Vintage Fender Bass V

[peterpalmieri]

I'm curious to learn more about these basses.

Fender Bass V - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A few hundred were made from 1966-1971

Very few videos available

 

[BTL]

I first heard about these earlier this year.

Such an odd design choice...34" scale, but only 15 frets?

 

[peterpalmieri]

I first heard about these earlier this year.

Such an odd design choice...34" scale, but only 15 frets?

Interesting, E-C with the same available notes as a 4 string Jazz or Precision (High Eb), I'd love to try one strung with a low B

 

[garp]

Such an odd design choice...34" scale, but only 15 frets?

Even though he wasn't a bass player, Leo still knew that there ain't no money above the 12th fret.

JPJ with his '67 in '73:

 

[FranF]

Jonesy had one, as did Jamerson. Hard to tell what songs they're heard on, but there's a lot of footage of Jonesy using it live, and good photographic evidence that Jamerson used his alot, based on the buildup uf fingerboard grime in the pics.

 

[peterpalmieri]

Jonesy had one, as did Jamerson. Hard to tell what songs they're heard on, but there's a lot of footage of Jonesy using it live, and good photographic evidence that Jamerson used his alot, based on the buildup uf fingerboard grime in the pics.

You have any links to Youtube - Zepplin concerts where JPJ is playing it?

 

[peterpalmieri]

Even though he wasn't a bass player, Leo still knew that there ain't no money above the 12th fret.

JPJ with his '67 in '73:

Strung B-G I think I could make one of these work in a blues band, not sure I want to just thinking outloud

 

[peterpalmieri]

 

[lz4005]

Even though he wasn't a bass player, Leo still knew that there ain't no money above the 12th fret.

Leo left in 64. The V wasn't produced until 66.

I got to play one at Gruhn's a few years ago.
They're big, heavy, awkward, and don't sound good due to pickup placement...but are supremely cool from a collecting perspective.

Fender took an interesting concept from the upright bass world, where players like Chubby Jackson (see below) were using 5's with a high C because it made playing in one position while sight reading easier and applied it to an electric instrument. And found out there was absolutely no demand at all for it. So it failed. Then they chopped up the excess bodies to make Swinger, Custom and Mavrick guitars until the parts were used up.

Link Removed

 

[ubernator]

For e-c, the reason for only having 15 frets is you are supposed to use the high c string in leiu of going up the neck.

Almost 20 yes ago, I was in recording arts class with an old timer teacher who claimed to make the first 5 string upright conversion because he had small hands and hated reaching for the higher notes.

 

[lz4005]

Almost 20 yes ago, I was in recording arts class with an old timer teacher who claimed to make the first 5 string upright conversion because he had small hands and hated reaching for the higher notes.

He was incorrect by at least 100 years.

 

[FranF]

There are way too many Zep YouTubes for me to even begin to point you to one, but I recall watching several, many years ago.

 

[peterpalmieri]

There are way too many Zep YouTubes for me to even begin to point you to one, but I recall watching several, many years ago.

I was reading that he only used it on tour up to 1973 and by July of that year he stopped using it. I will look.

 

[braud357]

I was always interested in these. In fact, I had a lead on one back in 1980- a music store in south Louisiana had one in Olympic white. I knew that my cousin traveled there on his sales route weekly (he is also a bassist). He checked it out for me - said it was in excellent condition, with the price $675. I was financially embarrassed at the time, and never checked it out !

 

[ubernator]

He was incorrect by at least 100 years.

Well considering the guy was like 80 20 yrs ago, he might have done it when he was a teenager, that would be close to 100 years ago. Maybe he was just the first in his region? Thought up something he didn't know had been thought up before?

 

[lz4005]

Well considering the guy was like 80 20 yrs ago, he might have done it when he was a teenager, that would be close to 100 years ago. Maybe he was just the first in his region? Thought up something he didn't know had been thought up before?

Pre-internet lots of things were "invented" multiple times by different people who had no way of knowing it had been done before. Including the printing press. And eyeglasses. And the 5 string upright.

 

[peterpalmieri]

Well considering the guy was like 80 20 yrs ago, he might have done it when he was a teenager, that would be close to 100 years ago. Maybe he was just the first in his region? Thought up something he didn't know had been thought up before?

5 and 6 string versions of the bass viol date back to at least the 16th century.

 

[moonshinegtrs]

I have one of these:

This one has a truss rod issue (needs to be repaired), but seeing how it was given to me, I can't complain... Other than said T-rod, everything else is mint.

Cool bass, good sound too. As mentioned previously, the bass was designed to be played in the "Money spot" yet still have the range of going up the neck.

It's an interesting bass.



Moonshine

 

[Jughead6]

If anyone is interested there's a Bass V for sale in Melbourne, Australia.

Bass Guitars – Guitar Emporium

I have no affiliation with the seller.

 

[peterpalmieri]

If anyone is interested there's a Bass V for sale in Melbourne, Australia.

Bass Guitars – Guitar Emporium

I have no affiliation with the seller.

There are also 3 on reverb