Anyone play a 5 string P??

[retslock]

I don't know the story behind this bass. I bought it like this. It rocks. View attachment 4401121

I put together a Frankenbass from an old Cort body and it’s MM style pickup but like yours, I placed the pickup in the Precision sweet spot and it sounds really good. I had a pre EB Stingray but didn’t fall in love with the tone - too hard and lacking warmth. I always wondered what the pickup would sound like in the P spot. Now I know and I like it a lot. The neck is a cheapie that I got on eBay. Excuse the poor photo.

 

[jmhaslip]

I have 2 5-string PJ basses. One fretted, one fretless. For me, it depends on the gig. If I don't need the extended range, I will play my 4-string Am. Standard Precision.

 

[retslock]

My Ibanez Talman P/J is my main player, but I usually play solo P like 90% of the time. I love the look and feel and sound of this bass

View attachment 4401179

I lusted after one of these but they’ve gone out of production. Damn! Yours is exactly the type that caught my eye; natural finish with tort.

 

[stingray69]

I've always loved the look of the Yamaha BB series. Some of the coolest basses ever made. And you got a good collection going!

Thank you sir - can't say enough good things about the Yamaha BB's. They play great & sound amazing for almost any genre!

BTW, beautiful Sandberg!!

I have a Sandberg-inspired Harley Benton that sounds really good too (but heavy) - definitely love the P/MM combo too!

 

[Paul Long]

I just put my Fender P5 up for consignment at a local guitar shop. Beautiful bass, but I'm only a year into the bass thing and mainly learn on 4-string basses, so it's awfully weird picking up the P5. My fingers get confused. Seems like the radius is awfully small, too. I think I'd have had to exclusively learn on the P5 to make a go of it.

 

[macribas]

I just put my Fender P5 up for consignment at a local guitar shop. Beautiful bass, but I'm only a year into the bass thing and mainly learn on 4-string basses, so it's awfully weird picking up the P5. My fingers get confused. Seems like the radius is awfully small, too. I think I'd have had to exclusively learn on the P5 to make a go of it.

Makes sense. I learned on a 5er in the early 90s, now I can go back and forth. But I wouldn’t worry too much about it, it’s only 5 extra notes.

 

[yakmastermax]

I bought a Sire P7 because I couldn't afford a Fender P5, nor could I find a Squier P5.

Overall I have been disappointed in how not P sounding the Sire sounds. It is a very nice bass, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't sound like a P.

I got a Squier Vintage Modified V fiver jaguar bass, swapped an ebay neck on it and a fender bridge.

It sounds like a half decent Squier P, and the 5 string is decent too.

 

[TREYontheBASS]

I have a few 5-string P's (w/J options).

View attachment 4401145

If you ever want to sell one of those BB’s you let me know.. I have been looking for a white one for so long now. Very nice collection!

 

[2cooltoolz]

Once I adapted to fives, I couldn't find a single reason to go back to fours except aesthetics. Fives are not the style of the moment. Who knows?

My #1 #1 over years of playing was this modded American Standard P5.

I'm not going to lie to you about the "piano-like" low C and D. They are adequate, but mostly used as the low V (five) in the dreaded I-V country riff, or as walk-ups to the E, F, etc...
but(!) the "main" four strings sound as "P" as any. People miss that. You still have a 4 string P. Plus.

The trick is up neck, starting around 5th fret. Playing across the neck, without so much "jumping around". If you play off charts, ever, it's a blessing.

Due to physical problems, I'm currently playing reduced weight fours, but my fives are ready and willing when I am.

 

[Lackey]

I own an MTD CRB 5 string. It’s a 34” scale. It’s a beast of a P. B string feels great and extremely well balanced. Upgrading the stock pickups to
Nordstrand P’s next week.

I'd be curious to play a CRB, cool aesthetic and my old MTD Kingston was a very solid bass and had an insane B string. And I bet the 34" B would be great as well.

 

[mjcarp79]

I have a Kiesel PB5 (lined) fretless that I absolutely love. It has the (formerly) optional bridge humbucker. I like it so much that I ordered a fretted one too! (Can't wait for it to show up!)

 

[mazdah]

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).

Ah right! It had thise small, funny P pickup But I didn't consider it valid to this thread, since it was tuned E-C

 

[chris_b]

I just put my Fender P5 up for consignment at a local guitar shop. Beautiful bass, but I'm only a year into the bass thing and mainly learn on 4-string basses, so it's awfully weird picking up the P5. My fingers get confused. Seems like the radius is awfully small, too. I think I'd have had to exclusively learn on the P5 to make a go of it.

Noooooooooo! This is not a good reason to put a bass away. We've all had this. You just have to stick at it and adapt your muscle memory to the new layout. Learning bass is about the notes. You can confuse yourself by trying to learn 2 different layouts. Put the 4 strings away and focus on the 5. First focus on the similarities. You'll adapt and when you feel confident you'll be able to play both without any issues.

 

[Kitsapbass]

Paging @BassCliff ….

 

[SW121]

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.

Depends entirely on what you play and/or what you want. I play 5'ers exclusively now because it is what I need to do the job. Do you have material you are playing that needs a five? Do you want to experience a five just to see if it works for you? Either of these are decent reasons but if it is the latter, you might want to dip your toe rather than do a full commit and see if you take to it. Perhaps you could find an inexpensive P5 or at least as inexpensive as You can get. It is a seller's market out there right now and not the best time to be buying. Still used Laklands pop up etc.

Thanks for the reply, I have other 5 string basses but wanted to give a 5 string P a go. I am looking at the Sire P5 as a viable option, as you suggested maybe not initially breaking the bank.

 

[SW121]

Thanks for all the great replies, I think i will get a P5 just maybe not the most expensive one. Talkbass truly is the best bass community.

 

[Jefenator]

This doesn't have the P-bass look at all, but sometimes it's the pickup shape that really counts.
It's my bread & butter axe. If I want to cover a wide range of material (from Motown to modern) without switching, this is the obvious choice.
I love a good single-pickup instrument, and I admire those who commit to an expensive 5-string P build configured that way. But IME, a bridge pickup really helps bring out some growl that lets the lowest register speak. I might not miss it if I din't have it, but I always have, and after A/Bing the settings, I can't see myself choosing to go without. Not with a low B, anyway.
The preamp is a nice bonus, too. Again, I love a good passive axe - and the passive tone knob to me remains the most indispensable. But that in conjunction with some active low boost can be pretty addicting.

 

[JLY]

I have had several including Lakland and Lull. This one is my favorite by far…. And very hard to find!!

 

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. @SW121,

Paging @BassCliff ….

Thanks for the shout-out Nate!

Please know that I am not anti-5 string. This is America and you should have the freedom to choose your instrument. Consult your music instructor, your family, your bandmates, and decide for yourself whether or not you need the 5 string. No one should be forced to play the 5 string.

There are millions of bass players who rely on their 4 string instruments to keep their music sounding good and 99.7% of the time it will sound good. There are others who feel they need a 6 string in order to have as many notes as possible to make up for those with only 4 strings. They look down on the 4 string players and say, "Why don't you have more strings? You should have more strings. With only 4 strings you'll never play as many notes as I can. We'll invoke a mandate so you'll never be able to play a gig like that."

Don't listen to the fear and the hype. You shouldn't need a 5 string card to play a gig anywhere. Defy. Resist. Use common sense. Follow the music theory. Do what is right for you and your body of music.

I have a few four strings, a couple of five strings, and a six string. I've been playing my new Kiesel PB5 since I bought it about a year and a half ago. I played fours in the 70s, started with a five in the mid-80s, got a six in the mid-90s. I'd been playing my Carvin LB76 for twenty years and got around to wanting something more traditional "Fender-y" looking to go with the tribute acts I've been playing with.

My little herd.

My new five.

Something totally ridiculous.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[bigthemat]

I lusted after one of these but they’ve gone out of production. Damn! Yours is exactly the type that caught my eye; natural finish with tort.

I've seen em on Reverb for cheaper than I paid for mine haha