A Custom-Color First Generation Fender Bass V

This very rare early custom-color Bass V weighs 9.70 lbs. and has a nut width of just over 1 3/4 inches and a full bass scale length of 34 inches. Solid alder body, contoured on back and lower bass bout. One-piece maple neck with a comfortable medium profile, veneer rosewood fretboard with 15 original medium/thin frets and pearloid dot position markers. Headstock with matching Candy Apple Red finish and decal with "Fender BASS V" logo in gold with black trim and five patent numbers in black below it. "Offset Contour Body" decal on the ball end of the headstock. Triple string tree. Individual Fender bass tuners with cloverleaf-shaped metal buttons. Four-bolt neck plate with large Fender backward "F" logo in the center and serial number ("600105") between the top two screws. One split black five-polepiece pickup (three plus two) with an output of 10.12k. Three-layer (white/black/white) plastic pickguard with fifteen screws. Thumbrest on the bass side of the pickguard. Two controls (one volume, one tone) and jack socket, all on metal plate adjoining pickguard. Black plastic ribbed-sided conical-shaped "Witch Hat" knobs with metal tops. The potentiometers are stamped "304 6542" (Stackpole October 1965). Combined individually adjustable five-saddle bridge/tailpiece with the original chrome cover. This guitar is in mint (9.50) condition and is one of the earliest examples of the Fender Bass V (the first five-string bass with normal string spacing -- tuned E A D G C), with an unbound dot-marker fretboard, and one of a very few made in a custom color with matching headstock. This is certainly the prettiest Bass V that we have ever seen. Complete with both the pickup and bridge covers and the original Fender black leather guitar strap. Housed in the original Fender black hardshell case with black leather ends and orange plush lining (9.25).

"In 1965, just as the torch was being passed to CBS, the bass V made its appearance, even though it was a typical pre-CBS design. By its overall look it was actually a 5 string compromise between the Jazz Bass and the P. Bass. It had a split pickup in which the bass portion had two pole pieces while the treble portion had three, a Jazz Bass type control plate but with only one master volume and one master tone as there was only a single pickup. If you look closely at it, you will see that everything is in conformity: the style of the headstock (elongated for the placement of a fifth key), the pickguard, the covers (with a large 'F' on the bridge one) and the body (elongated as well). You could almost say that apart from the fifth additional string, a high C, it is very similar to the P. Bass with its 1 3/4" nut width. The other major difference was the fact that the neck was shortened although the scale of the bass remained at 34". In effect, thanks to this 5th string it was no longer necessary to have 20 frets and therefore you only find 15 on this model. The rosewood capped neck and round position dots later became white binding with large position markers in 1966, and then maple capped, black binding and large position markers in 1967 and finally in 1970 one piece maple or rosewood capped with white binding and large position markers. We should note that the strings were passed through the body as with the 1st P. Bass and its re-edition; the Telecaster Bass 1st version. The finishes are identical to the other three basses of the period: the P. Bass, Jazz Bass and Bass VI. The Bass V made its last catalogue appearance in 1969 and dispareared [sic] in 1971 without a trace" (Klaus Blasquiz, The Fender Bass, p. 26).

"After Leo Fender sold his company to CBS in January 1965, the new management introduced a number of unusual instruments, including [a] 5-string bass. It added a high C string to the usual EADG and had only 15 frets. James Jamerson owned a Bass V and may have experimented with it occasionally in the studio" (Jim Roberts, How the Fender Bass Changed the World, p. 69).

"The Fender Bass V has to be one of the most bizarre Fender basses of all time. It was introduced in 1965, not long after Leo Fender sold the company to CBS. The Bass V was obviously intended for bass players wanting to expand their playing into the upper register while staying in the lower fingering positions; with only 15 frets, the instrument facilitates across-the-neck playing. The Bass V’s highest note is still E, just like on a Precision or Jazz Bass. At the risk of offending the purists out there, the lack of a high E is about the only detail of Leo Fender’s brilliant original designs that I have ever questioned—but regardless, you have to admire Fender’s consistency of execution, even after its sale.

Historical details on the development of this instrument are sketchy at best, but it came a few years after the development of the Fender Bass VI, which was apparently inspired by the 6-string Danelectro bass guitars that were being used for “tic-tac” bass in Nashville studios. Like the V, the VI met with little success at the time, although Jack Bruce did use one briefly in the early days of Cream. Perhaps Fender should have marketed the Bass VI as a baritone guitar, as bass players had trouble with the tight string spacing, not to mention the foibles of guitar tuning. The Bass V, however, could never be mistaken for anything but a bass. The short neck and long body feel a little strange at first, especially with the somewhat blockish heel and the weirdness of running out of frets up the neck. Still, it’s not hard to imagine why Fender must have thought bass players would go for this innovative concept, especially at a time when bass-guitar building didn’t yet have a long tradition. Apparently, Fender was a little too ahead of its time (the high C string certainly was), as the Bass V never really caught on. About 200 or so were made before it was discontinued in 1970.

The style is a wacky combination of previous Fender designs with its own unique quirks. The split pickup is reminiscent of a P-Bass pickup, but it’s actually more in the style of the pickups on Mustang Basses, which came along a couple years later; perhaps this pickup helped inspire that model. The neck is a bit chunky, but not huge, and the string spacing is comfortable. The bridge cover and control plate are similar to those on Jazz Basses of that era, and while it’s missing on this one, there was also a chrome pickup cover. Almost everything else about it is oversize. Especially considering the missing frets, the Bass V is surprisingly long—in fact, it’s three inches longer than a Precision Bass! The headstock is elongated, as is the body, and even the neck plate seems to be a custom size. The classic Fender sunburst and tortoiseshell pickguard are in beautiful condition on this bass, which belongs to bass amplifier builder Phil Jones.

The instrument’s tone is a stunning variation on the classic ’60s Fender sound. This Bass V has flatwound strings and has been re-strung with a low B instead of the high C. The small pickup has a surprisingly big and full-range tone, with that gorgeous, deep-yet-clear thump that only flatwounds can deliver. The strings pass through the body at the bridge, which really helps the 34" scale sound nice and tight, especially on the B string. The Bass V’s tone has a lot of clarity and articulation. Rolling off the tone knob mellows out the high end a bit, but even turned all the way down, it never quite reaches the murky depths of a dub or reggae tone (although it undoubtedly could with some additional EQ).

It’s hard to document the Bass V on record, but the evidence shows that two of the all-time electric bass greats owned a V: Motown’s James Jamerson and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones. So, even though Fender may have struck out marketing-wise with this oddball instrument, there were at least a few heavy hitters who “got it.” Who knows what might have happened if they had tried a low B string! The Fender Bass V is a very interesting footnote in bass history, and one I really enjoyed experiencing firsthand." (www.bassplayer.com/article/retro-rama-1965/mar-06/18950).