5 string P basses

[matski]

On 19/06/2025 at 14:30, Terry M. said:

I get you. It's interesting because I tried a used Yamaha BB1025x last Saturday in The Bass Gallery and switched off the bridge pickup and went P bass mode-warmth and punch for days I thought. Obviously not by you but I feel the Yamaha BB range doesn't get the credit I feel they deserve.

I was looking for a 5 string P bass for a project band a couple of years ago and ended up with a Yamaha BB425x instead. It does the P & PJ bass thing very well and is very playable. And it was ridiculously cheap - around £300 second hand! Thoroughly recommended. 

[MrFingers]

One of the best that I played was a Squier Pro Tone Precision Bass V. Despite the soapbars...

 

[Grassie]

35 minutes ago, MrFingers said:

One of the best that I played was a Squier Pro Tone Precision Bass V. Despite the soapbars...

 

That’s nice. I don’t think I’ve heard of those Squiers before.

[MrFingers]

They were very shortlived (2 years end the 1990's) and were quickly shelved because they were EXTREMELY high quality instruments. Better than Fender was churning out in Mexico.  

  

Also, what you see is the only iteration there was: translucent red with gold hardware. No other colours.

Edited Tuesday at 19:17 by MrFingers

[markorbit]

My Fender American Standard P5 B string isn't the best. It's less noticeable when the strings are new but that B is duller than the others. It's not a pickup thing as you can tell acoustically.

[chris_b]

3 hours ago, markorbit said:

My Fender American Standard P5 B string isn't the best. It's less noticeable when the strings are new but that B is duller than the others. It's not a pickup thing as you can tell acoustically.

About 10 years ago, I had that with a Fender AM STD J5 Jazz. It wasn't noticeable when the band was playing, but I could hear it playing at home.

[Lozz196]

If I remember correctly I was chatting with Dave Swift at the SE Bash a few years back and his 5 string Fender had flats E to G but a round B - maybe to get better definition?

[Terry M.]

A Fender with a decent low B in my experience is a case of trying several. I lucked out with my Mexican Player Plus Jazz V. I don't blame the 34" scale either as I have two Warwick fivers with excellent low B strings.

Edited yesterday at 07:05 by Terry M.

[JapanAxe]

57 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

If I remember correctly I was chatting with Dave Swift at the SE Bash a few years back and his 5 string Fender had flats E to G but a round B - maybe to get better definition?

I met Dave Swift at the same Bass Bash and asked him about this. He said if he used a flat-wound B string it sounded ‘like a football hitting a sheep’!

 

No-one has mentioned Dingwalls yet, so… Dingwalls. Most will be aware that they (and other fan-frets) overcome the common problem of indistinct B strings by using a different scale length for each string. I had a Super P (with 35in B) that did the 5-string Precision thing brilliantly. I only traded it because I discovered I liked the tightness of a 37in B.

Edited yesterday at 07:52 by JapanAxe

[Lozz196]

Football hitting a sheep, love it!

[BlueMoon]

2 hours ago, Terry M. said:

A Fender with a decent low B in my experience is a case of trying several. I lucked out with my Mexican Player Plus Jazz V.

This reflects my limited experience with 5 string Fenders……….very hit and miss.

[Machines]

2 hours ago, JapanAxe said:

No-one has mentioned Dingwalls yet, so… Dingwalls. Most will be aware that they (and other fan-frets) overcome the common problem of indistinct B strings by using a different scale length for each string. I had a Super P (with 35in B) that did the 5-string Precision thing brilliantly. I only traded it because I discovered I liked the tightness of a 37in B.

 

Had my SP1 almost 2 months, the B string is outstanding (just not quite as good as a 37), however the multiscale means the higher strings still have warmth and aren't at all 'pingy'. I still have my D-Roc for the heavier side of things.

 

[Terry M.]

16 minutes ago, Machines said:

Had my SP1 almost 2 months, the B string is outstanding (just not quite as good as a 37), however the multiscale means the higher strings still have warmth and aren't at all 'pingy'. I still have my D-Roc for the heavier side of things.

Without wishing to throw the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons I've found scale length not to be a factor with regards to decent sounding B strings. Design,build quality and neck pocket tightness seems to be more influential but I'm no expert on the science. I've tried Dingwalls in the past and think they sound good however 👍

 

[Machines]

9 minutes ago, Terry M. said:

Without wishing to throw the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons I've found scale length not to be a factor with regards to decent sounding B strings. Design,build quality and neck pocket tightness seems to be more influential but I'm no expert on the science. I've tried Dingwalls in the past and think they sound good however 👍

 

 

 Subjective experience is totally valid.

 

Mine is that unless it has at LEAST a 35", the B string lacks clarity/harmonics. I have also had 35" basses with a mediocre B however, which does suggest the scale length alone is not a guarantee. 

[Grassie]

I’ve been looking on Keisel’s website. Some VERY tasty options on their bass builder page… 😎

[Rich]

Without wanting to derail anything, OldGit's Shuker 5-string P was utterly gorgeous. I played a whole gig with it once and the thing was just alive in my hands.

When he had it built, there was no such thing as an off-the-peg 5-string P.

Edited 11 hours ago by Rich

[Musicman20]

6 hours ago, Rich said:

Without wanting to derail anything, OldGit's Shuker 5-string P was utterly gorgeous. I played a whole gig with it once and the thing was just alive in my hands.

When he had it built, there was no such thing as an off-the-peg 5-string P.

That was absolutely lovely.

 

IMO, the modern Fender American P bass 5 string is actually a really nice instrument.

 

The P pickup will always bring a certain tone to a B string, and often it's nice to have the bridge pickup to get it to sound a little 'tighter', but I'd go for a Fender P5 if I wanted a passive 5 string P bass.

 

I've tried many types of 5 string, and still, despite different scale lengths, I absolutely love the Musicman tight and aggressive B string 5 string basses.

[Terry M.]

20 minutes ago, Musicman20 said:

I absolutely love the Musicman tight and aggressive B string 5 string basses.

Same here. Breaks my heart though that I don't get on with the string spacing.

[Misdee]

I've got a Yamaha BB2025 and the low B is awesome on the P-style pickup, even with the relatively light 120-gauged string I like to use.

 

I suppose it depends on your definition of a P Bass because the you can definitely hear elements of that Fender sound in the Yamaha but it's got it's own distinct identity too. 

 

There's so many factors to considering what makes a low B string sound sufficiently uniform with the other four strings. I think the bridge design plays a huge part and the bridge Yamaha designed for those basses with a narrow witness point  over the saddle really helps give clarity and even harmonics in the notes.