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Fender 5 help

jeffbrown

jeffbrown

Jun 13, 2007
1,245
1,134
New Hampshire, USA
#1
I'm GASsing for a Fender I recently saw in the local store. Its a Fender active 5 string. The headstock has a 50th Anniversary sticker on the back. The serial number makes it a 1996, MIA. Its in nearly perfect condition; black body has a very small scratch you really have to look for, otherwise no imperfections I could see. Sounds great, action is sweet right off the rack.

What does the list advise would be a fair price for this? Fender case, wrenches included.

TIA!
 
#2
OK, so I submitted to the GAS; bought it. Sounds excellent. :D Has some older roundwounds on it, unknown brand. I got some flatwounds (Ernie Ball 45 - 130s) just for fun to experience the difference. Have been playing it with the rounds for now, and I'm suitably impressed. :bassist: I've been wanting to add a Jazz to the stable for a while. I/we (SWMBO) rationalized the purchase as a combination birthday/Christmas/anniversary present, for which I'm contributing as well. Thanks, Steph!!
:hyper::hyper::hyper:

The band has been kidding me about switching out basses for different songs. I gonna love giving them more ammunition! ;)

No picture, yet. Gotta figure out how to get the image down to size.
 
#4
Sure thing and thanks, Tanner. Crappy cell phone... :rollno:

The more I play it, the better I like it. I'll try the flatwounds in a week or two. For now, I'm getting used to the bigger neck, etc. My Ibanez is svelte, compared to this. Not complaining, though!

Enjoy!
 
#5
jeffbrown said:
Sure thing and thanks, Tanner. Crappy cell phone... :rollno:

The more I play it, the better I like it. I'll try the flatwounds in a week or two. For now, I'm getting used to the bigger neck, etc. My Ibanez is svelte, compared to this. Not complaining, though!

Enjoy!
Click to expand...

You did good! The best thing about an active 5 is the range of tone you get out of it. The "Mid" control is the thing that sets it apart from all those passive basses! And dare I say it, but with the Fender 5 for "old school" [nobody ever seems to notice the extra string on mine] and the tonal range that you can run right up to the Ibanez sound, and then the Ibanez to take over and run it clear to "modern", you are ready to lick the platter clean!

And yes, mine has GHS flats on it which I love, and I still don't much like the neck profile as much as some of my other basses, but it works just fine.
 
#6
Just spent another 1.5 hrs. playing it through the Peavey, and I know I'm just scratching the surface of it's tonal range. I haven't even tried any effects yet, and I'm one happy dude. Bassbenj, you are SO right about the mid control. My (active) Ibanez is good, but different. I believe the Fender has even more range. :D

OK, off the 'puter, back to the shed.
:bassist::bassist::bassist:
 

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