Which Jazz bass?

[Twigman]

 

I'm in the market for a jazz bass.

My current bass for everything is a EBMM USA Sterling 4HH - been number 1 bass for last almost 9 years.

But I fancy a change.

I've owned precisions and find the nut too wide - I have 2 precisions with jazz necks but I fancy a real jazz.

I am leaning toward buying new.

I don't want Mexican or Indonesian - call me whatever you like but I've decided Japanese or American only

So I've narrowed the choices down to: - prerequisite RW boards only

 

MIJ 'Hybrid' II £1,500 ish

pros: price, colours, headstock end truss rod adjustment

cons: basic bridge, no case only gig bag

 

American Professsional II £1,900 ish

pros: slim profile neck (I like that), option of top load or string through bridge, hard case

cons: 5 bolt neck (limits choice of replacement necks if required) - not keen on any colour scheme, not keen on the tuners - prefer the large vintage open wheels,

 

American Vintage 66 £2,200 ish

pros: love the sea foam green colour with matching headstock, like binding on the fb, 66voiced pickups, hard case

cons: price, never liked the vintage bridge

 

Mod Shop £2,000 ish

pros: choice of colours, block inlays available, choice of pickups, same bridge as Professional II with through body stringing and top loading available, hard case

cons: no neck binding available, same tuners as Pro II, no matching headstock,  10 week lead time

 

Custom Shop £4,000 ish

pros: can have almost any spec you want

cons: it'll cost both time (long lead time)  and big money

 

I am leaning toward the MIJ Hybrid II in Noir but the Vintage66 in sea foam green is also tugging at my strings....

 

If you were in the market for a NEW Fender jazz, which would you choose and why?

 

 

 

Edited 10 hours ago by Twigman

[Reggaebass]

I’m pretty much a jazz and precision player now, I’ve had so many jazzes from Mexican to custom shop, I know they aren’t new but one of the best ones I’ve got now is the American jazz elite, they are passive and active and are amazing quality, i like them so much that I’m looking for another at the moment in black, it’s just a suggestion but try one out if you can , the American Ultra is another I’d recommend trying 

[fretmeister]

I'd buy a Sandberg TT4 above a Fender.

[police squad]

I'd buy the Adam Clayton signature jazz, if I wanted a jazz

I did have a Flea jazz and it sounded awesome

[paul_5]

If you’re used to a MM bas then I’d probably opt for an active Jazz just to make swapping on a gig easier. 

[Twigman]

10 minutes ago, paul_5 said:

If you’re used to a MM bas then I’d probably opt for an active Jazz just to make swapping on a gig easier. 

 

I favour a passive jazz.

 

Battery anxiety is one of the drivers for change.

 

[Twigman]

2 hours ago, police squad said:

I'd buy the Adam Clayton signature jazz, if I wanted a jazz

If I could get it without his signature on the headstock that would definitely be in the running - it has everything: block inlays,  lollipop tuners, string through bridge.....but it also has Adam Clayton's signature on it (and presumably a slice of commission directly to him in the price) - for that reason it rules itself out. Shame

Edited 8 hours ago by Twigman

[jd56hawk]

2 hours ago, Twigman said:

 

I'm in the market for a jazz bass.

My current bass for everything is a EBMM USA Sterling 4HH - been number 1 bass for last almost 9 years.

But I fancy a change.

I've owned precisions and find the nut too wide - I have 2 precisions with jazz necks but I fancy a real jazz.

I am leaning toward buying new.

I don't want Mexican or Indonesian - call me whatever you like but I've decided Japanese or American only

So I've narrowed the choices down to: - prerequisite RW boards only

 

MIJ 'Hybrid' II £1,500 ish

pros: price, colours, headstock end truss rod adjustment

cons: basic bridge, no case only gig bag

 

American Professsional II £1,900 ish

pros: slim profile neck (I like that), option of top load or string through bridge, hard case

cons: 5 bolt neck (limits choice of replacement necks if required) - not keen on any colour scheme, not keen on the tuners - prefer the large vintage open wheels,

 

American Vintage 66 £2,200 ish

pros: love the sea foam green colour with matching headstock, like binding on the fb, 66voiced pickups, hard case

cons: price, never liked the vintage bridge

 

Mod Shop £2,000 ish

pros: choice of colours, block inlays available, choice of pickups, same bridge as Professional II with through body stringing and top loading available, hard case

cons: no neck binding available, same tuners as Pro II, no matching headstock,  10 week lead time

 

Custom Shop £4,000 ish

pros: can have almost any spec you want

cons: it'll cost both time (long lead time)  and big money

 

I am leaning toward the MIJ Hybrid II in Noir but the Vintage66 in sea foam green is also tugging at my strings....

 

If you were in the market for a NEW Fender jazz, which would you choose and why?

 

 

 

Sorry, but I forgot all about Fender when I discovered they weren't the only company making jazz basses..

I went with this and it puts to shame everything Fender's making.

 

I definitely want another one.

 

Edited 8 hours ago by jd56hawk

[police squad]

34 minutes ago, Twigman said:

If I could get it without his signature on the headstock that would definitely be in the running - it has everything: block inlays, bound fingerboard, lollipop tuners, string through bridge.....but it also has Adam Clayton's signature on it (and presumably a slice of commission directly to him in the price) - for that reason it rules itself out. Shame

what's the problem with the signature on the headstock?

[Reggaebass]

2 minutes ago, jd56hawk said:

Sorry, but I stopped considering Fender when I discovered there are quite a few better Jazz basses being made.

I went with this and it puts to shame everything Fender's making.

 

I’d have my fender elite over any of those , I suppose we all like different things 🙂

[Stub Mandrel]

4 minutes ago, police squad said:

what's the problem with the signature on the headstock?

 

Hard to give a rational reason but it puts me off too... Not an issue with Adam Clayton, I like the bass but I'd want it to look more 'vintage' - like the Flea that just has an engraving on the neck plate.

[Stub Mandrel]

9 minutes ago, jd56hawk said:

Sorry, but I forgot all about Fender when I discovered they weren't the only company making jazz basses..

I went with this and it puts to shame everything Fender's making.

 

I definitely want another one.

 

Those would all benefit from a tort scratchplate. 😁

[police squad]

11 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Hard to give a rational reason but it puts me off too... Not an issue with Adam Clayton, I like the bass but I'd want it to look more 'vintage' - like the Flea that just has an engraving on the neck plate.

it doesn't bother me at all, weird isn't it. I've got two Adam Clayton basses (for my U2 tribute) a Slash Les Paul, JMJ mustang and recently added a John Taylor Dingwall to the arsenal.

But the Adam Clayton jazz bass looks lovely

[Lozz196]

If buying new I think I`d be looking at the Mod Shop, as the range of choices are pretty good. 

[Jeffskowski]

Lots of love for Mike Lulls instruments. If I was in the market for a new FENDER Jazz bass... I'd buy a Lull.

https://www.mikelull.com/

 

Nice used example in the UK: https://reverb.com/uk/item/93535040-mike-lull-v4-2014-two-tone-sunburst?bk=

Edited 8 hours ago by Jeffskowski

[NancyJohnson]

2 hours ago, Twigman said:

 

I'm in the market for a jazz bass.

 

 

Bonny lad, you know that Basschat is fundamentally the worst place you can go to for opinions, because you'll end up with dozens.

 

You've listed pros and cons from the five versions you've identified - and I'm assuming your leaning towards a Fender - but remember nothing is set in stone; you can replace bridges/machines/other hardware, it's highly unlikely that you're going to need to replace a neck, you can buy a hardshell cases (and so on).  Remember also that you'll save a few bob by sourcing a used instrument.  My advice would be to go out and try a few.  You may find that there are other manufacturers that may tick the boxes as well (Lull, Lakland, Sadowsky).

 

 

[NancyJohnson]

32 minutes ago, Jeffskowski said:

Lots of love for Mike Lulls instruments. If I was in the market for a new FENDER Jazz bass... I'd buy a Lull.

https://www.mikelull.com/

 

Nice used example in the UK: https://reverb.com/uk/item/93535040-mike-lull-v4-2014-two-tone-sunburst?bk=

 

THIS ^^^

[dclaassen]

I had a ‘63 that I gigged hard 1978-88…kick myself every day for letting it go. American vintage for the pickups…

[Hellzero]

4 hours ago, Twigman said:

American Vintage 66 £2,200 ish

pros: love the sea foam green colour with matching headstock, like binding on the fb, 66voiced pickups, hard case

cons: price, never liked the vintage bridge

This seems to be your preferred version (I love those toilet seat colours too) and you can change the bridge for a more modern one, but you won't have a through body string mounting if that's what you're looking for...

 

Otherwise, Shuker can make you your dream Jazz Bass for, I think, a quite similar price, worth having a thought about it.

[Twigman]

1 hour ago, Hellzero said:

This seems to be your preferred version (I love those toilet seat colours too)

I think I've found what I want but at £4,800 it's a bit steep

 

Limited Edition '60s Jazz Bass® DLX Closet Classic

Model #: 9235700120

[Twigman]

Or this - the MIJ 'Noir' at 1/3 of the price

 

 

:

[ezbass]

2 minutes ago, Twigman said:

Or this - the MIJ 'Noir' at 1/3 of the price

 

 

:

Very stealth. 👍
 

If it wasn’t for the battery angle, I’d have said Sadowsky, a used, Japanese Metro, if you could find one, to be precise.

[HeadlessBassist]

I'm also going to go for two used options first, mainly because they're the two I own and regularly use professionally. First for that authentic 60s feel is the American Original 60's Jazz. The smell of the Nitro Cellulose varnish when you open the case is intoxicating, and those Pure Vintage 64 pickups are hard to beat. Clay dots and a proper red-based sunburst finish the job off. Excellent bass all-round. To this end, I'd highly recommend the current American Vintage II 66 Jazz. It's not much different to mine and a friend of mine in the States recently bought a new one - he's chuffed to bits with it.

 

Second is the American Elite (2016-2020). Basically, these are the Swiss army knife of the 'American Deluxe' Jazz range with all the best hardware, a great preamp and just an all round great sounding active Jazz bass. Avoid the current American Ultra II. The spec smacks of cost cutting and they've ruined the noiseless pickups!

 

I played a nearly new 2025 build Japanese Hybrid II the other week. It was a lovely looking bass (the flamed red one), but the Hybrid II pickups sounded too bottom-endy, and the highs weren't particularly clear, but maybe that was the strings it had on it at the time. 

 

 I haven't played an American Professional II yet, but love the 'Dark Night' colour scheme. From what I've heard, they dumbed down the pickups from the previous version, so that wouldn't be my choice - the Am.Pro II is also the basis for the Mod Shop basses, so make sure you've at least played the Pro II model before you order your mod shop dream bass.

 

I'd also have a serious look at the new American Professional Classic series - I've just ordered the faded Sherwood Green Precision for myself this week. The pickups in this series are based on the Pure Vintage series from the American Vintage II, and sound lovely and warm on the bottom end, but with crystal clear highs that aren't at all harsh. By all accounts, they're really high quality too.

 

Enjoy your foray into the Fender Jazz  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by HeadlessBassist

[Steve Browning]

Although a Precision player, I would suggest MIJ for the consistent and excellent build quality, both of which represent terrific value for money. 

 

I have no doubt Jazz basses are just the same. 

[itu]

It seems that the answer here is Fender. 

 

Just in case you would consider something similar, but from another brand: 

- blade, Bacchus, Tokai, and ESP are decent Japanese alternatives 

- Limelight, one of the best feel J necks I've tried, nearly bought my first J 

- Modulus Graphite BassStar J was an excellent fretless 

- Pensa-Suhr, no wonder Victor Bailey played one 

- Sadowsky is a heavy contender in good sounding lightweight basses 

- you could source Warmoth or similar parts to a self-made J (with a @Kiwi neck?) 

- the extra special that is bubbling under: a local luthier that is able to tweak every tiny detail to your specs