Passive 5 string?

[phillybass101]

Don't knock the Squier VM 5 P. A decent bass for the money IMO. Just add your favorite Pups and save hundreds. Squier caught on and raised the price. I bought mine for $275 and now they're $349

 

[ric4682]

Unfortunately, I prefer two pickup basses. I've had a few Squier basses that really sound great, even stock though.

 

[josiah goldfish]

Any active five string could be made into a passive five string easily enough

 

[ric4682]

Another vote for the yamaha BB (1025x in my case, amazing quality/playability and tone, including a great B)

Are the BB's more modern/aggressive or vintage/smooth sounding?

 

[jerry]

Fender Roscoe Beck V.

 

[ric4682]

I wish I could find a Roscoe Beck to play! Those look amazing and I love all the switches.

 

[nspjels]

A cheaper solution would be to find a lower-priced 5 string with active pickups that you really love the feel of, then swap out the electronics for some quality passives. I have a $350 Washburn 6 string (not even sure what model it is, something discontinued), set it up so it plays nice, swapped out crappy active electronics for some nice passive Aguilar hum-cancelling jazz pups, it's worked out pretty well for me!

 

[MattStonewall]

I see that you play Rickenbacker as well from your photo. I was presented with the same issue myself lately. I ended up going with a Fender American Jazz Deluxe. The tone is a bit different though but with some noodling you can get a similar Rick tone. Shame on Rickenbacker for not developing their 5 string bass market.

 

[Ric5]

I see that you play Rickenbacker as well from your photo. I was presented with the same issue myself lately. I ended up going with a Fender American Jazz Deluxe. The tone is a bit different though but with some noodling you can get a similar Rick tone. Shame on Rickenbacker for not developing their 5 string bass market.

Check out this link ... 4 to 5 bass conversion

 

[Theorybass'd]

Ibanez sr755 absolute killer sound with the nordstrand pups going. Split single neck and a single at the bridge. Passive switch, throw on the active for a bit of extra accentuation or aggro. Got it last week, I'm in the same boat it is killer if you like the 24 feet style. Otherwise I'd personally grab an AM 5 P. good luck!

 

[kkaarrll]

for some of these price points,
a custom 5 the way you want is available

 

[Woofer]

Fender American Standard Dimension bass meets all of your criteria. If I had the extra scratch laying around I'd be very interested in one.

 

[ric4682]

I actually just watched the Ed Friedland video on the American Standard Dimension and the B string sounded not that great. Maybe it was just that video or it'd be better with different strings, but I wasn't very impressed. It was all overtones or something.

 

[H2okie]

Unfortunately, I prefer two pickup basses. I've had a few Squier basses that really sound great, even stock though.

I ended up getting into MIA peavy passives like the 5 string foundation. These have a fender jazz feel to play. But a more punchy tone. I have a few nice mid range basses and these mia peavey's sound great. Passive. Dual pickups and the pickups are pretty hot for passives.

 

[ShirazBop]

Long time 4 string player, jumped into the 5 string pool on a 2011 Fender American P5 back in 2012,... Love it. Scored it for less than a G here in TB Classifieds. Next purchased a 2112 Fender American J5,.. Coincidentally both Candy Cola Maple Necks,..both with Sadowsky Blue Nickels on them,.. Call 'em "Thing One and Thing Two",... Invalid Link Removed
These are fantastic instruments. Next have forayed into the active world with a gorgeous Musicman SR5 and a G&L MJ5. Both of these have the narrower string spacing but are both freaking tone monsters and quiet as all get out,...

The most cost effective entry point to a worthy 5 banger that I've found would be one of these Squire Vintage P5's... I had got this beauty for about 3 bills and had intentions of modding her to a fretless P/J,.. She was just too pretty though to put under the knife,...so ended up selling her back on the TB Classifieds LOL

 

[Oldschool94]

I've played and owned a lot of basses (mostly 4 strings) and I definitely prefer passive basses to active by a decent amount. Some exceptions are active circuits with a passive tone control. I have a hard time finding passive 5 strings that aren't Squiers or $2000+
I don't really have a chance to go try many out, and most guitar stores I go to don't have many, if any, passive 5's. I really want one though.
There's a Revered Rumblefish on Craigslist a few hours from me. I've also been looking at the new American Standard Dimension basses, but very few people have tried them it seems. I've heard good things about Gibson's (now discontinued) EB 5 strings.
What are some good basses?

I've got a G&L L2500 tribute. It's active mode basically is just a volume boost used to drive the line. The EQ is passive, a passive tone control and a passive bass roll off (like an upside down tone control). I've actually got mine in the shop right now, pulling out the active mode and replacing it with a capacitor switch. But it's a great passive bass, huge sound, ability to get a very good P bass sound, excellent humbucking-modern-scooped sound, has an excellent growl in the bridge humbucker, and the K-mod gives you single coil jazz sounds. The B string is huge sounding. I think for versatility and solid sound it doesn't really get any better for a passive 5 string bass.

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

How much time/money/skill do you have? You could always go the Warmoth route and assemble your own passive 5er. I just finished mine up and it's probably my best playing/sounding bass I have.

View attachment 806104

+1
I have a passive Warmoth 5er, Ash/Maple with Delano JMVC5 pickups and it is the best playing and sounding bass I have ever owned in my 30yrs of playing bass.
If a Stingray5 and a JazzBassV had a child, that's how it would sound like.

 

[thomas-k]

Are the BB's more modern/aggressive or vintage/smooth sounding?

With tone full on and both pups, modern/aggressive, but vintage/smooth is there too (P pup, tone rolled off). When I say modern, I mean that compared to a standard Pbass, there's more "zink" to the tone, and the output is greater too. As said by others the neck is a real pleasure to play. Plus (IMO), it doesn't look half bad, so...

 

[Dan Bass]

I've played and owned a lot of basses (mostly 4 strings) and I definitely prefer passive basses to active by a decent amount. Some exceptions are active circuits with a passive tone control. I have a hard time finding passive 5 strings that aren't Squiers or $2000+
I don't really have a chance to go try many out, and most guitar stores I go to don't have many, if any, passive 5's. I really want one though.
There's a Revered Rumblefish on Craigslist a few hours from me. I've also been looking at the new American Standard Dimension basses, but very few people have tried them it seems. I've heard good things about Gibson's (now discontinued) EB 5 strings.
What are some good basses?

How about the Peavey Grind 5 Bass? Its $499 brand new, its neck-thru, 5 string, PASSIVE, has 2 double humbuckers with a volume and tone knob for each pickup, 35" scale, pretty nice looking and if you keep crispy new strings on it the B string will sound very nice.

 

[Dan Bass]

#2