Squier Precision 5-String Club

[BillyB_from_LZ]

Anyone have dimension on one of these necks? Certainly the nut is rather wide, but how thick is the neck at the nut & 12th fret? Also, how far does the fretboard widen out to? I'm looking to pick one of these bad boys up, but was afraid of having to play a baseball bag of a neck.

Which version? The original ones (with the two J pickups) or the ProTone (with dual soapbars) have a 2 in. nut and a 3 in. heel (like the current Squier Deluxe Active J5 (Invalid Link Removed)). The newer ones are narrower (and probably thicker), 1-7/8 in. nut, 9.5 in radius (Invalid Link Removed).

The neck profile on the original (and ProTone) is fairly thin front to back (the Squier Deluxe Active J5 cited above has a 12 in. radius). I find them quite comfortable and easy for a 4-string player to adapt to as they feel like a wide 4-string neck to my hands. Some 5s (like the Deluxe Active MIM J5 I once owned) have a really thick neck.

 

[birdman14]

Which version? The original ones (with the two J pickups) or the ProTone (with dual soapbars) have a 2 in. nut and a 3 in. heel (like the current Squier Active J5). The newer ones are narrower (which I haven't looked up).

The neck profile on the original (and ProTone) is fairly thin front to back. I find them quite comfortable and easy for a 4-string player to adapt to as they feel like a wide 4-string neck to my hands. Some 5s (like the Deluxe Active MIM J5 I once owned) have a really thick neck.

Sorry, morning is not my friend (especially not w/o my coffee!), but I'm referring to the old Specials, w/ 2 J pickups. I've fallen head over heels for the Emerald Green one, and have been wanting a 5 string P-J for some time.

 

[BillyB_from_LZ]

Sorry, morning is not my friend (especially not w/o my coffee!), but I'm referring to the old Specials, w/ 2 J pickups. I've fallen head over heels for the Emerald Green one, and have been wanting a 5 string P-J for some time.

The green ones (Sherwood Green) are gorgeous. I've owned 2 of them. My first one and another one somewhere down the line. I guess I've owned (including a ProTone) six of these basses. Only have part of one left (Satin Walnut with a Carvin Neck).

I modified a Shoreline Gold one with a Wilkinson 5-string P-Bass pickup I bought on eBay and made a tortoise pickguard for it.

 

[jtemple]

So a couple of weeks ago I was buying some ammo at a local pawn shop and noticed this 5 string squier hanging on the wall. I thought "That's odd...a Squier Precision with jazz pickups". So I played it unplugged for a couple of seconds and surprised that the neck was very straight. A few days later I was thinking about finding a cheap 5 string to practice with so I don't keep my nice 5 out all the time. I went back to the pawn shop earlier this week and it was still there. Asking $199. Needed new strings and there was obviously a bad volume knob replacement in the past. So after some haggling I walked out with the bass for $100. Got it home, cleaned it up and put some new Slinkys on it. WOW! Very surprised with how much I like this cheap bass. Definitely agree with others, the B string is too quiet. I will probably replace the pickups at some point but just for practicing it was a great deal! The pic attached is after I cleaned it up but before I put on new strings. So I guess I'll take a number.

 

[BillyB_from_LZ]

So a couple of weeks ago I was buying some ammo at a local pawn shop and noticed this 5 string squier hanging on the wall. I thought "That's odd...a Squier Precision with jazz pickups". So I played it unplugged for a couple of seconds and surprised that the neck was very straight. A few days later I was thinking about finding a cheap 5 string to practice with so I don't keep my nice 5 out all the time. I went back to the pawn shop earlier this week and it was still there. Asking $199. Needed new strings and there was obviously a bad volume knob replacement in the past. So after some haggling I walked out with the bass for $100. Got it home, cleaned it up and put some new Slinkys on it. WOW! Very surprised with how much I like this cheap bass. Definitely agree with others, the B string is too quiet. I will probably replace the pickups at some point but just for practicing it was a great deal! The pic attached is after I cleaned it up but before I put on new strings. So I guess I'll take a number.

Cool! Congrats on a great deal!!! I always figured that they used two j pickups is because there was no 5-string P pickup in the Squier/Fender parts bin at the time.

 

[Lommax]

So a couple of weeks ago I was buying some ammo at a local pawn shop and noticed this 5 string squier hanging on the wall. I thought "That's odd...a Squier Precision with jazz pickups". So I played it unplugged for a couple of seconds and surprised that the neck was very straight. A few days later I was thinking about finding a cheap 5 string to practice with so I don't keep my nice 5 out all the time. I went back to the pawn shop earlier this week and it was still there. Asking $199. Needed new strings and there was obviously a bad volume knob replacement in the past. So after some haggling I walked out with the bass for $100. Got it home, cleaned it up and put some new Slinkys on it. WOW! Very surprised with how much I like this cheap bass. Definitely agree with others, the B string is too quiet. I will probably replace the pickups at some point but just for practicing it was a great deal! The pic attached is after I cleaned it up but before I put on new strings. So I guess I'll take a number. View attachment 1029647

I replaced the pickups with a couple of Bartolini Classic series 5-string short pickups: Deep tone at the neck and bright at the bridge. I love them both. I've put the links below if anyone is interested.

Bartolini Classic Bass Series 5-String J Bass Dual Coil Deep Tone Neck Pickup Short

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/acce...-bass-dual-coil-bright-tone-neck-pickup-short

 

[jtemple]

I replaced the pickups with a couple of Bartolini Classic series 5-string short pickups: Deep tone at the neck and bright at the bridge. I love them both. I've put the links below if anyone is interested.

Bartolini Classic Bass Series 5-String J Bass Dual Coil Deep Tone Neck Pickup Short

Bartolini Classic Bass Series 5-String J Bass Dual Coil Bright Tone Neck Pickup Short

I looked at those, the BassLines Quarter Pounders and DiMarzio Area J. In the end I chose the DiMarzio but I'm guessing any of those 3 would be a vast improvement over the stock pickups. I just got the DiMarzios installed and love the new sound of the bass. Waiting for new knobs and I'll post pics.

 

[jtemple]

Here it is! New strings, pickups, pots, knobs and pick guard screws.
View media item 12526

 

[Vincent Stroup]

Just starting out playing bass, so I don't know much about it. I picked up this 2003 Squier P bass today at a pawn shop for $110. The pic doesn't show the second jazz pick up very well but it is there . It's got a few cosmetic blemishes but it should be a good starter bass.

 

[bradd]

What's a good cheap replacement bridge for these? I picked one up yesterday that has an aftermarket bridge with narrower string spacing. I want to go back to 19mm spacing.

 

[Oldboy]

Just saw this on Ebay UK.Seems to fly in the face of all thats been discussed here
FENDER 5 STRING BASS

 

[Lommax]

Just saw this on Ebay UK.Seems to fly in the face of all thats been discussed here
FENDER 5 STRING BASS

What exactly does it fly in the face of?

 

[renotunez]

Just starting out playing bass, so I don't know much about it. I picked up this 2003 Squier P bass today at a pawn shop for $110. The pic doesn't show the second jazz pick up very well but it is there . It's got a few cosmetic blemishes but it should be a good starter bass.

View attachment 1085556

Good choice bro, welcome to bass playing. This is a great underrated guitar that in it's stock form is better than any you could find in that price you paid!!! I have owned 4 of these. A Shoreline gold, Metallic black (sold both after I set them up, wasn't happy with either). I currently own 2, a 1999 Red (beautiful color and a keeper) and a real keeper a 2001 Walnut brown. They have to be hand picked to insure you get a good one. I play them acoustically for a couple of days to see how they sound first. I put Duncan SJB-5n and b pickups, CTS pots, and a .047 PIO cap in them afterwards, pickups fit perfectly w/o much routing because they are about a mm or two wider. They are humbucker stacked coil blade pickups and offer even noise-free string response. Better controls and caps offer a great passive tones like old Fenders. I have put Wilkinson tuners on 1 and it was an decent improvement. I have installed black hardware, Hipshot's import tuners on the Walnut P Bass 5. It is trickier getting them to fit because the existing holes are larger than these model tuners need. I have installed a black Hipshot Kickass bridge on the Walnut P Bass 5 too(it retro fits well and it's like an old Leo Quan Badass bridge, both a great improvement). I will put those Duncans in this bass and a Tortoise shell or Black pearl pickguard on it. When I am done I will post a pic, get a number and join the club. This is my back up 34" scale 5 string. I will have more money in it than it is worth, but I have made it my own ( I was a Fender certified guitar repairman for 10 years). I currently play a neck thru Ibanez SRX 755 live at my church and play a 35" scale Bass Mods 6 string for recording. I use a older English made Trace Elliot head and 2x10" cabinet with a horn for a bass rig. Scott Devine on Youtube has some great bass lessons to help you along. Listen to the bass and snare drum in songs and listen to the melodies of the guitars, keyboards and vocals to see how they interact. Your job in a band will be to glue the rhythm together with your melody of choice, usually the strongest one. That makes a tight sound. JMHO bro, enjoy. Ain't nothing better than playing bass in a band!! I also have always tried to play with better musicians than myself, makes me strive to play better. Again, MHO. Take care-Reno

 

[renotunez]

What exactly does it fly in the face of?

I think price, that one was priced high. I have purchased 4 different ones and have paid around $185 for each one with shipping. I got my Red one for $210 including shipping that came with a near new Fender hard shell case!! 2 keepers out of 4, so hand pick them is my recommendation because they are not consistent. Especially if someone has not taken care adjusting a weak trussrod/trussrod nut and stripped it. Easy to do. Spray a drop of penetrating oil on the tr nut and let it sit for a while before you adjust it. These basses are fun to mod, and inexpensive enough to make them your own.

 

[renotunez]

What's a good cheap replacement bridge for these? I picked one up yesterday that has an aftermarket bridge with narrower string spacing. I want to go back to 19mm spacing.

I just installed a Hipshot with side to side adjustable locking brass (smoother tones) or stainless steel (brighter tones) saddles for up to 19mm string width. It's called a Kickass V string bridge, retro fits fine. It has six holes in a straight line for mounting. The 4 holes line up perfectly, so I guess if you don't want to drill the 2 holes, 4 should work. Pay attention to depth if you drill.

 

[renotunez]

OK, number please. 1 of 2 Squier P Bass V's I own, a beautiful Red 1999 (my current project) and this almost finished project, a 2001 Satin Brown P Bass V. I flipped 2 recently, a 2001 Shoreline Gold and a near new, almost perfect (still had protective plastic on the pickup cover almost 20 years after it was sold!) 1999 Metallic Black one. It just did not sound good acoustically so it was flipped. The Satin Brown bass is in great shape too. Just added Hipshot's Kickass bridge and their import tuners. Tuners are tricky, smaller posts. Plan to add Geppetto's J bass' or Duncan SJB 5n & b's pickups in it soon, CTS pots, a Black pearl pick guard, and a PIO .047 tone cap. The Duncan's are blade pickups and retro fit with slight opening of the cavity's width. I had them in the Shoreline Gold bass which also had a Leo Quan Badass II bridge on it. Neck was un-adjustable even after I installed a new truss rod nut on it. These are highly underrated basses if you hand pick and mod them to your liking, my opinion. Being a P Bass player for years, they fit my hands well. I like the J Bass pickup configuration, more tonal options than a standard p bass configuation. I will have way more money/time in this brown one when I am done but I plan to keep it. Rings well acoustically, as does the Red one. Both are classier than any of the new models (IMHO). I paid well under $200 for each of the 4 I have had. Full disclosure on the ones I sold and still made money on each, thus justifying the mods on these 2 basses. Reno

 

[bradd]

Here's my modified P5. I routed for Gibson EB5 pickups. You can see that the jazz routes weren't completely filled with the new pickups, but I don't care on a $75 bass. It sounds pretty dang good, but I can't tell any difference when the coil split is engaged. I ended up replacing the mutilated bridge with another Squier bridge purchased on ebay.

 

[Ba55me15ter]

I just joined the club! It's a 2000 model with apparently upgraded pick-ups, but I haven't identified them yet.
Here it is next to my Roscoe Beck V Custom Shop - they make a nice pair! I need to get new strings on and tweak the set-up, but initial impressions are good. Hard to believe the price difference!

Edit: Pick-ups have no distinguishable features, but on removing the covers are proper 5-pole jobs so must have been replaced at some point. New strings are on, just waiting for the neck to settle as I'm reducing the relief a little - truss-rod adjustment was smooth. Playing-wise it is so similar to the Roscoe Beck with its 19mm spacing, 34" scale and neck profile, it is the perfect back-up bass.

 

[Bakedjedi]

Just picked one of these up traded my old ibanez that i picked up for $100usd for my standard p special v in antique burst i believe is the color with a hard shell case should be arriving tomorrow will post pictures

 

[Ivy Mike]

Was thinking about changing over to a split coil and wondered if I was going to have to make a custom pick guard for the thing.
Turns out the answer is no. The pick guards on these guys are identical to 4 string P-Bass pick guards save for the Jazz single coil in the neck position and a little trimming for the wider neck heel. The screw holes even line up.
The hard part here is you will have to route out for the different pickup, they do not have a big one-size-fits-all swimming pool route underneath. Might have to do a little tweaking with a file to get wider split coil spacing need for the 5 string. Maybe find a little space for the controls.
And as a good internet denizen, here are pics. The tortoise shell pickguard is from my MIJ Fender P 4-twanger