F-Bass BN5 5-String Bass, Macassar Ebony Fingerboard, Hand-Rubbed Oil Natural

Player's Perspective

Innovation, ease of use, and versatility is the name of the game for today's top session players and bass enthusiasts, including for those of us here at the shop, and those are some of the qualities F-Bass has brought to the forefront with the 5-string BN5 series bass.

This particular bass is one everyone at the office could not keep their eyes off of, with the ebony fretboard and maple/wenge neck juxtaposed beautifully against the gorgeous mahogany/ash body. The latter has been sealed with only a thin oil finish to show off its natural qualities and give it a velvety smooth feel to the touch.

In addition to the bass' handmade craftsmanship, the attention to detail can be seen in the ergonomic improvements, from the easy-playing neck profile to the innovative new body shape that improves balance and eliminates neck heaviness. We also dug how the 34.5" scale length feels no different tension-wise than a 34" in our hands but the low B string still remains tight and punchy. 

The versatile stacked single-coil pickups, which are individually fully hum-canceling, provide a rock-solid tonal foundation that your mixing engineer will love as much as you do. The pickups pack an serious punch used individually or together. The neck sounds huge with plenty of bark while still able to sit nicely on a recording, while the bridge pickup can stay tight, punchy, and present in a live mix. And even if that wasn't enough, the extremely flexible active preamp can achieve any amount of tone-shaping you need. We also appreciate the controls to split the pickups into true single-coils or bypass the active preamp if desired.

For a truly boutique-feeling (and looking, trust us on this one) instrument that will serve you more than well both live and in the studio, this F-Bass BN5 checks every box.

Details

The BN series is the product of 40+ years of F Bass evolution. While it has roots stemming from the original Jazz Bass, it has slowly morphed into our signature sound, feel, and look. The BN series’ voice leans heavily on the wood choices and design of the instrument itself, with the electronics designed to simply enhance those attributes, rather than colour them. The F Bass pickups and preamp are natural & transparent though offer the flexibility of a modern active bass. The result is a big yet controlled bottom end, a rich punchy midrange, and a high end that is articulate yet sweet. We’re often asked how our BN series differs from our VF series—the BN is a bigger yet more refined and “polite” tone that can still get plenty aggressive when asked.

F Bass Stacked Single-Coil Pickup

Our pickups take the Jazz Bass single-coil a few steps further. While the focus is still a strong midrange and clear high end, the overall tone is thicker, smoother, and with none of the grit or grain in the higher frequencies. To eliminate 60-cycle hum associated with traditional single-coils, simply pull up on the bridge volume knob to engage hum-cancelling mode.

F Bass Preamp

Our preamps are handmade right here in Hamilton using discrete components (transistors, resistors, capacitors) rather than over-engineered IC chips. This helps us achieve a more open and transparent sound that allows the instrument to translate its inherent tone without colouration. Our 3-band preamp controls Bass Boost, Mid Boost, and Treble Boost. When all are set flat at 0, there is no perceivable difference from your passive tone. This makes for an extremely predictable and shape-able tool to explore tones or to simply cater to various gigging environments. The 9V pre has a low draw allowing for approximately 500 hours of play. Now if your battery happens to die in the middle of a gig—don’t fret!— you can pop up the tone control to engage passive mode.

BIG Focused Tone

We love a big bass tone though can’t stress enough that it has to be focused and controlled. That’s why our 5 & 6 string BN’s are made with a 34.5” scale length. This 0.5” scale length extension adds clarity to the low B while maintaining a thick and musical G & C. We also don’t shy away from a medium to medium-heavy weight build as we find it adds solidity to the low end and packs serious punch through the mids. To control these lower frequencies even further, we string up our BN’s with custom F Bass exposed-cores made for us by LaBella. These exposed-core strings were developed in tandem with our BN series and have been continually improved since their inception in the mid 1980’s. The steel core is completely exposed over the saddle for maximum contact producing excellent clarity, a clean fundamental, and piano-like sustain.

Balance

Through careful design and consideration of each component’s weight (down to the ounce), we ensure perfect balance whether playing in the seated position or strapped in. Our treble horns are curved outwards, set further back into the body, and carved to match the curvature of the fretting hand. This allows for easier access to the end of the fingerboard and maximizes comfort in the seated position. Our BN’s are also made with a slightly extended bass horn to bring the first position in a little closer when playing with a strap.

Cosmetic Harmony

When putting so much effort into our design, finishes, and sourcing beautiful tone woods, the last thing we want is to disrupt that aesthetic flow with plastic. So we take the time to grain match pickup shells and backplate covers from the same wood used for the body. To continue this cosmetic harmony, our neck heels and headstocks are also colour matched to the body or crafted with matching wood veneers for exotic topped builds.