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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
#21
I have owned maybe seven Fender Fives and only one had a bad b string, a late 1990s Fender Jazz Deluxe V. I think those are pretty good odds. Several, like my 2008 Fender Jazz Standard and my Roscoe Beck V had a really great B strings. All of the other ones were good to very good.

Believe it or not, Squiers have even more consistently good b strings!:D
 
#22
When I was shopping for a V (around '04 - '06), I tried several Fenders and was not all that thrilled with the B. The ones that I've tried since were much better, IMO. I like the improvements that Fender has incorporated and I especially like the P-basses.

I wouldn't say that the ones I didn't like at first sucked. That's a little too strong. The B was dissapointing - although I'm sure if I had messed around with one long enough I could have come up with a setup I liked. I've played far too many fivers that truly SUCKED to put that label on a Fender.

One thing I liked about the Fenders - old and new - was the wide neck. I know that's a deal breaker for some people, but I like a wide string spacing at the nut. A klutz like me needs a little extra room! :)

I ended up ponying up for an A-C (a decision I have not regretted), but if the newer generation of Fender fives had been available I probably would have gone that route instead.
 
#23
Do they suck? Nope. Are there better ones out there? Yep. And there's a whole lot worse ones too. One thing to remember is that most different string brands have different tension. You may have to change your brand to achieve the tension on the B you desire.
 
#24
I had a late 90's MIA Jazz V and it was a good playing bass, until you got down to the low B. The low D note on the B string was good but below that it got fuzzy, unfocused, lot's of overtones, etc. All the 5 string Fenders I have played have felt and sounded like this.

I just don't think the string tension on a 34 scale is adequate to bring out the potent of the low B.

I moved on to 35 scale 5 strings and have found what I was looking for. A strong fundamental sound.
 
#25
I don't own a five but I have shopped them quite a bit by now. I don't see any issues with the Fenders other than the personal one that I prefer a narrower string spacing than they use. My left hand does anyway, my right is quite happy with 19 mm. That said, one of the nicest playing (for me of course) fives I have tried so far was the Squier Active V. Generally the Fender necks seem uncomfortably wide for me, that one did not. I don't know why but I suspect it may be thinner than the other Fender/Squier models. I believe it is flatter (ie, longer radius). I'd be strongly tempted to give it a try if it weren't so nearly a total (except for string count) duplicate of my MIM Active Deluxe. There is nothing about the fit, finish, or tone of Fender fives that seems sub-standard to me. The only playability issues I have with Fenders are the ones they have in common with every other 19 mm five I play, it is a personal preference not a Fender failing. I am not entirely convinced I could not adapt to 19 mm either, as time goes on and I play more and more of them it is starting to seem less of an issue. If Fender offered a MIM or Squier five string Precision I would be looking it over quite carefully. As it is, I would like to try the Schecter Diamond P five if I can find one in a store ever.

Ken
 
#26
Lennard III. said:
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
Click to expand...

+1

I've played both 34"s and 35"s that have had good and bad B strings. The idea that a low B can only be good if it's a 35" is a misconception, and one that I had when I started playing 5's. After more experience and several basses later however, only one of my main players is a 35" scale bass. Of those, I play my '06 MIA Jazz V and '09 MIA Pbass V most and the low B is great on both.

Dr. Cheese said:
Believe it or not, Squiers have even more consistently good b strings!:D
Click to expand...

I can't speak to consistency, but I recently played a couple Squier 5'ers when checking out some amps because they were the only Jazz 5's there, and I agree. I was quite pleasantly surprised by an Affinty 5 that I was tempted to buy on the spot.

5sg.
 
#27
I seems that it all comes down to what your definition is of a good sounding B string.
What is one guys perfection may make another puke.

I like the B on my 35" laklands
but I think this thread holds out hope for a good fender. I love having the low B but I use it so rarely I am debating on going to 4s and adjusting.
I really want to get back to fender.
 
#28
I don't know if they suck, per se. But I would definitely call them inconsistent. I went multiple times with cash in pocket to buy an MIA P5 and everytime walked out empty-handed. The ones I picked up had sprout and were not remotely set up in a way that would even allow for practical playability and consideration. I know all basses need a set up when new, but for $1,000+ dollars, I expect it to at least be playable at the store. When I did play them, it sounded lifeless and dull with not good resonance. I finally abandoned the search and bought another brand.

Though I did feel a pretty good one the other day, but I'm not currently in the market for one.
 
#30
I've had a Fender MIM5, a Roscoe Beck 5, a Squier JB 5 and a P5. I really loved the RB5 and miss it all the time, but I sold it to get a Lakland DJ5 and that's never leaving me!

The MIM5 was okay as was the Squier. The P5 sounded good but I never really bonded with it since I had the RB5 and a Sadowsky RV5 by then.

For the budget I had when I owned them, they were good. However, once you've gone Lakland or Sadowsky it's hard to grab a stock Fender 5 and be satisfied with the tone.

I would like to try a Reggie Hamilton CS5 sometime though...
 
#32
My American Deluxe Jazz fiver paired with LaBella HRS's is one of the best fives I've ever played. I string it through the body to add more tension. The La Bella B string is tapered. They claim to have the best B sting around, and as long as I have been using them I have to agree with them.
 
#33
I've owned two Fenders in my 30 years of playing- a '75 bound blocked Jazz and a 90s something MIM Urge.
I no longer own nor miss either bass.
My "Fender" 5 is a bound and blocked jazz SX!
My other "Fender" 5 is a jazz body P/J certainbass Elita.
You could say i love Fender designs but i dont trust FMIC to implement them properly.
 
#37
I answered "sometimes" in the poll.

I honestly have never found a Fender B string that I've really been able to bond to. I found that I had to be pretty selective in what strings I used on my Fender Jazz Vers. Had to be hex core and tapered for sure.

Others have Fender 5ers and they love them, so I wouldn't say they all suck. :)
 
#38
Strings and setup make such a huge difference on 5s. I think in general 5s don't sound as good as 4s, and that's not isolated to fenders. 5s go lower but sound smaller, and you often have to compromise on strings between a set with a great B an the set you like best on the bass overall. I think many in the "fender 5s suck" camp never tried the bass with the right strings and setup.

Of course these are gross generalizations.

I've played some great fender 5s.
 

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