It's just occurred to me....

[Bilbo]

I am not 100% sure, but I don't think I have ever played a Fender Jazz or a Fender Precision. Copies, yes. Bitsas, yes. Even a Strat. But I have never got my mitts on a proper grown up Fender. I saw one at a jam session I attended yesterday and remember thinking ' I have never been this close to a Fender Jazz bass before'.

 

I may be wrong as I have a brain like a sieve.

 

[itu]

Fenders are from the 50's, and that was long ago. I don't think you have lost anything.

[bakerster135]

As above, and at the risk of inciting a hate riot, I don't believe you'll experience any form of epiphany even if you pick up a prime 50s/early 60s Fender bass. You're probably even in a minority by not being concerned with it.

 

I've been through more 60s Jazz Basses than I and my bank balance care to admit. I'm now left with two 70s JBs and one 70s Stingray that really speak to me. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Edited Friday at 18:22 by bakerster135

[Rosie C]

I have a Squier jazz, and it has a Fender neck and it's had a pro setup and I like it a lot. But I had a go of my teachers Fender jazz and it was just that little bit better. Hard to put my finger on what exactly, but I preferred it to my bass.

 

Now, whether that was just that I knew it was a real Fender, and whether I'd have felt the same in a blind test, who knows?

 

Edited Friday at 18:22 by Rosie C

[itu]

27 minutes ago, Rosie C said:

Now, whether that was just that I knew it was a real Fender, and whether I'd have felt the same in a blind test, who knows?

Do that blind test with similar strings and come back to tell us your findings.

[Grahambythesea]

I’ve owned 2 USA Fender Ps and a Jazz, all sold and currently have a Mex P. I can’t tell the difference except the neck is on the Mex  P is more like a Jazz. I like them but I don’t think they are particularly different to other basses. 

Edited Friday at 19:21 by Grahambythesea
Hadn’t finished typing

[Franticsmurf]

I bought a Precision a few years ago following some recommendations on here. That was my first experience of a Precision of any sort. I wasn't expecting an epiphany and (spoiler alert) I didn't get one. But I did realise how well it worked in the mix of other instruments live and later in recordings. No regrets and it's regularly played. It's my go-to bass in situations where I'm not sure what will be needed, and if my main band goes down the Motown route the Precision is front and centre. 

[pete.young]

3 hours ago, Bilbo said:

I am not 100% sure, but I don't think I have ever played a Fender Jazz or a Fender Precision. Copies, yes. Bitsas, yes. Even a Strat. But I have never got my mitts on a proper grown up Fender. I saw one at a jam session I attended yesterday and remember thinking ' I have never been this close to a Fender Jazz bass before'.

 

I may be wrong as I have a brain like a sieve.

 

You're very welcome to come round and have a noodle on mine.  Fender Japan rather than USA, but a bona fide Fender.

[Shaggy]

In 48 years of gigging and 100+ basses I've had only 3 actual Fenders (though multiple P & J bitsas); a '66 "L" series P, a USA  RI '75 J, and an all original  '57 P (last of the Tele styled). Unusually on this forum; only 2 of the 3 ex-Beedster.......

I still have the '57;  I have basses I prefer, but there's always something just a bit special that Leo had a hand in.....

[neepheid]

Owned MIM and MIC Fender basses, and I've played a few MIA Fenders at bass bashes and other junctures (such as going to someone's house to buy something), so you can trust me when I tell you with 100% certainty that they're... basses.

[JohnR]

I played a Wal for over 30 years. It was pretty much my first bass. In all that time I never played a Fender. I got a Jazz a few years ago and absolutely love it and can’t believe it took me so long to discover. Mind you I had it PLEKd, fitted a new nut, changed the pickups, electronics, bridge and machine heads to make it my perfect bass. 😂😂

[lozkerr]

My first pro instrument was a five-string MIA Fender Jazz. It's a lovely bass - plenty of bite, perfectly balanced, looks the biz and is dead easy to play. I'll never part with it, even though my current weapon of choice is a Sterling Stingray 5.

[bubinga5]

Play an MIJ non export 70,s spacing JB 75 from the 90s.  They are just superb and a proper Jazz bass.

[LITTLEWING]

I had a '74 Precision back in the day (stupidly sold it before getting married or something) and although I've been playing again for the last 20 years I've never had anything 'decent' so treated myself to a Mim Player. Loved the neck, (set it very nearly flat), weight and everything but hated the farty pickups despite moving them up and down so after reading a load of reviews I put in a set of Custom Shop '62s. There she is, the best ever near as dammit to a USA you'll ever get. Dare I say although it reminds me of the '74 I think it's actually better. Can't put it down.

[SteveXFR]

The two worst basses I've owned were a MIM Fender Jazz Squier series (weird one, it was an actual Fender, not a Squier) and my last MIM Precision. 

Sometimes cheap copies are better than the real thing.

[Bassassin]

I've owned a bunch of Squiers (still have an '87-ish E serial MIJ Strat) but never owned anything with a Fender sticker on the end, and it's unlikely I ever will. I've played a bunch of Japanese Fenders, usually in shops (the original CIJ Geddy sig was superb) but have been racking my brains to think of any US Fenders I've been within sniffing distance of. Back in the very early 80s, a mate had a butchered, badly refinished old Strat, so I probably plonked around on that, and I remember trying a Jaco sig in a shop, maybe 15 years back. I think that was probably a US Custom Shop version (the price was ludicrous) but my main recollection was that it was one of the worst set-up basses I'd ever picked up, and was borderline unplayable.

 

The Irony, I suppose, is, that if I had to pick just one bass for ever it'd be a Jazz - the sound, feel and look tick all of my boxes. Stroke of luck then, to have picked up a stunningly good late 70s MIJ copy for £60 in a pawn shop. 😎

[jonnybass]

I've owned a few over the years, still have my first bass which is an 83 japanese Fender.  Like every brand, you get good ones and bad ones.  I'm less worried about what name is on it than how nicely it fits how i play.  

 

Jonny

[Cliff Edge]

I have a ‘72 Jazz I bought in ‘82 but in the intervening years I’ve had to change a few bits that stopped working properly or not at all, so not really 100% original now. But still plays well, and sounds good with a pair of custom shop ‘70’s pickups, but I prefer playing my Stingray. 

[leschirons]

I've had around six USA Fender basses.

Sold them all and currently don't have one. To me, they do the same thing as every other bass so it's simply down to playability,  weight and if I like the look of it. 

 

If you have an effects processor, any bass can pretty much sound like any other bass. 

[Marvin]

I've played an MIM Fender Precision in a shop, it was OK. I wouldn't have wanted to pay whatever it was though.

 

I also played a MIA Fender Jazz FSR at a jam night for a couple of songs. It didn't feel any better than my Sire V7 really.

 

I own a Squier precision,  it's a precision, what more can one say 😁