Do Fender 5 strings suck? - Whats your opinion

[PastorofMuppets]

Read a few threads with comments about Fender 5 Strings kinda being terrible.

I wanted to see what the consensus is on this topic.

If you think they suck, please state why in your opinion you think so.

 

[Peepaleep]

I had a 5-string MIM J. I loved the feel of the neck but the B string did not sound good to me. Rather than swap out the p'ups, I sold it and put the money toward a 35" scale Schedter 5'er, which sounded *much* better though I did not like the neck as much. I think the 35# scale basses have better B strings than 34" basses, but YMMV.

 

[Kwesi]

Nope. If they exist, I haven't played one yet. Then again, I have a history of just picking up amazing basses. Also, if you really want people to explain themselves it's usually best to avoid polls. People tend to vote n' roll.

 

[cnltb]

Read a few threads with comments about Fender 5 Strings kinda being terrible.

I wanted to see what the consensus is on this topic.

If you think they suck, please state why in your opinion you think so.

The ones I tried really were not very good.

 

[Emanuel Apascaritei]

The newer 2010 deluxe are very good basses imo

 

[rastataoist]

I wouldn't say they suck, I just think that some of the Fender inconsistency is more obvious on a 5 string, especially with regards to quality of the low B. They also really require fine tuning the setup more-so than other basses.

Once I dialed mine in, I fell in love with it!

 

[electracoyote]

I've played a couple. Underwhelmed by the low B. Maybe just bad luck on my part. Bummer, because I love Fender basses in general.

 

[PastorofMuppets]

I wouldn't say they suck, I just think that some of the Fender inconsistency is more obvious on a 5 string, especially with regards to quality of the low B. They also really require fine tuning the setup more-so than other basses.

Once I dialed mine in, I fell in love with it!

What did you do to dial it in?
was this a jazz or P?

 

[rastataoist]

What did you do to dial it in?
was this a jazz or P?

It's a jazz, and I find I have to go with a heavier gauge B than what typically comes with the set (I'm using a .130 right now, could even go up to a .135).

Also added a little extra action on the B to keep it from buzzing.

 

[Doug Parent]

The newer Fender 5's have more focused B strings, I have observed that certain design changes over the years have made quite a difference. (mid 2000 when they went to the 4 + 1 headstock, started using different string tree's-I think the B has better tension due to this alone) and ditching those "Noiseless" pickups which lacked response on the B string especially.

It's not just the name on the headstock, it's the little details that make or break a B string on a 34.

The MIM late 90's V'ers had a really nice neck profile that people still talk about. However the pickups and 5 inline tuners/string tree design = fail in my opinion.

The Warmoth necks I reshape for my Deluxe V builds are all reshaped to match the 99 MIM neck profile and I copy Fenders design changes through 2010. The result, a killer 34" scale bass that resulted in all my Fender, Sadowsky, MTD and F Basses going to the classifieds.

 

[waleross]

No, I own a P Bass V Amer. and while it is a handful to play, the sound is great. The neck is wide but that is the way it is. Decide for yourself, forum members can only tell you so much.

 

[BioDriver]

No moreso than any other Fender bass. IME Fender is a crapshoot if you buy sight unseen and for ever good Fender bass there's a bad one.

 

[Dave W]

I've played some good and some bad. The newer ones are great.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

I'm sure one out there exists,

 

[Fair Warning]

For me, jumping off of my Warwick and on to a Fender 5er feels like playing a "house"! The neck is so huge. That is why I will be trying out a G&L.

 

[GBassNorth]

The newer Fender 5's have more focused B strings, I have observed that certain design changes over the years have made quite a difference. (mid 2000 when they went to the 4 + 1 headstock, started using different string tree's-I think the B has better tension due to this alone) and ditching those "Noiseless" pickups which lacked response on the B string especially.

It's not just the name on the headstock, it's the little details that make or break a B string on a 34.

The MIM late 90's V'ers had a really nice neck profile that people still talk about. However the pickups and 5 inline tuners/string tree design = fail in my opinion.

The Warmoth necks I reshape for my Deluxe V builds are all reshaped to match the 99 MIM neck profile and I copy Fenders design changes through 2010. The result, a killer 34" scale bass that resulted in all my Fender, Sadowsky, MTD and F Basses going to the classifieds.

+1
I think this hits the nail on the head. I have a 2005ish MIA Jazz Deluxe V that I bought mail order and I gotta be honest - the tone sucked. The neck felt good and the build and finsh were great but the tone we very lack luster. I replaced the stock Noiseless pickups (which in my opinion were garbage) with barts and that made a good improvement then I replaced the stock preamp with one that actually made a difference when you moved the treble knob (went with a John East deluxe, sounds great) then I changed the strings out to LaBella Tapewounds and now it sounds as good as it looks, which is very nice. Problem is, I now have nearly $2000 in it and it does not sound noticeably better than my new $220 Squier Jazz V Affinity.
From what I understand the newer MIA Jazz V is better than the ones from 5+ years ago and my personal experience is that the new Squier 5 string jazz is built darn nice as well at a fraction of the price. Try both side by side along with a MIM and see which one looks, feels and sounds best to you. At the end of the day everyone should have a Fender Jazz V (MIA or MIM or MIC or MII or MIJ...) in their line up. Just try before you buy and avoid mail order if you can.

 

[Lennard III.]

I think the 35# scale basses have better B strings than 34" basses, but YMMV.

you can't say that in general. The most terrible B strings that I've heard were all on 35' basses.

I have a 34' Fender MIJ JB 5 and this Bass has a fantastic low B

 

[MattyH]

Terrible. Sloppy neck, sloppy tone, sloppy feel, sloppy B string, sloppy sloppy sloppy. Fender Jazz basses are not made to be 5ers. Don't even get me started on those terrible 5 string P's either.

My concern is I really love the Lakland JO 5ers. Yes it's a 5 string "Jazz" style, but I've heard it's miles above the Fenders. Feel, tightness, the whole nine. I'm GASing for one, but I may not push my luck and just go for the 55-02

 

[rmars]

For everything Fender does to make me like their 5's better they do something else to make me dislike them. The new American Standard Jazz and Precision are leaps and bounds better than what they had been making...... except for some reason they thought it would be cool to do a 9.5" radius on the fretboard. Admittedly this is a personal preference and may not bug others but for me it's a deal breaker on a 5 string.

The 5 string P basses I have played have all been excellent and extremely light. For some reason the tighter radius doesn't seem to bug me as much on the P's. The newer Jazz 5's I tried have all been considerably heavier and combined with (my issue) w/ the radius caused me to return one I purchased MF.

 

[Joe Murray]

Whenever I have tried one out (all jazz V) I never really adapted to the necks. It was tough for me to really get a good hold of. Just really uncomfortable.