Thoughts on 5 string P / PJ

[EricOnTheBass]

I’ve been thinking of getting a 5-string P or PJ bass. I’ve got a nice 4-string P that I’d like to use with my band but I need a 5 for some of the tunes we play. The asymmetry of a 5-string split coil P pickup kind of bothers me aesthetically, but I can get over it if it sounds good.

Do 5-string P pickups have any sonic disadvantages versus a 4?

 

[Killing Floor]

Asymmetry? What do you mean?

 

[EricOnTheBass]

Asymmetry? What do you mean?
View attachment 7110293

Yours is an exception, I suppose. Most of the ones I see have one side covering the B, E, and A, and the other side covering the D and G. Like this Sire.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Based on a few years’ experience with both a Yamaha BB734A and 735A, I have no complaints about the sound of either relative to the other. I think it’s like the difference between a P only and a PJ with the P soloed: technically, they do perform differently; but practically, there’s no noticeable difference.

 

[ahbass2500]

5 string P basses sound great. Most are going to have the 3+2 asymmetrical setup. There are P Basses with the even sized 5 string pickups though. Sadowsky has even sized pickups and handles them a little differently than the bass pictured above (which is Carvin/Kiesel?). Sadowsky has both pickup housings covering 3 strings but only 5 sets of pole pieces.

Obligatory photo of my 5 string P-Bass. Like it enough I have may eventually buy a second one to put roundwounds on (currently using TI Jazz Flats).

 

[JimmyM]

When I ordered a Custom Shop SPB1-5 from Seymour Duncan, I was told that it won’t be fully humbucking due to the 3-2 coils. I asked if there’s a practical difference, and they said it should still be pretty quiet but it may pick up a little 60 cycle.

I can’t tell a lick of difference in noise level between that pickup and a GZR 4 string P, even at a place known for bad news using single coil pickups.

 

[PBassAcidJazz]

The P bass design is perfectly balanced until you add the 5th string.

 

[Wfrance3]

I had a PJ with Honeybadger (sadly no longer made) vintage wind pickups. BEA, DG. It was fine. The bass was a Squier Jag that I wired up VVT. The bass played fine. The B was solid, not floppy at all. I sold the bass because it was heavy, no other reason. If it wasn’t 12 lbs, I’d still own it.

 

[chris_b]

I have a Mike Lull PJ5 and there are no downsides to the sound. . . . or any other part of this bass.

 

[Fender_Bender]

There is an alternative you might not have thought of which opens up a ton of options for you. You could take a standard P with the wiiide 1. 75” wide nut, put a new bridge and nut on it , and add standard type pups with blades to cover the spacing. Di Marzio and I think Nordstrand plus others have blade pups. I cannot say how the string spacing would work for you but it wouldn’t be hard to return it back to stock.

 

[bassundergrace]

I’ve been thinking of getting a 5-string P or PJ bass. I’ve got a nice 4-string P that I’d like to use with my band but I need a 5 for some of the tunes we play. The asymmetry of a 5-string split coil P pickup kind of bothers me aesthetically, but I can get over it if it sounds good.

Do 5-string P pickups have any sonic disadvantages versus a 4?

In my experience it varies quite a bit based on body wood and pickup type. You would definitely want open poles, I use barts for most of my basses but I didn’t love it in my 5 string Valenti pj. I ended up modding a 4 to B,E,A,D and put in some open pole raised center pickups and it has worked well for me. Like anything else it is super subjective.

 

[prndltech]

The P bass design is perfectly balanced until you add the 5th string.

Until they were made as 5 strings. Bought 5 string American pro when they were first announced and it’s an awesome bass! One of my best friends owns it now.

 

[prndltech]

Op: I’ve had a 5 string p bass as my one and only and it worked just fine.


I’ve moved to BEAD p bass and EADG p bass for the last year. So far so good… it’s all personal preference. Just trying to find mine!

 

[PrimitiveMan]

I think the B is a little muddy on many models. Unless it is a reverse P

 

[kevk]

I use a Lull P4 and P5…zero complaints with either. Both Alder/Indian Rosewood (P5 is 8 lbs, with Dunlop flat’s—fantastic B string)…

[EDIT/add] 34” scale…

 

[EricOnTheBass]

I use a Lull P4 and P5…zero complaints with either. Both Alder/Indian Rosewood (P5 is 8 lbs, with Dunlop flat’s—fantastic B string)…View attachment 7110604

Very nice! I’ve never heard anyone complain about a Mike Lull.

 

[Afc70]

I’ve had a Mike lull P5 and it sounded awesome, plus the 35” scale helped achieve a robust B string. Love the lulls.. currently, I have an Xotic 5 string P bass identical to the one in this link :

The Xotic is my favorite 5 string P bass and I’ve had two Fullerton era 62 reissue fender 4 string P basses, & Xotic nails the classic p bass tone, with a little more tonal versatility having the available onboard eq. Imo plus the benefit of a great low B string. I also think the added mass of the 5 string contributes to a full girthy tone. The Xotic has an active/passive option and sounds wonderful in passive mode as well.

 

[micguy]

The P bass design is perfectly balanced until you add the 5th string.

I don't know about "perfectly balanced" - it does have the distinct sonic disadvantage that the strings are not all sampled at the same point - leading to endless discussions about which half of the pickup should be closer to the bridge. The P bass is a good design, but it can be improved in various ways.

That aside, a 5 string split hum cancelling pickup can be made one of two ways - symmetrical or asymmetrical. The asymmetrical scheme has housings of unequal length, with 2 sets of magnets on one side, and 3 on the other. That way of doing it minimizes the inductance for a given output level. What that scheme gives up is hum cancellation - 3 is not equal to 2, with the net result being you get about 14dB of hum cancellation compared to a single coil. It's better than a single coil, but not as good as a balanced hum cancelling scheme.

A symmetrical 5 string P pickup has housings of the same length, with 2 sets of magnets under one side. The other side has two sets of magnets and pole pieces (or unmagnetized magnets) as well. That last bit doesn't contribute output, and it adds inductance, but it gives you complete hum cancellation - much better than the 14 dB you get from an unbalanced scheme.

5 string jazz bass pickups that do in line hum cancellation are all of the asymmetrical variety - they will hum (at about 14 dB less hum than a single coil). They also have a "magnetic" valley - in between the 2 side and the 3 side, if you bend a string into that area, the level will drop off. The offset nature of a P pickup mitigates this; you won't notice it on a split P pickup.

 

[Buck_BassMan94]

I tried one of the foreign made Sadowsky (I think it’s metro express) models a couple weeks ago. It was a 5 string with a PJ configuration and a jazz style body. Neck was super slim and fast. A very comfortable bass. Tone wise it did all the P/J stuff you’d expect, but it also has a nice active pre-amp so you could get some good modern stuff out of it too. Worth trying out if you can!

 

[Killing Floor]

Yours is an exception, I suppose. Most of the ones I see have one side covering the B, E, and A, and the other side covering the D and G. Like this Sire.

I wouldn’t be qualified to say what you like aesthetically. I get your point. But sonically that’s a humbucker so really the one half being slightly longer won’t change what you hear. Again, not saying it doesn’t matter to the buyer.
Obviously the fore/aft position of the pickup sections matter but in the middle where there’s some crossover anyway I’d call it negligible.

Either way, get what you like. I’m a big believer that if you are proud of the instrument you’re playing you will tend to play it better. So don’t think it’s superficial.