Vintera II ’60s Bass VI.
And that’s actually part of what makes the Pawn Shop version interesting historically: it wasn’t simply a reissue of the Bass VI. It was Fender taking a fairly obscure vintage instrument and applying the whole Pawn Shop philosophy to it—essentially asking, “What would a Bass VI look and sound like if Fender hot-rodded it?”
My Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI
In 2013, I bought a Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI. I had always been interested in unusual instruments, and the Bass VI was definitely something different from the typical bass guitar. Its combination of a longer guitar-like neck, low tuning, multiple pickups, and tremolo made it a lot of fun to experiment with.
I enjoyed owning it and using it, particularly because it could produce sounds that I couldn’t easily get from a conventional guitar or bass. It was one of those instruments that encouraged experimentation simply because it didn’t behave exactly like anything else in my collection.
I eventually sold the Bass VI several years later. Although I no longer own it, I have good memories of the instrument and am glad I had the opportunity to own one. It was a fun and unusual Fender that I enjoyed having around, even if it ultimately wasn’t something I needed to keep permanently.
Modifications
During the time I owned the Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI, I made a modification to address a problem I encountered with the original bridge.
Staytrem Bridge: The stock bridge did not provide enough adjustment range for me to get the intonation properly set across all six strings. Rather than continue fighting with the original bridge, I replaced it with a Staytrem Bass VI bridge. The Staytrem features a wider baseplate specifically designed to provide greater intonation adjustment, along with solid barrel saddles that allow the saddles to move farther for precise intonation.
The replacement made a noticeable difference in setting up the Bass VI and solved the intonation problem I had experienced with the original bridge. It was a relatively straightforward upgrade, as the Staytrem bridge is designed to drop directly into the existing mounting cups on compatible instruments.
This was the primary modification I made to my Pawn Shop Bass VI and one of the most worthwhile upgrades during the time I owned it.
