BottomEndian Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 (edited) Now that Reverb have their 10%-off-everything sale going on, I'm wondering... I've been GASing for a Jazz for a while now (never had one, always loved the sound), and I've been thinking about trying out fretless. So, I've combined the two into mega-GAS for the Squier VMJ fretless, which you can get new from Reverb's website for under £200 with the 10% off. Cheap and cheerful (and well-reviewed!) way to try out fretless and settle my desire for a Jazz on a budget, right? Trouble is, I've never been convinced by the Jazz necks I've played. I've always found them [i]too[/i] slim, even for my little hands. But is it just that I'm used to Precision and 5-string necks? Would I get used to it eventually? And do people find it easy to switch between the different nut widths and string spacings on different basses? :wacko: I don't have enough experience across the world of basses -- I tend to just play my own! -- so I cast this one open to you, the educated hordes of Basschat! EDIT to remove some of the million uses of the word "just" Edited May 15, 2009 by BottomEndian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterMute Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I've just switched back to Jazz's from a Warwick 5 string Thumb, and I've doe exactly what you are thinking of, bought the "Jaco" looking fretless VMJ. I have small hands and I have to say the Jazz neck is by far the most comfortable neck I've found, I felt right at home on it almost straight away. Prior to getting into The 5 strings, I had Precisions and Wals, radically different neck profiles, neither of which I was completely happy with. I've also bought a Geddy Lee, which is supposedly as slim as they come for a Jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Nope, don't like Jazz necks. Strings are just too close together for my sausage fingers. Give me a Precision (or wider) neck any day. It's probably because I'm so poor technically that I need more margin for error Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterMute Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Just to add, the Geddy Lee turned up this morning, and the difference between it and the Squire is a lot more than I expected in terms of playability. The Geddy is the most comfortable bass I have ever played, hands down, and fast like you wouldn't believe...! The VMJ is still a very comfortable bass to play, and with it's new Wizard pups it sounds great, but it's not a patch on the Fender. Bugger, I gotta find me a Jaco signature now haven't I? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 I used to hate Jazz necks (I think you'll find several old posts by me saying just that) until I became a better technical bassist, now I love them. I play a Precision fretless which has a B width (1.625) and Jazz fretless with an A width (1.5) neck and the Precision feels huge in comparison. Moving between the two helps me appreciate the Jazz neck though, and there's stuff I can play on the Jazz I simply can't play on the Precision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted May 16, 2009 Author Share Posted May 16, 2009 All interesting so far. Thanks, guys. One of the Jazzes I've noodled on and had problems with is the Aerodyne. Anyone know if the Aerodyne's unusually narrow or strangely profiled? I can't find any helpful info on the Fender site -- it just says it's a "C" shape, as opposed to the "Modern C" shape of the American Standard or the "Thin C" shape of the Geddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 The first couple of basses I had were Jazz-type necks and to this day Precisions and Stingrays feel really clunky to me. I think they feel too wide for their depth, mostly. Although if they were any deeper they'd probably just feel plain "bad". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 I played 5, 6, 8 and 12 string bases for years and only went back to a 4 permanently a couple of years ago. I found the transition easy and when I had my Warmoth built I specified Jazz width. I hate jazz basses with a passion but love the necks on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 I've always preferred slimmer necks (fingers to thumb) so the Status necks & jazzes suit me just fine. The only ones I can't get along with are the thicker variety of Precisions & Warwicks. Narrowness of fingerboard doesn't seem to worry me at all across various instruments from 4-6 strings. But if the string spacing is too narrow at the bridge (less than 18-19mm) I find it hard right-hand-wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 I'm with you all on the hand size thing - mine arent huge. I have a Stingray clone, and a CIJ jazz. The jazz is easier/more comfortable to play by a mile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 It's the other way with me - I started off liking narrow Jazz bass type necks & ended up prefering chunkier ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 (edited) This guy's looking for offers on a nice jazz body with quality aftermarket hardware: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=49099"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=49099[/url] Stick a precision neck on it and you could have the best of both worlds...Jazz sound, Precision feel. Edited May 18, 2009 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 Well, I pulled the trigger on a VMJ fretless from Reverb. £197 to my door. If you see it up on here in a week or two, you'll know the Jazz neck experiment didn't work for me... Just hope it's not a complete dog of a bass. That's the problem with these cheap internet offers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 [quote name='BottomEndian' post='489633' date='May 16 2009, 10:57 AM']One of the Jazzes I've noodled on and had problems with is the Aerodyne. Anyone know if the Aerodyne's unusually narrow or strangely profiled? I can't find any helpful info on the Fender site -- it just says it's a "C" shape, as opposed to the "Modern C" shape of the American Standard or the "Thin C" shape of the Geddy.[/quote] I've got an Aerodyne and a newish MIA Jazz and the necks feel the same to me. Having said that, I can adjust the action on the Jazz more to my liking than I can on the Aerodyne. Maybe it's something to do with the graphite reinforcement in the MIA neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayfan Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Never really got on with Jazzes sadly, despite liking the shape and the sound. The neck is too thin for me and the offset body too clunky. But different strokes, different folks. Factoid: According to a book I read, the Jazz bass was designed in part to appeal to guitarists switching over to the new-fangled electric bass, hence the narrow nut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnylager Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 [quote name='RhysP' post='490976' date='May 17 2009, 11:00 PM']It's the other way with me - I started off liking narrow Jazz bass type necks & ended up prefering chunkier ones.[/quote] Yep. 41-odd mm nut width [Spector 41.8mm, 'Ray 41.3mm, 70's & on P 41.2mm] all the way now. 38mm [Jazz] became too small and always found 44mm [vintage P] too big. All sizes approximate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 [quote name='skankdelvar' post='491329' date='May 18 2009, 01:30 PM']Stick a precision neck on it and you could have the best of both worlds...Jazz sound, Precision feel.[/quote] This is definitely an idea worth toying with. In fact, I've got a fretless Mighty Mite P neck that was destined for my Hondo. Might wait and see now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 [quote name='skankdelvar' post='491329' date='May 18 2009, 01:30 PM']This guy's looking for offers on a nice jazz body with quality aftermarket hardware: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=49099"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=49099[/url] Stick a precision neck on it and you could have the best of both worlds...Jazz sound, Precision feel.[/quote] I saw the body in the above thread on Sunday & can state that it's in really good condition & looks pretty groovy with the Badass bridge & chrome pickguard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.