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Fender 5'er?

SVTDOUBLEBUCK

SVTDOUBLEBUCK

Apr 12, 2009
261
0
East Lyme, CT
#1
Debating about getting an american precision 5 string bass, I haven't found many reviews, and I was wondering what the overall opinion of these basses are, how is the low b? tight? loose? is it a bass that is worthwhile, I know it is a matter of opinion but I am looking for YOUR opinion....I currently have 4 strings and I am debating about this bass......
 
#2
I bought one about 6 weeks ago...

B string is nice and tight, action is spectacular... and the sound is incredible.. applying a classic P sound to a low b string fits the bill incredibly. I use it as my main bass now, replacing the Peavey Cirrus Custom Shop I have... and if you have an ampeg head and cab set up, be prepared to be amazed.
 
#8
Another happy owner here. I've always liked Precisions but I prefer 5 strings so I went without one for years until they finally came out with the P5. I'm very happy with it and it's a fantastic complement to my Stingray 5 HH.
 
#9
dave64o said:
Another happy owner here. I've always liked Precisions but I prefer 5 strings so I went without one for years until they finally came out with the P5. I'm very happy with it and it's a fantastic complement to my Stingray 5 HH.
Click to expand...

Same here.
Until last year i had to play either a 5 string (55-01) or a P (Duck dunn), I just couldn't find an affordable mix of the two.
Now im very happy.
 
#10
I played a couple of them, and they were OK, but I've been spoiled by the playability and the B of my Laklands... so I did the only thing I could...
bg5full.jpg

bgguard1.jpg


And yes, it is everything a P should be with a B that can hurt small children and the elderly.
 
#12
SVTDOUBLEBUCK said:
Debating about getting an american precision 5 string bass, I haven't found many reviews, and I was wondering what the overall opinion of these basses are, how is the low b? tight? loose? is it a bass that is worthwhile, I know it is a matter of opinion but I am looking for YOUR opinion....I currently have 4 strings and I am debating about this bass......
Click to expand...

I needed a 5 string P, and Lakland doesn't make one (OK, they made 1 and only 1 :bassist:), so I started researching Fender P5's. I went in to play one at a guitar store before starting to look for a used one here.

I can overlook poor setup and other standard retailers neglect. But I was appalled at the fretwork. It was worse than any Fender or SX I had ever touched! Sharp edges, but not consistently. There was a display of $300-$500 import basses next to it, and every single one of those basses had better fretwork. It kinda scared me off of them. For $1,300, I expect far better. If that one got out, how many others did? Of all the Fenders that have come and gone from my stable (MIM's, MIK's and Squiers) , the best fretwork I had on any of them was on a Squier P-Bass Special.

IMHO the B is much better than many 5 strings I've played, but not quite on par with Laklands, which is the standard bearer for me.

Don't get me wrong, they have made lots of people very happy, and they can't all be duds like the one I stumbled across. I'd still be open to a used one, but I'd have to see it first!

You might also want to check out Mike Lull P5's.
 
#13
blondmix3 said:
I played a couple of them, and they were OK, but I've been spoiled by the playability and the B of my Laklands... so I did the only thing I could...
bg5full.jpg

bgguard1.jpg


And yes, it is everything a P should be with a B that can hurt small children and the elderly.
Click to expand...


US Bob Glaub 5 string, right? Very, very nice. Unfortunately for me they're 35" and I had to give up my 55-02 because I never adjusted to it. Looking for a 34" model was one of the other things that kept me from owning a 5 string Precision.

Well, that and the Glaub 5 didn't exist when I got mine (though it had been talked about for a while).

Oh, and the price of a US Lakland is beyond my reach. :(

That's a beauty, though!
 
#14
I don't own a Precision 5, though I own an '08' MIA Fender Jazz V. I got to play around with the P5 for a couple of days down at NAMM 09 back in Jan 09, and was totally impressed by the output and feel of the low B. The bass was totally setup perfect since being at NAMM you'd go figure it would be. If I had the extra cash right now I'd def purchase one, they are very nice sounding basses indeed.:smug:
 
#16
blondmix3 said:
I have a feeling we will see the Skyline version in the next year or so....
Click to expand...

I hope so.:hyper:

But I ain't holding my breath though.:rolleyes:

As soon as I save enough to get a fiver I'll get one. Lakie or not.

I've read about this over the past two years. This issue that issue. If Fender can release a mass produced P5, so could Lakland. Quibbling over details is losing them sales, and "Converts" if you will.

Skyline being the average guys price point, I've never understood the true issue.

God Bless, Ray
 
#18
I got a P5 couble of months ago and I am overall impressed with the build quality. The fretwork on my bass is exellent and very nice fit an finish, not as good as my Mike Lull M5 but still very good. I did not like the way the pickups are setup from the factory, the E and A string overpowered the B string but 2 minutes with a screwdriver fixed that problem. I usually bring both basses to gigs now and find myself using the Fender 80% of the time, the 34" scale is more comfortable for me
 
#19
I'm used to the excellent B-string that a 35" scale gives you (4 Laklands, Modulus Roscoe, Elrick), and I had pretty much ruled out any 34" because of it.. Recently, I went looking for a P and realized, being the weak individual I am, that I probably wouldn't play the P if it was a 4-banger.. I'm too used to 5'ers, and that's just what I'm comfortable with now...

I wasn't really into giving the Fender a shot, even though I had heard good things.. I asked Dan Lakin if he was gonna start producing 5 string Skyline Glaubs or Ducks anytime soon, but that doesn't look like it's gonna happen as quick as we think.. Not wanting to spend $3,500+ on a USA Lakland Precision-type thing, I reluctantly looked into what the behemoth known as Fender had to offer...

Let me say, I was pretty freakin impressed. I am one of the pickiest guys out there when it comes to 5 string basses, and I ACTUALLY LIKED THE FENDER! It's a dinosaur with machine gun arms! A dodo bird with a jetpack! They somehow got their act together and gave evolution a jumpstart! On top of that, it sounds like a good Precision is supposed to, which was exactly what I was looking for. And when you're used to parting with over $3k for a bass that does exactly what you want it to, $1,399 just seems cheap.. And yeah, this bass does exactly what I want it to. Of course I'm not gonna hold it to the same standards as a handmade boutique, because it's not one, nor does it want to be.. It's a big, (slightly) heavy, archaic slab of outdated awesomeness that never goes out of style, and it has a new trick: a B-string that doesn't suck!

So yeah, of course I'm getting one. I just need to pay for it first. It's Olympic White with a Tort pickguard and a Rosewood fretboard. :D
 
#20
RTL said:
I'm used to the excellent B-string that a 35" scale gives you (4 Laklands, Modulus Roscoe, Elrick), and I had pretty much ruled out any 34" because of it.. Recently, I went looking for a P and realized, being the weak individual I am, that I probably wouldn't play the P if it was a 4-banger.. I'm too used to 5'ers, and that's just what I'm comfortable with now...

I wasn't really into giving the Fender a shot, even though I had heard good things.. I asked Dan Lakin if he was gonna start producing 5 string Skyline Glaubs or Ducks anytime soon, but that doesn't look like it's gonna happen as quick as we think.. Not wanting to spend $3,500+ on a USA Lakland Precision-type thing, I reluctantly looked into what the behemoth known as Fender had to offer...

Let me say, I was pretty freakin impressed. I am one of the pickiest guys out there when it comes to 5 string basses, and I ACTUALLY LIKED THE FENDER! It's a dinosaur with machine gun arms! A dodo bird with a jetpack! They somehow got their act together and gave evolution a jumpstart! On top of that, it sounds like a good Precision is supposed to, which was exactly what I was looking for. And when you're used to parting with over $3k for a bass that does exactly what you want it to, $1,399 just seems cheap.. And yeah, this bass does exactly what I want it to. Of course I'm not gonna hold it to the same standards as a handmade boutique, because it's not one, nor does it want to be.. It's a big, (slightly) heavy, archaic slab of outdated awesomeness that never goes out of style, and it has a new trick: a B-string that doesn't suck!

So yeah, of course I'm getting one. I just need to pay for it first. It's Olympic White with a Tort pickguard and a Rosewood fretboard. :D
Click to expand...
How does the neck compare to the Roscoe's neck, sizewise?:confused:
 

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