Does anybody make a 5 string Flying V Bass?

[Simon Barden]

You'd need to be very specific as the factories aren't good at thinking things through logically. tell them only one pickup but they are still likely to put in a selector switch rout and drill holes for the normal complement of volume and tone knobs. So any and all changes would need to be fully detailed. Things like how do the tuners fit on the headstock? That's one good reason why you don't see a 5-string Flying V bass. The arrow headstock really limits the space available for tuners, so to fit 5 tuners in would make it a very large headstock. Try drawing it out for yourself. And do you go 3+2, 2+3 or even 4+1 etc? The Explorer-shaped banana headstock makes fitting 5 tuners on a lot easier, but it does detract from the general V styling. You could stick one right on the point of the arrowhead, but it would look rather strange, even if it was practical.

Lightweight mini tuners would help, say some Hipshot units, but you won't get them cheaply and would hugely increase the kit price if they were supplied with the kit (allowing for standard percentage mark-ups).

[MusicStudent1]

You'd need to be very specific as the factories aren't good at thinking things through logically. tell them only one pickup but they are still likely to put in a selector switch rout and drill holes for the normal complement of volume and tone knobs. So any and all changes would need to be fully detailed. Things like how do the tuners fit on the headstock? That's one good reason why you don't see a f5-string Flying V bass. The arrow headstock really limits the space available for tuners, so to fit 5 tuners in would make it a very large headstock. Try drawing it out for yourself. And do you go 3+2, 2+3 or even 4+1 etc? The Explorer-shaped banana headstock makes fitting 5 tuners on a lot easier, but it does detract from the general V styling. You could stick one right on the point of the arrowhead, but it would look rather strange, even if it was practical.

Lightweight mini tuners would help, say some Hipshot units, but you won't get them cheaply and would hugely increase the kit price if they were supplied with the kit (allowing for standard percentage mark-ups).

You guys are both 100% right. I did send in an email, and it does look like one can be made. I’m going to place the order with detailed specs in a few days.

Regarding the headstock, I hope they can make something like what’s shown in the photo below.



I’m also going to see if they can make a neck with 24 frets.

I might ask them to rout the volume and tone control cavity and not drill the holes for the controls. A switch could be used in a one pickup bass as a kill switch / stutter switch. I did that to a guitar in the ‘80s. It can also be used to make a coil splitting effect with active pickups so if the holes are drilled for that, it won’t bother me.

I’ll be a somewhat upgraded (5 string, better neck joint, upgraded bridge and tuners) Dean Metalman V type guitar. That’s the goal.