For me, the biggest con is how aggressive they are particularly in the mids and highs. They always sound good but you really never get the most out of them without really fine-tuning your right hand technique and learning the preamp
Yeah, it has a really aggressive sound that doesn't fit any type of music. I personally like the "raw" Stingray tone. For me, the main con is the body size and weight - at least of the ones I had the opportunity to play.
@@mfC0RD The newer stingray specials are definitely lighter and more ergonomic. They weigh about 8 or so pounds nowadays which is insane seeing as my Stingray 5 weighs like 12ish lbs lol
Yes, this would be a great vid, there sound is definitely a love it or leave it. I have a 96 and a newer special. The specials imo address what many don’t like about Stingray’s, namely the aggressive twang.
I bought a J Bass after reading and listening to both and decided on this one and now I think it's the best decision I made (aside from leaving the guitar for the bass). The most difficult thing was finding the J I wanted given the diversity of models and I played it safe, a relic. There was another one very similar with some differences but I didn't want to risk it since I had heard the relic. It fits into any type of music. I couldn't be happier. By the way, your bass is absolutely beautiful, I've never seen it for sale.
I have a Fender Highway One MIA Jazz and a MIM Jazz. I like them both but prefer the MIM. Also have a MIA Precision but overall I like the Jazz. At one time I had the Geddy Lee Jazz. Cool looking but the neck seemed to be thinner than a Standard. Good video.
I'd love to try the active, 5-string Jazz bass. I like the look of the black bass with the blond fretboard, but it costs more than I can afford right now..I have 2 Ibanez basses, and the bass with 2 single coil pickups have the same noise problem. I usually balance the pickups, but when I want to use one pickup much more than the other, I use a noise gate. I always use high quality cables. I used to have a Squire Precision, and it sounded good and was much cheaper then a Fender Jazz I payed before that; for some reason that Jazz could only thud. It was made in the US. I tried a newer Jazz many years later, and it sounded very clear.
True. My stand has a rubber band that goes over the neck below the headstock to hold the bass in place. The only downside to the Jazz is when using only one of the pickups there is a tendency to hum.
@@brettsamuels3669 yeah but when you play at festivals etc you have to use what they put at your disposal. Anyway I have never bothered, was just mentioning one downside 😊
One way to avoid single-coil noise between songs is to turn up your other pick-up knob as each song ends and then turn it back down just before you start playing again. Thanks for posting this vid, its useful. I own two basses and they are both Squier Jazz. I love them.
@@kingdeedee Yeah, so they can buy one, and then they always have access to it. Source Audio Ultrawave is not only the best compressor available in pedal form, but it also has an excellent noise gate and lets you filter out problematic frequencies. It also does so many other things. Absolute Swiss Army knife of a pedal!
The Japanese basses are great. Fender Japan is like...Mexican Fender prices, American Fender quality. And they do a lot more colors and designs and features over there than are readily available in the Mexican and American lines.
you missed that another cons is that it doesn't cut the mix...but the J sound is a J sound! I would like to watch a video called "pro and cons of Music Man Stingray" :-)
I bought a new fender jazz bass (left handed) back in 1972 and it still sounds great today as it did back then. 50 years, I’ve had to replace the pick ups with noiseless pick ups. I have other basses , but my fender jazz is still my go to bass. the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
Hi Mark, very informative video, I couldn't go for the American Jazz because of cost so bought a Mexican, I absolutely love it, I also got a Fender Rumble 100 Bass amp, the combination of the two suits me to what I'm doing, I'm 78 and playing in a Church Band, not quite what I was doing in the 60s-70s :) Love all your videos, and you have certainly helped me in my love for playing Bass
Mexi Jazzes have this character to them. I've often seen them placed between Squier and American Fender in the hierarchy, but I feel like they stand alone.
I really don't like the body shape, it's uncomfortable. My solution to that was to buy a Carvin with standard passive jazz pickup configuration. Best of both worlds for my purpose.
In the studio, Joe Osborn at times would use a two foot wire with alligator clips on both ends to combat hum. Clip one end to The bridge and one end to the metal folding chair he was invariably in.
I have a '68 Jazz and absolutely love it. I bought it as a 21st birthday present for myself a long time ago. Over the years I've had a couple of repairs done and speaking to bass techs I'm often told that the quality, sound and playability of these 'vintage' Fenders can be very variable. Considering the ridiculous prices of vintage guitars and basses I'd definitely play before buying to avoid disappointment.
After that's when I going to music learning centre classes and Institution motorcycle and driving at Kota Samarahan before I waiting for results SIJIL PELAJARAN MALAYSIA 2009 on 17 March 2010 with excellent results SIJIL PELAJARAN MALAYSIA 2009 8B+ Malay Language's , Bahasa Inggeris, Moral Knowledge, History and Mathematics and all Subjects Principal accountant, Economic and additional science I'm very proud of it's.
When my curriculum sports and games and having football shoes at primary 🏫 and secondary 🏫 academic performance UPSR ( 2004) 1C,4B and PMR ( 2007) 4C,3B and after that's I finished my SPM 2009 I will not going back to small towns liked lawas and stayed for many years I will find a Job's at Supermarket Everrise BDC Kuching Sarawak's and Supermarkets Giant Tabuan Jaya at 6 January 2010 worked as sale's assistant, storekeeper and Cashier's RM 600 .
MiM Fender Jazz with Bartollini P/ups. Remove and jettison ridiculous high-mass bridge that previous owner fitted, fit noo strings with Fender bridge. Remove and jettison ridiculous active circuitry for Bartollini P/ups, restore pots and caps with Jazz bass values. Much better but listening to some notes - that's not what I want to hear in some overtones. I think the truss rod cavity is making horrible overtones so................remove block f/bd markers and drill to fill this with something, wax-potting type of idea? Maybe try that, think about it for a while, It should be better than it is.
When I was young, I didn't like the Fender look; I wanted something badass. But I bought a second-hand Japan Jazz Bass last year and I immediately fell in love: it's a really easy to play instrument, the neck is extremely comfortable and the three control knobs allow for a variety of sounds. It's the instrument I would recommend to any beginner.
My favorite bass has always been the P-bass, but i also love the Jazz Bass with Round Wounds for that Chris Squire, Geddy Lee almost Rickenbacker sound. But the P-Bass i always go back to.
I think the Fender Jazz is a great bass. Of course I've been playing one since 1966. I bought a 1965 Jazz in 1966, played it in high school and college bands and toured using it for 3-years in the early 70's. After touring I used it for weekend gigs until it was stolen in 1976. Just couldn't find another Jazz with the same neck shape after that. They were all the same at the nut but were all too thick and I'd been spoiled by my '65. Then in 1985 while working PT at a music store I picked up a 1982 Jazz (we thought it was an '84), played a few things on it, and it felt like home. So I bought it. That's the Jazz in my avatar that I'm still playing today. It has what I believe is called a "60's Slim C-shape neck with a 7.25" radius". Just love that neck. Unlike my '65 Jazz, my '82 Jazz has a white-bound maple neck and the 70's era pickup spacing of 4" center to center. Normal spacing, both in the 60's and now, is 3.6" center to center. That wider pickup spacing pushes the bridge pickup just under 1/2" closer to the bridge. The result is a slightly brighter sound than my '65. If I need to make it growl, I just dig into the strings over the pick up and she'll growl all day long. My '82 also has much better sustain than my '65 did, and I like that a lot too. I didn't find out until I started touring in 1971 that my '65 had foam mutes glued onto the underside of the ashtray cover, which is why it didn't have much sustain. I pulled those off, scraped it clean, and then I had some sustain. Still, my '82 has far more sustain than '65 did. One more PRO thing about the Jazz that the Precision just can't do is change the sound of the bass as you are playing it without touching the control knobs of your bass or changing the EQ of your amp. You can change the sound you are producing on the Jazz just by changing where you are plucking the strings. I run my Jazz with both volumes and the tone knob turned all the way up. Then if I need a mellower sound, I'll move my plucking position closer to or over the heel of the neck. If I want much brighter sound, I'll move my plucking position back to the bridge pickup. And there are huge different blends of tones everywhere between those two extremes. I'll often change my plucking hand from in front of the neck pickup to behind it for a little brighter sound if needed for the song. And of course I'll go right over the bridge pickup and dig into the strings for that growl when I want it. So, in my opinion, the ability to change the timbre and tone of your sound just by moving you plucking hand is a real big plus for the Jazz.
I am digging this series Mark. I was a P bass player for years! Loved the simplicity and most of my fave players played one. Got a Jazz and found myself gravitating towards it more and more. For me, the pros of the slim neck just win. However, the big con was the single coil hum. Ugh, it just bothers me! I replaced my pickups with humcancelling Nordstrand J's and now all is quiet. If you never had tried a Jazz, pick one up and play it. You may be surprised.
I had a virtually toneless modern player one (they sold them as a made in china version) surprisingly it had humbucker pickups. But aside from learning the classic lesson, you get what you pay for, it was pretty solid. The neck, weight and overall playability of the bass was perfect. I was a beginner then and whilst I don't play fenders now, my later bass being a 90s epiphone ripper and latest being an 83 westone concorde 1 (which id recommend, its one of the infamous high quality matsumoku made instruments), I would like another fender if I ever got serious about gigging again, something around the £600 mark. Great instruments, kind of wish id kept my modern player and upgraded the neck pick up as well to be honest, it was in hindsight a bass worth upgrading fully.
@photag216 Hi, not sure if this was directed at me or @jh565bb For me, no, I don't slap. Just straight ahead rock bass on the P. And for that it's great. Between the Jazz and P bass, it's really just a comfort thing. If you can, go to a music store and try them side by side. As I said, the slimmer neck of the Jazz won out for me. Plus a little more versatility in tone with the two pickups. But you can't beat a P bass.
My entire bass playing time I wanted a musicman sterling or an ibanez sr with all the modern things like 3 band eq...etc. when i finally had the money for my dream bass i ended up getting a usa fender and couldnt be happier.
At 66 years old I never thought I would own a Fender Jazz Bass.Neck looked way too thin." However " I saw a Squire Jazz Bass on Reverb one very early morning two months ago.Something about it got me.The wood grain was fantastic.I have a Conklin 7 string fretless I love.Why would I even consider buying this ? Bam nailed the buy now and man it was love at first play !!!!! I lay back in my recliner and jam out to Dr SaxLove every day.This thing sounds fantastic with Dimarzio pick ups through my 1969 SVT and 8x10 .Squire is not in my book a lousy cheap product ! It is freak'in great ! So much so I now own three of them one fretless and the neck arrives in a few days from Warmouth.Bottom line They are outstanding for the money.
Love the neck and sound of the Jazz, I've had several but never quite got on with them playing seated. I ended up realising that the offset body messes with my playing...everything moves left! Don't have that problem with my G&L, Warwick and Ibanez basses, but also can't nail the tone!
Jazzes 'honk' is a really great description. They lack the meat of the humbucker in a P, but a series switch can fix that and help when it's a noisy stage
I've always had this strange experience with Jazz basses, where some of them sounded thin and unusable, but some sounded huge and defined. Could those have been wired in series?
@@ileutur6863 well I did hear the story that leo fender went a little bit deaf and fenders get brighter and brighter through the 70s! But seriously you would know if a jazz was series wired because only one of the volume pots would be working. A bright jazz may also only have a 0.022 uF tone cap (70s spec). Tone cap makes a difference even when full up. A 0.1uf tone cap will make any jazz darker. Some copies will have 500k pots which will be brighter too. You could put humbuckers in your jazz, but then you move away from the classic open sound
@@PorchBass I played a Sandberg jazz last week that sounded better than any jazz bass I've ever tried. It was wired passive and both controls worked. Thanks for the info
My favorite Fender bass configuration is the P/J with a Jazz bass width neck. For my style of playing, it's the works the best. I also prefer either flatwound or tapewound strings.
When I started playing in the early ‘70s there were only 4 real basses to choose from. P bass, J bass 4001 and Gibson. Gibson basses even then we’re crap. Fender basses were huge on a 150 lb, frizzy-haired, pimply-faced kid so the Rickenbacker won. Plus being a lefty they were easy to get compared to Fender. Still have it and going strong but my MIM J bass is a close second (after replacing all electronics and tuners). Good video!
Thanks for this video. I own an American Fender Jazz, and I missed some words/demo on how to set the tone knob. Would be nice to have your advise on that.
i owned a jazz bass in early 71 from late 60s it was pink or faded red it was wonderful but sadly i sold it to tske my future wife out i still miss it and have never seen another over the last thirty years i look still ..... jazz bass a amazing sounding piece of kit
Great video. One of my bases is a Fender Squire P-Bass (Chinese) I found in poor condition in a thrift shop for 20.00 (even came with a hard case). I tore it apart, repainted the body, and replaced most of the hardware and electronics. Its a decent practice bass, and I never thought about replacing the neck with a Jazz neck. That will be my next modification, just to see how it performs. If you ever have the chance to pick up a bass that needs TLC for a dirt cheap price, do it! You will learn a lot while bringing it back to life, and unless you're attempting some serious modifications, there is little you can do to screw it up.
True, I used to have a fender modern player, completely toneless and had hum buckers for some reason, but at the time, I did put seymour duncans in the bridge, should have done the neck really. These days I use an 83 westone concorde 1 (matsumoku made), its bashed up and needs some adjustment, but its definably worth getting work done on instruments, especially because you can get them sounding close to as good as the more expensive versions with a little investment.
@@captainsergeant At the end of the day, you pay for the name on the headstock, for example, my brother bought a second westone concord guitar. He already has a single coil one (which sounds better than an 70s/80s strat) so he put di marios in it. This thing sounds incredible now, id put it up in the mid to high guitar category in terms of sound quality. An electric guitar/bass is a wooden body with some tuners and pickups. If you get it set up right, get some good tuners, a decent set of pickups and some good strings. You can make almost anything good. Last weekend my brother improved my mates encore strat with wilkinson pickups, new strings and a set up. People waste a lot of money on big names.
I bought (and still own) my Fender Jazz bass in August of 1972. Celebrating that its 50 years old now, and still plays as good as new. I guess I chose wisely.
I have found there can be a big difference in the way the different “Fenders” feel. For me, unfortunately, the MIA Ultra feels WAY BETER than the others. I don’t need/ want the active electronics, but it just feels wonderful. The closest feel to the Ultra is a Marcus Miller v7.
Back in the day I had a Hofner which I traded for a Ric and didn't like the feel and the limited playing both basses so I traded the Ric for a Jazz and never looked back!! One Bass Player by the name of Salvador Cuevas who played bass on Billy Idol's hit "Eyes Without a Face" from the 1983 album Rebel Yell and other artist including R&B styles introduced the Jazz into Salsa music via Fania all stars and was the very first to add funk style to the music! Long Live The Fender Jazz Bass!!
I'm taking computer programming short courses words , Microsoft office, Excel and PowerPoints at Kota Samarahan Kuching Sarawak's 2010 after I continued studying at Polytechnic Kuching Sarawak's, College ICATS PPKS Diplomma BTEC Mechanical Engineering Manufacturing and University Technology Petronas Semester 1 until Semester 6 with minimum CGPA ; 3.89 going to convocation certificate Diplomma BTEC Mechanical Engineering Manufacturing after applying for a Job's at Miri Sarawak , Bintulu Sarawak and Kuching Sarawak's 2014 & 2015 .
I keep eyeing the Dark Night Jazz bass at the local shop and I want it but I already have a Precision with a J pickup too so I keep stopping myself from buying it cause it might be too similar to how how that one sounds.
Might be worth it to not just look at it but give it a try. See how it feels and play with the knobs to get different sounds and base your decision on to get it or not on what you hear rather than on what you think about it.
IMO they need a large amp with plenty of speaker surface-area to really sound good, otherwise the single coils tend to sound a little on the 'thin' side. I played one for years and this was always a shortcoming. Great recording bass. Great sound with a pick.
Maybe it is just my own experience but a bit of irony: electric bassists who play traditional jazz music I see using a precision...a bass made for rock and rollers. Electric bassists who play rock music I see mostly using the jazz...an instrument ostensibly created to try luring upright players (jazzers) to an electric.
One thing that should be noted about the Jazz is the different pickup spacing during the 70's. It really does change the character quite a bit. A lot of the most iconic jazz bass tones were created using the less common 70's spacing. It's a much more aggressive, in your face sound than the rounder sounding 60's spacing.
The best Fenders I’ve played were actually made in Japan. During a certain period of years the Japan facility was putting out the best quality, imo, not to mention they have historically tended to be more open to trying out different designs, woods, electronics, etc. In any case, I’m not sure why anyone would buy a modern Fender. Their quality control has not been great in recent years, and you can get a bass with the same specs and better quality from another luthier or manufacturer, and it will cost less than an equivalent Fender. Plus, Fender lied to customers with one of their Gretsch models and were using fake “humbuckers” that were actually single coils in a humbucker housing, yet they sold them as “mini humbuckers”. Pretty sleazy....
@@mv9787 My first bass was a fretless 1988 MIJ Fender Jazz, and the sound and quality of it is better than any of the recent Fenders (of any country origin) that I’ve played in music stores. I’ve also got a fretted 76’ that I’m fond of. The last time I played every Fender in a music store, and I thought the Squier 70’s classic vibe was better than most of the Fenders, despite Squiers being considered below Fender quality. There’s definitely a problem when the budget instruments from an Indonesian factory are equal or superior to their main Fender models.
@@newtownmitch It depends on whether you want something similar to a Fender, or if you just mean basses in general. Last year I came across a higher tier 6 string Ibanez Soundgear for a really good price online, and I bought it on impulse. Totally blown away by it. After 20 years on 4-string Fenders, I did not expect a much cheaper Ibanez to compete with them, but it does, and has since become my main bass. I’ve never played any other bass that makes necks as comfortable as my Ibanez. Very versatile bass, too. If one wants something more similar to a Fender jazz, there’s a huge amount of luthiers and small builders putting out great similar instruments. There are also companies like Sire that put out Jazz basses that I find to compete well against Fenders. Putting together a bass on your own can also be a good way to get a jazz style bass that is customized to your liking. Lots of quality compatible parts all over the internet, or from companies like Warmoth.
I traded my 72 P bass for a 75 ric.Oh I hated the ric.Traded that for 90 jazz. Omg I cried like a "B" . 25 years later I bought a 72 P. It wasn't the same. Big money was spent. My point is. If you loved a bass at one point keep it ,put it away, you will love it again in 10yrs,20yrs,etc. I promise. Cheers
I owned and played a 68 J-bass, just like that one in the 70's and 80's but eventually sold it when the truss started popping up beneath the first fret marker, another con. ... These days I have a 72 and a 74 J-basses and they're great. ... I've been playing 50-years and still play Fender P-and J-basses.
The Jazz Bass is my personal favourite of all basses. You can get an awesome slap tone when maxing both pickups, a pretty solid and well known bridge pickup sound ("Jaco" sound if you will) and a P Bass-ish sound with the neck pickup. Very versatile and great sounding.
I’ve played various basses and always come back to the Jazz. Last year(before the price jump), I purchased the Made in Mexico Signature Geddy Lee Jazz and haven’t looked back. Not only that, it stays in tune.🎧
The only negative I have with that bass is the truss rod is annoying to adjust so you should stick with the same strings as much as possible and change them every few months when they start getting too stretched. But yeah, it's a great bass.
It would be great to watch Alnico/ceramic pick up comparison. I've got an EMG PJ set, that are both ceramic and they are far not as cool sounding as Music Man's humbacker, which is also ceramic. Thinking of replacing them.
The only Fender bass I've really loved is the Geddy Lee signature Jazz MIJ...so I bought one. The neck is really slim and comfortable and it's brilliant to play One other con, I find the weight of the Jazz (like the Precision) to be too heavy for long gigs. So my goto gigging bass is my mid 90s Musician Sterling which is so versatile, and unlike the Fenders (or the MM Stingray) quite light.
I have a three colour sunburst American Jazz Deluxe, just a beautiful instrument. Easy to play, sounds great, looks great. That one remains standard. I have a black Mexican Jazz that has had a heap of mods. A beast but I prefer the untouched one.
Hate to say it but that’s not true. There are very light and very heavy Jazz and Precision basses. The heaviest bass I own is a Jazz but the lightest bass I own is also a jazz.
70s P basses are usually boat anchors, but on balance I would say the average P is lighter than a J. My P is 8lbs, never found a J that comes close to that.
I started on a j bass a few years ago. Just recently picked up my first p bass. Gotta say as much as I love my precision.. I miss that mid high sheen.. it's like butter. Think I'm gonna try to keep one of each moving forward.
I fitted my ULTRA JAZZ with AGUILAR AG 5J , they are AMAZING! Night and day difference. From Funk to Rock to Praise and any style, much better sounding than DiMarzzio
Hi, back in the early 70's I got a '72 Jazz bass and loved it. Made some modifications to it though about 3 yrs. later. I switched the pickups for DiMarzio and gave it a better sound (I thought). I was having problems with the bridge, the screws would loosen and lower, as I played really hard with my fingers, so I bought a Badass Bridge but that wouldn't let the strings lower enough to the neck, so I had to rout the body to recess it a lower (worked fine and looked professional as I'm a cabinet maker). Was using roto sound round wound strings and they tore the heck out of my frets and rosewood neck, so I bought a maple neck and switched to D'Addario half wound, the sound was amazing. Unfortunately I had to sell it years later to a guitar store in South Carolina because of medical bills from spinal surgery and they sold it to someone in Manhattan (Getty Lee would have loved it). If anyone is familiar with this bass please reply (it has a natural ash body, pretty heavy). Thanks.
Another con is that the single coil pickups are often quieter than split coil pickups which means that if you are switching back and forth from a P-Bass to a Jazz bass you will most likely have to mess with your volume a lot.
A band mate just swapped to me a highway one jazz for a guild B301A that i wasnt a fan of. I am selling the jazz and just sticking with my 1968 telecaster bass. I love a beefy neck.
A Jazz bass is one of the best hands down, but.... Jeesh, I'm struggling to find a replacement neck for my Jazz that has the narrower peg hole diameters. I have 70's Fender stamped tuners and the only Fender options I have found that fit these are one Vintera at $400 another 70's at $600 and a rosewood board option that is not always available and even more expensive still. I have had this as a Frankenbass for decades and now want to recreate as faithfully Fender as possible, no longer a Squier or Warmoth neck interests me.. so there really are no easy options. Second hand necks can also be tricky and some are crazy expensive. If you happen to find a reasonably priced 2nd hand neck, you either have to be willing to spend a lot for new tuners or find a neck with existing tuners or get really lucky and find your diameter. I'm even considering a '51 P Bass neck now because the tuner holes match! At $300, it's the cheapest Fender option for the smaller diameter tuner. I love the Tele headstock, and it might look rad.. or weird... but if there were more replacement Jazz options, conversion bushings (HELLO FENDER) and reasonably priced and available RW fretboards .. I would feel much much better about my Jazz right now.
Between the J-Bass and P-Bass, I much prefer the contoured body of the J. After many years of playing, that became the deciding factor. It's simply more comfortable for long gigs. That, and the narrower neck. I had an '83 US/Japanese Precision, which I sold and replaced with a Squier Jazz, and it was great. I saw no reason to get an overpriced Fender.
I have a MIM RW Flea Jazz. It’s as close to a vintage stack knob as I’ll ever get. Yea, the RW look is t everyone’s favorite and this one is a bit manufactured looking. But I got one with a stable neck and great pickups …… Love it .
I'd like to own an American original '62 stack pot jazz bass like Bobby Vega and John Paul Jones, don't like volumn volumn tone pots prefere the individual volumn tone for each pup
I love my American Jazz that I picked up in a pawn shop for $200.00 , it needed a little TLC and now it's pristine and nothing plays or sounds like it. I have 12 basses of all sorts and it's my #1. There's a handful of certain models that just ooze character, and the American and Japanese Fender jazz models always seem to do that for me ( Aerodynes included!)
I could never get myself to like the jazz bass. No matter how I modded it. Dimarzio, seymour duncan, nordstrands, EMG both active and passive, active pre-amp. Nothing could get me to like it. I also couldn't get the strings to sound even. The A string always sounded weak no matter what.
Your best bet is to get them both. If you play professionally, it makes sense…. In high school, I bought an original 62 Jazz for $125 and gigged with it for 30 yrs. In 82, while on the road, I found a 70 Precision for $200. I used it onstage that night, and the other band members commented on how much better it sounded, saying that the tone was ‘thicker’. They were right, but depending on the music situation, they both have their place…Get them both.
Cons : the Precision Bass does exist. OK, no joke : I always had problems with medium frequencies, I never really like them on bass, so the JB, whatever the pros, is really not an instrument for me.
For a lot of years i dreamed about being able to afford a Fender Jazz bass. I just loved the looks of it when i saw famous bass players play them. A few years ago i finally got to buy my own Fender Jazz bass. I bought the Fender Jazz bass Deluxe and i just love it. It is just such a fine instrument. Boring looks? Not at all! It's beautiful!
Even JBass has slim neck it is still chunky comparing to Ibanez o Yamaha. Now more and more you can see PJBasses, with JB bridge and PB neck pickup and slim JB necks. Fusion.
Hello thank you for your vidéo i'm not agree with you on the point 2/of cons : professionals basses Fender have most of themeselves just 20 frets ? Ins't it
The truth is that you can’t really blend the jazz bass pickups (at least with the classic passive two-knob). The louder pickup completely overrides the quieter one. Test it yourself if you don’t believe me.
I believe that the "scooped" Jazz tone gets lost in a busy, loud mix of instruments. When soloed (like in a bedroom) with both pickups at 10/10, it is a great tone, but when it is EQ'd to be heard in that same busy mix, it often is an ugly sound on its own. This is where the PBass shines - it has a tone that nearly always cuts through a loud, live, stage mix.
Through the right amp and speakers example an Ampeg SVT tube , there is a certain tone and low end vibe that a Jazz or Precision does that no other bass does. If it was good enough for Jaco , it can't be bad. Now a days you can get a Sire Jazz with active and passive electronics for 5 to 6 hundred dollars that is more than good enough for most players and has a full tonal range.
Your average Jazz Bass is going to weigh a few ounces more than the average Precision Bass and the former’s center of gravity is a bit further forward. This to me is a con. On the other hand, I prefer the Jazz Bass for slapping.
I had a Late 70s J base that blue speaker's out of every amp I put it through . I know there's no rational explanation for blaming the base, And I loved the tone, But I had to get rid of it
Will we get a pros and cons of the MusicMan Stingray? I love their sound!
I hope Mark does that too.
For me, the biggest con is how aggressive they are particularly in the mids and highs. They always sound good but you really never get the most out of them without really fine-tuning your right hand technique and learning the preamp
Yeah, it has a really aggressive sound that doesn't fit any type of music. I personally like the "raw" Stingray tone. For me, the main con is the body size and weight - at least of the ones I had the opportunity to play.
@@mfC0RD The newer stingray specials are definitely lighter and more ergonomic. They weigh about 8 or so pounds nowadays which is insane seeing as my Stingray 5 weighs like 12ish lbs lol
Yes, this would be a great vid, there sound is definitely a love it or leave it. I have a 96 and a newer special. The specials imo address what many don’t like about Stingray’s, namely the aggressive twang.
I bought a J Bass after reading and listening to both and decided on this one and now I think it's the best decision I made (aside from leaving the guitar for the bass). The most difficult thing was finding the J I wanted given the diversity of models and I played it safe, a relic. There was another one very similar with some differences but I didn't want to risk it since I had heard the relic. It fits into any type of music. I couldn't be happier. By the way, your bass is absolutely beautiful, I've never seen it for sale.
I’ve owned both and to this day both are with out a doubt the best of ALL instruments.
I have a Fender Highway One MIA Jazz and a MIM Jazz. I like them both but prefer the MIM. Also have a MIA Precision but overall I like the Jazz. At one time I had the Geddy Lee Jazz. Cool looking but the neck seemed to be thinner than a Standard. Good video.
I have a Fullerton 82 62RI
Love it!!!
I'd love to try the active, 5-string Jazz bass. I like the look of the black bass with the blond fretboard, but it costs more than I can afford right now..I have 2 Ibanez basses, and the bass with 2 single coil pickups have the same noise problem. I usually balance the pickups, but when I want to use one pickup much more than the other, I use a noise gate. I always use high quality cables. I used to have a Squire Precision, and it sounded good and was much cheaper then a Fender Jazz I payed before that; for some reason that Jazz could only thud. It was made in the US. I tried a newer Jazz many years later, and it sounded very clear.
This jazzbass is magnifique !
Fender Jazz bass yesterday, today and tomorrow.
I love when the cons are nothing that I’m worried about 😊
I absolutely love the Jazz, to me it’s “the bass”, only con which pops to my mind is that it never stays firmly on a stand due to the offset waist 😂
Hercules Stand overcomes this : it holds via headstock. Problem solved .
True. My stand has a rubber band that goes over the neck below the headstock to hold the bass in place. The only downside to the Jazz is when using only one of the pickups there is a tendency to hum.
@@brettsamuels3669 yeah but when you play at festivals etc you have to use what they put at your disposal. Anyway I have never bothered, was just mentioning one downside 😊
I completely agree with this. It just feels like the ONE.
are you weight shaming the fender jazz bass? come on man, i thought we moved past that as a society...
One way to avoid single-coil noise between songs is to turn up your other pick-up knob as each song ends and then turn it back down just before you start playing again. Thanks for posting this vid, its useful. I own two basses and they are both Squier Jazz. I love them.
Or just use a noise gate
@@SirSelby I mean a lot of players don’t always have access to a good noise gate, but yeah it’s usually the best option
@@kingdeedee on Amazon there are some noise gate at a very low price, but I am not sure how well they would do.
@@kingdeedee Yeah, so they can buy one, and then they always have access to it.
Source Audio Ultrawave is not only the best compressor available in pedal form, but it also has an excellent noise gate and lets you filter out problematic frequencies. It also does so many other things. Absolute Swiss Army knife of a pedal!
@@SirSelby I’ve heard good things about that one. I might give it a shot myself, thanks for the recommendation
I bought the Mexican jazz 2 years ago, for price with preformence I'd give 10/10
The Japanese basses are great. Fender Japan is like...Mexican Fender prices, American Fender quality. And they do a lot more colors and designs and features over there than are readily available in the Mexican and American lines.
you missed that another cons is that it doesn't cut the mix...but the J sound is a J sound!
I would like to watch a video called "pro and cons of Music Man Stingray" :-)
I bought a new fender jazz bass (left handed) back in 1972 and it still sounds great today as it did back then. 50 years, I’ve had to replace the pick ups with noiseless pick ups. I have other basses , but my fender jazz is still my go to bass. the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
Hi Mark, very informative video, I couldn't go for the American Jazz because of cost so bought a Mexican, I absolutely love it, I also got a Fender Rumble 100 Bass amp, the combination of the two suits me to what I'm doing, I'm 78 and playing in a Church Band, not quite what I was doing in the 60s-70s :) Love all your videos, and you have certainly helped me in my love for playing Bass
Mexi Jazzes have this character to them. I've often seen them placed between Squier and American Fender in the hierarchy, but I feel like they stand alone.
Make a Joyful sound unto The LORD !!!! Yah I played for several years in a Church band too.
I really don't like the body shape, it's uncomfortable. My solution to that was to buy a Carvin with standard passive jazz pickup configuration. Best of both worlds for my purpose.
I feel the same..uncomfortable. But I love the sound of it. I wanna build my own bass with precision body and jazz pickups.
In the studio, Joe Osborn at times would use a two foot wire with alligator clips on both ends to combat hum.
Clip one end to The bridge and one end to the metal folding chair he was invariably in.
I have a '68 Jazz and absolutely love it. I bought it as a 21st birthday present for myself a long time ago. Over the years I've had a couple of repairs done and speaking to bass techs I'm often told that the quality, sound and playability of these 'vintage' Fenders can be very variable. Considering the ridiculous prices of vintage guitars and basses I'd definitely play before buying to avoid disappointment.
I have a made in Mexico (which is part of America!) Jazz bass and I love it!
After that's when I going to music learning centre classes and Institution motorcycle and driving at Kota Samarahan before I waiting for results SIJIL PELAJARAN MALAYSIA 2009 on 17 March 2010 with excellent results SIJIL PELAJARAN MALAYSIA 2009 8B+ Malay Language's , Bahasa Inggeris, Moral Knowledge, History and Mathematics and all Subjects Principal accountant, Economic and additional science I'm very proud of it's.
When my curriculum sports and games and having football shoes at primary 🏫 and secondary 🏫 academic performance UPSR ( 2004) 1C,4B and PMR ( 2007) 4C,3B and after that's I finished my SPM 2009 I will not going back to small towns liked lawas and stayed for many years I will find a Job's at Supermarket Everrise BDC Kuching Sarawak's and Supermarkets Giant Tabuan Jaya at 6 January 2010 worked as sale's assistant, storekeeper and Cashier's RM 600 .
MiM Fender Jazz with Bartollini P/ups. Remove and jettison ridiculous high-mass bridge that previous owner fitted, fit noo strings with Fender bridge. Remove and jettison ridiculous active circuitry for Bartollini P/ups, restore pots and caps with Jazz bass values. Much better but listening to some notes - that's not what I want to hear in some overtones. I think the truss rod cavity is making horrible overtones so................remove block f/bd markers and drill to fill this with something, wax-potting type of idea? Maybe try that, think about it for a while, It should be better than it is.
When I was young, I didn't like the Fender look; I wanted something badass. But I bought a second-hand Japan Jazz Bass last year and I immediately fell in love: it's a really easy to play instrument, the neck is extremely comfortable and the three control knobs allow for a variety of sounds. It's the instrument I would recommend to any beginner.
I love my Fender Jazz. If I had to pick 1 bass, this would be the one.
My favorite bass has always been the P-bass, but i also love the Jazz Bass with Round Wounds for that Chris Squire, Geddy Lee
almost Rickenbacker sound. But the P-Bass i always go back to.
I think the Fender Jazz is a great bass. Of course I've been playing one since 1966. I bought a 1965 Jazz in 1966, played it in high school and college bands and toured using it for 3-years in the early 70's. After touring I used it for weekend gigs until it was stolen in 1976. Just couldn't find another Jazz with the same neck shape after that. They were all the same at the nut but were all too thick and I'd been spoiled by my '65.
Then in 1985 while working PT at a music store I picked up a 1982 Jazz (we thought it was an '84), played a few things on it, and it felt like home. So I bought it. That's the Jazz in my avatar that I'm still playing today. It has what I believe is called a "60's Slim C-shape neck with a 7.25" radius". Just love that neck. Unlike my '65 Jazz, my '82 Jazz has a white-bound maple neck and the 70's era pickup spacing of 4" center to center. Normal spacing, both in the 60's and now, is 3.6" center to center.
That wider pickup spacing pushes the bridge pickup just under 1/2" closer to the bridge. The result is a slightly brighter sound than my '65. If I need to make it growl, I just dig into the strings over the pick up and she'll growl all day long. My '82 also has much better sustain than my '65 did, and I like that a lot too.
I didn't find out until I started touring in 1971 that my '65 had foam mutes glued onto the underside of the ashtray cover, which is why it didn't have much sustain. I pulled those off, scraped it clean, and then I had some sustain. Still, my '82 has far more sustain than '65 did.
One more PRO thing about the Jazz that the Precision just can't do is change the sound of the bass as you are playing it without touching the control knobs of your bass or changing the EQ of your amp. You can change the sound you are producing on the Jazz just by changing where you are plucking the strings. I run my Jazz with both volumes and the tone knob turned all the way up. Then if I need a mellower sound, I'll move my plucking position closer to or over the heel of the neck. If I want much brighter sound, I'll move my plucking position back to the bridge pickup. And there are huge different blends of tones everywhere between those two extremes.
I'll often change my plucking hand from in front of the neck pickup to behind it for a little brighter sound if needed for the song. And of course I'll go right over the bridge pickup and dig into the strings for that growl when I want it. So, in my opinion, the ability to change the timbre and tone of your sound just by moving you plucking hand is a real big plus for the Jazz.
Great read, thank you
I am digging this series Mark. I was a P bass player for years! Loved the simplicity and most of my fave players played one. Got a Jazz and found myself gravitating towards it more and more. For me, the pros of the slim neck just win. However, the big con was the single coil hum. Ugh, it just bothers me! I replaced my pickups with humcancelling Nordstrand J's and now all is quiet. If you never had tried a Jazz, pick one up and play it. You may be surprised.
I had a virtually toneless modern player one (they sold them as a made in china version) surprisingly it had humbucker pickups. But aside from learning the classic lesson, you get what you pay for, it was pretty solid. The neck, weight and overall playability of the bass was perfect. I was a beginner then and whilst I don't play fenders now, my later bass being a 90s epiphone ripper and latest being an 83 westone concorde 1 (which id recommend, its one of the infamous high quality matsumoku made instruments), I would like another fender if I ever got serious about gigging again, something around the £600 mark. Great instruments, kind of wish id kept my modern player and upgraded the neck pick up as well to be honest, it was in hindsight a bass worth upgrading fully.
@photag216 Hi, not sure if this was directed at me or @jh565bb For me, no, I don't slap. Just straight ahead rock bass on the P. And for that it's great. Between the Jazz and P bass, it's really just a comfort thing. If you can, go to a music store and try them side by side. As I said, the slimmer neck of the Jazz won out for me. Plus a little more versatility in tone with the two pickups. But you can't beat a P bass.
My entire bass playing time I wanted a musicman sterling or an ibanez sr with all the modern things like 3 band eq...etc. when i finally had the money for my dream bass i ended up getting a usa fender and couldnt be happier.
Jazz bass are the best especially with there block inlays which just makes them look beautiful 😍
I hope you have a good tutorial on J/P, P/J hybrid basses. And also double P pickup ones.
At 66 years old I never thought I would own a Fender Jazz Bass.Neck looked way too thin." However " I saw a Squire Jazz Bass on Reverb one very early morning two months ago.Something about it got me.The wood grain was fantastic.I have a Conklin 7 string fretless I love.Why would I even consider buying this ? Bam nailed the buy now and man it was love at first play !!!!! I lay back in my recliner and jam out to Dr SaxLove every day.This thing sounds fantastic with Dimarzio pick ups through my 1969 SVT and 8x10 .Squire is not in my book a lousy cheap product ! It is freak'in great ! So much so I now own three of them one fretless and the neck arrives in a few days from Warmouth.Bottom line They are outstanding for the money.
Bought Squier classic vibe clear finish jazz bass blew me away stock pickups were big suprise kix axx
Love the neck and sound of the Jazz, I've had several but never quite got on with them playing seated. I ended up realising that the offset body messes with my playing...everything moves left! Don't have that problem with my G&L, Warwick and Ibanez basses, but also can't nail the tone!
Jazzes 'honk' is a really great description. They lack the meat of the humbucker in a P, but a series switch can fix that and help when it's a noisy stage
I've always had this strange experience with Jazz basses, where some of them sounded thin and unusable, but some sounded huge and defined. Could those have been wired in series?
@@ileutur6863 well I did hear the story that leo fender went a little bit deaf and fenders get brighter and brighter through the 70s!
But seriously you would know if a jazz was series wired because only one of the volume pots would be working.
A bright jazz may also only have a 0.022 uF tone cap (70s spec). Tone cap makes a difference even when full up. A 0.1uf tone cap will make any jazz darker.
Some copies will have 500k pots which will be brighter too.
You could put humbuckers in your jazz, but then you move away from the classic open sound
@@PorchBass I played a Sandberg jazz last week that sounded better than any jazz bass I've ever tried. It was wired passive and both controls worked. Thanks for the info
Appreciate the consistent uploads, Mark! Keep em' coming!
My favorite Fender bass configuration is the P/J with a Jazz bass width neck. For my style of playing, it's the works the best. I also prefer either flatwound or tapewound strings.
When I started playing in the early ‘70s there were only 4 real basses to choose from. P bass, J bass 4001 and Gibson. Gibson basses even then we’re crap. Fender basses were huge on a 150 lb, frizzy-haired, pimply-faced kid so the Rickenbacker won. Plus being a lefty they were easy to get compared to Fender. Still have it and going strong but my MIM J bass is a close second (after replacing all electronics and tuners).
Good video!
Thanks for this video. I own an American Fender Jazz, and I missed some words/demo on how to set the tone knob. Would be nice to have your advise on that.
Geddy plays a jazz so it must be good
Flea does as well as do many others.
Yes but he sounded better with a Wal
I've always been a Stingray guy, that's all :-)
Awesome series. Would be cool to see all the classic basses covered like this, stingrays, t-birds and Rickenbackers
i owned a jazz bass in early 71 from late 60s it was pink or faded red it was wonderful but sadly i sold it to tske my future wife out i still miss it and have never seen another over the last thirty years i look still ..... jazz bass a amazing sounding piece of kit
Great video. One of my bases is a Fender Squire P-Bass (Chinese) I found in poor condition in a thrift shop for 20.00 (even came with a hard case). I tore it apart, repainted the body, and replaced most of the hardware and electronics. Its a decent practice bass, and I never thought about replacing the neck with a Jazz neck. That will be my next modification, just to see how it performs. If you ever have the chance to pick up a bass that needs TLC for a dirt cheap price, do it! You will learn a lot while bringing it back to life, and unless you're attempting some serious modifications, there is little you can do to screw it up.
True, I used to have a fender modern player, completely toneless and had hum buckers for some reason, but at the time, I did put seymour duncans in the bridge, should have done the neck really. These days I use an 83 westone concorde 1 (matsumoku made), its bashed up and needs some adjustment, but its definably worth getting work done on instruments, especially because you can get them sounding close to as good as the more expensive versions with a little investment.
@@jh565bb You're right about that. With a good setup my 2004 Chinese P Bass sounds almost as good as my Player Series Bass, at a fraction of the cost!
@@captainsergeant At the end of the day, you pay for the name on the headstock, for example, my brother bought a second westone concord guitar. He already has a single coil one (which sounds better than an 70s/80s strat) so he put di marios in it. This thing sounds incredible now, id put it up in the mid to high guitar category in terms of sound quality. An electric guitar/bass is a wooden body with some tuners and pickups.
If you get it set up right, get some good tuners, a decent set of pickups and some good strings. You can make almost anything good. Last weekend my brother improved my mates encore strat with wilkinson pickups, new strings and a set up. People waste a lot of money on big names.
@@captainsergeant What you did to yours sounds cool btw. I love the idea of finding new use discarded instruments, its something mor people should do.
@@jh565bb I painted the body a metallic copper. It has a 70's vibe that I haven't found elsewhere!
I bought (and still own) my Fender Jazz bass in August of 1972. Celebrating that its 50 years old now, and still plays as good as new. I guess I chose wisely.
I have found there can be a big difference in the way the different “Fenders” feel. For me, unfortunately, the MIA Ultra feels WAY BETER than the others. I don’t need/ want the active electronics, but it just feels wonderful. The closest feel to the Ultra is a Marcus Miller v7.
I think that's the intended distinction for the ultras from the pros, players and performers.
Back in the day I had a Hofner which I traded for a Ric and didn't like the feel and the limited playing both basses so I traded the Ric for a Jazz and never looked back!! One Bass Player by the name of Salvador Cuevas who played bass on Billy Idol's hit "Eyes Without a Face" from the 1983 album Rebel Yell and other artist including R&B styles introduced the Jazz into Salsa music via Fania all stars and was the very first to add funk style to the music! Long Live The Fender Jazz Bass!!
That’s a wide strap….🤔
I'm taking computer programming short courses words , Microsoft office, Excel and PowerPoints at Kota Samarahan Kuching Sarawak's 2010 after I continued studying at Polytechnic Kuching Sarawak's, College ICATS PPKS Diplomma BTEC Mechanical Engineering Manufacturing and University Technology Petronas Semester 1 until Semester 6 with minimum CGPA ; 3.89 going to convocation certificate Diplomma BTEC Mechanical Engineering Manufacturing after applying for a Job's at Miri Sarawak , Bintulu Sarawak and Kuching Sarawak's 2014 & 2015 .
I keep eyeing the Dark Night Jazz bass at the local shop and I want it but I already have a Precision with a J pickup too so I keep stopping myself from buying it cause it might be too similar to how how that one sounds.
Might be worth it to not just look at it but give it a try. See how it feels and play with the knobs to get different sounds and base your decision on to get it or not on what you hear rather than on what you think about it.
Asking for David Brouwers:
Have you played it yet?
IMO they need a large amp with plenty of speaker surface-area to really sound good, otherwise the single coils tend to sound a little on the 'thin' side. I played one for years and this was always a shortcoming. Great recording bass. Great sound with a pick.
Maybe it is just my own experience but a bit of irony: electric bassists who play traditional jazz music I see using a precision...a bass made for rock and rollers. Electric bassists who play rock music I see mostly using the jazz...an instrument ostensibly created to try luring upright players (jazzers) to an electric.
I love both the J and P basses. I own a american Jazz and waiting for my american P. Can’t wait to play them both.
One thing that should be noted about the Jazz is the different pickup spacing during the 70's. It really does change the character quite a bit. A lot of the most iconic jazz bass tones were created using the less common 70's spacing. It's a much more aggressive, in your face sound than the rounder sounding 60's spacing.
The best Fenders I’ve played were actually made in Japan. During a certain period of years the Japan facility was putting out the best quality, imo, not to mention they have historically tended to be more open to trying out different designs, woods, electronics, etc.
In any case, I’m not sure why anyone would buy a modern Fender. Their quality control has not been great in recent years, and you can get a bass with the same specs and better quality from another luthier or manufacturer, and it will cost less than an equivalent Fender. Plus, Fender lied to customers with one of their Gretsch models and were using fake “humbuckers” that were actually single coils in a humbucker housing, yet they sold them as “mini humbuckers”. Pretty sleazy....
Early 80s was great for music and instruments
What would you recommend instead of Fender's?
@@mv9787 My first bass was a fretless 1988 MIJ Fender Jazz, and the sound and quality of it is better than any of the recent Fenders (of any country origin) that I’ve played in music stores. I’ve also got a fretted 76’ that I’m fond of.
The last time I played every Fender in a music store, and I thought the Squier 70’s classic vibe was better than most of the Fenders, despite Squiers being considered below Fender quality.
There’s definitely a problem when the budget instruments from an Indonesian factory are equal or superior to their main Fender models.
@@newtownmitch It depends on whether you want something similar to a Fender, or if you just mean basses in general.
Last year I came across a higher tier 6 string Ibanez Soundgear for a really good price online, and I bought it on impulse. Totally blown away by it. After 20 years on 4-string Fenders, I did not expect a much cheaper Ibanez to compete with them, but it does, and has since become my main bass. I’ve never played any other bass that makes necks as comfortable as my Ibanez. Very versatile bass, too.
If one wants something more similar to a Fender jazz, there’s a huge amount of luthiers and small builders putting out great similar instruments. There are also companies like Sire that put out Jazz basses that I find to compete well against Fenders.
Putting together a bass on your own can also be a good way to get a jazz style bass that is customized to your liking. Lots of quality compatible parts all over the internet, or from companies like Warmoth.
Noise gate for hum.?
Or do they not work on basses.
Sure they do :)
I traded my 72 P bass for a 75 ric.Oh I hated the ric.Traded that for 90 jazz. Omg I cried like a "B" .
25 years later I bought a 72 P. It wasn't the same. Big money was spent.
My point is.
If you loved a bass at one point keep it ,put it away, you will love it again in 10yrs,20yrs,etc. I promise. Cheers
I owned and played a 68 J-bass, just like that one in the 70's and 80's but eventually sold it when the truss started popping up beneath the first fret marker, another con. ... These days I have a 72 and a 74 J-basses and they're great. ... I've been playing 50-years and still play Fender P-and J-basses.
The Jazz Bass is my personal favourite of all basses. You can get an awesome slap tone when maxing both pickups, a pretty solid and well known bridge pickup sound ("Jaco" sound if you will) and a P Bass-ish sound with the neck pickup. Very versatile and great sounding.
Also with 20$ mod you can add a push/pull pot and get in series humbucker sound.
@@kost.9423 Yup. The best of all worlds😂
I own a few fender American professional jazz bass guitars
I’ve played various basses and always come back to the Jazz. Last year(before the price jump), I purchased the Made in Mexico Signature Geddy Lee Jazz and haven’t looked back. Not only that, it stays in tune.🎧
The only negative I have with that bass is the truss rod is annoying to adjust so you should stick with the same strings as much as possible and change them every few months when they start getting too stretched. But yeah, it's a great bass.
It would be great to watch Alnico/ceramic pick up comparison. I've got an EMG PJ set, that are both ceramic and they are far not as cool sounding as Music Man's humbacker, which is also ceramic. Thinking of replacing them.
The only Fender bass I've really loved is the Geddy Lee signature Jazz MIJ...so I bought one. The neck is really slim and comfortable and it's brilliant to play
One other con, I find the weight of the Jazz (like the Precision) to be too heavy for long gigs. So my goto gigging bass is my mid 90s Musician Sterling which is so versatile, and unlike the Fenders (or the MM Stingray) quite light.
Jazz bass needs to be active imo
Passive J got lost in the mix a lot
They need way more volume in the foh compared to p or humbucker
I have a three colour sunburst American Jazz Deluxe, just a beautiful instrument. Easy to play, sounds great, looks great. That one remains standard. I have a black Mexican Jazz that has had a heap of mods. A beast but I prefer the untouched one.
They should all have 21 frets like my Jazz Elite ! Need that high E sometimes
One more con: weight. The Jazz is a lot heavier (and bigger) than a Precision.
Hate to say it but that’s not true. There are very light and very heavy Jazz and Precision basses. The heaviest bass I own is a Jazz but the lightest bass I own is also a jazz.
70s P basses are usually boat anchors, but on balance I would say the average P is lighter than a J. My P is 8lbs, never found a J that comes close to that.
I started on a j bass a few years ago. Just recently picked up my first p bass. Gotta say as much as I love my precision.. I miss that mid high sheen.. it's like butter. Think I'm gonna try to keep one of each moving forward.
I fitted my ULTRA JAZZ with AGUILAR AG 5J , they are AMAZING! Night and day difference. From Funk to Rock to Praise and any style, much better sounding than DiMarzzio
Swapped out the standard Fender pups for Lindy Fralin - no hum!!!
I own a 2022 Fender Ultra Jazz Bass i dont have hum noise problems 🤣😅😂
Hi, back in the early 70's I got a '72 Jazz bass and loved it. Made some modifications to it though about 3 yrs. later. I switched the pickups for DiMarzio and gave it a better sound (I thought). I was having problems with the bridge, the screws would loosen and lower, as I played really hard with my fingers, so I bought a Badass Bridge but that wouldn't let the strings lower enough to the neck, so I had to rout the body to recess it a lower (worked fine and looked professional as I'm a cabinet maker). Was using roto sound round wound strings and they tore the heck out of my frets and rosewood neck, so I bought a maple neck and switched to D'Addario half wound, the sound was amazing. Unfortunately I had to sell it years later to a guitar store in South Carolina because of medical bills from spinal surgery and they sold it to someone in Manhattan (Getty Lee would have loved it). If anyone is familiar with this bass please reply (it has a natural ash body, pretty heavy). Thanks.
Another con is that the single coil pickups are often quieter than split coil pickups which means that if you are switching back and forth from a P-Bass to a Jazz bass you will most likely have to mess with your volume a lot.
The Fender Jazz Bass looks boring in the same way that a 1967 Ford Mustang GT500 looks boring.
A band mate just swapped to me a highway one jazz for a guild B301A that i wasnt a fan of. I am selling the jazz and just sticking with my 1968 telecaster bass. I love a beefy neck.
A Jazz bass is one of the best hands down, but.... Jeesh, I'm struggling to find a replacement neck for my Jazz that has the narrower peg hole diameters. I have 70's Fender stamped tuners and the only Fender options I have found that fit these are one Vintera at $400 another 70's at $600 and a rosewood board option that is not always available and even more expensive still. I have had this as a Frankenbass for decades and now want to recreate as faithfully Fender as possible, no longer a Squier or Warmoth neck interests me.. so there really are no easy options. Second hand necks can also be tricky and some are crazy expensive. If you happen to find a reasonably priced 2nd hand neck, you either have to be willing to spend a lot for new tuners or find a neck with existing tuners or get really lucky and find your diameter. I'm even considering a '51 P Bass neck now because the tuner holes match! At $300, it's the cheapest Fender option for the smaller diameter tuner. I love the Tele headstock, and it might look rad.. or weird... but if there were more replacement Jazz options, conversion bushings (HELLO FENDER) and reasonably priced and available RW fretboards .. I would feel much much better about my Jazz right now.
Between the J-Bass and P-Bass, I much prefer the contoured body of the J. After many years of playing, that became the deciding factor. It's simply more comfortable for long gigs. That, and the narrower neck.
I had an '83 US/Japanese Precision, which I sold and replaced with a Squier Jazz, and it was great. I saw no reason to get an overpriced Fender.
Wouldn't trade my Fender Jazz for anything. It has NEVER failed me ...
I have a MIM RW Flea Jazz. It’s as close to a vintage stack knob as I’ll ever get. Yea, the RW look is t everyone’s favorite and this one is a bit manufactured looking. But I got one with a stable neck and great pickups …… Love it .
Boring looking!!?? It's the most beautiful bass ever made. Perfect in it's simplicity. The "Strat" of bass guitars.
I've got a Korean fender jazz bass. Active Duncans, 24 frets, tbx boost, plays like butta!
I'd like to own an American original '62 stack pot jazz bass like Bobby Vega and John Paul Jones, don't like volumn volumn tone pots prefere the individual volumn tone for each pup
The precision over the jazz,imo ,dont like the hum,both look the same doesn't matter,
I love my American Jazz that I picked up in a pawn shop for $200.00 , it needed a little TLC and now it's pristine and nothing plays or sounds like it. I have 12 basses of all sorts and it's my #1. There's a handful of certain models that just ooze character, and the American and Japanese Fender jazz models always seem to do that for me ( Aerodynes included!)
I could never get myself to like the jazz bass. No matter how I modded it. Dimarzio, seymour duncan, nordstrands, EMG both active and passive, active pre-amp. Nothing could get me to like it. I also couldn't get the strings to sound even. The A string always sounded weak no matter what.
Your best bet is to get them both. If you play professionally, it makes sense….
In high school, I bought an original 62 Jazz for $125 and gigged with it for 30 yrs.
In 82, while on the road, I found a 70 Precision for $200.
I used it onstage that night, and the other band members commented on how much better it sounded, saying that the tone was ‘thicker’. They were right, but depending on the music situation, they both have their place…Get them both.
Cons : the Precision Bass does exist. OK, no joke : I always had problems with medium frequencies, I never really like them on bass, so the JB, whatever the pros, is really not an instrument for me.
I've owned ovr a dozen J configurations, always let them go, never getting "that" tone.
Until the Squier 40th Vintage J. My Keeper.
For a lot of years i dreamed about being able to afford a Fender Jazz bass. I just loved the looks of it when i saw famous bass players play them. A few years ago i finally got to buy my own Fender Jazz bass. I bought the Fender Jazz bass Deluxe and i just love it. It is just such a fine instrument. Boring looks? Not at all! It's beautiful!
I like 20 frets. Ergonomically it’s better for slapping and I don’t solo with a bass. Guitar is different.
Pros: comfortable neck
Cons: sounds bright AF unless you use flatwound strings and/or mod the pickups somehow
Ι have a cheap Squire Affinity pj bass, after putting some flatwounds you can't complain
Even JBass has slim neck it is still chunky comparing to Ibanez o Yamaha. Now more and more you can see PJBasses, with JB bridge and PB neck pickup and slim JB necks. Fusion.
Hello thank you for your vidéo i'm not agree with you on the point 2/of cons : professionals basses Fender have most of themeselves just 20 frets ? Ins't it
Yea, my only complaint w fender jazz is the weight, and at 68, an hour and half playing, my shoulder starts hurting.
The truth is that you can’t really blend the jazz bass pickups (at least with the classic passive two-knob). The louder pickup completely overrides the quieter one. Test it yourself if you don’t believe me.
I believe that the "scooped" Jazz tone gets lost in a busy, loud mix of instruments. When soloed (like in a bedroom) with both pickups at 10/10, it is a great tone, but when it is EQ'd to be heard in that same busy mix, it often is an ugly sound on its own. This is where the PBass shines - it has a tone that nearly always cuts through a loud, live, stage mix.
No cons if you use flats and play through a Ampeg B15 with a JBL d140 treble on full bass on three quarters volume right at the point of distortion!
P-Bass, Jazz Bass and StingRay = The Holy Trinity = The Must Have
Through the right amp and speakers example an Ampeg SVT tube , there is a certain tone and low end vibe that a Jazz or Precision does that no other bass does. If it was good enough for Jaco , it can't be bad. Now a days you can get a Sire Jazz with active and passive electronics for 5 to 6 hundred dollars that is more than good enough for most players and has a full tonal range.
Your average Jazz Bass is going to weigh a few ounces more than the average Precision Bass and the former’s center of gravity is a bit further forward. This to me is a con. On the other hand, I prefer the Jazz Bass for slapping.
I had a Late 70s J base that blue speaker's out of every amp I put it through . I know there's no rational explanation for blaming the base, And I loved the tone, But I had to get rid of it