Buy vs mod vs build a 5 string P/MM?

[audreycashin]

picked up this at the start of the pandemic, they don't come up for sale often. Fender P Deluxe V

 

[jamesblue]

Check out Bluesman Vintage (BMV) custom built guitars out of Nashville. Well established shop that will work with you on your specifications (choose your bridge electronics etc..). You can just call them up and talk it over.

See this one that was in the TalkBass classifieds:
SOLD - Bluesman Vintage El Dorado 5

 

[gscroggin]

I think it's important to note that none of these are likely to sound like a MM which seems to be part of what OP is after. A big humbucker in the bridge position isn't going to be the same thing.

Good point, though it's my mistake for not being more specific here. Although I reference P/MM as a configuration, I should have been more specific that I'm flexible with P/humbucker. When I built my J/MM, I didn't put the MM in the sweetspot and I was still happy with the tone, so much so that I didn't really even use the typical Stingray modes for parallel, series, single coil. I've got plenty of basses with humbuckers and all sorts of coil switching options, though for this popular music gigging bass, the sound that I want to add to the P is what I'd describe as a bridge-close big, aggressive, mid-forward series sound. I'll add this to the original post.

I've still got to finish going through all the posts but thank you all for the responses so far.

 

[gscroggin]

I've gone through the thread to this point, thank you all for your suggestions! I'll try to address the ones that jump out at me.

@wizard65 and @Obese Chess
I was not familiar with the Sandberg VM5, but I really like what I see! Although the used price is more than what I was planning on originally, I've started checking out the used market. This and the Maruszczyk Jake seem to be the most likely candidates in a pure P/MM stock config.

@Liko
Re: modding the Sire P7, great idea in general. I had a second gen V7 Alder 5 string, and it's certainly a great value for the money. That said the variability in weight makes me shy away from buying another new without knowing ahead of time, but I'll keep my eye on the used section.

@TheLowDown33
Re: the Nordstrand Dan Lutz, I remember when that got released and though man, that's hot! It would be a rarity to see it pop up in the used market though probably, and I don't think Carey is making basses anymore unfortunately.

@And I
Re: the Harley Benton MP5-EB, I had heard of Harley Benton but knew nothing about the basses. I've got to do some more reading but it seems like it could be a decent low cost modding platform.

@CyberSnyder
Re: Kiesel, Ihadn't considered them for a semi-custom but great idea! I've always been a Carvin fan and know plenty of guitarists that are very happy with their Kiesel's, regardless of what goes on in the world of social media ;-)

@skyline_01
Re: the Squier VM P mod, another great lower cost idea like the Harley Benton MP5-EB. Similiarly I was considering the possibility of modding a Fender Squier Contemporary Active HH V 5-String to meet my needs.

@jamesblue
Re: the Bluesman Vintage El Dorado 5, I saw that (and some other Bluesman's) in the classified and they are certainly nice looking!

A couple of people either mentioned or posted pics of adding a P to a Stingray. I haven't considered this as the string spacing on a 5 string Stingray tends to be too narrow for me (I typically like 18mm or greater). I love the look of a Stingray and I've played some really nice 4 string models. Perhaps there's a wide spaced 5 string model out there?

 

[gscroggin]

For those that are interested, I've found my bass: TMB505 | Talman Bass | ELECTRIC BASSES | PRODUCTS | Ibanez guitars

I landed a demo/blem at a good price, and it looks like my final solution is both buy and mod. Now that I've had a few days to play it and take some measurements, I should be able to fit a large dual coil at the bridge and have it snug up next to the P, similar to the Nordstrand Dan Lutz. I just need to decide on a true MM, vs. the Bigman or Big SplitMan. FWIW the Talman seems to be a great value so far, other than being headstock heavy, which I'll fix with some different tuners.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

As far as I've seen, there are very few commercially available P/MM basses. You can build one EXACTLY how you want it, with VERY good parts, for about the amount of money you mention, from Warmoth, etc. That's the way to go, in my opinion.

 

[two fingers]

Could be a fun project. You have a bass you really like. You want to add a pickup / modify it. I assume there are some minor electronic changes that come along with that. TB may react explosively to this, 2014 Am. Std. P V is a nice bass, a really nice bass. But it is not an investment. If you will enjoy it more, use it more, find it more versatile for the relatively small cost of a pup and your woodwork I'd start there. You can change any other parts without penalty as long as you keep the old ones. But really, for a risk of $50 loss on resale years down the line I wouldn't hesitate to make that tool more functional.

For investment comparison, I have an essentially pristine 1973 P in original case, fretless, maple 1-pc. neck that looks basically like my avatar except it's blonde, maintained original. It was limited production 47 years ago. I wouldn't call it "mint' but it is nearly in new condition, no visible scratches, rust, or string wear on the fingerboard. In 47 years, maintained but not played, its value has gained steadily 1.5%. That's worse than some savings accounts. Just saying, TBers don't like that blasphemy but unless you found McCartney's missing Hoffner your bass isn't gaining value so don't sweat it. Make it yours.

This. Exactly this. Slam that MM pickup right beside the P pickup for best results. I mean literally touching it. As the pic shows, that's almost where the sweet spot is anyway. I have found pickups too close to the bridge to be less useful.