About Fender Professional II jazz bass V

[Paul vezzo]

I'd like to know if someone tried the new Professional II , with 5 strings, in particular the low B;  it has allways been as a weak point of Fender jb V,  I play most jazz, and i'd like to have a low B string, even on passive gear, but and i'm a bit scared.

Anyone has an advice?

[FDC484950]

I’ve played and owned the Professional I, which apart from a less sculpted neck joint, is identical. b string was surprisingly tight and the bass was under 9lbs

[Paul vezzo]

Good news, thank you

[Gasman]

Hi! I bought my first five string bass during lockdown (a Fender Jazz Bass 50th Anniversary edition) from Andy Baxter. It's mint but of course has the five-in-a-row tuners, which I understand is not the best config, especially for a responsive B-string and that's been my experience so far. Before I offload the bass for something else I'd like to give it a fair chance, so as the strings that came with it now urgently need replacing I'd be really grateful for your recommendations for the best balanced and responsive set of strings to try.

 

Many thanks in anticipation!

 

 

[FDC484950]

IMHO one of the issues with Fender 5s is the bridge. The gap from saddle to the back of the bridge is so short, because the B saddle is usually the furthest back for intonation, the string can’t move freely when stringing up, so it’s quite tricky to avoid twisting the string. The Music Man bridge is similar in design but a bit longer and the holes the strings go through are a bit bigger. Models that string through the bridge are even worse as the low B is bent at quite a sharp angle. I would look for a set with a tapered low B. Also ensure the string is pressed over the saddle so there is a distinct break angle (and the same at the nut). As a Dingwall owner I’m a big fan of their strings - the medium scale set, designed for their 35” scale models, also fit 34” scale basses so maybe worth a try, and come in either stainless steel or nickel.

[Gasman]

Many thanks for the tip - I'll definitely look at those strings!

[SamPlaysBass]

I’ve got a Professional Jazz V mk 1 from 2017. I bought it after trying it in a music shop and being blown away by the B string as well as the general fit and finish. Clear, articulate and as useable as the other strings. I set up a finance agreement on the spot. Modern Fender is doing something well. 

[chris_b]

Anyone who manages to twist a string and doesn't fix it before tightening up, well that's just user error.

 

 

[NicoMcJ]

They’re fine if you use a taper-wound low B.  The Sadowsky blue label set works very well on Jazz basses. 

[FDC484950]

5 hours ago, chris_b said:

Anyone who manages to twist a string and doesn't fix it before tightening up, well that's just user error.

 

 

 

Well, in 30+ years of playing and stringing hundreds of basses with a low B I've only had this issue with Fender bridges. So yeah, obviously user error, not a basic design fault 🙄

[chris_b]

2 hours ago, FDC484950 said:

 

Well, in 30+ years of playing and stringing hundreds of basses with a low B I've only had this issue with Fender bridges. So yeah, obviously user error, not a basic design fault 🙄

 

Well in 30+ years of playing I've never had a twisted string, because before I tighten up the string I push it out the back of the bridge an inch or so and that ensures the string straightens up and does not twist.

[FDC484950]

7 hours ago, chris_b said:

 

Well in 30+ years of playing I've never had a twisted string, because before I tighten up the string I push it out the back of the bridge an inch or so and that ensures the string straightens up and does not twist.

Which you can’t do on a Fender 5 bridge because the B string is so tightly fixed in place, due to the aforementioned basic design fault. I’ve had 14 different Fender basses with either the US Standard or the high mass version from the Dimension and they’re all the same. The high mass bridge is even worse - as the baseplate is so thick there’s basically no action adjustment downwards. No problem with, for example, the Music Man bridge as there is enough clearance between backplate and bridge saddle and holes in the back plate are larger in diameter, allowing the B string to move.

[Ed_S]

It works ok as a 4, but string twisting and human error aside, the 5 string version really isn't a good bridge in my opinion. I first encountered it on an American Standard P 5 back in 2014 - the B saddle wouldn't go far enough down or back to set action or intonation correctly.

 

 

It was a bit better (although still not completely right) with a tapered B string, but I didn't like the idea of a bass dictating to me which strings I could and couldn't use, and I wasn't getting on with the width of the neck anyway, so it didn't reign long.

 

Then last year I took a fancy to an American Professional J 5 that was on clearance after the Pro II series came out. The nut looked like it had been cut with a knife and fork (maybe just the fork) but that was easily fixable. I still found the bridge unsuitable in exactly the same ways, but this time I'd done my research and had a plan - I spent some of the saving I'd made on buying the bass to get a drop-in replacement Hipshot A style bridge. That fixes every issue I had with the stock bridge, including there now being no grub-screws sticking out to take chunks out of my knuckles.

 

With that sorted out, it's a great bass and the B string is all that you'd want it to be.

[PsyBean]

I have an American Elite Jazz5 and while close to the limits of adjustment, I've had no problem setting the action and intonation on the B, I do have an issue with using Elixir strings, see my previous post; 

I have tried other strings but nothing lasts as well as Elixirs for me so I'm going to just have to accept roving strings through the bridge, not through the body. Neither Fender or Elixir Customer Services have been any help in resolving this so something is either wrong with the bass/bridge set up or the string specification. Roving through the body also puts a really tight bend on the string over the saddle, which just looks a bit wrong but once the string is bedded in, has not given me any problems. I have several EBMM5 basses, none of which have this problem but I keep going back to the Jazz because it sounds so damn good and the B works fine. Everything in life is a compromise!

[Paul vezzo]

Ok, thanks all.  I think best to do it's to find a good occasion, and...work on it!    maybe changin the bridge.     I like the advices.  Thank you

[Gasman]

Good advice here - thank you, guys!