Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Would you buy a Fender Bass V if Squier reissued it?
- Thread starter Robot.G
- Start date
a '65 dot neck burst BASS V was my first bass, for $275 I got the full Fullerton treatment, a distinctive nitrous smell when opening the case is still unforgettable, the joy of having a real Fender that Leo may have touched is priceless. a V's sound is maybe the ultimate bass tone ever, it's got Motown built in, tho I understand James hated his. as a starter bass it was definitely unorthodox and unworldly since I had 0 understanding of it's intended purpose for studio musician's ease, plus it's a big bass, the road to learning was a seriously untrod path. compound the headscratch by also buying a '73 Fender fretless that same day and I was in a world of hurt lol but I survived smiling.
would I buy a Squier BASS V? no, only since I lived the dream and that can't be replicated with a new bass, but as a modern player looking for a cool new bass, without the oft queasiness re weight / neck width, yes! assuming it feels and sounds like my vintage '65, I'd say the fun experience alone is worth it, within reason.
would I buy a Squier BASS V? no, only since I lived the dream and that can't be replicated with a new bass, but as a modern player looking for a cool new bass, without the oft queasiness re weight / neck width, yes! assuming it feels and sounds like my vintage '65, I'd say the fun experience alone is worth it, within reason.
Personally, to me it looks like something Eastwood would recreate a version of, provided they were allowed. It’d fit in their quirky catalog of remakes and designs.
If it was made well Id be tempted. I played a 1966 Bass V in sherwood green, I fell in love with it....but not enough to spend 6k lol
I seem to remember that the market price for a bass V was $1000 forever... until maybe 5 years ago when they increased 10x overnight. Doh! I could have had a bass V.
In truth, I always liked the way that they looked, and wanted one ! I found one in SW Louisiana around 40 years ago, and drove to look at it. It was Olympic White, and was not in good condition. Plus, they wanted $800 for it - which at the time I thought was ridiculous. I did not buy it ! So, to answer your question - yes, I probably would buy one ! PS: James Jamerson had a Bass V - it is mentioned in the "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" book.
Last edited:
I was not aware that they ever made this - and in my favorite color also ! I would buy this in the proverbial "New York Second" !
It was an interesting concept but it didn't catch on. In retrospect it might be useful for a player who really uses chording in an ensemble. It would be pretty convenient for that.
Jamerson never said that, and nowhere does it say that. He called a different bass entirely, a fretless, a "POS". That's it. And John Paul Jones called his the ugliest bass in the world.
Nope, as stated already, long scale with 15 frets, make it as a 30" scale with 19 frets designed for EADGC and I would be more interested, or a 34" scale Mustang (which this kind of semi resembles) would be cool
So if you tuned it EADGC, with 15 frets you’d have 35 notes.
On a standard P with 20 frets you’d have 25.
Seems like a cozy 5 string for high C tuning, niche thing at this point. The B string has gotta suck right? I like the fancier car colors on them.
On a standard P with 20 frets you’d have 25.
Seems like a cozy 5 string for high C tuning, niche thing at this point. The B string has gotta suck right? I like the fancier car colors on them.
It'd depend on the money. If I was flush and a Starcaster wasn't available, I'd consider it. It'd be another failure though, I think. Fender/Squier seem to be perpetually stuck between "Oh, they never produce anything but P's, J's, Strat's, and Tele's of varying flavors" and "Oh, there goes Fender again doing something weird that nobody will buy". I don't mean that as a knock at TB, I just hear that back and forth from a lot of local musicians in general. Either whinging and complaining at the umpteenth expensive reissue or talking about how ugly and terrible anything that isn't a classic from them is.
The other thing I would say about Jamerson is that he was extremely strongly opinionated from everything I could tell in interviews and second hand discussions. Plus, there is no denying he was a severe alcoholic. That can make the opinionated even more opinionated.
His tone on the P is more amazing than he probably ever thought it would be as a legacy. He thought jazz was the absolute best form of music and today jazz is dying on the vine it seems other than newer phenomenons. Which is a shame because I dig it.
He would even apparently judge players based on how many fingers, the action, the tone, etc…
He’s just one very opinionated bass player that happened to churn out tons of hits HIS way. It doesn’t mean it has to be everyone else’s. If you can find your sound through a Fender V with some different array of techniques and philosophies of playing, so be it.
While I think this may be true for traditional jazz, it's not for new original music that's been categorized as jazz. We could (and should) have a whole side discussion about modern jazz over the past 40 years. I'm sure we'd all learn a lot.
Oh I’m with ya man. I’m a huge fan of Domi and JD Beck, but ask a millennial and younger. It’s a small blip in the industry at the moment. I’m not saying I like that, but it takes quite a backseat to other genres on sales and popularity these days. I love Jazz, but it’s pretty common for musicians to think Jazz is alive and well.
