After borrowing from bass guitars from friends, I thought it was time I spent some money and got my own bass. My friend had a nice Guild 5 string that I liked. Matter of fact, I tried everything I could to get him to sell it to me, but to no avail. He's also got a killer Ampeg bass rig that I've been trying to finagle too. But...long story short, I had to buy my own bass.

I knew I wanted a 5 string, I love that low B string. I went to a few guitar stores in Minneapolis to see what I could get withing my price range, which was around $500. I liked the feel of the Fender Jazz Bass. I looked at quite a few of those before I stumbled across this Midnight Wine one, which was stunningly beautiful. I played it for a while and decided this is the bass I wanted.

I did my usual shopping around online, but I was a little frightened of having a bass shipped to me. Anyone else have any luck mail ordering guitars? Seems scary to me. Anyway, I found this bass for about $470 at Guitar Center.

I also bought a Line 6 Bass Pod to go with it. Let me just say, the two together sound incredible. I'm so happy with my bass sound. Not to mention, the Fender Jazz Bass feels so good in my hand. Perfectly balanced, not too heavy. Great hardware, stays in tune for weeks. I've used it live and in the studio. I love it. Really great bass for under $500.

Here's the technical description:

• 5 String
• Body:Alder
• Neck: Maple, Modern “C” Shape, (Satin Polyurethane Finish)
• Machine Heads: Cast/Sealed Mini Tuners
• Fingerboard: Pao Ferro (9.5 in. Radius/241 mm)
• No. of Frets: 20 Medium Jumbo Frets
• Pickups: 2 Standard 5-String Jazz Bass Single-Coil Pickups (Mid & Bridge)
• Volume 1. (Neck Pickup),
• Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup),
• Master Tone
• Bridge: Standard Vintage Style 5-String
• Hardware: Chrome
• Pickguard: 3-Ply White
• Scale Length: 34 in. (864 mm)
• Width at Nut: 1.875 in. (47.6 mm)
• Unique Features: New Pickups and New Vintage Style Jazz Bass Control Knobs

The only complaint I had was the low B string had a few spots that didn't seem as responsive and almost sounded floppy at times. But, after a few minor adjustments I was able to get those issues worked out. I'm a firm believer that spending a few extra bucks having your instrument set up properly by a pro, makes a world of difference.

If your looking for a decent 5 string bass under $500 check out the Fender Jazz Bass. It really is fun to play and sounds great live and in the studio.

Please feel free to post a comment if you have anything (good or bad) to say about the Fender Jazz Bass V.

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