P5 Club?

[Rickter]

Okay - so there's a Precision Club & a 5 string Club, but not a 5 string P-Bass Club specifically (that I know of).

There have been quite a few threads where my fellow P5 owners have enthusiastically posted how much they love theirs, sooooo....

Let this meeting officially come to order! Any P5 will do (Fender, Lull, Alleva-Coppolo, Sadowsky, Nordy, Dingwall, Xotic, Alien Audio, etc, etc, etc), as long as its a P & a 5'er! Let's hear from ya!

I'll get things rolling... Here's my 2010 Fender:View attachment 317407

Can I get a number? Rolling with a Yamaha BB415 and as of this afternoon added a Fender American Precision V. Haven't been able to put it down yet!
View media item 10023View media item 10286

 

[Fuzzbass]

I don't remember whether the club has numbers, but those are two well qualified candidates!

 

[peterpalmieri]

Am I correct that most of the P5 pickups like Nordstrand, Fralin and Aguilar aren't drop in replacements for the Fender?

 

[Fuzzbass]

Resurrecting this thread because I just took a photo of my entire family. Not all have P-style pickups, but all have P-shaped bodies, and all have five strings. New member: the trans blue one.

From L-R:
2006 Benavente 51 model (passive)
2005 Sadowsky Ultra-Vintage P5 (one of the first batch made, I believe)
2006 Benavente 51 model (active w/J-style pickups)
2010 Sadowsky Ultra-Vintage P5 (Brazilian RW board, mint guard)
2013 Nordstrand custom Nordy "PP5"
2010 Sadowsky custom "MM5" (ebony board)

Forgot to update: last year I added a new P5 to my collection! I asked a luthier friend and long-time neighbor to build me a five string version of a '58 P-bass. Price was ridiculously low and turnaround was just two months, so I don't mind the various discrepancies. The biggest issue is that it's really hard to find vintage-looking parts for 5-string. I am thrilled about the gold anodized guard, though.... those are hard to find, but the luthier happened to have one.

This is more than just a parts bass: the luthier carved the body and neck himself. I requested a chunky asymmetric profile for the neck and it was executed perfectly. The finish is nitro (more tinted in person than in this photo), and the pickup is a Nordstrand NP5V (alnico). Tone control is a passive Stellartone Tonestyler. Overall, I love the look, feel, and tone of this bass.

 

[Fuzzbass]

Am I correct that most of the P5 pickups like Nordstrand, Fralin and Aguilar aren't drop in replacements for the Fender?

Many are not. However some companies -- including Nordstrand and Aguilar -- make both versions of the P5 pickup: symmetrical (for Lull, Sadowsky, etc) and asymmetrical (Fender).

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I've been gassin' for a P bass for a awhile, but only like playing 5 strings. I ended up with a MTD 5 string CRB and I'm liking it a lot. I had to shield it and I put D Addario Chromes on it. I'm still waiting for the Chromes to break in to get the sound I'm looking for. I've been spoiled by my four year old Chromes on my GGS fiver. This will stay in the arsenal.

Also I have this 5 string SX P bass shape but with single coils. I think I'll someday put a P bass pick up in the neck position.

-Todd

I own 2 of these MTD CRB5 . I sold off my other basses after getting them.
The B string is great, intonation perfect, sound is pure P, and the neck profile fits my hand like a glove.
Both of mine weigh less than 9 lbs. As far as the tone compared to Fender, it has more punch and clarity. The bass is nice and fat but the tone is a touch brighter.

My sunburst / rosewood is strung with TI flats. I keep this one in standard tuning.

My transparent black/ maple is wearing the stock MTD rounds. I tune this one down ala Nate Watts.

I like that it doesn't look like your traditional Fender P.

For my small hands and frame , I preferred this neck & lighter weight over the Fender P5's.

Very underrated imho.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I started out with a CRB 5. I still have it ( I have tried selling it but you can't give these things away)

It sounds good but side by side with my P5 you can really tell the differences.
I love the asymmetrical neck but the 1 3/4 nut is way to thin for me. Above the 5th frett the strings are stacked on each other.
Plan on keeping it forever unless you want to sell it for under $200

Having small hands I just love the asymmetric neck profile and the nut width on the CRB5. The 19mm spacing is comfy.

These are indeed great deals to be had on the used market. I bought my first one used for under $300 shipped. I liked it so much that I hunted for months for another used one. I couldn't locate one so I bought a new one.

I'm glad you found that Fender works for you . They are great too. If I were taller with larger hands, they would be a top contender for me .

I really like a good P5.

 

[Sigurd]

I am bumping this thread to add my 2011 American P5. It's got the non-Jamerson Labellas on it.

 

[franklindayala]

Also bumping the thread to add my Wilkins P5

 

[Joelc73]

My Alleva Coppola KBP5. Nitro finish and Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. I love this bass.

 

[dave64o]

Wow, this club has been really quiet. I've posted mine before, but it's been a long time and I've taken some more recent pictures so, why not?

 

[CElton]

Found this 2015 New Old Stock P5 hanging on the wall at Corner Music in Nashville 2 years ago. Played like butter so I brought it home. One of the best Fenders I’ve owned.

 

[mark beem]

Think I’ve posted this before but here’s my Valenti VPT5. Love this bass!

 

[Fuzzbass]

I see that at least one of my previous pics has disappeared (forget where it was hosted), so here's the full collection.


Locally built '58 style, custom Nordstrand Nordy:

Sadowsky NYCs:

Benavente '51 Models (modded with Nordstrand pickups). The hot rod has color change paint that goes from blue to purple to magenta to orange, depending on viewing angle.

 

[chris_b]

In memory of Mike Lull, here's my fantastic PJ5 . . . . . .

 

[4Mal]

2 more from Mike (RIP Big fella)

 

[Fuzzbass]

Speaking of the great Mike Lull, I owned this one for a few years. Backstory: I had switched over to 5-string in Y2K, getting a Fender RB5: amazing bass, but I really wanted a 5-string P, and this was the first I found -- 2002, I think. Maple top, ash body, rosewood board, Fralin PJ set, passive, 35" scale.

I played it happily for years, but had to try the Sadowsky P5 when it was offered in late 2004. I wound up keeping the Sadowsky and not the Lull, but that had nothing to do with quality! Reasons: I preferred alder/maple, and active over passive. Also, while I had no trouble playing 35" scale, I realized I preferred the more traditional timbre of 34", even on five string. I wish I could have kept the Lull as second P5, but I couldn't afford to at the time.

 

[justin__]

This is my '10 Fender American Standard P5. I think I like it.

 

[ineedaclutch]

A little necromancy was used to reanimate this thread, inspired by @Geri O ’s new P5.

I don’t want to stink up his thread with my P.

I picked up this AmPro a while back and have been gigging it lately. I’m not liking the pickup much, but it’s perfectly giggable.

I’ve run through a few string sets and settled on Dunlop Super Bright NW 120-40. The thinner 120 B really works with this bass.

I’ve cleaned and done a setup since this pic was taken when I picked it up.

 

[Geri O]

A little necromancy was used to reanimate this thread, inspired by @Geri O ’s new P5.

I don’t want to stink up his thread with my P.

I picked up this AmPro a while back and have been gigging it lately. I’m not liking the pickup much, but it’s perfectly giggable.

I’ve run through a few string sets and settled on Dunlop Super Bright NW 120-40. The thinner 120 B really works with this bass.

I’ve cleaned and done a setup since this pic was taken when I picked it up.

View attachment 7205215

Oh, PLEASE! Feel free to post in that thread, by all means!

Talk about late to the party! Here's mine that came in today. Fender AM Pro II Precision 5.

I had a Lull P5. Miss it badly. I hope this one will suffice (so far, so good....)

If there's numbers, fine. If not, so be it.