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Why hasn't the 5-string P become more prominent?
- Thread starter tranceFusion
- Start date
To answer the original question, I think the main reason is it's just because Fender has only just started making them. They sell out everywhere I've seen them so people must like them, and I know I love mine. In time I'm sure we'll see more of them, but Jazz fivers have a huge head start and I suspect they will always outnumber P-fivers.
I've previously owned a Lull PJ-5 and Sadowsky PJ-5 and both had the Seymour Duncan pickups which did a nice job..
I also owned a Celinder PJ-5 with Celinder own pickups and preamp which also sounded great..
I was on a roadtrip this week and got to try a few basses with the Nordstrand P-5 pickup and to my ears this really nailed that Phat/Thick P-Bass tone we all cherish.. The 1st was a Wilkinson 5 with a maple board.. I'm not really a fan of a P-Bass and a maple board, but this really reminded me of alot of what you heard on 70's Disco music.. Very Thick/Phat with a nice snap.. The 2nd was a Sadowsky NYC PJ-5 which was killer.. If this bass had a matching headstock I may have left with it...
Now I'm more of a Jazz bass guy and have always wanted to have a P-5 in the arsenal for something different.. The ones I've owned I've always sold for various reasons.. I don't think I would move a bass though if it came with the Nordy PJ-5's though..
I also owned a Celinder PJ-5 with Celinder own pickups and preamp which also sounded great..
I was on a roadtrip this week and got to try a few basses with the Nordstrand P-5 pickup and to my ears this really nailed that Phat/Thick P-Bass tone we all cherish.. The 1st was a Wilkinson 5 with a maple board.. I'm not really a fan of a P-Bass and a maple board, but this really reminded me of alot of what you heard on 70's Disco music.. Very Thick/Phat with a nice snap.. The 2nd was a Sadowsky NYC PJ-5 which was killer.. If this bass had a matching headstock I may have left with it...
Now I'm more of a Jazz bass guy and have always wanted to have a P-5 in the arsenal for something different.. The ones I've owned I've always sold for various reasons.. I don't think I would move a bass though if it came with the Nordy PJ-5's though..
exactly my thoughts.
the timbre of the p-bass doesn't work very well with a low B string, at least for metal, imo. i've been trying to make it work but it's just not it.
maybe it's the pickup? i wonder how one with active EMG's would sound...
I've got TI flats on mine -- tone is fantastic -- but yeah not for metal, more classic rock, blues, jazz, etc.
Here's a phone pic of mine btw:
Until I got my MTD 535.
I used a Lull P-5 for my 5-string.
It kicked major butt.
And, worked in any style of music.
Until I got my MTD 535.
I used a Lull P-5 for my 5-string.
It kicked major butt.
And, worked in any style of music.
which pickup and did it have active electronics?
I think there are a lot of factors which most have already been said,
1)most people that play a P or look for that tone don't want or need a 5th string
2)look at the style that developed around the p bass
3)also "bassrockstar" said it in a great way, the string ray took all hope from a solid p bass being popular
4)it looks all funky and weird.
5)finally most people wanting a 5th string are going to want that jazz pick up at the prick to give em clarity when they bust out those deep notes.
1)most people that play a P or look for that tone don't want or need a 5th string
2)look at the style that developed around the p bass
3)also "bassrockstar" said it in a great way, the string ray took all hope from a solid p bass being popular
4)it looks all funky and weird.
5)finally most people wanting a 5th string are going to want that jazz pick up at the prick to give em clarity when they bust out those deep notes.
Here's my Sadowsky P5. Killer P tone for days, comfy neck and thunderous low B.
There's just something delicious about a Sadowsky Pbass through a DB750. It somehow makes my bandmates love me just a LITTLE bit more than they already did.
+1! LOL! There's no mistaking that faceplate and telltale retina-searing blue LEDs.
Thankfully he's standing in front of that LED or I might have been knocked off my computer chair. I generally through some tape over it, so as not to liquify some unsuspecting audience member's retinas.
Those 5-string Sandbergs are BEASTLY in the tone department!
yep i can agree with that, i just picked mine up from the shop and it is sooooooo nice
.full on P tone AND full on MM tone. the B is really nice too it has a nice low growl (did i say growl about a P bass??
) full of authority. the tone balance between the MM and P is REALLY nice too and the active circuit is really clean, it only adds volume when flat.
+1.
I have an American Standard P5 and love it.
I have owned some (IMO) nice basses recently and find myself playing/gigging the P5. I still have a Roscoe 5er, but recently sold 5ers from Sadowsky, MTD, Lakland, Warwick, Dingwall, EBMM and a couple others I am missing. They just weren't getting played, so I dumped them.
Anyone that says the P5 has a crappy B string should actually go play one. It might not be as tight as my Roscoe SKB-3005, but it sounds pretty damn good.
The P5 sounds almost exactly like a standard P but with a B string. For those that are not fans of 4 string P basses, there is no way they will like a P5. It is also a VERY traditional sounding passive bass... which doesn't appeal to everyone.
+1.
I have an American Standard P5 and love it.
I have owned some (IMO) nice basses recently and find myself playing/gigging the P5. I still have a Roscoe 5er, but recently sold 5ers from Sadowsky, MTD, Lakland, Warwick, Dingwall, EBMM and a couple others I am missing. They just weren't getting played, so I dumped them.
Anyone that says the P5 has a crappy B string should actually go play one. It might not be as tight as my Roscoe SKB-3005, but it sounds pretty damn good.
The P5 sounds almost exactly like a standard P but with a B string. For those that are not fans of 4 string P basses, there is no way they will like a P5. It is also a VERY traditional sounding passive bass... which doesn't appeal to everyone.
That's a good point. If classic P-bass tone is your thing, this is just that plus one more string so you'll dig it. But if you don't like P-bass tone to begin with then this is not the bass for you.
Possible to be a P/Chi?
I'd bet a Chi just at the edge of the pickguard, closing in on the MM position would just slay. Stack knobs for tones would be cool too, rather than an extra knob.
+1.
I have an American Standard P5 and love it.
I have owned some (IMO) nice basses recently and find myself playing/gigging the P5. I still have a Roscoe 5er, but recently sold 5ers from Sadowsky, MTD, Lakland, Warwick, Dingwall, EBMM and a couple others I am missing. They just weren't getting played, so I dumped them.
Anyone that says the P5 has a crappy B string should actually go play one. It might not be as tight as my Roscoe SKB-3005, but it sounds pretty damn good.
The P5 sounds almost exactly like a standard P but with a B string. For those that are not fans of 4 string P basses, there is no way they will like a P5. It is also a VERY traditional sounding passive bass... which doesn't appeal to everyone.
+1. The Fender P5 I had a Bstring that was better integrated with the other strings than some fivers I've owned (a ton), some of which had massive sounding, grand-piano style Bstrings that could easily overwhelm a mix if I wasn't careful. The P5 had plenty of pitch clarity AND beefy lowend spread, but blended perfectly with the other strings. Truly a classic Pbass with a B string. Also, the halfround strings I had on it added a bit more tension that to me made the string speak better down low and allowed me to dig in more.
I think because it may be physically impossible to make the right pickups that big. It could also be because it might sound terrible.
Might it be that you don't have much direct experience with five string P-basses? For all I know, you may own five of them and gig them every week, but I think if you played a few, you would not be making those assumptions.
+1. A lot of this has to do with tonal goals when it comes to using a 5. If you're a heavy slapper, and like an ultra-punchy/ultra-bright bass tone, then IMO no P5 would work for ya. Whereas a strictly fingerstyle who wants an old-school Jamerson-esque tone but with a Low B might really dig it. I should also add that I recently played a maple-board P5 at a local store, and it seemed that the B string was a little more clear with the stock setup/strings than was my rosewood version. IME of course.
