Phil Maneri’s
BASS
LAB
This Article Was Originally Published On: July 1st, 2014 #Issue 14.
I must confess an affinity for dark blue basses. This F Bass is a beautiful transparent dark blue shade where the grain of the ash is fully visible beneath the surface. That motif is carried into the pickup tops, so that it looks like they thrust up from the top in a tectonic plate shift. The bolt-on, 3-piece maple neck is topped with a very figured birdseye cap. I much prefer using caps of figured wood over straight grain billets, rather than full birdseye necks, which in my experience tend to bow and twist way more over time than what is done here. Smart.
Electronics are two stacked single-coil/hum-cancelling pickups in a classic Jazz Bass arrangement of volume, volume, passive tone, that feed a PEEQ Research 3-band preamp, which is perfectly installed in a foil-shielded cocoon. The pickups have coil taps on the bridge pickup volume control and a passive/active switch on the passive tone pot. The battery even has a foam compression pad that freezes it in place when the cover is screwed tight. Nice choice to keep things in place during transport and play.
Hipshot bridge, Gotoh keys, oversize strap buttons and cool-looking wooden control knobs round out the hardware, and are all great choices. The neck-side strap button sits around the 11th fret, which might disturb some who are accustomed to the Fender 12th fret spot, but it works well with the somewhat atypical 34.5” scale.
This instrument is very well built, overall, although I was not as impressed with the fret ends, which showed visible file marks. On the whole, though, the details are all well attended to. It sounds great and plays very well. Its design is a modern 5-string J-bass, with some little detail twists to make it interesting. Clearly, F Basses are in the exclusive club at the top of the bass food chain, and should be on everyone’s short list in this price range.
F Bass BN5
CONFIGURATION
| Strings: | 5 |
| Style: | Double cutaway |
| Overall Length: | 46.5” |
| Body Dimension: | 20.25” long x 14" wide at lower bout |
| Body Contouring: | Heavy |
| Weight: | 10.06 lbs |
NECK
| Scale length: | 34.5” |
| Neck width at nut: | 1.752” |
| Neck width at 12th fret: | 2.599” |
| Neck width at joint: | 2.904” |
| Neck thickness at nut: | 1.189” |
| Neck thickness at 1st fret: | .804” |
| Neck thickness at 12th fret: | .928” |
| Neck thickness at joint: | .945” |
| String spacing at nut: | .32" to .36" |
| String spacing at saddle: | .745" |
| Fingerboard radius: | 9-16”, compound |
| Descriptor for neck shape: | Flat D shape |
| Peghead break angle: | 15 deg |
| Bridge break angle: | 20 deg |
| Afterlength at nut: | 2.820" to 6.108” |
| Afterlength at saddle: | 1.3" to 1.4” |
| Attachment: | Bolt-on |
| Pocket gap: | none |
| Truss rod type/access: | Double-action / body end |
| Fret count: | 22 |
| Fretwire: | 103 x 51 |
ELECTRONICS
| Pickups: | F Bass proprietary stacked single-coil/hum-cancelling |
| Pickup location(s), from the 12th fret: | 11 1/8”, 14 5/8" |
| Electronics: | PEEQ Research 3-band boost-only EQ |
| Controls: | Volume, volume (push/pull for coil tap), tone (push/pull for active/passive) treble, mid, bass |
| Shielding: | Foil |
| Preamp circuit voltage: | 9 volts |
CONSTRUCTION
| Body Woods: | Northern ash |
| Neck Woods | Maple |
| Fingerboard: | Birdseye maple |
| Body Finish: | Conversion varnish |
| Neck Finish: | Satin |
HARDWARE
| Strings: | F Bass, exposed-core, stainless steel rounds |
| Gauge: | .043”, .063”, .085”, .102”, .128” |
| Attachment: | At bridge |
| Bridge/color: | Hipshot B-Style / black |
| Nut: | Bone |
| Tuners/color: | Gotoh / black |
| Knobs/color: | Blackwood / natural finish |
| Pickguard: | n/a |
| Control cavity cover: | Body wood (ash) |
GENERAL
| Company: | F Bass, Inc. 16 McKinstry Street Hamilton, Ontario Canada L8L 6C1 ph (905) 522.1582 www.fbass.com |
| County of origin: | Canada |
| Warranty: | Limited Lifetime |
| List Price: | $4,000, USD (standard), $4,450, USD (as tested) |
| Street Price: | $3,500, USD (standard), $3,850, USD (as tested) |
| Test Bass Options: | Enhanced grain treatment, birdseye maple fingerboard, black hardware |
| Options: | Too numerous to list; see webpage |
| Accessories: | Hardshell case, strap |
| Available colors: | Multiple transparent, burst, and solid color options |
| Acquired from: | F Bass, Inc. |
| Dates: | March, 2008 to March, 2014 |
| Locals: | Ohio |
| Test gear: | GK MB115, GK MB Fusion 800, Mesa/Boogie Titan V-12, Ampeg SVT-7Pro, Bergantino NV215, Bergantino 15/6, TecAmp Puma 900, TecAmp S212, '73 Fender Jazz, Celinder J-Update 5 |
TEST RESULTS
1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)
In-hand
| Features: | 4 |
| Tonal Flexibility: | 4.5 |
| Ease of Use: | 4 |
| Aesthetics: | 5 |
| Ergonomics: | 4.5 |
| Tone: | 5 |
| Value: | 4 |
In-hand Score 4.43average
On-bench Score 4.65average
On-bench
| Overall construction | 4 |
| Wood choice | 5 |
| Materials choice | 5 |
| Joinery | 5 |
| Fretwork | 3 |
| Fit and Finish of adornments | 5 |
| Quality of finish work | 5 |
| Ease of repair | 5 |
| Potential range of setup | 5 |
| Balance on knee | 4 |
| Balance on strap | 4 |
| Overall electronic quality | 5 |
| Solder joints, wire runs | 5 |
| Clarity | 5 |
| Noise | 5 |
| Shielding | 5 |
| Quality for Price Range | 4 |
SONIC PROFILE:
Low: Deep, detailed, slightly warm, with a hint of growl
Mids: Smooth and exceptionally balanced for a J-style bass
Highs: Pure and smooth, sweet, “bell-like” clarity
TONE-O-METER:
Old school roots, with refinement, and modern capabilities. This BN5 is smooth as silk, but also defined, dynamic and powerful. A very versatile instrument.
