Fender 24 5 String

[Herrlster]

Anybody have any experience with this bass? I'm seriously considering buying this bass next month. Unfortunately, I can't play it before I buy it. My local music shop has to order it in for me if I decide to buy it. So I need Talkbass's opinion on this bass.

 

[Herrlster]

Anybody?

 

[Supernova67]

low B isnt the greatest. Not the worst I've ever played, but far from the best. when i played one at GC right after the 4 string version....they sounded pretty much the same (go figure). If ya like active Jazz's, go for it.

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

No experience with it, but as far as I know, it is made in Korea. Don't know if that's important for you.

 

[Herrlster]

Well, I'm hoping that all the strings are consistent? Like they all sound the same, feel the same.

 

[skater710]

Hey man,

I had my mate at the music shop tell me the low B is pretty awful.
You'd probably be better of not buying one.

But then again you could go try one and fall in love with it!

Check out ZZounds or Musiciansfriend and see if there are some reviews there.

 

[bucephylus]

I've only played the 4, and both of those in the shop had twisted necks.

I've been watching the reviews on the 5, but they have been uniformly poor.

This is a real shame, because I feel Fender has the right design on this one. They just don't seem to be executing. They need to make them light with a tight B and straight neck.

 

[Herrlster]

Yeah, I need a good B string. One that's fits in with the rest of the strings. A B string that has the same characteristics as the E,A,D,G strings.

 

[Baird6869]

I have a MIA Jazz 5er and the B sounds great. Not sure if this is relevant info though.....

 

[srxplayer]

It's ok. There are better Low-B strings out there but it isn't too bad. I own the 4-String version and I like it.

For the price I think an Ibanez SR-905 has a better B-String.

 

[Basseroni]

I was looking at one to get as a road bass. I played one and it sounded nice but I didn't care for the chunky neck. The active/passive circuit doesn't sound half bad but from the reviews I've been reading the stock preamp doesn't last very long and that is what turned me off to those.

 

[neuromancer]

I have a 5. They have been getting less than stellar reviews lately, although I have to say I love mine. I got my hands on an alleged NAMM demo, so I practically stole it. Plus, it looks like Roger Sadowsky broke into the factory and added his personal touches to it visually.

Some negativity I have heard about it:
-Chunky neck: This is true, the neck is thicker and wider than most 5's. Not a problem for me, although I had always associated a Jazz bass with a narrow neck. I think it's 1.85" or 1.9" at the nut, where a good deal of 5's are 1.75"

-Bad finishing around the frets: check the fretboard thoroughly before you buy. This was the case with mine. Since I paid such a low price for a practically new bass, I didn't care in this instance.

-The electronics/preamp: No complaints with mine so far, although I have heard of 4-string Jazz Bass 24 models whose preamps have died. I really hope Fender took care of this, and if not I imagine we'll be hearing about it soon enough...

-The sound: here's where this bass could fall short, mainly because many people will expect it to sound like something it's not (a vintage/passive Jazz). You can switch from active to passive, although you lose the use of the tone controls if you do so. No issues with the B on mine, thunder aplenty. I've played active basses for some time now, and passive models tend to leave me looking for the Nitrous switch, so it's not an issue here.

If you don't already own a jazz, this one could well ruin your opinion of those 'other' models if you appreciate it for what it is, and you're willing to overlook it for what it's not.

 

[Herrlster]

I want this, I love the looks of it, the 24 frets and its a 5 string. And I've always wanted a Fender bass.

Whats the string spacing on this.

I don't know if I should get it or not, the reviews dont seem to be too good. And I can't play it before I buy because the store would have to order it in for me.

 

[neuromancer]

Whats the string spacing on this.

I don't know if I should get it or not, the reviews dont seem to be too good. And I can't play it before I buy because the store would have to order it in for me.

I'm not sure what the actual spacing is off the top of my head, although it's likely to be wider than what you currently own. What do you currently own, by the way?

I think this bass is definitely a 'try before you buy' scenario. Since the store will have to order it for you, I think you're better off going through a mail-order company like Sweetwater. They seem to have a fairly liberal return policy, just keep all the paperwork and packing materials handy. If you don't like it after all, send it back.

 

[srxplayer]

I had one of the ones that had a bad preamp. The first one I got crapped out on me during a rehearsal on the first day I brought it home.

They have addressed the problem. This was on the first run of the 4-strings.

I also was told that Fender changed the the battery clip. This was onother problem with the jazz 24. People were installing the battery backwards and cuasing it to blow the preamps after a few minutes. I'm not sure how that happens but that was a big enough problem so they had to do something about it. I think mine has the old style because you can stick the battery in backwards if you are not paying attention.