F-Bass BN5 5-String Bass, Macassar Ebony Fretboard, Rosewood Top, Hand-Rubbed Oil

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. Handmade in Canada, the build quality is absolutely out of this world. The meticulous attention to detail is immediately evident.

This particular bass is one everyone here at the shop can't keep their eyes off of, with the ebony fretboard and maple/bubinga neck juxtaposed beautifully against the gorgeous rosewood-topped alder 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. Every F-Bass that has come through our shop so far has been a total masterpiece!

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.