valere24 Posted February 26, 2010 Share Posted February 26, 2010 (edited) Hi guys, I'm looking for to buy a Jazz bass, and I'm heading to the shops this week-end to try a couple. What model / brand would you recommend I should try? I'll be limited by what's available in Bristol. My budget is up to £1000. I'll probably buy second hand. Please only reply if you've had experience with different jazz basses. I'm really after the opinion of people with a bit of experience with different instruments. One model I've heard good things about is the Lakland DJ. I haven't tried it, but I'm considering buying one second hand unseen as so many things appeal to me: smaller body, good neck, good fretwork, and apparently it nails both the classic Jazz tone and the modern Marcus tone with a preamp. Cheers, V. Edited February 26, 2010 by valere24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted February 26, 2010 Share Posted February 26, 2010 I can comment on the DJ as i had a DJ5 last year. Personally i didn't like the tone. To me it had a very deep, dark tone. Certainly its a good tone for some but it just wasn't for me. It did play like a dream though and ive brought all my Laklands un played and never been disappointed in how they feel/play. The neck is quite flat, i like that but again, some dont. The only other Jazz i have owned is a HW1 and that sounded quite different. It was a more middy tone, not as deep as the DJ but it had more punch to it. to me the HW1 was more of how i thought a Jazz should sound. Not quite sure what that means though. All IMHO of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted February 26, 2010 Share Posted February 26, 2010 Do you want active or passive? There are some awsome bargain jazz basses to be had on here...Your nearly in used Sadowsky territory with your budget, depends if its your limit... You would be hard pushed to find a better bargain than this..A proper Jazz Bass...No i dont know Steve. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=78476"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=78476[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted February 26, 2010 Share Posted February 26, 2010 (edited) Hi Valere, Don't be in a hurry...there are Jazz's and there arrrrreeee Jaaaazzzes. Give me call?? Edited February 26, 2010 by BassBod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thodrik Posted February 26, 2010 Share Posted February 26, 2010 £1000 is going to get you pretty far, new or second hand. Never discount Fender, for every few duds, there will be a few that will be amazing. Sandberg make seem really cool J style basses, if you were going down the active route. Don't be afraid of the lack of face dots, you don't need them really. They generally sound and play great too, but all I see in shops are those pre-relic type finishes which is the only thing that turns me off about them. I have not tried a Lakland yet, but I would assume that they be really good. For me though the 'new' prices are getting a bit too steep given the massive increases over a short period of time. You could maybe get a second hand Sadowsky metro for that price as well, if you find anyone willing to sell. But I would recommend trying one before buying, not for build quality issues (they are usually top notch) but some people just don't get on with the Sadowsky sound. I love it though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry norton Posted February 26, 2010 Share Posted February 26, 2010 Have you thought of Fender Japan or early (JV) Squier stuff? You'll have a few hundred in change to buy an ACG filter or Sadowsky pre. then you'll get a really well made J bass with all the tonal variation you'd ever need. I've owned both (and early Tokai, which is just as good), and you really are hard pushed to find a better quality basic Jazz. Having said that, the US standard Jazzes play very well and there's nothing like having the 'real thing', but sound wise there's nothing much in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valere24 Posted February 26, 2010 Author Share Posted February 26, 2010 Funny you mention that, I was checking out Tokai basses and JV squier not so long ago. I've played a JV squier in the past and it was great. My current main bass is an early 80s yamaha BB1600, and it's got this old instrument feel/sound. Even acousticaly there's a sweetness in the sound that I've just heard on the very best "new" instruments. I guess that's what I would be after for a Jazz bass. And BTW, the best strat I've ever played was an 80s tokai... [quote name='henry norton' post='758346' date='Feb 26 2010, 04:12 PM']Have you thought of Fender Japan or early (JV) Squier stuff? You'll have a few hundred in change to buy an ACG filter or Sadowsky pre. then you'll get a really well made J bass with all the tonal variation you'd ever need. I've owned both (and early Tokai, which is just as good), and you really are hard pushed to find a better quality basic Jazz. Having said that, the US standard Jazzes play very well and there's nothing like having the 'real thing', but sound wise there's nothing much in it.[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floyd Pepper Posted February 26, 2010 Share Posted February 26, 2010 I have both a Lakland DJ and a Marcus Miller Jazz and personally, they are different in lots of ways. As you say, the slimmer neck, the smaller body and the pre-amp make the DJ a joy to play and gives you a brighter Jazz tone. I have a passive Natural finish DJ going through an outboard Sadowsky pre-amp. However, there's no getting away from the fact that the thicker, bigger body on the MM Jazz gives you a much deeper Jazz tone for those punchy lows. Don't forget to look at upgrading parts of your bass as part of your budget. I'm just changing the pre-amp in MM Jazz to Aguilar. Hopefully, that will be £70 well spent. I guess it's a case of getting out there and trying as many as you can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo Basso Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Sadowsky's everyday... The workmanship is outstanding and they are very versatile... the best instruments I have played... They seem to have a really nice second hand metro on their website for about your budget... Roger and the boys and girls at Sadowsky are a breeze to work with... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo-London Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 I would seriously consider a new CIJ Fender Jazz or a used MIJ Jazz from the 80's. The 80's Fenders are superior to the American variety IMHO. If you go to the Japan Emporium you can get a vast choice ... [url="http://www.guitaremporium.co.uk/index.php?f=data_fender_japan_new_guitars&a=3"]http://www.guitaremporium.co.uk/index.php?...guitars&a=3[/url] Cheers Davo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRISDABASS Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 [quote name='Pablo Basso' post='760400' date='Mar 1 2010, 08:00 AM']Sadowsky's everyday... The workmanship is outstanding and they are very versatile... the best instruments I have played... They seem to have a really nice second hand metro on their website for about your budget... Roger and the boys and girls at Sadowsky are a breeze to work with...[/quote] I'll second that!! £1000 should get you a great secondhand Sadowsky you wont find a better instrument for that kind of money (in my opinion) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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