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Fender Bass V..the old kind

#3
tightbidness said:
There was a short discussion several weeks back:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=197339

It's tough because the TB search function doesn't allow one to search for Bass V, Bass VI, etc.

Out of curiousity what kind of pimp prices have you seen?
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i tried that search..but you know what happens. BAD pimp prices..I can't stand basspimps.
 
#4
The Fender Bass V isn't a 30'th scale bass, it has the normal 34 scale length.

At Knooren we had one for repairs coming in and we strung it up with the normale BEADG tuning. It was a sunburst one with blocks in the neck, I measured the scale length and it was a 34 inch long scale bass.
bass_v-snbst-front_b.jpg

Lovely tone though, very much like P-bass but with the added depth of a B-string.
 
#5
so it's a 34" scale, but with only 15 frets..strung e-c, that yields a high Eb..same range..as a P. When you were fixing it..the pickups look like a split P bass..but also more like single coil Mustang split..they must have only gone with that bass..did you find out?
 
#6
You have to pay Fender credit for making different Pickups for each bass they released in those days.

The pickup of the Bass V is similar to the one of the Musting bass, being a split humbucker but with narrower coils than a P-bass' and with one magnet for each string instead of the two that a P-bass pickup has.

But as I said before, it sounds really good, a really woody motown like sound. I guess the Wide body and the through string bridge accounts for that.
 
#7
Jamerson had one. I don't have the Slutsky book on hand, but I seem to recall it's one of the few instruments of Jamerson's still owned by his family.

According to George Gruhn it's a 30" scale [edit: apparently not correct but what it says in Gruhn's Electric Guitars and Basses book]. Released in mid 1965, bound fingerboard in late 1965, block inlays in 1966. It was around until at least 1970.
 
#8
This bass was directed mainly at studio players, the idea being it would be easier to sight-read if you didn't need to change fret hand position as often. The extra, high C string allowing you to play across the neck not up it, thus the fewer frets.
 
#12
tightbidness said:
This is an admittedly rough attempt to display the Mustang and Bass V to scale, assuming the Stang is 30" and the Bass V is 34". Looks correct. It's a fascinating instrument for sure, and I'd love to play one.
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thanks for the pic..makes you wonder why more mfg's didn't go with the idea of fewer frets/more strings/fewer positions.
 
#14
BassFelt said:
That's not my experience. The one I owned IMHO had a weakish sound - no punch.
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I guess my only explination for that is that the quality differed between one example and another. And that you had the misfortune of owning a bad one.

I guess the only well known player of the Bass V who used the bass at live performances was John Paul Jones.
jpjv.jpg
 
#15
johnp352 said:
so..NOT like a P bass..more like a Mustang? ie single coil sounding?
were the pu's single coil, do you remember?

also..did you have it tuned e-c, or as above, b-g?
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The Mustang Bass never had singlecoil pickups, it had a humbucking splitcoil, much like the P bass but with one single magnet for each string. The similar styled Musicmaster Bass had a single coil, a six pole guitar pickup.

People keep mixing them up but the Mustang and the Musicmaster are entirely different instruments. Here's examples of both.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
A Mustang bass, large pickguard, large bridge with through body stringing, split coil pickup.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
A Musicmaster Bass, small pickguard, singlecoil guitar pickup, two saddle top loading bridge.
 
#16
thanks for clearing that up Blazer.

Blazer said:
The Mustang Bass never had singlecoil pickups, it had a humbucking splitcoil, much like the P bass but with one single magnet for each string. The similar styled Musicmaster Bass had a single coil, a six pole guitar pickup.

People keep mixing them up but the Mustang and the Musicmaster are entirely different instruments. Here's examples of both.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
A Mustang bass, large pickguard, large bridge with through body stringing, split coil pickup.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
A Musicmaster Bass, small pickguard, singlecoil guitar pickup, two saddle top loading bridge.
Click to expand...
 

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