Fender Bass V: The bass that should not be ?
Leo Fender used to be one of the most innovative instrument creator of the XXth century. If many of his inventions could be qualified as major like the first electric fretted bass, he experienced some failure like the Fender Bass V.
In 1965, The Fender Bass V was the first 5 string bass ever sold. Its design was more or less based on the P-bass, with a stretched body and a 15 frets' neck. It was basicly created to allow bass players to reach the upper register more easily on a 5th C string. It seems it didn't reach CBS's commercial expectations and its production was stopped in 1970. Nevertheless, the Fender Bass V is famously known as one of the John Paul Jones' basses. Whatever, this is one of the rarest Fender basses.
In 1965, The Fender Bass V was the first 5 string bass ever sold. Its design was more or less based on the P-bass, with a stretched body and a 15 frets' neck. It was basicly created to allow bass players to reach the upper register more easily on a 5th C string. It seems it didn't reach CBS's commercial expectations and its production was stopped in 1970. Nevertheless, the Fender Bass V is famously known as one of the John Paul Jones' basses. Whatever, this is one of the rarest Fender basses.
[UPDATE 04-30-2023]
It's been a while since I wrote this post. Long enough to miss this strange heir of the Fender Bass V: the Squier gary jarman signature bass (produced in 2014) which combines a Fender Bass V-kindish body, with a telecaster bass headstock, and a P-Bass pickup. The neck scale seems standard (34") unlike its weird predecessor.
About Gary Jarman
Gary John Jarman (born 20 October 1980) is a British multi-instrumentalist, best known for being bassist and singer in the Wakefield music group The Cribs, formed in 2002. In 2014, Jarman was named one of the “Greatest Bass Players of All-Time” by NME Magazine. His playing style is described as “A true punk. Jarman’s bass playing is often violent and thrashy but he never misses a note or a beat.”
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