1963 Fender Bass VI
Dan Orkin of Reverb.com gives the lowdown on Fender’s rare 1963 Pink Champagne Sparkle Bass VI
The Fender Bass VI was built from 1961 until 1975 in what appeared to be relatively low production numbers. While functionally progressive and aesthetically intriguing, the six-string bass model never really caught on during its initial run and has, for the most part, remained on the second rung of the vintage Fender collectability scale. And that’s even with the visibility of high-profile players such as Robert Smith and John Lennon.
More recently, though, the Bass VI has come back into fashion to some degree, with two mass-produced reissues under the Fender Pawn Shop and Squier Vintage Modified lines reflecting the renewed interest. Vintage prices have remained relatively steady, but as with everything else vintage-Fender, it’s guitars with rare finishes that earn the most at market.
In the case of something like a Pink Champagne Sparkle Fender Bass VI from before the CBS takeover of Fender in 1965, the sky is the limit on pricing. It was built as a promotional item and could possibly be the only Pink Champagne Sparkle Fender Bass VI produced by Fender in the 60s.
We do our best to estimate pricing for a guitar like this, but one thing’s for sure – if this guitar hit the pages of Reverb, it would doubtlessly rank as one of the coolest vintage Fender listings of the year.
Bass Pricing
The most expensive vintage Bass VI to have sold on Reverb was a 1964 model in an original black finish. While not as singular as something like Pink Champagne Sparkle, black is still a rare finish for 60s Fenders, and so it earned a price tag of $17,000.
For comparison sake, most pre-CBS sunburst Bass VIs in original condition tend to sell in the £4,000–£6,000 range, while those with rarer finishes – such as Candy Apple Red – might go for closer to £9,000. Those with issues such as breaks or swapped components, might go for £2,000– £3,000, which is similar to what later guitars produced in the 1970s claim.
For our hypothetical Pink Champagne Sparkle example, I would expect this to be listed between £18,000–£21,000. At that price, it may take some time to find the right buyer, but an ask of that magnitude would not be unjustified.
Alternative Buying Options
If you’re interested in owning an authentic Fender Bass VI your options are to find a vintage one at the aforementioned prices, seek out a relatively rare made-in-Japan reissue from the 90s, or score a used Pawn Shop or Squier Vintage Modified model. The Squier is an excellent instrument and should be the first stop for anyone who’s curious in dabbling with this format of bass. The Fender Custom shop also produces Bass VI builds, which tend to sell for similar prices as the cheaper vintage options.
In the 60s, Gibson, Rickenbacker, and Danelectro made six-string basses with similar layouts and scale lengths to the Bass VI. Danelectro models can be found relatively cheaply, but the Gibson and Ric equivalents sell for more than most Fenders. There are also contemporary brands building Bass VI-style instruments – Eastwood makes one as a variant on its Sidejack Bass VI, and Schecter offers a couple of models, to name just two. Dan Orkin is content director at Reverb.com, where he reviews the thousands of listings and manages the Reverb Price Guide