Squier 5 String P-Bass Special Reviews 3

I sent my wife to get me a 5 string bass set of strings for my 4 string electric bass, I was going to use the B E A D strings out of the pack to simulate a 5 string and she came back with a new bass instead of just a pack of strings. The bass was on sale for $200, normally it retails for a little more than that.

Cheap, it did not cost me an arm and a leg, also for a inexpensive bass the tone and sustain are good. I like the natural wood neck, I have a guitar with a painted neck and the natural wood always seems a little faster to me.

The neck is too wide, for my tastes that is, but hey I was just happy to get a 5 string and the wide neck does tend to make me stretch my fingers. The pickups are what you would expect in a bargain basement bass, not real consistant amplification across the strings. The low B string is not well amplified and that is after adjusting the pickup height to get as much out of it as possible. Unbalanced, this bass is quite a bit neck heavy, which of course makes the neck dive if not held properly.

The finish had no noticeable flaws. The bass setup was also good with no fret buzz, no noticeable dead spots on the neck. I did have to tighten various nuts and screws when I first recieved it.

If you want a cheap 5 string and do not have allusions that this bass is any more than a inexpensive starter bass or a backup, it will meet your needs, go for it.

Don Walls rated this unit 3 on 2001-12-07.

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