Vintage Bass Guitar

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When it comes to basses, who better to build a 5-string than Fender? Well, when you consider the Bass V Fender bass guitar, the answer might be… practically anyone. That may be a little harsh, but the Bass V was one strange puppy.

What Was He Thinking?

Leo Fender was a great guitar designer and innovator, but this time his idea for a 5-string bass was a little too radical. Introduced in 1965 (the same year that Fender was sold to CBS) the Bass V was the world’s first 5-string bass. No surprise here as Fender always seemed to be a step or two ahead of his competition, but this time his concept was flawed.

Fender Bass V

This Fender bass guitar had a 34” scale length which was the same as his legendary Precision and Jazz bass. The headstock and body shape was also along the lines of traditional Fender basses, but this is where the similarities end.

The fretboard only contained 15 frets as opposed to the 20 frets found on Fender’s other 34” scale basses which made the neck look rather short in comparison. So how do you get a 34” scale with such a short neck… easy, you make the body longer.

The body looks as if someone took a P-bass and stretched it, making it longer and thinner. The distance from the bridge of its elongated body to the end of the fretboard gave this Fender bass guitar an awkward appearance.

But the really unique aspect of the Bass V was the 5^th string which was tuned to a high C as opposed to today’s conventional low B. The idea behind this was that you could reach the higher notes using the C string and play across the neck instead of having to go up the neck. This would make the upper frets unnecessary, or so they thought, hence the shorter fretboard.

Another unique aspect of this Fender Bass Guitar was the single split coil pickup. The bass side part of the pickup handled the E & A strings and the treble side handled the C, D and G strings.

The Bass V never caught on and was only produced from 1965-1970. After production was stopped the excess left over parts and bodies were used to make the Fender Swinger guitar. But this bass does have historical significance besides being the first ever five-string… it was also the first ever Fender bass to be discontinued.

Collectibility

Although this is a rare bass, with only an estimated 200 models ever made, it never built a loyal following. There’s not much nostalgia associated with it even though great bassists like James Jamerson and John Paul Jones owned one.

If you can find the Bass V in excellent condition here’s what you might expect to pay based on the year and color:

Common Colors: Back, Blond, White, Lake Placid Blue, Fiesta Red, Daphne Blue, Dakota Red

Rare Colors: Gold, Silver, Burgundy, Sherwood Green, Sonic Blue, Foam Green

Very Rare Colors: Surf Green, Shell Pink

Note: A very rare color can be worth up to 30% more than a rare color.

Typically a Fender Bass Guitar is often reissued, as in the case of the P-bass and J-bass, but it doesn’t look like anyone really wants this bass to come back to life.

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Categories: Fender Bass Guitar
Tags: bass v, Fender bass guitar