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 Eb, 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.