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Mexican Active Jazzes


TommyK
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Thinking of getting a US Deluxe Jazz, noticed the mexican active jazzes are an awful lot cheaper. Apart from 9 less V on the pre-amp, 2 less frets and no through body stringing. They seem exactly the same! :)

Seriously has anyone got experiance of either? Are the duluxe ones worth an extra £750 for the above extras??? Is the build quality a lot better? etc.etc...

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Some of the Mexican instruments are really nice, both to play and in quality terms, but I've never encountered a Fender preamp I liked the sound of. They always sound harsh and nasty to me. Better off investing your hard earned into an American Standard (far superior bass) and then buying something like a Sadowsky preamp (either onboard or outboard pedal version.) Then you'll be smiling. :)

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I've heard some comments that the quality of Mexican Fenders can be variable, although the same can possibly be said about many of the basses of large scale manufacturers irrespective of what country the bass is built in.

Have never had a problem with mine - a solid working bass, with a good range of tones and excellent value.

As with anything, I'd probably try out the particular bass you intend buying a few times to make sure it feels and sounds right for you.

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I've a Reggie HAmilton Sig Jazz Std. A MIM active/passive & it's a BEAUTY!!! From what I've heard MOST of the MIM bases above the Standards are pretty good qual. The RW series is a good eg. too, But I like my RH Sig FAR better than my MIA Am. Series S1 Jazz. Either in active OR passive mode-I feel the RH sig is a nicer player with nicer tone - JUST MY opinion..... :-)

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I've said before here that I have one and love it; tried a US one at the time didn't like it and was more than double what I paid for my MIM. Only thing was the I changed the bridge for a Gotoh 201 as the E string saddle grub screw kept working loose. New bridge cost £30.

I would agree the preamp can be a bit harsh but I quite like that and have it flat most of the time anyway.

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I had a black one a few years ago and gigged it quite a lot.
Loved the feel of the neck and the pickups sounded great. The preamp sounded great with the trebs rolled backk a little.
Loved it through my ampeg rig, hated it with the Trace Elliot.
My advice would be to try one anyway. the preamp can alwayys be swapped out later.

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Hey thanks for your thoughts everyone. Quite like the idea of buyind a US standard or the Mex active and then getting a pre-amp after if needed. How much does a good on board one cost? + which are the good ones and how easy would they be to fit to a passive jazz? +are pedal pre-amps cheaper and as good?

I have just bought a gorgeous 73 jazz from Heartbreaker so i have kinda got the passive tone sorted.

Basically i want a Jazz style bass that can be a back up or slightly more mellow alternative to my stingray. Do you think i would find a new passive US standard have the bottom end and cut of a Stingray if just turned up a bit? Are the Sandberg JM California jobs the answer maybe? Do they sound more Jazz or Ray?

A load of questions i know...

Thanks in advance!

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There is actually quite a lot to differentiate a Mexican from a US deluxe jazz

string spacing. You can adjust string spacing on a US deluxe which suits some people better.

through body stringing. Does add a little more tension

lighter tuners

22 fret neck - I certainly find the extra frets useful - difference between being able to hit a high E on the G string or not.

Smaller body

decent case

If I were you, I'd hunt around for a decent 2nd hand US deluxe jazz and bung an after market upgraded preamp like a J Retro Deluxe or, my preamp of choice, an Audere JZ3D. You might even have enough left over to buy yourself a backup mexican or japanese Fender.

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Just skimmed the above posts, so sorry if I'm repeating, but as far as I'm aware the pickups and pre in the MIM deluxes are the same as the US deluxes. It's just the hardware that is downgraded and the MIM isn't available in Ash. So as long as you find a nice one that sounds and feels good acousticly, you won't be a million miles away from the US ones.

Remember as well that the US Jazz Deluxes have slightly smaller and different shaped bodies to the MIM deluxes. The MIMs have a more traditional size and shape.
I personally prefer full size Jazz shapes, not the US Deluxe shape.

Si

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[quote name='Sibob' post='653808' date='Nov 13 2009, 04:57 PM']Just skimmed the above posts, so sorry if I'm repeating, but as far as I'm aware the pickups and pre in the MIM deluxes are the same as the US deluxes. It's just the hardware that is downgraded and the MIM isn't available in Ash. So as long as you find a nice one that sounds and feels good acousticly, you won't be a million miles away from the US ones.

Remember as well that the US Jazz Deluxes have slightly smaller and different shaped bodies to the MIM deluxes. The MIMs have a more traditional size and shape.
I personally prefer full size Jazz shapes, not the US Deluxe shape.

Si[/quote]


The MIM Precision Bass Specials Deluxes have US hardware.

US pickups. CTS pots, US vintage spiral bridge and the same tuners as you get on the Highway Ones.

The do have slimmer necks (front to back) than US basses. And yeah, they're all alder.

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