Well, low end bruthaz and sistaz, I gotta tell ya', Fender is definitely the tried and true.

I dropped by a local music store today to talk to the good folks there about some Bartolini p'ups for my Carvin. It's a great little store, terrific techs, and they carry tons o' Fender. So, since I was already there, I said, "Self, plug a nice red Fender American Jazz w/ maple board and white pickguard into that Bassman 100 1x15 combo over there." And so it was.

Believe it or not, I was totally happy for the next 30 minutes or so as I plucked, strummed, slapped, palm-muted, and so on. The bass sounded great, the volume and tone knobs were smooth, and the workmanship was really terrific. I fell back in love with the simplicity of passive tone control. (No, I didn't buy it. Thought about it, and then came to mind the image of my wife slitting my throat in the night while crying over the family checkbook with our shoeless children by her side.)

Anyway, it was one of those experiences that reminded me of the wonderful sonic beauty of the Fender Jazz -- a truly great bass. Mmmmmmm.

This experience came a mere two weeks after stopping in at another local shop and being cajoled by the salesman (lots of arm-twisting, let me tell you!) into playing their 1974 maple neck/board Fender Precision with well-worn burst finish. I rumbled on that bass for a good half hour, too. Near nirvanic tone from the classic P. Ahhh, the greatness also of the Fender Precision...

This thread may not go anywhere, but if you've got some Fender love (or hate) to share, have at it.

Peace.
--sweets

I had that experience a few months back. That Jazz is now sitting next to MY amp, at home!

That was a great way of putting it. I won't even try to come up with a way to explain how much I like em.

BTW, if this threads not going anywhere, should I put the Badass II bridge on both my Precision and Jazz basses? They're MIM, and the bridge on them right now pretty much sucks.

And, oh yeah, I forgot to mention -- there was Jimmy Coppolo's '65 Fender Jazz that wraub and Bastid E and I got to play at Jimmy's shop when I was in NY during the holidays. And my friend's '68 Fender Jazz that he brought to the shop that same afternoon.

What was it I wrote before? Oh yeah, "Mmmmmmmmm."

I hope to one day have a custom "modern" J bass by a Kinal or a Stambaugh or a Lull or even one of those tasty G&L JB-2 basses ... but sometimes I think I should pay a little more attention what Fender's putting out, and not forget about giving their Custom Shop a call when the time comes and the finances are in order.

Peace.

Cowbell... just do it. Don't even think twice about it.
The one thing I don't like about Fender Basses is the cheesy (to me at least) bridge.
I played a USA Jazz this weekend and loved it, but if I bought one the first thing I would do would be change that bridge.
It definitely sounded good through that Bassman 400!
DX

Everyone complains about the bridge. In the late 70's people were bugging me to rout out the bass and put in this great new Badass bridge. (the original one that required routing, not the II model that fits in the same screw holes). "It'll make your bass better", "you better change those pickups, too, and put in some DiMarzio's"

That was before my bass became a "vintage model" and is now prized for being all original.

What is the matter with the bridge? Do the strings fall off? Is is not adjustable? Is it not hand-carved from a single piece of brass (like an Alembic)?

The bridge is part of the sound, folks, don't mess with it.

Hey Jeremy,

You've got that vintage Fender J bass as well as the Mike Lull J bass that you love. Can you tell us a little bit about how the two basses compare? Do you have a preference for one or the other? Does it vary with the playing situation?

Thanks,
--Willie

I once owned a '74 Precision. I loved the sound of that.I sold it in the late 80's after wearing the frets out. Your wife will cut more than your throat if you call the custom shop. They wanted $3500 for a production P body with a production Jazz neck. So I bought a G&L L2000, with a Jazz width neck for a lot less...I still wish I had my '74 P.

never had fender hate, but it's not what i'm looking for in my next bass. (well, not entirely. i mean, my standard for comparison is still the EBMM sterling.)

i think there's a reason why fender basses sound great to almost every bass player. leo fender created electric bass, and until the 80s, i don't think there were that many bass players straying from fender. of course there were notable pro players who played alembics and such, but i think most people played fender for about the first twenty-five years of electric bass.

of course, i'm not even twenty-five years old, so i could be wrong.

robb.

Always loved Fenders. Never understood why people had problems/issues with them. They are great, workman-like instruments. They've got classic tone. What's the problem?

Yikes! Might as well buy a Sadowsky or Lakland for that kind of cash! Or, in keeping with this thread, spend less than half that much and get a factory Fender J or P!

Peace.

My beloved '75 Jazz reissue is stock save for the pickups. I liked the stock pickups okay, but I found them to be a little on the thin side. (These would be stock Jap pickups) I replaced them with a set of Seymour Duncan Active EQs, and that mother just woke UP. They're punchier in the low mids and cleaner-sounding. I thought I'd never use active pickups and fool around with a battery, but all it took was the first before/after listening, and I was sold.

I'm thinking of finding a cheapo Mex/Korean Jazz and hacking out to try a 2Tek bridge. They require a LARGE hole, so I don't want to go chopping up my baby. But, I hear those things sound massive.

Most of the bass players we all know and love have played or recorded with one at one time or another. Can't argue about it. When its right and it works. Nothing wrong with a little variety either.

I've always jonesed for a sunburst or maple J bass with a block inlay neck and BA or BAII bridge instead of the dirtnap brown clone I ended up with. I ended up replacing the pu's with DiMarzios. It wasn't a bad bass. I just recently gave it away to a Pastor friend of the family. One of these days the right bass and the money will happen at the same time

I've got a '73 Blonde, Maple Fingeboard Jazz I purchased in 1994 for $450.00 and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The tone is absolutely amazing.
I've played several basses over the years and keep going back to my Jazz.

As to the bridge question. I changed the stock bridge in favor of a "Leo Quan Baddass II". The mass of the bridge increased the sustain, notes ring forever. I also installed a "Hipshot D-extender Key". I set this up before Fender came out with the "Geddy Lee" Signature Model.(Never fear you purists, I still have all the original parts.)

In answer to Sweet Willie who wanted a comparison of my vintage (1971) Jazz bass and my Mike Lull M4V.

They are both great basses. The Mike Lull is an updated hand-made version of a jazz bass.

First of all the necks are very similar. The jazz bass has been played for many years and the finish has worn off a little giving it an exceptional smooth feeling. The Lull has some kind of light finish on the neck which feels almost the same. The neck shapes are almost exactly the same. My jazz bass is slightly narrower at the nut than the Lull or most other jazz basses. Because I have been playing the jazz for so long, it feels like home. I rarely ever look at my hands when playing this bass. It just feels right and I always know where I am.

Eventually I hope that I get this feeling with the Lull, and I'm sure I will. I have the same kind of familiarity with my PRS bass that I have had for 15 years. I always wonder about people who are constantly buying new basses. Are they ever going to reach this stage of familiarity with their instruments?

There are some major differences, the Lull bass has a much bigger fingerboard radius, making the fingerboard flatter. "The jury is still out" on my opinion of whether this is an advantage or not. The bass is very playable, so it certainly is not a disadvantage.

The Lull bass also has graphite strips in the neck which makes the neck more stable. This will be an advantage in the future. I lucked out with my Fender and got one that has stayed pretty straight over the years. It does have a slight "ski-jump" bump at the upper frets, but nothing that affects playability. The Lull is straight as an arrow.

The Lull bass has a Bartolini preamp with active bass and treble which makes it different from the jazz, but with the preamp switched off, it still has the two volume, one tone setup and creates the basic same palette of sounds.

Now we get to the sound. The Lull bass has the classic jazz bass sound, but it is more even than most jazz basses. By that, I mean that it doesn't have dead spots, the notes on the E string sound good all the way up the string, and the string to string balance and note to note balance is exceptional. I found out that I actually had some habits of playing some notes a little harder or avoiding some other notes....the Lull bass can be played perfectly evenly and it is wonderful.

My jazz bass is a little unique in sound. When I bought it, I picked it out of a whole roomful of jazz basses.... it was the one that "spoke" to me.

It has a slightly mellower sound than the Lull or other jazz basses when played finger style. It is a beautiful warm sound and I love to play jazz on this instrument. It also cuts through wonderfully live, and I can always be heard, even when playing softly. There also is a very distinct bright sound coming out of the high end on my jazz and slapping and playing with a pick sounds great, extremely clear.

I can say that I haven't had great success recording the jazz and have used a lot of other things in the studio.

The Lull bass will do everything and it has become my main bass.

Thank you, Jeremy, for such a thorough comparison. It seems like the Lulls, Sadowskys, et al are trying to take a proven instrument design, and put their own spin on it. I hesitate to say "improve upon it" because it may not really be an issue of "better" as much as different or updated. Even Fender has been working on updated J basses w/ active electronics, figured wood tops, graphite reinforced necks, etc. These tweaks seem to have different appeal to different players.

Peace,
--Willie

My biggest compliant with Fender has been the feel of their basses. I own a Mexican p-bass which feels really good to me, but doesn't sound nearly as good a tone as the americans'. But, while the american made fenders sound really good, they all feel stiff and kinda bulky to me. The only other complaint I have with Fender is that they do seem to have a quality control issue. I've seen some really poorly made Fender's, and more than a few Fender's with a really screwed up factory set-up's.

In my very early years, the only Fenders I saw were Precisions. Compared to my beloved EB3, it was like playing a horse's leg. No love there. Back in those days, I knew little about other basses (though I didn't mind playing my guitarist's Univox copy of a RIC).

After many years of not going into stores, I know better now. I've played J basses that I like very much. I've seen some of the quality issues on the MIM and lower end stuff. A friend has a new American J, and it feels and sounds great. I still find them a bit bulky, but I still like smaller bodies. That's why I don't pick up a Sadowsky Vintage when I visit him, and why I chose the smallest body style Mike Kinal offered. That's just me.

I don't see myself owning one anytime soon, but recognize that much of what I like about basses comes from Fender (Leo and successors both in and out of the Fender company).

Tom

I've never played a Fender for more than 30 minutes in one sitting, therefore my opinion is quite useless. When looking for a new, quite high priced (say £1000) bass 8 months ago, Fender didn't even enter the equation. Why? At the time they bored me. Simple, everyone has a fender, the look just throws me right off. I believe if something looks great I'm much more inclined to treasure it. Fender still bores me stupid, I wouldn't mind owning one (I want to own a lot of things)....But I still can't wait to play my Ric in 20 years and know every little nuance of it's sound.

Each to their own, as Tom has said, it would be foolish not to salute Fender for their acomplishments.

CupMcMali...this monkey's gone to heaven

ok, i really laughed at this one. my children are shoeless....

I'd avoid the Badass II on the P-Bass, it's not the Precision's style. If you want that kind of tone for the Jazz, go for it, but the new (2001 and newer) MIM Fenders are much better than earlier. The bridges are just fine, and I actually find that the Badass (and other high mass bridges) don't transmit lows as well. It seems as though the stock Fender bridges allow for more low end, but maybe it's just me. I just bought a brand new '02 or '03 MIM Jazz and it's a great instrument. The pickups are excellent & the body is actually alder now.

Just my 2¢

~Griff

Well, my experience with Fender has been kinda "Ehh." I've owned 2 Japanese fretless', a US P-bass, and a LTD Ed. 50th anniversary Jazz #437 if I remember correctly. All have been sold.

HOWEVER , I recently purchased a Mexi Jazz in the agave blue from the store I manage. Why did I buy it? It's the ONLY Fender instrument that I've played that has "It". You know, that odd piece of gear that comes through and everything is "just right". So, after a white pearl guard, and a Badass installed, I've got me a good one. Next up is a set of Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pickups (when they finally get off back order) and possibly a J-retro.

Interesting. This sounds like an instrument SteveC used to own...with exactly the same modifications...all the way down the list to the J-Retro...

Hmmmmmmmm.

Hey, Hoagie--check your messages.

I was fortunate to have bought my first good bass in 1974. It was a Fender Precision. No Mexico/Japan b.s. crap. You just bought a Fender bass and chose a color. Never modified it and I still play it. Never adjusted the neck, wore out the frets, replaced the bridge. Nothin'. I think I paid about $300 WITH case (cases didn't seem like an option). Now everybody else wants one.

I've heard complaints about neck width of the Precision. Come on, puh-leeeze. I play a 5 string with no problems. How could ANY 4 string be too wide?

I find a lot of difference between the US versions and the imports. The imports don't count as far as I'm concerned.

It's not that the neck is too wide, per se, it's that the string spacing is a little on the wide side. That is my biggest gripe with the better fender basses. I'm also not too big on the shorter scale length (I do prefer the full 24 fret neck). That being said, I'm looking very much forward to getting my vintage precision tonight. The original owner (my guitarist, a former bass player) says it's a '75; the broker (my other guitarist) says that it might be much older. I'll have to take a closer look.

I love my Ibanez 5 string for rock and Jazz. It's got a huge, warm, smooth-as-ice tone and wonderful playability. I just can't get that original P Bass tone though, and it's too narrow to slap and pop on readily, so the Fender will be a fitting addition to my arsenal. Wish me luck.

BTW- the selling price is $375. Can't beat that- it's a good bit less than my Ibanex cost me.

And something else- Great Fenders are just that- great instruments. Their more "economy" instruments aren't all that great, in tone or playibility.

Whats up yall
hey i have a fender p bass special, and its awesome i spray painted the gold pickguard black...cool.It also has the best of both worldfs beleive me if ur lookin for a fender check her out for sure.

What I think about Fender is that Leo was creating the definition of electric bass, and the sound that comes from both P and J has been defining the bass world recording industry for a long.

It says about tone familiarity to my ears. Other bass would be providing a different sonic pallete. It just like having a keyboard. Piano sound are the main sound for some people. For electric bass, that's Fender sound.

What year did you get yours? I got mine in 1994 new with a case, and it's made in Mexico. The only alteration was the addition of Dunlop Strap locks. If you want to see it, come here .

I had the chance to buy Steve's bass, but didn't have the cash at the time. I'm going to keep this one passive. I'm going to wire the pickups to push/pull pots for series/parallel options. Should be a fun project.

I don't hate Fenders, I just don't like them - not one little bit. :p I had '72 Jazz and Pee basses, and all I can say is "good riddance."

To each his own.

The only thing better than my old '73 Fender Jazz bass is my new Fender 5-String Active Jazz Deluxe (MIM)! I love it

Life is good!

I recently traded my Carvin LB75 for a used Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass 4-string, and I'm pretty happy with it. I'm not a 5-stringer, and I needed an active bass to contrast the tone of my passive Reverend Rumblefish. It has a few minor setup issues, but nothing that can't be corrected.

I traded with Steve at http://www.superbass.net , and he's a pleasure with which to deal.

I`m just a beginner with bass but I know what I don`t like about Fenders... The wieght and the wideness of the necks. I just tried out the Peavey Fury IV bass and loved it. The sound, the feel, the look, etc...

I am not crazy about the fact that it is made in Indonesia or something like that but I was going to buy it today until I found out I would be getting the floor model so I`ll wait and get it new. Originally I was going to buy a P bass for my second bass but I really really dislike the sound and the feel of it. Especially the feel which is very hard to play.

On the other hand, I have a Fender Strat and love it. Mexican Strat, 60`s re issue. Great tone, great feel and great sound. I love it.

Ernest

Ernest

If you don't like the wideness of the P, perhaps you should check out a Jazz Bass. The necks are thinner, and I prefer them.

It's funny how many different opinions they're in this thread. I just bought a '78 P-Bass and I think I'm gonna sell it on ebay. I love it but it is kinda bulky, and I'm no small dude. But I love the fat neck. The tone is almost like any other. Whats the big deal? I have this sweet Fender Prophecy bass that I love. The body is a smaller jazz style!! Cool huh? Yea i like it. I just put Barts in it and the tone is even better. Fender-Japan built some nice stuff. I think I'll build me a nice bass with the money I get from the P-Bass. A little smaller body and it'll most likely sound better.
Hawk

'78 was not a good year for Fenders. CBS owned them around that time and their quality control standards weren't too high.

I had a 78 and its tone was downright bad. Some good specimens can be found from that year though...many posters on this forum (jeremy c, ed friendland) have great sounding 70s Fenders.

You probably just didn't get lucky.

Always play a vintage bass before purchasing it if you're planning on playing the thing...you never know...

I feel ya Willie!
I'm in love with my Jazz bass.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Although it isn't an American Standard, it plays beautifully and has tone to match.
It sways along ever so softly with the sonically remastered notes in a way to die for.

The good thing is...I have mine at home! I can pick it up whenever I want to, and play another one bites the dust.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
Fender