jazz basses

[Geek99]

hi

can anyone advise me which of Fender's (or Squier's) various jazz bass models (fretted) is the "most authentic" sounding? I'm planning to buy in the US to save some money. Is it necessary to go to the active models? Are the basic passive ones good enough? Does the mexican standard or the squier do the job well enough or is it worth the extra for the US model? Does the wood make that much difference? I have a Laney RB2 45w amp and a Zoom b2.1u.

I like the natural + black scratchplate model and the sunburst + rosewood models cosmetically. I want this to be the last bass I ever buy (ie it does everything, and also looks nice), and I'm disillusioned with cheap stuff that sounds rubbish, or isnt properly finished.

thanks

Edited July 11, 2008 by Geek99

[Machines]

The true and original Jazz bass is passive, so for 'authenticity' all Jazzes should be. The Mexican standard does sound like a Jazz bass (well it is one after all). Although - you will get a better sound if you spend more on a US, how much better it is is a matter of opinion.

Be aware that Fender don't necessarily make the best Jazz basses either, they have long been surpassed in quality by some other brands. The only problem is - none of those other brands say Fender on the headstock... which for some is blasphemy.

And as for the last bass you'll ever buy ? No chance, you'll be lured in and tempted by us lot to buy more .

[martthebass]

I wan't really into the MIA Jazz vs MIM argument but I've got to admit the MIA fretless I now have is head and shoulders above the MIM I had. It feels similar but the sound is just sooooooooo much 'smoother'?

Agree that they probably aren't the best Jazzes tho...............however I will have to continue dreaming of the Sadowsky - anybody want to swap me one for a Stingray + Jazz?

[sifi2112]

I've stripped my Fender GL .. actually 3-piece alder but with veneer front & back so when they painted it looks like one piece .. having said that it is MIJ .. sorry CIJ (crafted appossed to 'made') .. still very nice bass but have also a 1 piece swamp ash Warmoth body & neck (neck sanded down to same spec as GL) .. neck feels much more 'substantial' .. in other words, if it's a 'keeper' .. I'd go for Warmoth (I debadge everything anyway) .. can't comment on MIA Fenders .. tried various pups with the Warmoth .. was after similar to 62 vintage on GL which I think are really good .. tried Fender Noiseless & SDQP's .. settled on Wizard 84's .. Nordstrand Big Singles going in new jazz project btw but can't comment on them as yet ....

not sure where you're from but anywhere near Bradford you can come & try em out .. 2 jazz projects almost finished

Warmoth are great but you will have to pay import duty etc .. personally I've 3 'active' basses but realize I'm a passive single coil man .. cost me enough to find out .. best 'active' I've played is MM Bongo .. what a preamp ! .. guess it just down to personal preference

my 2 cents ...

Si

ps. 1 great thing about jazz bass .. the choice of pups available !

Edited July 11, 2008 by sifi2112

[johnnylager]

[quote name='Geek99' post='237516' date='Jul 11 2008, 06:47 PM']...I want this to be the last bass I ever buy ...[/quote]

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='Machines' post='237524' date='Jul 11 2008, 06:55 PM']...And as for the last bass you'll ever buy ? No chance, you'll be lured in and tempted by us lot to buy more .[/quote]

I [i]nearly[/i] bought one as my second bass back in... 96.
But I'd saved up too much and bought a Vigier instead!
Many others have followed, and I bought my first Jazz (an MIA) in 2006.
It's still one of my favourites. S1, old, dull Fender 7150 Nickels, and it sings in a lovely muted voice.
I love it. It's my comfort blanket...

[ped]

If you want a 5 string Jazz bass which is in my opinion the best value for money and one of the finest brands out there, check this out [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=22674"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=22674[/url]

[Doc B]

I've tried a lot of jazzes and 'J-types' but the only Jazz I was ever moved to buy was my Squier VM Jazz in natural with maple neck and black blocks. It was fantastic for a £220 instrument but £70 for a set of Wizards and £40 odd for a Bad Ass II transformed it into a seriously good bass IMO. It sounds way better than my Warwick and looks gorgeous.

[Geek99]

thanks for that, I will digest what you've all said.

[buff]

Best jazz i had was a jap 63 re issue, which i still have. Got rid of a yank 62 re issue, that sounded really dull and muddy much like my mexican precision. Got a squire vintage modified jazz last year, and to be honest was 10 times better than the american jazz i had.

[stinson]

The best Jazz Ive played and owned for 20 years is my Korean Squire, quite weighty but delivers that beautiful 'nasaly' tone with the front pup rolled slightly off. Worst one Ive played and owned for a week was a mim, was bloody awful in every way. Heard good reviews of the MIA's but you've really got to go and play for yourself, every guitar is diferent.

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='stinson' post='237865' date='Jul 12 2008, 11:38 AM']...but you've really got to go and play for yourself, every guitar is diferent.[/quote]
Which is Fender's beauty and curse.
As the Jazz has changed this way and that, so has its sound. It hasn't even evolved in a direct line from the original. It's just meandered to and fro!
Not only that, but the manufacturing and QC has hardly been consistent over the years (although it does seem to be right at the moment)
Those Squier 70's VMJs do punch well above their weight!

Here's my two. Chalk and Cheese.




I bought the MIA (Red) when going to try a Variax bass...
I disliked all the Variax renditions of a Jazz, and said to the shop assistant "Let's try it against a [i]real[/i] one..." So we did, and it continued to slay all comers including an active Warwick Corvette and a MM Stingray (which wasn't the best I've played by a long way)

[Geek99]

Interesting as the 70s black scratchplate & natural look is one that I like. What is "a Squier 70's VMJs", is it a "Vintage Modified Jazz", whivh I think I've seen online.(GAK and bass centre)? I ask as a store on the Orange Blossom Trail in Florida had exactly the one that you show at a good price ($279), and I cant seem to find a music store in my area that has any Fender/Squier [i]jazz[/i] basses. Precisions seem to be commonplace, and cheap Jazz copies can be found although neither is what I'm looking for. Reading through the posts above, the Squiers do seem reasonably well thought-of. which is interersting for the budget end of Fender's output. I'm happy to buy the cheap end provided the workmanship is good enough and the sound is fairly close or can be made more so, say with a pickup change.

I dont gig, or record, so its just kind of a hobby. I cant really justify spending nearly a thousand on an expensive version of something.

[Lfalex v1.1]

Sorry!
A Squier 70's VMJ is indeed a 70's Vintage Modified Jazz Bass. It's just too much typing under normal circumstances!
I've fitted a BadAss II Bridge to mine, and swapped the control knobs for some solid brass Schaller ones. String-wise, I'm using DR Marcus Miller FatBeams and I usually put a FatFinger on the headstock.
All these conspire to give an aggressive but balanced tone. With a different set of modifications, I'm sure the tone could be steered in a different direction.
The weak spots after the changes are the pick-ups (to an extent) and the Volume pots, which are 500k and a bit "all or nothing".
The tuners are [i]okay[/i] (it holds tune!), but aren't the finest ever. The backplates are relatively small, so I reckon changing them for better ones could involve a lot of drilling, filling and re-drilling etc. etc. and it's really not worth the effort.
$279 USD seems a good price. You'd pay around £230 Sterling for one here, which is quite a bit more.
Definitely try before you buy, but QC seems consistently good.
Have a look at the bodies.
Some are 2 piece, and these look nicer than the 3 piece ones. If you buy via the Net, you'll not be able to specify what you get.

As a bass for playing around at home with, they're an ideal choice for the cost-conscious.

[Geek99]

I take your point about Pots, I have read about people changing the capacitors and so on. What did you put in place of the existing 500k pots? Would good quality ones from Maplin do, or are there particular spec for instrument pots? Did you also change the capacitor? ( i did read somewhere that changing the pot value also implied a change of capacitor to maintain or improve the tone).

It seems to me that a Squier VMJ may be the way to go. Can I presume that "they're all a bit different and some are better than others" or are they fairly consistent.? It sounds like the higher end ones (ie the fenders) are a bit variable.I'll look out for the two piece body though.

Edited July 14, 2008 by Geek99

[tauzero]

[quote name='Geek99' post='237516' date='Jul 11 2008, 06:47 PM']I want this to be the last bass I ever buy[/quote]
That can be arranged...
[attachment=10790:violent_smiley_043.gif]

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='Geek99' post='239027' date='Jul 14 2008, 11:34 AM']I take your point about Pots, I have read about people changing the capacitors and so on. What did you put in place of the existing 500k pots? Would good quality ones from Maplin do, or are there particular spec for instrument pots? Did you also change the capacitor? ( i did read somewhere that changing the pot value also implied a change of capacitor to maintain or improve the tone).

It seems to me that a Squier VMJ may be the way to go. Can I presume that "they're all a bit different and some are better than others" or are they fairly consistent.? It sounds like the higher end ones (ie the fenders) are a bit variable.I'll look out for the two piece body though.[/quote]

My pots, capacitor and pick-ups are still stock at the mo'.
Pot-wise, check out CTS or the Fender "GreaseBucket" model (used on the Highway 1 models). If you change your pick-ups to something less dark sounding than the Duncan Designed ones, you're likely to want to change the Pot values to the usual 250k.
Cap-wise, "Orange drops" seem to be highly regarded. Values? I think stock for most basses is 0.47 micro Farads. It might be worthwhile experimenting with strings/pick-ups/electrics to get the best sound for you.
Ask around on here. Lots of people know more about it than I do!

[spinynorman]

When I got my MIM Jazz 5-string the tone control did absolutely nothing. While changing the pickups for Basslines I also changed the cap and tidied up the sloppy soldering on the pots. It sounds a lot better now. I think the cap I used is 0.47, it was in a bag of bits left over from a previous project and I didn't really look. Also put on a new set of Fender 7250s, which seem to work better than the Roto Jazz flats I tried first.