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Anyone play a 5 string P??

#61
The first "Fender" P-5 ever made :) Killer B string. Killer sound!
Do I really need this low B? Hell no, but who cares? ;-)

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#64
mazdah said:
The first "Fender" P-5 ever made :) Killer B string. Killer sound!
Do I really need this low B? Hell no, but who cares? ;-)

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Not really. It is basically a Fender Bass V, which Fender put out in 1965. Same scale length, and same sort of tight string spacing, squeezing five strings into a normal neck. Same sort of split coil 3+2 pickup as well. Main difference is that the Bass V came tuned E–C (which is how I have my L5K tuned as well).
 
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#66
I am quite fond of my Sire P7 5-string P/J, but there are some things that are harder:
  • Muting
  • Slap
  • Any technique that involves wrapping your thumb around to the lower strings (yes, sacrilege to some)
I also have a 4-string with a thin 24-fret neck.

I like the 5 for finger-style and pick, and the 4 for slap and chords.
 
#68
SW121 said:
Greetings,
I’ve been contemplating getting a 5 string p bass but until now they seemed rare. Does it make sense to get a 5 string or just stick with a 4?
Click to expand...
To really answer whether or not you should get a 5 string or stick with your 4, you need to ask yourself, "how many songs am I playing that would be easier to play with a 5-string instead of drop tuning my E string. For me it was about 5 songs.

I have a really sweet Jazz Bass that I love the sound and playability of. It's an '82 Jazz in Olympic White with white bound maple neck, stark white pick guard and pickups and also has the white strat-type numbered control knobs. I bought it in 1985 because it had the same neck profile, shape, and radius that the 1965 Jazz that I bought in '66 and was stolen in '76 had. I had toured for three years with that '65 Jazz playing about 750 performances in 3-years (4-hours a night, 5-nights a week, 50-weeks a year) and got to know the neck on my '65 real well. So when I found this one, I bought it and have been playing it for 36-years now. I love that bass but it's a pain when you keep running into songs where you need to go to Eb, D, or Db because I have to tune it down and then tune it back up. Do that 5-times a night and you're ready to buy a 5-string, especially if you forgot to tune it back up to E for the next song that is in "normal" 4-string tuning.

So in 2009 I bought an inexpensive 5-string, a Rogue LX405 Pro (not the Pro II or Pro III). This was when they were made in Korea and I bought it due to a friend's recommendation. I was amazed at the fit and finish. It's pretty bass and sounds decent too. Still doesn't come close to my 4-string Jazz, which is my primary, but it's not a bad secondary at all. I ordered mine blind but wouldn't recommend that now. They are made in Japan now and some are every bit as good as mine while others are no where nearly as nicely made. So try to get to one of chains that carry them. Price was around $219 back in 2009.

Now if you want to get a 5-string P-bass, more power to you. Just be sure you try one out before you pay out a lot of money for one. I had tried a 5-string Jazz back in 2009-2009 and the neck was terribly uncomfortable for me. Neck was slim but the darn neck felt like it had sharp edges and was uncomfortable for me to play. My inexpensive Rogue has a slim neck but no sharp edges. So see if you can get your hands on one to determine playability. I can pretty much guarantee it will sound nicer than my "decent" 5-string does and once you get used to it, it may become your primary bass.

My 4 and 5-string basses:
2basses1amp_2.jpg
 
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#70
In the broader sense, I play 2 5-string P-basses. I have an old Schecter Stiletto Elite that I put an EMG P5X in. It sounds pretty P-ish, and I mostly use that pickup. I also have an ESP Ltd. RB1005. It has an Aguilar 5 string P pickup, as well as a J pickup. The really cool thing about the ESP is that it’s less than 8 lbs.
 
#71
I have a few ..all Laklands.

A couple of US versions and one Skyline

Imho... They are the easiest playing and best sounding P5s out there!

Also...I love the neck profile.

I can say I usually don't see Lakland 5564s ( 5 string p basses) come up on the used market ask that often
 
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#74
SW121 said:
Greetings,
I’ve been contemplating getting a 5 string p bass but until now they seemed rare. Does it make sense to get a 5 string or just stick with a 4?
Click to expand...
I had one but the string spacing was too wide for me. The neck too. I ended up building my own but couldn’t get a Precision style pickup for narrower spacing. I went with a Nordstrand Big Split that sounds great. Very Precision-like tone.
3592E777-3CD9-47D2-B024-6DEC70249D2A.jpeg
 
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#75
SW121 said:
Greetings,
I’ve been contemplating getting a 5 string p bass but until now they seemed rare. Does it make sense to get a 5 string or just stick with a 4?
Click to expand...

5-string P-basses are relatively rare, but available. I own 7, mostly boutiques, but I've played a couple made by Fender and have been impressed. Right now I'm close to pulling the trigger on a Fender American Professional II P5 in Miami Blue. The only thing stopping me is lack of closet space. :D

The question you really need to ask yourself is whether you want to play five string. Nothing wrong with sticking with four... but since you are open to five, here's my 2¢. I played four string for over 20 years. Then I tried a fiver, and gave myself time to get used to it. Long story short, I decided it was "just right" for me, and I no longer own any fours.

For me, the biggest advantage of 5-string is having a full 2 octave range in each fingering position. I frequently play the low B string at 5th fret or above, where it's in 4-string territory. Yeah, low B also offers those low notes that make it easy to cover synth bass lines... but these days, there are LOTS of hit tunes with bass lines below low E: you can even find 'em in pop, blues, and country.

I've experimented with 6 string, but decided I don't want to deal with either a wider neck or narrower string spacing.

P.S. After playing four string for so long, my right hand is accustomed to 19mm (3/4") string spacing at the bridge. Some call that "wide 5", but given the similarity to 4-string, I call it "normal 5", with Music Man (etc) being narrow-spaced. Semantics, I know!
 
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#77
Loving my Sandberg 5 string P...

9n9k95M.jpg



I know, I know, it's not "really" a P because it has a big humbucker in the bridge.

But if I dial it to the P pickup only, it sounds fantastic. Big, full, clear and has a punch unlike many other split-coil pickups I've played. Plus the B string sounds killer.

And you can get a Sandberg with only the P pickup if you like. (But the versatility of the MM makes it even better IMHO)
 
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#80
A p5 is next up on my list. Although the wife is a little irked bass number 7 showed up today.

Sire just released a passive p bass available In a 5, no j or soapbar at the bridge. Everywhere says "coming soon" but the demos I've heard are beyond impressive and the price tag I wanna say is 600 dollars so at less than half the price to play as a fender. Sounds like a good deal to me.
 
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