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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
#61
Used to own an American Deluxe P V approx. ´01, and I liked the neck and general tone. BUT, it suffered from a week B-string. It also suffered from hideous shielding and flimsy pots that came off every now and then - but that had nothing to do with no. of strings :D I've had the pleasure of playing a bass-colleagues Roscoe Beck V at one gig, and that was a different story: GREAT bass. I borrowed a Marcus Miller V for a week a couple of years ago, and liked the overall feel and sound - also from the B string. However, horrible shielding took me down memory lane in a bad way, and it went back :rollno:
 
#62
I tried a Fender P5 2012 and a Lakland 5502. The Lakland was so much better that I was blown away fender wants $1,200 for their 5.

There is no way a Fender P5 is worth $1,200 IMO. I got the Lakland for $100 more, and it was well worth it.
 
#63
lol@theBstringargument:)

i have never had a problem with any B-string on ANY bass. i simply find the sweet spot and play.
string too taunt,... play nearer the neck!
string too slack,... play nearer the bridge!
D'OH!:D

the last time i posted this info, some complained they shouldn't have to adjust positions. BUT, isn't that what bass playing is all about. there is a ton of valuable nuance at every increment of string length!:)
 
#64
If I hear a bad B string on an otherwise good bass, it's usually the string or the setup, or possibly the pickups being too magnetic and pulling too hard on the fattest string. The B string has some special requirements but it's really just another string.

I've heard great B strings on a Rickenbacker scale length in multiple cases, which is even shorter than Fender, so I know it's not that. In fact the long scales can sometimes get too "pingy" and bright with less of that deep rumble that makes a B string so powerful through house speakers. I've definitely experienced this with a few Schecters. Dingwalls I have tried sound good overall but they really lack the low end rumble as well (you have to EQ it back in which is fine, just not my favorite thing about them). Scale length, like anything else, isn't a cure-all.
 
#65
I've owned a few Fender 5 string jazz basses and a P 5 too. I like the way they sound pretty well. I do not like how they feel while playing them. I dislike the thick poly finish which deadens the vibes you feel in your chest while playing other basses without that finish. Right now I'm playing a Jazz 5 string that has a hollow chamber and an F hole with nitrocellulose finish. It has Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pups and passive electronics. Killer tone but it's not a Fender.
 
#67
I have a terrific Fender V. I started with a Squier Affinity Jazz V a d compared it to my MIA Jazz V.
Ditched the MIA.
Bought a new set of 2013 MIA pickups and hardware off ebay and dropped them in.
Put on a set of EB Slinky's and it is so perfect I have never had to touch the neck or the intonation since I got it in 2011.
Total cost for the lot is about $350.
 
#68
PastorofMuppets said:
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.
Click to expand...

No not terrible. I'd rate them as just at the lower edge of acceptible. But there is a proviso here. Mine (2002) took some serious effort to get the B string decent though everything else was really nice. Word has it (and it seems true to me) that those Fenders after 2008 have all the things I fixed already fixed and are excellent.

That's why I had to vote "sometimes".
 
#71
I have a Roscoe Beck V (1996) which I love, but I've played a bunch of Fender V's which were almost scary bad in their lack of tightness and feel, and not just on the B. I wouldn't say that Fender V's suck, but I would say they are wildly inconsistent.
 
#72
I have to be picky about my low B. Many producers don't even want to use a 5 string bass because they can be tricky to define in a mix. Sent a track I just played on to one of those guys, and he was like "finally!!!!". lol.

If you aren't doing sessions, this is not as important, but still - you should know why there can be an anti 5 string bias, and how to combat it.
 
#74
I worked at a Fender dealer for several years. The 20+ Fender fivers that we had from 2001-2006 all suffered various neck and/or electronics problems. These were Fender (non-Squire) models ranging from Asian-made, Mexican-made to USA-made. In hindsight, it's kind of alarming just how regularly we had problems with Fender fivers.
 
#76
USA Jazz V owner here. I still don’t understand what a “Floppy B” is, and I’ve played lots of 35"-scale instruments. Anyway, my guess is that Fender may eventually concede and add a 35" or two to its line-up at some point down the road — if only because “Haters gonna hate.”
 
#80
Think that most standard string sets have a B that has much lower tension than other strings in the set. Best to get a standard 4 string set and add a larger gauge B string to match the tension of the other strings. With standard set, my B string sounds great when I tune it up to D. Finding that standard 45-105s match better with a 135 B or a 130 for 40-100 set.
 

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