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Carvin PB5 or Fender Precision V?

Carvin PB5 or Fender USA Precision V

  • Carvin PB5

    Votes: 97 53.0%

  • Fender USA Precision V

    Votes: 86 47.0%
  • Total voters
    183
#63
I have a Fender P5 and the only bass in the same price range I'd trade it for is a Lakland. I have two other Laklands, and they are fantastic basses.

The part of the Fender you can't quantify is the fact that it's a Fender Precision. There are some gigs where if you show up with anything other than a Fender P you are scoffed at. You can never go wrong bringing a Fender P to a gig or a session.

That said, I've never played the Carvin, but I understand they make fine products too. I'd order up a P/J if I were going to do the Carvin.
 
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#64
aparker82 said:
How would you describe the tone and playability compared to your 5 string fenders? Is the neck similar?
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Tone: Well the I like the tone much better on the Carvin B string. It's gloriously thuddy, thumpy & clear. All the other strings on the Fenders sounded good but the Bs weren't as clear as I wanted. The Carvin has a hotter pickup which could be good or bad depending on what you're looking for.

Playability: The Fender neck felt very nice but the nut width was a little too wide. Still, I think the playability was very good. The back of the neck on the Fender was kinda thin, which I like. I think the Carvin is more effortless to play. To be fair, the strings are a lighter gauge (spelling?) than the LaBella's I had on the Fender, so that definitely had a big impact on playability. The nut width is significantly thinner. I think the back of the neck was pretty similar to the Fender.

My first 5-string P was heavy but the second one was nice and light. My PB5 is on the heavier side. I'm guessing around 10 lbs. I haven't successfully weighed it yet :hmm:

I recommended the Fender because I tried to approach this as someone who has never owned a 5-string P or PB5. If I were in this situation, I'd choose the Fender because of all the great things I've heard about it. As an Amazon Prime Member, I could buy a Fender P 5 and get one-day shipping for a few bucks more. And I could return it for no charge if I didn't like it. This is exactly what I did with my first one. With the Carvin, I would have to wait 6 to 8 weeks (or 30 days for an extra $100) and I'm very impatient when it comes to getting stuff in the mail :bawl:
 
#66
chadhargis said:
The part of the Fender you can't quantify is the fact that it's a Fender Precision. There are some gigs where if you show up with anything other than a Fender P you are scoffed at. You can never go wrong bringing a Fender P to a gig or a session.
Click to expand...

I never understood that. What if a bass player showed up and scoffed at guitarists for not playing a Strat? 5 strings are a totally different world than 4's, and Fender does not 'own' the string market as they do the 4 string market. I would think people would want the best sounding B string they could get, and Fender ain't necessarily it.

I get it in the recording world, because they want the same, predictable sound and thy're not big on fivers anyway. Outside of that I think it shows great ignorance on the part of whoever is scoffing.
 
#67
aparker82 said:
I'm unfamiliar with this, can you explain please?
Click to expand...
Blade:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

instead of

Poles:
Nordstrand-NP4v_hr.jpg


My understanding is that the Carvin pickup is a blade. I have not heard confirmation.

Note: the pics above are NOT the Carvin pickup, just a random 'blade pickup' search result from google.
 
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#70
I like the idea of the Carvin, but the headstock bugs me. If I wanted something off the wall, like Radiation Green, I'd get the Carvin. It's hard to go wrong with Fender though. Yes, some people listen with their eyes, but you'll never be told to get another bass if you show up with a Fender.
 
#75
My Fender Am Deluxe Jazz V is the best bass I've ever owned.
I love everything about it. The B string kills!
Now I want a P bass V, but they don't make it with a J pickup at the bridge. I gotta have that. P basses to me are too hollow sounding without it.
I voted for the PB5 and am going to drive to Carvin to check them out. :hyper:
 
#76
BassNGuns said:
My Fender Am Deluxe Jazz V is the best bass I've ever owned.
I love everything about it. The B string kills!
Now I want a P bass V, but they don't make it with a J pickup at the bridge. I gotta have that. P basses to me are too hollow sounding without it.
I voted for the PB5 and am going to drive to Carvin to check them out. :hyper:
Click to expand...

If you have time try it with the humbucker at the bridge too please!
 
#77
cybersnyder said:
I like the idea of the Carvin, but the headstock bugs me. If I wanted something off the wall, like Radiation Green, I'd get the Carvin. It's hard to go wrong with Fender though. Yes, some people listen with their eyes, but you'll never be told to get another bass if you show up with a Fender.
Click to expand...

Which headstock? Carvin offers 3 choices for the headstock on the PB5. You can get the headstock reversed, as well.

The Fender headstock looks great, IMO.

Yeah, I agree that the Fender is safe, although I don't think it's as big a deal when you talk about 5-stringers. That extra string is too much for some traditionalists. :)
 
#78
I voted for the Carvin.

FWIW, I've got 2 Fenders (MIJ J-bass Special and a MIM P-Bass), but have also had a chance to play some MIA basses. They're nice, and what I expect from Fender. Good solid instruments.

It's not a PB5, but my Carvin SB5000 is in another league. Much better fit and finish, a great tone, and feels more comfortable in the hands to me.

YMMV
 
#79
Just out of curiousity, I'd like to know how the neck on the Carvin 5'er compares to the Fender P5 neck. About two months ago I tried out a 2013 Fender American Standard P5 and the neck was great. It felt just as wide as the neck on my 2011 American Standard Jazz 5'er but not quite as deep from front to back. Very comfortable player...a bit more so than mine.
 
#80
WoodyG3 said:
Which headstock? Carvin offers 3 choices for the headstock on the PB5. You can get the headstock reversed, as well.

The Fender headstock looks great, IMO.

Yeah, I agree that the Fender is safe, although I don't think it's as big a deal when you talk about 5-stringers. That extra string is too much for some traditionalists. :)
Click to expand...

All IMO, the Icon headstock looks too Ibanez, the standard Carvin headstock looks 80's, and the SB is just odd looking. The body shape is definitely P-bass, but that makes the SB headstock look out of place. It's fine on the SB bass since that's already a different look.
 

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