Fernandes "Revival" J5

[Ben]

Warning: another rant about a cheap bass that I really like!

 

As noted in other threads, I got an MTD Beast 5 string last June. After playing 4 strings for over 30 years, I wanted to try 5. Well, I'm hooked on 5 strings but also was having fret-hand problems. The Beast is a terrific bass, but has a wide 35" neck. I thought I would try a narrow, 34" neck 5 string to see if that helped. (As it turns out, for me, it does.)

 

I am a do-it-yourself type and will eventually put together exactly what I want in a 5 string from folks such as Warmoth or USA Custom Guitar or Moses. But, I need to learn more about exactly what I want.

 

From my limited experience, I like Fernandes basses, especially at the bargain-basement prices you see on the internet. At the moment there are a half-dozen or so four-strings on EBay and a couple of five-strings on Digibid, all for less than $200, which is about the price of a neck from the do-it-yourself shops.

 

So I bought a Fernandes "Revival J5" from Digibid for $222 including shipping. Picture:

http://www.digibid.com/item/showItem.cfm?aid=68996

 

Alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, small frets, strange big bulky bridge with 11/16" string spacing, OK tuners. I sanded down the back of the neck with 400 grit paper to get a matte finish. I painted the awful white pick guard flat black. I took the awful horrible twangy boingy strings off and put some Lakland flats on. The pickups were way down in the body, about half an inch from the strings, so I had to take them out and put a couple of layers of mouse-pad underneath so I could adjust them properly.

 

And voila! Sounds an awful lot like my son's MIM Fender Jazz, but with 5 strings instead of 4. The F on the E string is a bit weak, and the B, C, and C# on the B string are a bit muddy, but they are definitely there. The low D, which I use a lot, is fine. A perfectly usable every-day axe.

 

IMHO, an imitation Fender that is at least as good as the original. And I like modern sealed tuners much better than bat-ears.

[snailplow]

Those are some killer,low cost basses.If you wanna make it sound even better,check this site out.www.j-retro.com Being from England I'm sure you've heard of this company before.

I put one of these in my $300 yamaha,and it sounds absolutely awesome! They also make a model with out the jazz bass control plate. Good luck!