Delberthot Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 (edited) Since finding Talkbs and then Basschat I have gone from owning 5 basses in the first 18 years of my bass playing career to well over 70 now in my24th year of playing. One thing has remained constant - I never got the whole Jazz bass worship thing which is more prevelant in the US forums. i thought they were butt ugly and overrated. Twangy, narrow necked jessie instruments for men with girly bone arms. Why is the control plate a separate piece of metal from the plastic scratchplate? Anyway, a few days ago I thought 'f*** it' and decided to buy a Squier VM Jazz bass based on all the glowing reports I've read. I played a gig tonight with it and so many aspects of my playing came through so much better than ever before. I had a honkier tone than Baron Von Honky of Honkeyville. It was so clear and pronounced. I now understand why Larry Graham plays a Jazz bass (albeit a Moon) Slapping over the neck pickup sounds absolutely amazing. I can slap faster, I'm not getting as tired playing and the sound is just incredible. The pick tone is like a rusty chainsaw cutting through rusty metal I tweaked the truss rod and the rest of the action when I got it and it currently has the lowest action of any bass I've ever owned with the exception of the Modulus Flea bass. £224 delivered from Soundslive. Incredible value. Everything works as it should, everything feels solid and it didn't go out of tune all night. I'm over the moon to have found a bass that doesn't feel too heavy, has a nice neck, sounds fantastic and didn't cost a fortune Finally, I understand why Jazzes are so popular Edited April 25, 2010 by Delberthot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 Welcome onboard the Squire Jazz appreciation society. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly deluxe Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 It took me a long time to "get it" with Jazz basses too,the shape just was'nt comfortable after Precisions and an EB3,but i persevered and have been playing Jazzes for about 10 years now.Funnily enough i just got myself a new Precision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 Funny, isn't it? Jazzes are just great for zipping around on. All those ultra fast runs you hear in your head just come naturally on a jazz and the "honk" from the slight cancellation between the pickups is always a joy. At the end of the day, a Precision is a big bruiser designed for shoving big bass tone into people's faces, but the jazz is a more elegant solution with a slightly more delicate and articulate sound & that snappy top end when you dig in is just awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 I love 'em - I think they're the perfect good-for-everything bass & they look great. If (heaven forbid) I had to have just the one bass, it would be a Jazz. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 (edited) I always thought of Jazz basses as having a thin middy tone, more suited to soloing or snapping and popping than driving a rhythm section. Although I loved the look of them, I would never have actually bought one as they just weren't suitable for my style of bass playing. Then one day I went to audition for a band and the singer had his Squier Jazz Bass at the rehearsal room (one of the early 90's ones made in Japan) so instead of using my own bass I used his and to my surprise the sound was deep and punchy and clear and not at all the weak and nasal sound I was expecting (despite having 100 year old rotosounds on it). Next thing I knew I was on Ebay and bidding for a 2006 Geddy Lee some guy in California was selling for £320 (that was in the good old days when you could get $2 for £1). The only thing I think that could improve a jazz bass is if they had a knob that would allow you to blend the the input from the two pickups together rather than two volume knobs which would make it easier to adjust your sound onstage. Maybe there is an upgrade available already? If there is let me know, it would make a Jazz the perfect bass. Edited April 25, 2010 by gjones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 Jazz basses are the real deal Jaco, Marcus, Victor, and many many more artist gave them an individual voice but at the end of the day it was the same instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='817884' date='Apr 25 2010, 10:32 AM']a Precision is a big bruiser designed for shoving big bass tone into people's faces,[/quote] Mmm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 (edited) welcome welcome to the jazz bass fawners!!!! Ive gone through over 50 basses of all types and come full circle to the good ol passive jazz bass. It just works y'know! Edited April 25, 2010 by gafbass02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Savage Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 [quote name='gafbass02' post='818205' date='Apr 25 2010, 05:06 PM']welcome welcome to the jazz bass fawners!!!! Ive gone through over 50 basses of all types and come full circle to the good ol passive jazz bass. It just works y'know![/quote] You can kind of see the Precision->Telecaster and Strat->Jazz link even now; Ps and Teles are bloody great at what they do, but for versatility and finesse it's a Strat or a Jazz. If I were in a functions band or something on six-string I'd almost cetainly be on a Strat, and I LOVE my Squier Jazz, but for certain styles of music (the full-on rock band i was last in, for instance) Precision all the way and there's nothing to beat belting out big chords on a Telecaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minky Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 Took me 21 years to get myself a Jazz (Squier Vintage modified 70s LH) and boy what an amazing bass. What have I been missing out on all these years. Fantastic sound, punchy, fast neck, beautiful tone, gorgeous fretboard, impressive solid body and funky skunk stripe. £234.99, in my opinion a bargain. Would have considered a LH Mex Fender but I was desperate for a maple neck ever since I got rid of my Ibanez Blazer 15 years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMX Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 Welcome to the family, I saw the light around a month ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fudge Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 A young chap called Geddy Lee plays one, so I have heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 [quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='818003' date='Apr 25 2010, 12:41 PM']Jaco, Marcus, Victor, and many many more artist gave them an individual voice but at the end of the day it was the same instrument.[/quote] Victor? Wooten or Bailey? Because Wooten's main Fodera's have pretty much always been P-J configuration (with the notable exception of his tenor bass). Victor Bailey has always been a Jazz Bass player. I love Jazz Basses-that's why I've got 3. My main 4 string has been my 'go to' instrument for years,and goes on pretty much every gig I do-even if it doesn't get used,it's on a stand,ready for action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 Yep, i got a Squier VM a few months back and I absolutely love the thing! Incredible value. 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.