1965/66 Fender Bass V

Hello! I am a 1965/66 #Fender #BassV, and I am so rare that you my go your entire life without seeing one of me, especially in a custom colour like #CandyApple! According to the book "Fender The Golden Age 1946 - 1970" by Martin & Paul Kelly and @terry_foster, the Bass V was the first Fender design that did not have much, if any, input from #LeoFender himself. The concept was to add a 5th string (high C) so a player did not have to reach way up the neck for the high notes, thus making complex patterns easier to play. Because of the high C string, fewer frets were required, and the neck could be shorter (15 frets instead of 20 on a conventional 4 string bass), making for an overall more compact instrument. Unfortunately Fender stretched out the body (to maintain the scale length with shorter neck?) and stretched out the headstock to accommodate the extra tuner, and the result was oddly proportioned and never caught on. 5 string basses are commonplace today but I guess the world wasn't ready for one in 1965! Apparently James Jamerson and John Paul Jones used them a short time. Anyhoo: I've only seen this one and one other example of a Bass V in the last 10 years of almost constant scouring of local guitar shops and collections!

Added 31 Aug 2026