NGD or NBD?

John Larson · Post by **John Larson** » 14 Dec 2021 12:22 pm

Is it new guitar day or new bass day?
Yes

Very cool addition to the guitar arsenal.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 14 Dec 2021 2:52 pm

...so Bass VI? Octave down?

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 14 Dec 2021 4:57 pm

Mucho coolioso!

John Larson · Post by **John Larson** » 14 Dec 2021 5:18 pm

Jerry Overstreet wrote:...so Bass VI? Octave down?

Yes, tuned identical to a standard spanish style guitar E to e but one octave down. 30" scale length. It has the string spacing of a guitar, feels like a guitar but sounds like a bass. Capo the 7th fret and it's a baritone guitar. The Bass VI was the secret studio weapon of many old nashville recordings to double the upright string bass, a style commonly referred to as "tic tac bass" which on recording was either one of the few Danelectro 6 string bass models or a Fender Bass VI. Heard all over Patsy Cline records. Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" is a particularly good example. Later country artists have sometimes tapped into this sound. John Jorgenson in Desert Rose Band for example.
George and John played one on some later Beatles recordings when Paul was playing keys or guitar. It had a bit of a resurgence in the 80s with a few post punk bands such as The Cure, Cocteau Twins, and The Church. It works very well for a more chordal or melodic bass playing style and sounds fantastic with a touch of chorus modulation.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 14 Dec 2021 5:25 pm

Cool sound. I'm a sucker for low tuned guitars. I have a couple 27 in. B tuned baritones. I might have gone down to the Bass VI if i'd thought about the capo idea.

Tic tac is pretty much a lost art, but I'm hoping to see a revival.

Good add. I'm sure you'll enjoy it a bunch.

Karl Paulsen · Post by **Karl Paulsen** » 14 Dec 2021 5:26 pm

Very cool bass. Definitely something nicely out of the ordinary.

Allan Revich · Post by **Allan Revich** » 22 Dec 2021 10:41 pm

One of the coolest guitars ever made!

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 23 Dec 2021 6:30 am

John, thanks for the dissertation. Over the years I’ve looked at album liner notes where it would mention so-and-so was on “tic tac bass” but I never really knew what the definition was.

Apparently Duane Eddy using a six string Danolectro electric bass on Rabble Rouser really helped to put it on the map back in the ‘60s.

Robert B Murphy · Post by **Robert B Murphy** » 17 Feb 2022 3:10 pm

Duane Eddy used the Dano baritone guitar. That's it in black on the cover of $1,000,000.00 Worth of Twang. Buddy Merrill occasionally played a Bass VI on Lawrence Welk. Jack Bruce played one in Cream when he wasn't playing a Gibson EB. I always thought tic-tac bass referred to the technique of playing the palm-muted bass line on an electric bass, 4 or 6 string, in unison with a stand up bass like that '60s instrumental version of Bye Bye Blues. Very nice new addition John, I'm pink with envy.

John Larson · Post by **John Larson** » 17 Feb 2022 5:44 pm

Robert B Murphy wrote:I always thought tic-tac bass referred to the technique of playing the palm-muted bass line on an electric bass, 4 or 6 string, in unison with a stand up bass like that '60s instrumental version of Bye Bye Blues.

The "tic tac" technique is simply doubling the upright bass part with an often muted picked electric bass.

It's commonly associated with six string basses such as the Bass VI. The six string bass part was often played by the guitar players during sessions in the classic studio era. They leaned towards instruments like the Bass VI that didn't have a steep learning curve coming from guitar. Keep in mind electric bass was less than a decade old at this point.

These instruments also sit in a mix better as they are somewhat brighter in tone due to the shorter scale length. When layered on the upright part it makes a very distinctive sound where the two elements don't clash. Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight" is my favorite in the style.