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5-string fender J-basses, do they suck? If so why?
- Thread starter NoString
- Start date
With all due respect, if Fender 5-string jazzes "sucked", they wouldn't sell thousands of them every year. (Not to mention the fact that Fender makes many differnt flavors of 5-string Jazz. The Victor Bailey, the Standard, the Deluxe, the American, the Roscoe Beck, etc., etc. Can it be possible that all of those models "suck?" Not likely.
)Don't listen to your friends -- invest some time & effort and play some for yourself and let your ears dcide.
I love my Fender American Deluxe V - the B string is tight and responsive and the bass just sounds incredible.
Usually the low B isn't that tight on Fenders and sounds mushy... but your taking this from a guy that doesn't like the way the low B sounds on the supposed "legendary low B" on Laklands either. I'm a 4 string exclusive.
I WILL say that I like the way the other 4 strings sound though, possibly better then a standard 4 strings Fender. Due to the more mass in the neck and body, they sound deeper, - to me.
I WILL say that I like the way the other 4 strings sound though, possibly better then a standard 4 strings Fender. Due to the more mass in the neck and body, they sound deeper, - to me.
MIM Fender fives tend to be inconsistent in my experience. MIA Fenders fives are alot better. Fender, like MusicMan, suffers from being very common. There are lots of Fender fives setting around GCs and pawnshops that need setups or have fret sprout.
Personally, I owned a MIA Fender Jazz V, and I thought it was a great bass. The B string was tight, the neck was comfortable, and it had a great Jazz bass tone. I traded it in for a SR5 HH because the Stingray was just so hot, not because the Fender was bad in any way.
Personally, I owned a MIA Fender Jazz V, and I thought it was a great bass. The B string was tight, the neck was comfortable, and it had a great Jazz bass tone. I traded it in for a SR5 HH because the Stingray was just so hot, not because the Fender was bad in any way.
Listen to Juan Nelson (Ben Harper), he mostly plays a Fender 5 string jazz and it sounds great. Juan is a master at the 5 string in my opinion. He moved to Fender after playing MTD 535's for years so they can't be too bad.
The only fender 5 I've played was a MiM, and it had the floppiest B I've ever touched in my life.
As always, just play before you buy.
As always, just play before you buy.
I used to own a Fender Deluxe 5 string it was a great bass. Had no problems with it, played and sounded great. I sold it so I could get a Warwick Corvette Standard 5 string. Christian Olde Wolbers from Fear Factory played on 5 string Fender's from the Obsolete album on, he still uses them to this day if he's playing bass.
I love mine. It has all kinds of tone and flavor and plays like butter!
Link Removed
MIA and here to stay!
Link Removed
MIA and here to stay!
I used to own tZer's Jazz V and another one that was Lake Placid blue colored. Neither one had a floppy or mushy B string.
3 amps. I own 9 fender basses. I wouldn't say it sucked, just didn't do anything for me. See threads like this crack me up, how can you possibly know if your going to like a certian guitar by asking someone else. It didn't suck it didn't rock it was just another bass I wouldn't pay for. Just my opinion anyone who would base a purchase on someone elses opinion could be in for a big letdown. You might as well ask,"does this bass make me look fat?"
I have a Fender Am Dlx 5-string and think it sounds great, but the neck is on the chunky side. The one l played and really like is the Marcus Miller 5-string it is an amazing Fender 5-string and neck isn't chunky like other Fenders.
The one really nice thing about the Fender 5-strings is that midrange control. When I need it I add a touch of the midrange and the bass cuts in any playing situation.
The one really nice thing about the Fender 5-strings is that midrange control. When I need it I add a touch of the midrange and the bass cuts in any playing situation.
I've had several Fender MIA 5's, just sold one a few days ago. I love Fender's, always will, but I just can't warm up to a Fender 5 no matter how hard I try (and I keep on trying 
).
There is just something about them that feels like an after thought to me, and it's kind of ticking me off lately. Any of the good Fender-esque copies I've played (Valenti's, Lull, Lakland, Sadowsky) all play great and I like them a lot, but I'm not willing to pay the price they command. I rarely use a 5 string to begin with, so I just can't justify the prices of the boutique/custom shop versions. The MIA Fender is priced right for me, just wish it felt better ....
Oh well, I'm going to keep on trying, I'm sure ....
).There is just something about them that feels like an after thought to me, and it's kind of ticking me off lately. Any of the good Fender-esque copies I've played (Valenti's, Lull, Lakland, Sadowsky) all play great and I like them a lot, but I'm not willing to pay the price they command. I rarely use a 5 string to begin with, so I just can't justify the prices of the boutique/custom shop versions. The MIA Fender is priced right for me, just wish it felt better ....
Oh well, I'm going to keep on trying, I'm sure ....
The only fender 5 I've played was a MiM, and it had the floppiest B I've ever touched in my life.
As always, just play before you buy.
I have MIM Fender Deluxe Active V and really like it.
I think the B string is not floppy at all. it is also really loud.
Only thing is(with mine at least)
-kinda heavy
-cant get too many different tones out of it.
but it really is a great bass
