Fender Am Std 5 String P Bass

[laklandplayer]

I have been wanting a 5 string P bass that sounds and feels like my old original '65 forever.
But, I had written off all new Fender basses years ago.

I just bought one of these new Am Std 5's (SB/RSW) barely used, and to my surprise it doesn't totally suck!

These basses go for $1950 new which is totally outrageous and I got this one for a little less than half.

The good:
It has a faithful 60's vibe to it.
The "C" neck feels great, has rounded edges and no dead spots at all. Although it is a handful and a little wider than a Lakland 5.
The B string is killer.
The body has a thin undercoat and urethane finish, it vibrates nicely and the bass really sings.
Hardware, tuners and bridge are excellent.

The bad:
QC - The position dots on the fingerboard are out of alignment, I thought I was seeing things but when I measured them I confirmed that they are wrong. That shouldn't happen on a 2K bass.

The pickup - Its a split coil P where the coils are different sizes with BE&A are on one and D&G are on the other. It sounds pretty good but is the noisiest thing I've ever heard. It doesn't hum, it just generates a lot of trash and interference like you'd get from a bad preamp. Totally unacceptable if using it on a session, maybe passable on a rock gig.

Solution: I tried to call Nordstrand to see if they would make me a pickup for it and then I found this great place online, Best Bass Gear. They just happened to have a custom Nordstrand pickup for this bass on their site. I called and talked to Brian Ristolla, what a great guy!

We discussed the problem and he recommended the Nordstrand and told me how they came to be. Another guy was having the same problem with his Fender. He sent his pickup in and they got Nordstrand to make a custom one for him and ordered a few extras just for the hell of it... glad he did.

I got the pickup, put it in and it is amazing. It sounds great and it is dead quiet. It is a take off of the NP4/5 and now I see why everyone like these.

So, I get a call back from Carey Nordstrand and we talk a bit. He gave me some detail on the pickup as well. Carey is a also really cool guy and he asked me to call him back and give him my impression of the pickup after I had time to use it.

I guess I should thank Fender for making such an iffy bass.

Now, the bass sounds really good and I met some great people, along the way, that I will continue to do business with.

But, what to do about those dots?

[jeremyr]

Originally Posted by laklandplayer

I have been wanting a 5
But, what to do about those dots?

go on ebay and get the block inlay decals. People say you can't feel them and they look pretty good IMHO Cover those puppys right up if they bother you that much.

[J. Crawford]

Plus, a P bass with blocks is killer!

[Double Agent]

Originally Posted by laklandplayer

These basses go for $1950 new which is totally outrageous and I got this one for a little less than half.

Actually, they go for $1300 new. They have never gone for $2K that I can recall.
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-A...93-i1386295.gc
http://www.samash.com/p/American%20S...rboards_437109

[Dave Siff]

Originally Posted by Double Agent

Actually, they go for $1300 new. They have never gone for $2K that I can recall.
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-A...93-i1386295.gc
http://www.samash.com/p/American%20S...rboards_437109

He must have been referring to list price ($1,949)
These basses are awesome. Although, I'm gonna check the dots on mine when I get home..

[TolerancEJ]

I've been thinking about the used one for sale at MF for awhile for $1039.99.

[RS]

Originally Posted by laklandplayer

But, what to do about those dots?

Nothing. If it sounds and plays good, no worries.

[Mastermold]

I've had my P-fiver for over a year now and (thankfully) it has none of the issues you raised. Great tone, easy to play, low action, sunburst finish is flawless, etc. But I'm sure as with any production bass there are lemons notwithstanding Fender's recent improvements.