Novo Voltur B6 Review

Origins of the Beast

A 6-string bass, unlike a baritone, is tuned exactly like a guitar, E to E—just an octave lower on a much longer scale. It’s likely the very first instrument built in this configuration was Danelectro’s UB-2 in 1956. But the famous evolution of the 6-string bass concept was introduced by Fender five years later, in 1961, and named the Bass VI. The Bass VI was never a common instrument, but it was, alongside the Danelectro, the choice for session players chasing the tic-tac sound, which mixes the percussive pick attack from a guitar and an upright bass. Six-string basses are all over genuinely classic tunes: “I Fall to Pieces” by Patsy Cline, “Wichita Lineman” by Glenn Campbell, and probably Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock,” which in 1957 became the first No. 1 hit in the U.S. believed to feature the 6-string bass. The Bass VI also turned up in the hands of artists like the Cure and Jack Bruce of Cream, and most famously was sometimes cradled by George Harrison and John Lennon while Paul McCartney tended to keyboards.

“It is really nice to see a manufacturer spend the time to develop such a refined take on the 6-string bass—premium price or not.”

For all the high-profile users and applications, Bass VI-type instruments like the Voltur B6 aren’t something too many manufacturers offer, and you see few in mainstream music. So, I was a bit surprised when my editor told me I would have the pleasure of reviewing one, and especially pleased it would come from such a renowned builder.