Why did Fender fail to capture the 5 String market?

[TNCreature]

I was never able to love the feel of the Fender 5 string neck the way I did with others that just felt better to me. I always felt kind of cramped up on them. The B strings never were that great either.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

+1
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[RhynoRock]

Chi Cheng of Deftones used P-basses and a Roscoe Beck.
Current Deftones bassist Sergio Vega uses the Fender Jaguar bass and standard passive Jazz basses...

That example was for a band who helped popularize low tuning, not their gear. Apologies for that not being clear. I suppose you could swap Deftones for Mudvayne instead lol.

 

[Rodslinger]

Fender Deluxe Dimension Bass V 8.25lbs. Super solid B string even with a pick heavy handed. Heck I’ve had it in A# and it was beautiful! Proper set up is the key as well as the correct strings. Extra scale length would be great on some Basses but on the Fender Dimension 34” works great

 

[LBS-bass]

Fender Deluxe Dimension Bass V 8.25lbs. Super solid B string even with a pick heavy handed. Heck I’ve had it in A# and it was beautiful! Proper set up is the key as well as the correct strings.

Yes, this proves the point of the OP. This was a great bass from Fender but it didn't catch on. They discontinued this model in pretty short order.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Fender Deluxe Dimension Bass V 8.25lbs. Super solid B string even with a pick heavy handed. Heck I’ve had it in A# and it was beautiful! Proper set up is the key as well as the correct strings.

The Dimensions , Roscoe Becks, Deluxe Jazz, and Elites are all good 5 strings from Fender.
Can’t say the same for the new Ultra 5’s due to the g string too close to the edge issue. Hopefully they get that sorted out and rectified .

 

[Rodslinger]

The Dimensions , Roscoe Becks, Deluxe Jazz, and Elites are all good 5 strings from Fender.
Can’t say the same for the new Ultra 5’s due to the g string too close to the edge issue. Hopefully they get that sorted out and rectified .

I actually tried the new Ultra V Jazz yesterday and couldn’t stand the size of the neck. It felt huge compared to my Dimension V. Kind of uncomfortable, not that I’m a 5-string bassist (because I’m not) but is was no where near as easy to play as the Dimension V.

 

[jlepre]

I have read some stories about Fender and the first 5-string bass. It had only 15 frets and a high C...and wasn't accepted by any players then in 1965...

But what happened after that? There was no other Powerhouse in the game like Fender. We know that 10 years later Jimmy Johnson worked with Alembic to create one of the first five strings with a low B, a bass we now consider to be the template based on the modern 5-string. For a full 10 years or more Fender gave up on the concept?

My question is this... why wasn't Fender able to establish the same powerful foothold in the 5-string market as they did with the P bass and Jazz Bass? Were they that bad? My thinking leads me to believe that a 5-string was considered a very heavily specialized instrument at the time and not as ubiquitous as it is today.

To an extent even in 2020, I still feel that is true and although Fender today makes great 5 string basses, they still pale in comparison to the P and Jazz 4-string dominance of yesteryear and today.

Since the modern 5 string became a thing, why have Fenders become a secondary 5 string option to other brands? Were they unable to produce a quality instrument in the early years? Did other brands simply establish themselves before Fender for 5 string basses?

I'm sure they captured a decent portion of the market at one point or another but for a company as dominant as Fender was, their 5-string business seems like an overall failure. JMHO.

So if Fender isn't FIRST, who is?

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Don't underestimate the Fender Pbass 5, I had one (circa 2010) and it was a very good 5er with a solid B, no discernible dead spots, and decent weight at 9.1 lbs.

I wanted a Roscoe Beck 5 but never found a light one when I was looking.

I don’t think there are any truly light Roscoe Beck’s. You might find one that is 9.5 or 10 lbs.

 

[pappabass]

1. Why ?? They designed the perfect 4 string.
2. Passive 5 string P basses just don't sound good. Active humbucker 5 strings sound the best.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

So if Fender isn't FIRST, who is?

I think the first production BEADG five was the Yamaha BB5000, but the first iteration had ridiculously tight string spacing. The production five to really hit the mark was the Stingray 5.

 

[bucephylus]

Yes, this proves the point of the OP. This was a great bass from Fender but it didn't catch on. They discontinued this model in pretty short order.

+1. Fender actually has some outstanding 5 string designs now. Another to add to your list was the Marcus Miller V, which had the most “Jazz Bass” feeling neck of any 5 I’ve ever played.

The reality is that the 5 String Bass market only gets a passing interest from Fender. They come up with excellent designs, and then dump them, because they don’t sell as well as the 4 string counterparts. It would seem that any 5 string bass, which doesn’t sell as well as a 4 string Precision bass within 3 years will get dumped. Which basically means Fender will never develop a market dominant 5. But, at least their Business/Finance folks check the box.

BTW, my Fender Parts 5 is an outstanding 5. So, they generally have the parts, but just can’t put them together.

 

[jlepre]

I think the first production BEADG five was the Yamaha BB5000, but the first iteration had ridiculously tight string spacing. The production five to really hit the mark was the Stingray 5.

So Ernie Ball is #1?

 

[Dr. Cheese]

1. Why ?? They designed the perfect 4 string.
2. Passive 5 string P basses just don't sound good. Active humbucker 5 strings sound the best.

I do not believe those own a Pedulla Pentabuzz/MVP, Sadowsky Verdine White, or any Yamaha BB series five is complaining about that split pickup. The Fender Precision or the Squier Precision V are pretty nice too.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

So Ernie Ball is #1?

I terms of finding mass acceptance, yes. Think about how long Tony Levin has been using that orange SR5.

 

[bucephylus]

So Ernie Ball is #1?

IMO, the Sterling and Stingray 5’s are two of the highest quality production basses available.

 

[Hundred proof]

I dabbled in 5s for a short time, the Fender didn’t work for me the way the EBMM did.

 

[audreycashin]

1. Why ?? They designed the perfect 4 string.
2. Passive 5 string P basses just don't sound good. Active humbucker 5 strings sound the best.

I beg to differ....

 

[JW56789]

The whole idea behind the 15 fret Fender V was to aid readers in the studio. The idea was that more high notes would be in lower positions with a high C. Folks who already knew their way around a fretboard saw no need to change.

Don’t underestimate Fender’s impact on the five string bass market. Fender is marketing at least four Fender Jazzes and a Precision with five strings, and at least two Squiers with five strings. In the world beyond Talk Bass boutique Jazz fans, five string Fenders are seen as a very viable option.

Doc, I think that the five-string Squier VM Jazzes and the remarkable VM P5 were the entry-points that eventually led to Elites, Ultras, and Sadowsky's and Lulls, among others. I've not gotten a Jazz five yet, but I can easily swear that the Squier P5 is brilliant: Simply a five-string P Bass that works, and an absolute steal for the price. And like all of Fender's best products . . . . . discontinued way too soon.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Doc, I think that the five-string Squier VM Jazzes and the remarkable VM P5 were the entry-points that eventually led to Elites, Ultras, and Sadowsky's and Lulls, among others. I've not gotten a Jazz five yet, but I can easily swear that the Squier P5 is brilliant: Simply a five-string P Bass that works, and an absolute steal for the price.

I agree.