Mighty Versatile: Inside the Alternate Reality Sixty-Six
Classic Fender sound meets unique visual style in the Sixty-Six, which makes a bold statement with its down-sized Jazz Bass body.
By Mike Duffy
The Fender Jazz Bass came out in 1960, quite a charmed moment for those who fell in love with the offset waist of the Jazzmaster (released two years prior) and wanted to hold down the low end.
But what if you could turn the asymmetrical body of the Jazz Bass - which was slightly different than the Jazzmaster - into a six-stringed guitar all its own?
With the debut of the Alternate Reality Series Sixty-Six, Fender has done just that.
Embedded content: https://youtu.be/2lrfJeO_WT4
The Sixty-Six, so named for the birth year of the Jazz Bass and its six strings, fits perfectly in the Alternate Reality Series, which aims to dive into Fender's tradition of interesting body styles and tonal configurations and create uniquely compelling instruments.
"We wanted to think outside the box as far as Fender design," said Allen Abbassi, Senior Product Development Manager for Electric Guitars/Basses. "We want to try new shapes, different woods and different pickup configurations to offer something that you might not have seen from Fender before."
Like the supercharged Alternate Reality Powercaster, the Sixty-Six makes another bold statement in the line.
It all starts with a shrunken ash Jazz Bass body that sits comfortably for any guitarist and keeps traditional appointments like the unmistakable chrome control plate and knobs.
The tones of the HSS pickup configuration (with five-way switching) are truly flexible, as a humbucking bridge pickup is joined by two Player Series single-coil Tele pickups that produce pristine, well-defined tone.
"You can go from a nice, searing lead into clean tones that are quacky and nice with a single-coil," said Abbassi.
The maple neck boasts a "Modern C"-shaped profile with a 9.5”-radius fingerboard makes it easy to bend notes wide without “choking."
And the vintage-style tuning machines and synchronized tremolo only add to the Sixty-Six's classic vibe.
All in all, the sixty-Six packages the sound, feel and look Fender is famous with modern, player-centric features perfect for the stage.
Do you want to see the Sixty-Six in action? Check out the demo video above.
Shop the Sixty-Six here and the entire Alternate Reality Series here.
