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Would you buy a Fender Bass V if Squier reissued it?

#61
There are a lot of cool old basses I have desired over the years. This is not one of them.

I wish I could remember where I read a story about Jameson trying one out, throwing it across the room and saying something like, "don't ever let me play that piece of s—- again!"
 
#62
So you use two G strings with the bass , the second G string tuned up to C? So buy a regular four string pack and pick up an extra G string for string replacements? Just curious. Interesting bass, Id have to try it to see how I do with it.


2F/2F said:
What people fail to comprehend about the V before scoffing at it is that it was an E–C bass, and full scale. It was designed specifically to keep the player from having to climb the board. So it having only 15 frets is fine for that purpose.

I would absolutely buy one, if they released it as a bass that is true to its original intent, i.e. not making it B–G and/or adding frets. I tune two of my five string basses E–C, and rarely ever reach the 12th fret. It's great for playing in horn keys, as well as D or A.
Click to expand...
 
#63
farace said:
I wish I could remember where I read a story about Jameson trying one out, throwing it across the room and saying something like, "don't ever let me play that piece of s—- again!"
Click to expand...
Nope. You're experiencing a case of Sigmund Mandela effect - it was not the Bass V:

"On a few rare sessions, James experimented with a Hagstrom 8-string, an early Fender 5-string and a fretless bass, but the end results were unsatisfactory. (Earl Van Dyke recalled that James played the fretless on the Supremes 'Someday We'll Be Together' and almost threw it against the wall at the end of the session screaming, "Don't you ever let me play this piece of sh*t again.") The Hagstrom bass was eventually stolen in Los Angeles"

Dr. Licks, Standing in The Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson, 1989 (pp. 85-86). (Emphasis and censor*ng added.)


In fact, Jamerson mentioned the V when listing his equipment in an interview:
"I have an old German upright, a Fender 5-string, a Hagstrom 8-string, and the Precision."

EDIT - and he'd even take it out for a spin, every now and then:
 
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#64
HaphAsSard said:
Nope. You're experiencing a case of Sigmund Mandela effect - it was not the Bass V:

"On a few rare sessions, James experimented with a Hagstrom 8-string, an early Fender 5-string and a fretless bass, but the end results were unsatisfactory. (Earl Van Dyke recalled that James played the fretless on the Supremes 'Someday We'll Be Together' and almost threw it against the wall at the end of the session screaming, "Don't you ever let me play this piece of sh*t again.") The Hagstrom bass was eventually stolen in Los Angeles"

Dr. Licks, Standing in The Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson, 1989 (pp. 85-86). (Emphasis and censor*ng added.)


In fact, Jamerson mentioned the V when listing his equipment in an interview:
"I have an old German upright, a Fender 5-string, a Hagstrom 8-string, and the Precision."

EDIT - and he'd even take it out for a spin, every now and then:
Click to expand...

Well, if it was good enough for Jamerson...
 
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#68
It was an interesting idea, an extra string high string but with less frets, so it has the same range as a 4-string with 20 frets. Nowadays there's plenty of 24-fret fivers to string with a high C, so I'd rather go for one of those if I wanted EADGC tuning.
 
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#69
Yes, if I enjoyed the neck profile and string spacing, had the space for it, and the price was right. E-C is fun and this bass is quirky enough to fit that niche.

tho not historically correct, it would work even better as a 6 string, and with the pickup placed more towards the bridge. But not Bass VI, needs full scale and proper spacing.
 
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#70
Had a chance to buy an original (also red) back in the 90's. Wanted to like it but didn't care for it at all when trying it out. Ungainly and didn't like the tone - on that one, at least - was thin. Maybe with more time but didn't feel inspired to invest either the time or money in it. Also just seemed fugly and oddly proportioned to me - where Ps, Js and Bass VIs strike me as great designs functionally and aesthetically (ok, Bass VI is debatable on the functional side but still...)
 
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#72
Does the relative shortness of the neck have any impact on the tone?

I never get beyond the 15th fret on a 4-string, so the high C string would be wasted on me, especially as the last thing I want is another one-wrap string. But perhaps tuned to something odd like C-F-Bb-Eb-G or D-F#-A#-D-F#..... Oh, and chambered to get the weight down. Big body, isn't it?
 
#75
In my humble opinion, this design managed to scoop up most, if not all of the disadvantages a five string bass has, but thoroughly fails to bring the advantages that should come with a design like that except for the fact that you have four more notes under your fingertips without shifting.

Instead, they imagined a certain way in which it should be used and managed to reach a very small audience that was able to grasp the concept and put it to good use.
 
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#79
Danelectro did 15 frets first, late 1950s.

dano.jpeg


Since they also made the first EADGBE 6 string basses, seems Fender was paying some attention.
 
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