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Do Fender 5 strings suck? - Whats your opinion

Do Fender 5ers Suck

  • Yes

    Votes: 109 19.9%

  • No

    Votes: 246 45.0%

  • Sometimes

    Votes: 192 35.1%
  • Total voters
    547
#181
bacid said:
I had a Roscoe Beck V with an amazing B, and I've played tons of Fenders with great B's. If you think you have a bad B string, get a bigger gauge.
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Me too. Changing the stock Fender strings helped as well did a change to Nordstrand pickups which really opened up the string. String tension and overall coherence throughout was improved.
However, I think that wood selection makes a big difference. Even on a Fender American Deluxe I don't think the wood they are using is top shelf. It's better than it was and it's a step up from whatever the MIM line uses. Things such as dryness/moisture content seem to be a factor. I have a very light weight 2004 ADV that has a huge low end to it, super warm BUT mushy and loose. (Notice I did not spell it "lose") Fast forward to the last 4 Warmoth Deluxe V basses I built including the one I finished yesterday and ALL of them have a clearer more defined and totally usable B string. My most recent build stomps all over every Sadowsky I owned in the B string department.

I think a lot of it has to do with the wood and how dry it is.
 
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#182
Mike M. said:
I have a 2011 AM STD 5 string Jazz bass. It sounds great and while it plays great I have yet to find a set of strings that I'm totally happy with, especially for the E and low B.

As far as string sets (and of what I can recall) I've tried Fender, D' Addario XL's, Dean Markley Blue Steels, Roto Sound Swing Bass, Elixir's, GHS Boomers and DR Lo-Riders and DR Fat Beams. The closets I've come is with the DR Lo-Riders. One of the problems with the Lo-Riders was....at first I tried the "standard" 45, 65, 85, 105 and 130 and found it to be very unbalanced. The 45 and 65 were way too stiff for me and the 105 and 130 weren't as tight as I would like. I then tried a 40 and a 60 and while overall it was much more to my liking I still wasn't totally thrilled with the E and B.

When I tried the Elixirs I thought for sure they would work because I also have an SR505 that I use Elixirs on and it's the perfect set for that bass. No complaints at all. (You could knock a wall down with the low B on that bass!!) I thought seeing how both basses have the same scale length that they'd work great on the Fender. Big disappointment. That whole set just flopped on the Fender.

Yes, I know how to set a bass up. While I'm no "tech" and can't do fretwork I've never had any problem doing a basic setup on any of my other basses. Fact is I even setup a bass the other night for my friends son and he was thrilled as to how much better it played.

I don't know what strings are right for this particular bass. I've mentioned this before, folks have told me I'm wrong but I'll say it again. On my 4 string basses I have no problems with strings and a few times I thought I'd try the same set on my 5 string but the tension feels totally different. Folks here have told me that the tension should feel identical but sorry, my fingers always tell me different. Any set. For example, once I had the Swing Bass set on my 4 string Jazz, loved it and that's why I tried the 5 string set. Felt too loose.

Bottom line: I just want to find a set of strings for the Fender 5 'er that has identical tension as that on my 4 string Jazz bass. That's all!

Do Fender 5 string basses suck. No, they don't. I just haven't found the right set for my bass. Or rather, the right set for this particular bass.

HELP!!!!
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I use Carvins brand of SS La Bella. They are relatively cheap, consistent, tapered B string and lower tension, which I think is a good choice for the American Standard line in particular.
 
#183
Doug Parent said:
I use Carvins brand of SS La Bella. They are relatively cheap, consistent, tapered B string and lower tension, which I think is a good choice for the American Standard line in particular.
Click to expand...

Hmmm....I'm not sure if a lower tension string would be the way to go on this bass. Once I tried a set of DR LO-Riders on my 4 string Jazz bass (which have a hex core) and they were way, way too stiff. Keeping that in mind I thought they would then be perfect for my 5 string. Nope. The E and B felt a bit too loose for me.

So again, I'm not sure about trying something with lower tension. But thanks anyway!
 
#184
Suck? I don't know if that's true. I know you shouldn't generalize but in order to get the best instrument sometimes you have to!

Over the years, apart from the Roscoe Beck model, the 5 string bass department at Fender doesn't seem to have covered itself in glory. It's a shame because I have a soft spot for them and I really appreciate what they've done for electric bass players. In the late 60's, when I started playing, Fender had the "right" sound so most players used them, but even then the term Pre-CBS was in general use, so their quality has been under the microscope for over 50 years.

Luckily, or sadly, Fender don't have the market to themselves any more and there are enough great examples of 5 string "Fenders" from other builders to keep Fender off my shopping list for a long time.

In fact, thanks to Mike Lull I don't have a shopping list any more.

IMO IME
 
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#187
Doug Parent said:
Me too. Changing the stock Fender strings helped as well did a change to Nordstrand pickups which really opened up the string. String tension and overall coherence throughout was improved.
Click to expand...

+1. I have a 1998 MIM Fender and went through several string sets before finding the set that worked best with the bass for me which ended up being DD EXL220BT 40-95's and adding a 130 for the B string. I also changed the pickups to Nordstrands. Fortunately, I had the Nordy's in my parts drawer so no additional investment other than my time to install it. Did a proper setup with this configuration and the bass plays and sounds much better...even the B....just as Doug Parent mentions. However, because of the upgrades needed to get it to this point, my vote is for sometimes since it is possible to find a Fender with potential and turn it into a respectable player....especially if you are a Fender fan or if you don't have the money to buy a Lull
 
#188
my answer is yes. i think they suck and i do not like them. i was expecting a 5 string precision, a precision that has 5 strings. but they seem like a totally different bass model. heavier, different feel, neck dive.. if they made a 5 string precision, i would be first in line. i have contemplated having my 1973 precision converted to a 5 string.
 
#189
cm3ohana said:
....especially if you are a Fender fan or if you don't have the money to buy a Lull
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This sentence is right.

I respect everyone, but it seems that there´s some big fans of Fender over here.
Fender does nice bass in terms of sense of touch, sound,... I´m not saying that this low B doesn´t works ever. Some folks of this forum found that this low B it works for them, and they are glad to have and play a Fender. There´s nothing wrong in it.

But for me I think that for get a low B there´s better choices in the market for the same budget.:cool:
 
#190
MoeTown1986 said:
i played a MIM Jazz V Deluxe. The B string was pretty weak compared to the other 4 strings. In my head, i thought it would feel similar to my Stingray 5.... wrong.
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I retract this statement. I acquired another MIM Jazz Deluxe V and gave it a proper set up and a fresh set of elixirs and the B feels and sounds great. The problem i had was i tightened the truss rod until the neck had a slight relief and dropped the strings till the Low B and G saddles were sitting on the bridge, but the strings were still about 3/16-1/4" off the 12th fret. I shimmed the neck up in the pocket using a couple small pieces of paper to raise the fretboard, re-adjusted the saddles and now the bass feels great.
 
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#193
Mike M. said:
Hmmm....I'm not sure if a lower tension string would be the way to go on this bass. Once I tried a set of DR LO-Riders on my 4 string Jazz bass (which have a hex core) and they were way, way too stiff. Keeping that in mind I thought they would then be perfect for my 5 string. Nope. The E and B felt a bit too loose for me.

So again, I'm not sure about trying something with lower tension. But thanks anyway!
Click to expand...

Reason I referenced the American Standard line is because Fender apparently started using graphite rods as of 2010, but not before. I have had issues with pre-2010 Standards and having to crank the truss rod to "10" to get the neck at it's proper level of relief (or lack thereof) In your case and to your complaint, I can understand your concerns about string tension.
 
#194
MoeTown1986 said:
I retract this statement. I acquired another MIM Jazz Deluxe V and gave it a proper set up and a fresh set of elixirs and the B feels and sounds great. The problem i had was i tightened the truss rod until the neck had a slight relief and dropped the strings till the Low B and G saddles were sitting on the bridge, but the strings were still about 3/16-1/4" off the 12th fret. I shimmed the neck up in the pocket using a couple small pieces of paper to raise the fretboard, re-adjusted the saddles and now the bass feels great.
Click to expand...

Well it sounds like your complaint was more about the set up and less about the sound of the B string.

I have performed that same modification on plenty of MIM fivers. It's just one of a few reasons I do not recommend them at all. However if you are going to shim, getting a piece of hardwood veneer at a Hardware store or at Michaels craft store in particular often solves that issue while getting the entire neck -to -body contact surface area evenly shimed.
 
#195
Doug Parent said:
Well it sounds like your complaint was more about the set up and less about the sound of the B string.

I have performed that same modification on plenty of MIM fivers. It's just one of a few reasons I do not recommend them at all. However if you are going to shim, getting a piece of hardwood veneer at a Hardware store or at Michaels craft store in particular often solves that issue while getting the entire neck -to -body contact surface area evenly shimed.
Click to expand...
Good to know. I may redo it!
 
#196
#197
I'm REALLY close to pulling the trigger on a new MIA Fender J V black n maple. Can't do 35" scale myself & the 18mm spacing is the widest I go.

Other option is the G&L MJ-5 but thats 17.5 mm spacing & 34" scale, the B probably isn't much better

So... personally I'm kinda stuck just getting the Fender. My rosewood J V is a bit too dark, I need maple.
 

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