Hohner B Bass VI

Made 2005, in Korea, according to the serial number.
24 frets, 55mm at nut. 16mm string spacing(bridge). 34'' scale.
Neck thru-body, 5 piece maple/walnut neck, solid maple wings, all satin natural finish.
2 passive humbuckers, 1 vol per p/u, active/passive switch with led indicator, stacked bass/treble tone (only works in active mode) and trim pot at rear.
Hipshot open Y-style tuners, solid string thru-bridge. All "black chrome"

It does lack a bit in terms of controls, compared to some others (ie, ibanez sr506), only having 2 band eq, but I find having passive option more important anyway.

In passive mode, it has plenty of zing, solid bass, and a nice smooth mids. doesnt sound that much different to my jazz, but has muh more sustain.
Switching in the active, it it quite transparent, I use it for a bit of treble boost for slap, but the bass sounds great passive, so usually leave it off.

Came set up from factory with very low action, with some slight buzz.
Intonation was a bit out on the high g&c strings.
Ten minutes later, I had adjusted the bridge, very easily, Now got great low acction w/o fret buzz, good intonation, bass almost plats itself!
Had read that the battery/control cavity is a bit untidy on these, so opened it up. It's all screened fine, nice solder joints, but it is a bit cramped in there, would be nice to see seperate battery cavity (maybe even a pop-out clip)

This is one solidly built guitar, as my shoulder is testifying.
Frets, nut, finish etc. all excellent.
I wouldn't gig this because im not good enough on 6 string yet. Don't know if i would want it on my shoulder for 2 hours either!
The finsh is almost non existant, just how i like it. Does'nt show up the dings too much that way.
Only reservation would be If I always played it active. Although if the battery dies, just switch to passve and carry on...

Trying to find info on this was a nighmare, Hohners website is pants!
Not had to deal with hohner though so no opinion really.

Have been toying with the idea of a 6 string for a couple of months. Looked at two Ibanez's-SR506 & BTB556, both very nice, seen this while looking on evilbay, did some research on here, and elsewhere.
It has suprised me with the build quality and playability. I would of accepted having to change pickups to get the sound i wanted, but sounds great too.
If I was gonna be really picky, mid control, and a passive tone control, and the already mentioned seperate battery slot would be the icing on the cake, but for ?300 brand new???

The single best thing about this electric bass, as with all basses, is the neck and fretboard. The Hohner has a well laminated thru-neck that incorporates two truss rods for exceptional adjustment and a well dressed fretboard. The neck on my BBass VI is equally as good as either that of my Rickenbacker 4003 or my Carvin LB-76. I remain impressed with Hohner's manufacturing quality in this instrument.

While I have nothing against an active pickup system, I prefer not to use one, partly because most leave a "compressed" sound in the attack of the notes and because it's just one more thing to malfunction when I'm doing live performance. The Hohner BBass VI did have a nice tonal quality, so I'm not speaking badly about it.

As nearly all electric basses don;t have what I want in the way of controls, I modified my Hohner BBass VI. It now has the original pickups run as passive devices, a stacked volume control, two separate tone controls (one for each pickup), a tone swith for each pickup (to swith from full-on to full-off of the tone potentiometers) and a pickup selector switch, as I consider that far superior and functional to a pickup "blend pot" (or whatever the current popular term for that useless item is now).

The action on this Hohner bass is quite good, and I thoroughly enjoy playing it either in the studio or live.

Overall, the bass is well made and the finish is quite nice. I am not a huge fan of yellow gold hardware but the Hohner BBass VI does look quite regal. As with all of my instruments, I use only Super Hard Shell Turtle Wax on the finish, and the Hohner glistens. I have had way more than a few very complimentary remarks made to me about the instrument's aesthetic qualities.

Active electronics notwhtistanding, I consider my Hohner BBass VI to be very well built and I would have no heartburn about reliability in taking this bass on tour as my only instrument.

The only body option I exercised was changing the strap buttons to Dunlop's Strap-Lok system since I use that on all of my instruments.

I do my own, so no comment on Hohner.

Nobody gets a TEN from me but I will give this instrument a solid NINE.

While this is not my "main" electric bass, I would certainly replace it with an identical item if mine disappeared on me.

Probably the only thing I wish were different were that Hohner offered a perfectly sized hard case for it. I refuse to ever stoop to using a gig bag to protect any instrument, and finding a hard case that was a dead-on fit was quite a chore. But as for the bass itself, I am more than pleased.

As far as I can tell this bass was manufactured somewhere around 1995. Possibly earlier. Like nearly all Hohners it was manufactured in Korea, but don't let that put you off. The 24 medium-jumbo frets and six strings give you more than enough room to explore, surprisingly enough, without being overwhelming. While I felt a little restricted with the control set-up (Two master volumes, master bass, master treble) for most anyone who plays it should be more than sufficient. The two "EMG DESIGN" humbuckers get the job done and I think would fair even better if it weren't for the lackluster preamp that Hohner has supplied (I would recomend replacing that before ripping out the pickups). The neck is five piece (maple, walnut, maple, walnut, maple,) with an additional strip of walnut in between the neck (which is through the body) and the two pieces of maple that are the body. This may sound a little busy, but the seamless joints and incredibly durable high-gloss finish bring all these elements together to form one piece of art. Gold toned diecast tuners and six independent saddle, top load bridge add a touch of flash parrticularly against the painted black headstock. This is a good looking bass!

Whether I'm slapping some funk, running some jazz scales or rocking out with this bass it gets the job done. The tone is sweet and only lacks the warmth that in my opinion only a Fender can give. But you could pay thousands and still not get that Fender warmth and tone. This bas is what it is and makes no opologies for it. Thankfully it doesn't need to. I've played through everything from my vintage Ampeg B-15 to a Fender Amp-Can and although the "B" lacks definition, for the price you will find these things for, YOU WILL NOT FIND A BETTER SIX STRING!!!!!!!

Back in '97 I had just started working at a guitar shop I would late manage and a friend of mine came in to pick out a new axe. This one caught his eye and although I tried to convince him otherwise, he had decided he "needed" a six string. Myself, being somewhat of a purest, never thought twice about the bass until a year later when, after he had given up playing, he asked if he could repay a debt owed to me with the bass. I agreed it would be more than fair and at the time I was in the habit of collecting any type of musical equipment I could get my hands on. I was, however, still a purest and never played the instrument. In fact I had it in a non-climate-controled storage unit fo the past couple of years. That is until recently when I decided to sell it. If it was indeed still worth selling. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the neck hadn't budged the entire time it sat with nearly full tension on all six strings. The only problem was, as someone else mentioned, the bridge itself had pulled away from the body about 1/16 of an inch. I decided that before I sell it I would play it for a while since I hadn't the entire time I had it and the rest is history. I dropped down the bridge saddles to compensate for the bridge pulling up and adjusted the intonation.With minimal elbow grase the tarnish on the hard ware cleaned up and I haven't been able to put it down since. In fact, to this day, the neck on this intrument hasn't been adjusted once; not since the factory.

The only problem I've found with the Hohner BBASS VI was the issue of the bridge pulling up. I was able to compensate for this so it never affected the playability. The circumstances under which this happened were also extreme but there was at least one other person on this page that had the same thing happen while the bass was in the hands of a previous owner so it's hard to say if this should be expected or if it was the simple matter of neglect. However, once again, this bass is a rock! The bridge may be faulty, but the machine heads are top notch and the neck is an immovable object. The finish takes a beating and doesn't show it. What else can I say... I've been converted!

As far as I know the standard warranty for all Hohner instruments is 5 years on the instrument and 2 years on the electronics. I've never attempted to contact Hohner Usa direct, but you might have better luck trying to contact HSS which is the parent corporation for distribution at least in the U.S.

I've been playing for about thirteen years now and although my main bass is a '98 "Fender U.S. P-Bass Deluxe" I Must say this bass plays better than ANY six string I've found.I have played wider necks with tighter string-spacing and more narrow necks that weren't as easy to handle as this one and I'm kind of spoiled with the three-band EQ on the P-bass so I felt limited initially by the two band, but as long as you are playing through a decent amp in a familiar room you won't need to bother with the controls on the bass. If you find this bass for less than $700 new; Buy It!

This is a review for the Hohner B-Bass Professional VI six string bass guitar. There is very little information available for this puppy and I got mine used, so I?ll try the best I can with features. This bass features a 5-ply maple/walnut/maple/walnut/maple through body neck with a definite D profile to it. The body wings are maple and the fretboard is rosewood with mother of pearl dot inlays. The body and neck are finished in a pretty hard high gloss clear finish. The tuners are your typical Gotoh-like import tuners but are some of the best tuners I?ve seen on an import. The bridge is also gold. What?s weird is the bridge on mine was physically bent up from the body. I don?t know what the hell the previous owner did to this thing, everything else on the bass was in perfect condition. The bridge also works fine too still. Weird. The pickups are ?Designed by EMG? passive humbuckers with active/passive Volume / Volume / Bass / Treble electronics. There is a switch to change to passive mode where the two-band EQ doesn?t do anything. There are two strap buttons on the bottom of the bass to give you more strap options (I guess) and an LED indicates whether you are in active or passive mode (pretty lame). The bass has excellent features. Some things I would change: replace the cheesy black plastic nut with a real nut, clean up the control cavity (it?s a random mess of wires), and add a separate battery compartment.

This bass can produce a fairly versatile arrangement of tones. In active mode, the bass and treble knobs do not have the range of some instruments I?ve played, but they are alright. On the back of the bass there is a screwdriver-turned gain control for the active mode, so you can set the active mode anywhere from dead silent to wicked loud compared to the passive mode. In my opinion, the active mode colors the sound of the bass too much, so I always keep it in passive mode.

In passive mode is where this bass really shines. The sound is bright and snappy, with good growl and an emphasis on upper midrange tones. The bottom end is not massive, but it can hold its own with a small adjustment on your amp EQ. The low be is rather floppy and dead sounding compared to the other strings, but that?s expected in a 34? scale. The bass sounds very good slapped and fingered, but not so good flatpicked. I run this bass through an array of nifty effects and into an SWR Workingman?s 15 Combo with a Workingman?s 115T extrension cab. The sound is excellent for funk, jazz, and rock. You can?t get that smooth low end reggae tone, but you can fake it very well. Also, this bass is very heavy, so get a good strap, and wear it high or else that huge neck will wreak havoc on your wrists.

When I bought the bass, it was in perfect condition except for the bridge mentioned above and the output jack crackled and popped. The store I bought it from fixed the jack for free (30 day warranty on used stuff) and did a setup as well. Now, the action is very low and extremely fast (even with the massive neck). The finish on this beast is super hard. There isn?t a single scratch on it.

This bass feels very solid and I trust that it will last me a long time. I?ve had it for more than a year and it?s served me well. The dual trussrods in the neck will keep the neck straight and true even through all the wacky climate changes of New England. This bass is sweet.

Never dealt with Hohner. Their website kind of sucks though.

I bought this bass one day when I was in my local music store and saw it sitting on a stand. I picked it up, noodled around with it (it being the only sixer in the store) and looked at the pricetag. 350 bucks including SKB hardshell case? I bought it right away because of the pricetag and because I felt like learning six string. I would buy this bass again. It?s an excellent intermediate bass / beginner six string.

6-string Walnut Stain on a Maple and Mahogany Neckthru, 24 frets, gold hardware, rose wood fret board,(purchased in 99 -i notice that the newer models are almost identical, but have a differnt font "H" on the headstock- Mine is a old-english style, while the newer is more of a Newtimes roman style). 2 EMG "designed" soapbar pickups and EMG preamp (the preamp is the real reason this bass sounds amazing). VOl, VOl, treble and bass (active and Passive switch)

To me, the term "perfect" is relative, it all depends on whose talking. But, after breaking the bank on pedulla, and warwick i have found an equal bass for a third of the price. I am a music student at a state university, and even my professors claim that this bass is amazing. By rolling back to the bridge pickup, you get an incredible "Jaco" sound-very punchy and full of tone, And just by turning the neck pickup all the way up, you can get a very rich, deep, R&B, Rock, and Slap sound. Between these two pickup volume knobs, you can achieve almost any sound. Both HIghs and Lows are very affective and clear with the Active electronics on (but hey, it still sounds good without too!). ONe downfall though, its kinda weak on the low B (I fix this problem through a preamp). This bass sounds great live...havent had much time in a studio-but the few recordings I did do, sound amazing (theres a reason Hohner calls it a "professional")

My bass instructor showed up to my lesson one night with this bass. I was shocked that he had bought a 6 string (he is very traditional). When asked, the only thing he said was "Go Buy it, theres one left" So, the next morning, i traded in my 4 string, and have never made a better decision. Low action (which helps with my jazz study), Fit is excellent, and although the strings are pretty close...Slapping is still possible (and it sounds very good). Owned the bass for 5 years now...I HAVE NEVER ADJUSTED THE TRUSS RODS!! this thing is rock solid and does not move. Pedulla, Roscoe, Fodera are the only basses that i found with better action and playability (but the price tag can help reason that one, and even then, the playability isnt 2k better)

I have dropped it, sat on it, scratched it, traveled via Delta with a gig bag (very bad idea-unless you can put it in the overhead with you) and this thing is still a monster-tone machine. The gold on the hardware rubs off after a year or so (but thats because im a dummy and never polish off the oil that my hands leave on it). I recently picked up fretless, so i ordered another one of these to have defretted by Thor Guitar Labs.

NA-So solid, never had to deal with them.

I rate this bass a nine because it is the best bass for under $1000 (mark my words-unless you find an incredible deal on a used instrument). Neck thru construction provides for quality sustain (mahogany and Maple-this wood is used by the top lutheirs). Many people claim that the Ibanez SG 6 can hang with this bass...And for aggressive sound it can...but when it comes time for a change into jazz, funk, and others, this bass is much more versitile. This bass has it all. (the walnut finish is more classy-it gets more compliments physically speaking-but no matter what the finish, I always have people complementing me on the sound). Again, this bass is phenominal for being under 800 bucks. The weak B string is no problem with the other features that this bass offers.

This is a full featured bass with active bass and treble controls. It has a solid bridge with good tuners, but the "gold" finish has worn off both in the last few years. It has a neck-through body design for great sustain, but the neck is a bit thick compared to a peavey or ibanez. The neck has 24 frets on a 34 inch scale. It has two EMG style pickups that have a very distinct tonal difference. The body is maple with a great clear finish that has not scratched a bit in over two solid years of gigging. This is a HEAVY instrument and I have had some long shows that have left my shoulder aching. However, I'm convinced a lot of the tone comes from this weight.

I tend to play very aggressive "lead" bass (think primus) and this bass has great growl. I like the active bass tone, but the treble gets a bit "clicky" on the frets. I agree with one of the other reviews that the neck pickup is a little hotter than the bridge, and some height adjustment takes care of that. The electronics are silent, and I've made several recordings simply going direct into the board. I do occasionally gig with a latin/zydeco group, and this bass can quickly change from an aggressive growl to a mellow sound by turning off the active toggle. Recently I purchased a Roland GT-6B and have noticed that you cannot run the active through the effects pedal without getting distortion. I have to give it an 8 for the 34 in scale. The low B can get pretty sloppy when slapping.

Off the shelf the action was pretty high. However the dual truss rod allows you to really play with your action. I keep mine higher than usual due to my style, but you could definatly get that ibanez metallic fret buzz without fretting out if you chose. Also, I had to lower the neck pickup as it was dominating the bridge pickup. I've had to take this in twice to repair wires in the electronics casing. The battery is crammed into a tiny space that makes it difficult to change and easy twist and break wires.

This bass is a rock on stage. I'm ashamed to say this, but I was gigging without a case for over a year. No problems at all, not even a scratch on the finish. There is no need to have a back-up for this bass. I adjust the neck every few months, but I'm always amazed that this bass can stay in tune despite humidity and temperature changes while lugging it around. With the abuse this gets with my style of playing, I've definately pushed it to the limits. If there were a nuclear holocaust, the only survivors would be the roaches and this bass...

Never had to deal with them. My two year warranty is out, but I doubt one would ever need it. Fortunately my buddy is a luthier.

I've been a bass player for 15+ years now. I've got several fenders, an old yamaha, and my trusty upright. I did buy this bass on a whim, as Mars apparently couldn't get rid of it and I was interested in the world of 6 strings. I don't play any of my basses any longer (excepting the upright) because I can get everything I need from this. I wish it were a bit lighter and that the hardware was black, but overall this bass has served me well. Check out the neck and weight before buying.

All maple with gold hardware. Has two pickups with 2 volume controls and active eq. Eq is not activated when bass is switched to passive.

I like this bass in passive. The sound is clear and easy to record. The active sound is very compressed that tone is compromised. I had to lower the neck pickup for even and balanced sound. For slap I used the Tech21 bass preamp which sounds very good.

This bass came with very low action. Since it was my first good bass I have experimented alot with it. After 3 years I have come to appreciate the dual truss rods which make ajustments easy. I live in Florida which means that the neck has the tendency to bow . I make it a practice to adjust the bass once every month. The set up is enhanced by using D'Addario Prism steel strings gauges .032-.045-0.65-.080-.100-.130 from high C to Low B respectively. With these strings I have been able to have the lowest action without buzzing. I have tried many different kinds of strings (high end) but these work perfectly.

Pretty ok for the experimentationand modifications I have done it. It holds pretty well.

n/a

It would be better if it was 35" to tighten the B string. For the price I doubt that there is a 6-string in the market that competes with this bass. If there was I would know about.

2002 Korean made model, 24 fret, 6 string (low B, high C). 5 piece (maple/walnut/maple/walnut/maple)neck-thru design with solid maple wings. 2 EMG designed humbucker p/u's with individual volume controls and a stacked bass/treble pot which tend to turn simultaneously. All control knobs are a black finish. Active electronics with an adjustable preamp. On/off toggle switch for battery. Poorly designed electronics compartment, very cluttered with no separate, quick-change holder for battery. 5 or 6 screws must be removed to change battery. Wide, 34" scale neck made playable by its thinness. Rosewood fingerboard. Two strap buttons on end of bass for more flexibility in balance. Beautiful high gloss natural finish with brilliant gold tuners against a high gloss black tuning peg area and gold bridge make this bass really stand out on stage.

I perform exclusively Christian Praise and Worship music which ranges from laid back tunes requiring a deep, solid bottom to high energy pieces needing a driving bass line with some slap and pop thrown in. I play thru a Peavey TNT 130 into the house system with no effects. No electronics noise to speak of. However, with high treble, fretboard noise can be a problem. This bass gives thundering lows and crisp, clean highs with great sustain. The brightness can be toned down considerably by lowering the tone settings and/or turning off the active electronics with the toggle switch which will allow for warmer, more mellow tones. This bass would perform equally on stage or in studio.

I love the deep, throaty sound this bass gives when slapping as well as the powerful lows and crisp highs. My only complaint about the sound is the fretboard noise that comes at high treble settings. In the 6 weeks I've been playing this bass, I've had several players tell me what a good tone it has.

This bass was pretty well setup when received. Had to adjust the intonation slightly, but the action was nice and low. No pickup adjustment needed. One problem encountered was a battery wire pulling loose and having to be resoldered upon arrival. This is symtomatic of the poorly designed electronics cavity with no battery clip and the unorganized mass of wires. The finish is a flawless, high gloss with nice, shiny "gold" plated hardware. Cheap plastic nut.

No problem with live playing - I do it several times a week. The hardware seems solid with the exception of the cheap nut. Although the hardware plating looks good now, I'm sure it will begin to fade in several years. Strap buttons (all 3) are solid. No truss rod adjustment needed yet. I think this will be a dependable bass for years to come and have no problem gigging without a backup.

Haven't had to deal with them yet.

Started playing bass almost 30 years ago. I also have a five string fretless, headless Steinberger Spirit (the full bodied one). I just sold a Yamaha RBX765A five string I'd been playing 5 years. I also have a Peavy Microbass practice amp. I would buy this bass again if I could get it for the same price. If I had to pay normal retail, I'd look at others, too. I love the beefy, throaty tone this bass can give, the thundering lows and crisp highs. I hate the electronics compartment and lack of a separate quick-change battery clip. I also hate it's weight - it's very heavy. I'd prefer to have a single volume control with a blend pot rather than two separate volume controls. I like the stacked bass/treble pots and the toggle switch to turn off the battery. I chose this bass because of the 6 string, neck thru design and it's low price.

Korean made, 6 strings with 24 frets. Active electronics controled by one volume per "Designed by EMG" pickup with a great active/passive mode toggle switch -- love this feature, got a break in a gig -- haven't got to worry about chewing up battery power with the bass still pluged in -- just switch off the active electronics. Beautiful finish (Maple?) with Walnut inlays. Neck-Through with fixed bridge - plastic nut. Also great adjustable preamp built in.

Love the style. Playing mostly Christian Worship music -- tried in a bunch of different amps from Hartke Kickback, Fender 100W, to an old traynor tube, and a new Galleon-Krugger. Great sound from all -- with the active electronics you can do so much. Full range of tones.

Action was LOW!!! Which made for a great play -- fit my style perfectly. Liked the pickups, but is my first experience with an active set-up -- just the second bass I've owned. Everything else was great -- wasn't keen on the clutted electronics compartment but finish was flawless (the walnut really sets this bass off -- what a looker!)

This bass seems to be up for any challenge. Everything seems like it's gonna stick around for a while. Two strap buttons on the bottom of this thing -- both are solid and give you the great ability to check you balance perfectly.

Can't Say -- haven't talked to them -- but the 2 year warranty will be long gone before I expect to have problems.

I love my bass - this is my second bass -- a huge leap up from my samick 4-string that I was playing before. And it helps that my dealer gave me a monster deal on this guitar. I'm totally please with my investment. Now, given I'm an amateur player, I'm probably not testing the limits of this one. In fact, this bass has probably caused me to step up my playing. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. I had been looking at the Washburn 6 -- this was just way nicer overall

I bought my Hohner 6-string USED from Alpha Music in Virginia Beach, and never regretted it. It already had the EMG pick-ups installed. The sound was warm and solid, very punchy on the low end, and brilliant and brassy in the high end, competing well with any guitar.

Since I play progressive rock, the low action and the near perfect intonation helped increase my playing speed and my versatility. Currently, I am using a Nemisis 4x10, and even when the amp is on 6 or 7, the electronics are near-silent with very little background hum.

THIS IS A FAST BASS! I cannot stress enough how fast this bass plays. The acion is lower than any Ibanez or Washburn I've played, and the strings are set up close together, perfect for a soloing jazz bassist.
The finish is a natural clear-coat, which I stripped and re-finished with a cherry satin (the woods picked up the stain nicely and it looks INCREDIBLE now).

I have not had a single problem in the 3 years I have owned this bass.

see above.

This is an intense bass, that seems to thrive on abuse. The harder you play, the more it gives. 128th note scales are a cinch and with it's versatile pick-ups, (takes to effects VERY well... try a wah!) the sound is brilliant enough to compete against a super aggro guitarist, pulling more than it's share of the load in opposing motion runs, call and response, and syncronized runs. Only one singular drawback: Get a wide strap because this bass is HEAVY. 3 hours and my neck gets tired. Well worth the effort, though.