The pick ups are my favourite. The p pickup is based on Bobby Vegas 62 pbass. They sound aggressive when you dig in. I like hi mass bridges, I play quite hard so I like the extra stability of the hi mass. It's a versatile beast now. I'm also upgrading the tuners to gotoh. I don't think people need to worry about the tuners though, mine have taken a battering though all the gigs
Best review I’ve seen on the Aerodyne and I concur with everything stated. Especially, the stock pickups shortcomings. It didn’t take long before I swapped them out for the EMG Geezer PJ set and it made a great improvement. Another improvement I made was putting La Bella black tape wounds on it. Such an easy bass to play!
Exactly! I was looking at the Geezers too. Seems like the way to go. In fact I am just about to get another Aerodyne to change out both sets of pickups, put rounds on one, then flats on the other!
I received mine during lockdown. Upgraded the pickups, pots, wiring and bridge (the tuners have yet to fail me). Can't wait to gig with it, once things return to normal.
@@Lighthouse727 I replaced the stock bridge with a Babicz FCH and the pickups with Bartolini PJs. I play everything from progressive metal (Tool & Gogira) to traditional jazz (Miles Davis & Charles Mingus). Rush & Primus are also on the list.
A friend of mine has an aerodyne with dimarzio pickups and the lowest action I've ever seen on a bass guitar. The thing was smoother than most fretless basses
I played three of these in the last couple of months at different Guitar Centers and the biggest problems was not being able to buy one. Make no mistake about it, that same model you have here is absolute perfection. Saving money for that for sure. God bless you and thank you so much for all of your great reviews.
This was a pretty good review. I love this bass and I was very fortunate to receive it as a gift however, for the price someone has to pay, I would expect better pickups. I ended up switching them out for Seymour Duncan's and now the bass kills, especially paired with my Sansamp Bass Driver. I understand setup is needed with a lot of basses/guitars when you buy them but this was the first time something like this happened to me, the neck was extremely loose. I got some pretty good turns with the screw driver until the neck was snug. Idk if anyone else here had that issue?? Anyways, love the bass, the feel, the design.
Very good review and I agree with everything. I just installed Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups and the bass now sounds as good as it looks and feels. I love the neck. It’s probably my favorite neck among all my basses - fits my hand perfectly. Smoke chrome hardware blends well with the black body. An ebony fingerboard would have been cool to round out the ‘none more black’ theme, but might have shot the price point up. Love the channel. Keep them coming!
I just bought this bass new. The thing that drew me to it was how different it sounded compared to my other bass guitars. I have a Musicman Stingray and a Geddy Lee and they are both totally different than this... In the end, I like how this bass sounds compared to the others, its like an artists with multiple brushes. This one has a place and is plenty loud. Not sure if my pickups are just closer to the strings or what, but its definitely louder than my Geddy Lee and almost as loud as my active Stingray.
Good call! Different basses are used for different sonic landscapes. I'm suprised you find this bass loud though! Nasally sure but the output is pretty timid on mine. Enjoy it!
I like that it sounds unique and has a “Thunder” quality to it that my other Fender Jazz basses do not. I find my pickups very hot sounding and loud….almost active sounding. (I no longer play active basses, like the feel of passive MUCH better)
Alfie my boy It's great to see you again. Nice review. I have similar bass Pevaey zodiac de scorpio. Seymour duncan quater pounders pickups was in stock and I can say that was a cheaper bass which were kicking butt. I've added hipshot kickass bridge and Delano P pickup (PMVC 4 FE/M2)and jazz pup is semour qp. Now it is real beast and sound like pricey high end PJ bass. So I'm recomending you to check Delano pickups. Greetings from Poland ;)
Czesc Elcomberro! Thanks for the comment dude, glad to have you watching. Your Peavy sounds like a beast goddamn. I need to take a page out of your book!
These things look killer! I love PJ basses and played a few of these when buying my current bass, but I found that a Yamaha BB felt much nicer in my hands and the electronics really sang to my ears!
One of the best basses ever made. I have mine hot rodded with a badass 2 bridge and SD quarter pounders, all configurations are useable. Can't go up from here imo. Great video as always! Seriously consider swapping to quarter pounders I think it will give you the sound you want. Al Cisneros bass rig report plz
As we've discussed before Alphie I also have this bass. I wanted one for a decade before I was able to get it. It didn't take long for me to find the sound lack luster. I love the bass but it was just dull. I wanted something warmer and brighter when I needed it to be. The first thing I tried was a Wilkinson pickup in the bridge position. That improved things greatly! The P pickup had to go. I wanted a more vintage sound so I took a chance on the Guitar Fetish kwik plug vintage P style pickup and kwik plug PJ wiring harness. Perfect! This is a whole different bass. The whole upgrade was less than $100!
Wilkinson pickup you say! That's interesting I'll go have a look at those. I'm glad the bass is working for you now Chad. It would be shame to give up on it!
I put Dimarzios (a model P and a model J) in mine with the adjustable pole pieces to dial in each pick up consistently on each string. The 7.25" fingerboard radius is curved slightly and has output inconsistencies due to flat pick ups verses 7.25 " radius curved pick ups. This is most evident with the bridge pick up....Your welcome, now you'll never un hear it ;) Love this bass !!
this kinda video suits you quite well! you've got a great combination of enthusiasm and articulation without the bullshit a lot of other presenters appear to have lol
I love mine ,and totally agree with poor bridge and pick ups lack of output power.Otherwise, it's a fun bass to play and have a killer look.good review man 😎✌
Great review! I’ve heard that a lot from basses with jazz pickups paired with pj pickups the jazz pickup only pulls its weight when it’s on full with the pj ones making it not quite as versatile as you would think
I have one on hold now I am on the fence about it though I played it and absolutely love it Not sure what to do lite one of those do I need it as I already have a Gretsch and a fender PJ All I can say though is wow What to do what to do
I'm pretty sure that the lack of dynamics is due to the bad quality of the pickups, not the passive circuitry. I think you should have decent dynamics if you replace them, depending on the PUs you choose. Another great and inexpensive improvement is the bridge. Try a gotoh 203 or 201. I have a 203 on my JB and it made it sound noticeably thicker and more responsive. Due to its higher mass the 201 will sound even darker. I prefer the 203. Keeps more of the original midrange character and looks like a vintage bridge. They're both direct replacements for Fender, so the holes should fit.
I have one from 2005 and it is wonderful, I modified the bridge with a BadAss, it sounds incredible, now I plan to change the pickups for EMG GZR or Seymour Duncan, greetings from Chile!
I've never understood the concern with tuning keys, especially on basses. I've owned seven basses in my life, many of them very cheap, and I've never had tuning issues with any of them. And I don't now with my Aerodynes either.
Nice Review!!! I plan on getting one very soon, but the jazz bass. I plan on changing the pickups. Do you think the audere preamp could help? I enjoy bass that has bottom or thump!!! Yes I'm getting it just on the Looks!!!! Thk you.
I’m really glad I saw this video because I’ve been considering buying one of these. But you’re right. Getting low end tones do seem to be a struggle. It seems as though they were going for flexibility in tone on this one. But ahhhh. Now I’m not sure.
I have two Aerodynes. One is this model, which I covered with stickers because I hate all-black basses. The other is a non-export I got from Japan in gunmetal blue. It's a beautiful bass and has a pickguard. It's funny because a lot of people love the way the Aerodyne looks, but that's actually the thing I like least about the export model. Also, I play the precision pickup exclusively. The jazz pickup is way too noisy for me, even after I shielded it. I don't find the output to be low at all. Have you tried raising your pickups?
Nice Review. I'm currently trying to decide between the Duff McKagan sig bass or an Aerodyne (possibly with Geezer Butler EMG PJHZ pickups). From your review it sounds like fender nailed the ergos on this one.
This bass is worth e very penny you pay for it even if you have to upgrade in a couple of areas , that neck is warp speed fast. I was done 10 minutes before our set was done and got to catch myself playing the last few songs
The neck is wonderful. One of the best I've played for sure. I feel like I will have to upgrade the pickups but I don't want to take away from its character! Ah decisions.
May I recommend you switch over to the EMG precision/jazz active pickup combo? And while you're at it, swap out the bridge for a set single saddles, and replace the tuners with something a little bit better quality... hipshots perhaps, unless otherwise Grover tuners if they make them for basses. (Someone let me know if they do or not)
PJs are simply all the rage these days. I recently purchased 2 (one short-scale and one full-size). And it is a great bass tone. I only play both pickups full volume and tone all the way up. Nothing else from the Fender collection sounds satisfying anymore.
I have a 06 fender mim jazz bass also made with bass wood. I always wondered why it sounded so thin and flat.I blamed the cheep hardware and pups. I never believed in the "tone wood" excuse, so I just replaced the pups with SD JH-2's, added hipshot TMs, and bridge with goto HMB. Now my bass sounds completely different it has the growl and sustain that more premium basses have. I believe that wood only affects the tone of acoustic instruments. Electric instruments, especially solid body slab instruments; the tone is affected by the contact points of the strings. Electric instruments benefit from strong malleable wood. I always suggest buying a mim fender bass or any bass with a slab body, fender style pups and just swap out the hardware.
after 2 years im still using it just because i cant find anything better for my simple taste. holds a downtune well and with some eq i can get some obscene sounds.
31.10.2022 update: This model is officially out of production. It's been replaced by the "Aerodyne Special" with traditional JJ only configuration (£1.2k) in chocolate burst, California blue, gray or white. No more black w/smoked chrome...fretboard markers added...No more Aerodyne logo on the headstock. 😢 The new ones do come with Babicz bridges. So if you've got one like Alfie's... It's now a collector's model, because they're still making the non-export models.
@@WhichBass So the 45 - 105 gauge suits it well, right? You don´t need to change or get an adjustment for the 4th and 3rd strings´ nut? Cause I know that originally it comes with a 45 - 100 gauge. thx
I thought it actually sounded pretty decent during the demo. Very clear and defined. You messed with putting it through a compressor to get some more sustain out of it? If the compressor has a separate input and output pot you maybe can make up gain on the compressor before hitting you desk/amp?
Nice, I got ya. Love the videos man! Ever considered doing a “know your bass player” on Troy Sanders from Mastadon or maybe Pete Way from UFO? Keep up the good work.
I see a lot of good recommendations in comments. For Seymour Duncan quarter pounds, do people prefer p/j or j? Thanks. :) Think I will definitely upgrade pickups and bridge on mine due to all of these recommendations. ;)
Hey man do you mind sharing what songs you were playing along too? I just got this bass, and am kind of new to bass, and looking for fun songs to play and what you played looked super fun
Hey Michael, hope you're enjoying the bass. Try Guns N Roses songs. The bass is similiar to Duff Mckagens sound. "You Could Be Mine", "It's So Easy", "Rocket Queen" also give The Killers a try "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine", "Somebody Told Me", "Mr Brightside". All amazing on that bass. Good luck!
@@WhichBass the spb2 has huge balls, and the apollo is kinda like a precision pickup in a jazz size. i should also add use 500k pots for the volumes and a 1meg for the tone for optimal results with that setup of pups
If you like the look but the sound isn't there for you I would recommend the ESP LTD FB-400 Frank Bello sig. Emgs give it a heavyness that the fender doesn't have
I have one of the older ones from 2003 and it's a good sounding bass but the pots are trashed and the fretboard needs to be refretted but man still sounds very good
I think this bass influenced the active IV and V basses from squier in years later. They had active preamps but the basswood body and satin neck are fantastic features.
played one the other day. it was for sure a great feeling bass. the jack on mine was tight and took some effort to pull the jack out which is good. but also bad. it was great.
Lots of options for hot pups. Duncan Quarter Pounder set. Spb3 is a hammer. You could go with the Apollo for the jazz, it is completely noiseless. Dimarzio model P and J. Super hot, lotsa mids. Dimarzio Relentless. Super hot and clear. These sound fucking crazy and would look boss. EMG GZR set. Great classic P sound but clear and more sting. EMG active PJ set .... Frank Bello set is what I'm looking at for my Yamaha
I thought about getting one of these. I tend to upgrade my MIM Fenders- pickups, Badass II bridge, tuners, etc., but I'm not a fan of the output jack. I like my 90 degree jacks. That's not the only reason. After all, I can only afford so many basses, as much as I'd love to own more!
Hi Alfie! I think this video was pretty good but i do have an idea on how to make future reviews even better. I think the backing tracks could use a different soundfont, stock microsoft midi noises aren't doing any favors to anything in this video (might just be me, but it sounds like you're playing doom 2) it'd do you, and the listener some good. (in my opinion) keep on rocking! -Josh
Thanks Josh, yeah the midi tracks are hit or miss. I don't really want to mess about with copyrighted music. I'll look into that! and hey - There's nothing wrong with the music in Doom!
It seems that this (really beautiful ) bass have to be used with a preamplifier like an aguilar pedal or similar or an eq pedal .... Or upgrade the pickups to seymour duncan 😉
![Back & BETTER THAN EVER! - Fender Aerodyne Special Jazz Bass [Demo]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CoEVn2aGbLI/mqdefault.jpg)
Watch me HACK the Fender Aerodyne on the BOSS Katana!
th-cam.com/video/7ho5rEGuXsA/w-d-xo.html
I've had one for 6 years. Upgraded to hi mass bridge and emg geezer butler pickups, perfect
Ha, I just posted that same idea and THEN noticed your comment. Would love to hear your thoughts on the combo.
The pick ups are my favourite. The p pickup is based on Bobby Vegas 62 pbass. They sound aggressive when you dig in.
I like hi mass bridges, I play quite hard so I like the extra stability of the hi mass. It's a versatile beast now. I'm also upgrading the tuners to gotoh. I don't think people need to worry about the tuners though, mine have taken a battering though all the gigs
Does the high mass bridge have any issues with such a slim bass.
@@thomasfields2082 I've had no problems at all 😁
I wanted one sooo badly! Then played it at GC and hated it but also it wasn’t set up well at all I absolutely love how it looks tho!!
Always loved the look of this thing
Unfortunately its a finger print magnet
Best review I’ve seen on the Aerodyne and I concur with everything stated. Especially, the stock pickups shortcomings. It didn’t take long before I swapped them out for the EMG Geezer PJ set and it made a great improvement. Another improvement I made was putting La Bella black tape wounds on it. Such an easy bass to play!
Thanks John! Glad we're on the same page. No doubt I'll give the GZR's a go ... You have too!
Exactly! I was looking at the Geezers too. Seems like the way to go. In fact I am just about to get another Aerodyne to change out both sets of pickups, put rounds on one, then flats on the other!
Is there enough space in the control cavity to put the batteries?
@@cesar.arrano no
Only bad thing i’ve ever heard about the aerodyne series is that its a fingerprint magnet
They can be a little neck-divey, too.
@@Zane_Doe I have two and I don't have that issue.
@@rome8180 If only we could all be so lucky.
Ah yes, midrange lml a bassist best friend lml
I had one and was constantly wiping off fingerprints.
I love the more frequent uploads recently! just remember not to burn yourself out. Its a big jump from two videos in three months to one a week.
Same, we love what you do bro and it's awesome see that you're back with more content and been more constant, but don't burn yourself doing videos :3
Thanks Mjay! I appreciate that dude. Worry not! I'm not burning out, it's just a change of pace from those long research projects.
Wanted an Aerodyne for SO long. Great video mate!
Same here
Thanks Johnny, glad you enjoyed it. Go on, treat yourself go play one at least!
I received mine during lockdown. Upgraded the pickups, pots, wiring and bridge (the tuners have yet to fail me).
Can't wait to gig with it, once things return to normal.
Awesome dude, I will be doing the same.
What bridge and pickups did you chose?
What style of play? Thank you! ;)
@@Lighthouse727 I replaced the stock bridge with a Babicz FCH and the pickups with Bartolini PJs.
I play everything from progressive metal (Tool & Gogira) to traditional jazz (Miles Davis & Charles Mingus). Rush & Primus are also on the list.
Good honest review, and exactly why I put 1 back on the shelf about 6 years ago, just sounded really thin, a thing of beauty but no real guts
Cheeky Offspring bass line at the pickup test towards the end, nice tone mate!
Most accurate and helpful review of this bass I’ve seen!
Thanks very much Robert, I'm really glad it was helpful.
I've recently picked up this bass and I've found that it sounds great if you play with a pick. Excellent attack and more punch.
A pick helps for sure! It lends well to the overall snappiness and tone.
A friend of mine has an aerodyne with dimarzio pickups and the lowest action I've ever seen on a bass guitar. The thing was smoother than most fretless basses
And the neck also makes it super playable. 1.5" nut with a 7.5" radius.
I'll give those Dimarzio's a look! Great suggestion Arsenije.
I played three of these in the last couple of months at different Guitar Centers and the biggest problems was not being able to buy one. Make no mistake about it, that same model you have here is absolute perfection. Saving money for that for sure. God bless you and thank you so much for all of your great reviews.
Thank you Old friend, that's very kind of you. I hope you get your own Aero.
This was a pretty good review. I love this bass and I was very fortunate to receive it as a gift however, for the price someone has to pay, I would expect better pickups. I ended up switching them out for Seymour Duncan's and now the bass kills, especially paired with my Sansamp Bass Driver. I understand setup is needed with a lot of basses/guitars when you buy them but this was the first time something like this happened to me, the neck was extremely loose. I got some pretty good turns with the screw driver until the neck was snug. Idk if anyone else here had that issue?? Anyways, love the bass, the feel, the design.
Very good review and I agree with everything. I just installed Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups and the bass now sounds as good as it looks and feels.
I love the neck. It’s probably my favorite neck among all my basses - fits my hand perfectly.
Smoke chrome hardware blends well with the black body. An ebony fingerboard would have been cool to round out the ‘none more black’ theme, but might have shot the price point up.
Love the channel. Keep them coming!
Thanks for the good word Jason. I was thinking about Quater Pounds. I'm seriously tempted!
It's good to see new videos so often 😁 keep up the good work mate!
Dzienkie Karol! I appreciate you watching dude.
I just bought this bass new. The thing that drew me to it was how different it sounded compared to my other bass guitars. I have a Musicman Stingray and a Geddy Lee and they are both totally different than this... In the end, I like how this bass sounds compared to the others, its like an artists with multiple brushes. This one has a place and is plenty loud. Not sure if my pickups are just closer to the strings or what, but its definitely louder than my Geddy Lee and almost as loud as my active Stingray.
Good call! Different basses are used for different sonic landscapes. I'm suprised you find this bass loud though! Nasally sure but the output is pretty timid on mine. Enjoy it!
I like that it sounds unique and has a “Thunder” quality to it that my other Fender Jazz basses do not. I find my pickups very hot sounding and loud….almost active sounding. (I no longer play active basses, like the feel of passive MUCH better)
Alfie my boy It's great to see you again. Nice review. I have similar bass Pevaey zodiac de scorpio. Seymour duncan quater pounders pickups was in stock and I can say that was a cheaper bass which were kicking butt. I've added hipshot kickass bridge and Delano P pickup (PMVC 4 FE/M2)and jazz pup is semour qp. Now it is real beast and sound like pricey high end PJ bass. So I'm recomending you to check Delano pickups. Greetings from Poland ;)
Czesc Elcomberro! Thanks for the comment dude, glad to have you watching. Your Peavy sounds like a beast goddamn. I need to take a page out of your book!
Excellent review. Very thorough. Never thought of getting one, but now you got me thinking.
I hope I got your creativity senses tingling Thomas, glad you enjoyed it!
These things look killer! I love PJ basses and played a few of these when buying my current bass, but I found that a Yamaha BB felt much nicer in my hands and the electronics really sang to my ears!
I do love those BB's they are sweet sounding. I need to give them a try!
One of the best basses ever made. I have mine hot rodded with a badass 2 bridge and SD quarter pounders, all configurations are useable. Can't go up from here imo. Great video as always!
Seriously consider swapping to quarter pounders I think it will give you the sound you want.
Al Cisneros bass rig report plz
I think you're right Tartok, the 1/4 pounders will be a good choice. Al is still on the list, I haven't forgotten!
As we've discussed before Alphie I also have this bass. I wanted one for a decade before I was able to get it. It didn't take long for me to find the sound lack luster. I love the bass but it was just dull. I wanted something warmer and brighter when I needed it to be. The first thing I tried was a Wilkinson pickup in the bridge position. That improved things greatly! The P pickup had to go. I wanted a more vintage sound so I took a chance on the Guitar Fetish kwik plug vintage P style pickup and kwik plug PJ wiring harness. Perfect! This is a whole different bass. The whole upgrade was less than $100!
Wilkinson pickup you say! That's interesting I'll go have a look at those. I'm glad the bass is working for you now Chad. It would be shame to give up on it!
I put Aguilar pups in mine and sounds really good playing through a tonehammer head and phil jones cab this plays so easy and sound gorgeous!
Oh that does sound good, you need to send me some clips!
This is the bass I'm currently using. I love it. Sounds great and plays fast.
The neck is the best thing about this bass, imo. So comfortable to play.
I put Dimarzios (a model P and a model J) in mine with the adjustable pole pieces to dial in each pick up consistently on each string. The 7.25" fingerboard radius is curved slightly and has output inconsistencies due to flat pick ups verses 7.25 " radius curved pick ups. This is most evident with the bridge pick up....Your welcome, now you'll never un hear it ;) Love this bass !!
Great suggestion Kris, I'll defo give Dimarzios a go!
Really like the way the aerodyne sounds! Reminds me of a mij jazz bass special.
this kinda video suits you quite well! you've got a great combination of enthusiasm and articulation without the bullshit a lot of other presenters appear to have lol
how about a review for the yamaha bb434?
Sure! Do you know anyone who would borrow me one?!
I love mine ,and totally agree with poor bridge and pick ups lack of output power.Otherwise, it's a fun bass to play and have a killer look.good review man 😎✌
Glad we're on the same page Silver! Top man.
@@WhichBass thank you my friend 😎🤘
Great review! I’ve heard that a lot from basses with jazz pickups paired with pj pickups the jazz pickup only pulls its weight when it’s on full with the pj ones making it not quite as versatile as you would think
Thanks Chris! Glad we're on the same page!
you are doing very good job mate. keep it up. Greetings from Poland :)
Czesc Bartosz! Dzienkie dude, glad to have you watching.
I have a Fender Aerodyne and I changed the pickups for a Seymour Duncan quarter pound, and it sounds wonderful.
That's what I'm thinking Kelme, glad to hear the good word.
I have one on hold now
I am on the fence about it though
I played it and absolutely love it
Not sure what to do lite one of those do I need it as I already have a Gretsch and a fender PJ
All I can say though is wow
What to do what to do
Would that sound better with a Seymour Duncan pick ups?
I'm pretty sure that the lack of dynamics is due to the bad quality of the pickups, not the passive circuitry. I think you should have decent dynamics if you replace them, depending on the PUs you choose.
Another great and inexpensive improvement is the bridge. Try a gotoh 203 or 201. I have a 203 on my JB and it made it sound noticeably thicker and more responsive. Due to its higher mass the 201 will sound even darker. I prefer the 203. Keeps more of the original midrange character and looks like a vintage bridge. They're both direct replacements for Fender, so the holes should fit.
Thanks for the suggestions Bone, I will be upgrading it in the future. I'll look into that.
Really wish fender would do more binding like this
Stunning isn't it!
I've been trying to find a dual jazz pu model for years
Oh that'll be interesting, let me know when you find one.
Got one recently and love it
It's a beauty man, good choice.
I have one from 2005 and it is wonderful, I modified the bridge with a BadAss, it sounds incredible, now I plan to change the pickups for EMG GZR or Seymour Duncan, greetings from Chile!
I've never understood the concern with tuning keys, especially on basses. I've owned seven basses in my life, many of them very cheap, and I've never had tuning issues with any of them. And I don't now with my Aerodynes either.
My concern is they don't hold the tuning!
Great review
Thanks 🙏
Nice Review!!! I plan on getting one very soon, but the jazz bass. I plan on changing the pickups. Do you think the audere preamp could help? I enjoy bass that has bottom or thump!!! Yes I'm getting it just on the Looks!!!! Thk you.
hey man nice to see laying down the groove!!
Thanks Illias! Glad you enjoyed it dude!
Could you review the Fender Boxer bass please?
I can try if you know someone who can borrow me one!
I have had one since 2004. Had to replace neck because it was so unstable Also added Bartollini P/U's Now my favorite bass.
Bart pups, now we're talking. I might have to look into that.
What's the tune at 3:04? I swear I have heard it somwhere
GnR It's So Easy.
I’ve always thought these look really cool and it definitely sounds awesome
Looks great, sounds ok ... can't have it all! haha.
Play it through a Fender Rumble amp. The Vintage button gives you serious low end. The Bright button works good too.
I'll have to try that if I can get my hands on one of the amps! Thanks for the tip!
I’m really glad I saw this video because I’ve been considering buying one of these. But you’re right. Getting low end tones do seem to be a struggle. It seems as though they were going for flexibility in tone on this one. But ahhhh. Now I’m not sure.
I have two Aerodynes. One is this model, which I covered with stickers because I hate all-black basses. The other is a non-export I got from Japan in gunmetal blue. It's a beautiful bass and has a pickguard. It's funny because a lot of people love the way the Aerodyne looks, but that's actually the thing I like least about the export model.
Also, I play the precision pickup exclusively. The jazz pickup is way too noisy for me, even after I shielded it. I don't find the output to be low at all. Have you tried raising your pickups?
I do love those export models those look killer too. I have tried raising the pickups but not noticed much change unfortunately.
looks and sounds sickkk man what a score
It's such a great bass in the right circumstance, glad you enjoyed it Blair!
Nice Review. I'm currently trying to decide between the Duff McKagan sig bass or an Aerodyne (possibly with Geezer Butler EMG PJHZ pickups). From your review it sounds like fender nailed the ergos on this one.
I see active pickups in the future if I were to purchase one of these.
GREAT BASS GROOVE ALFIE!! always wanted to get one OF those.
Thanks Cruise! Glad you enjoyed it dude! Go on and treat yourself, go play one!
@@WhichBass you know what Alfie.......i think i will..!
Joe Darts setup?
Jazz specials, aerodynes, and any black headstock fenders are such things of beauty. I blame duff mckagan for this attraction 😂
100% Agree!
Got me one, love it, and I love that Killers bass line at the start!
Great work Bobby, give that Killers line ago and have some fun!
Underrated Killers bassline !
He's got some serious grooves man, every player should check him out.
This bass is worth e very penny you pay for it even if you have to upgrade in a couple of areas
, that neck is warp speed fast. I was done 10 minutes before our set was done and got to catch myself playing the last few songs
The neck is wonderful. One of the best I've played for sure. I feel like I will have to upgrade the pickups but I don't want to take away from its character! Ah decisions.
What song was in the intro that sounded so familiar???
Jenny was a friend of mine by The Killers
May I recommend you switch over to the EMG precision/jazz active pickup combo? And while you're at it, swap out the bridge for a set single saddles, and replace the tuners with something a little bit better quality... hipshots perhaps, unless otherwise Grover tuners if they make them for basses. (Someone let me know if they do or not)
Great suggestion Deadmandillon, I'll defo be making some changes to it.
Cheers from Texas mate!
Grover does do bass tuners
PJs are simply all the rage these days. I recently purchased 2 (one short-scale and one full-size). And it is a great bass tone. I only play both pickups full volume and tone all the way up. Nothing else from the Fender collection sounds satisfying anymore.
Absoultely, get the right tone on them and they'll blow anything away.
I love the p bass pickups in the J bass body and it is light..unlike a late 70s bass haha and then throw on some Rotosounds and bam 💥
I feel like I’ve heard that intro song from somewhere... but where??
It is Jenny was a friend of mine by The Killers
I have a 06 fender mim jazz bass also made with bass wood. I always wondered why it sounded so thin and flat.I blamed the cheep hardware and pups. I never believed in the "tone wood" excuse, so I just replaced the pups with SD JH-2's, added hipshot TMs, and bridge with goto HMB. Now my bass sounds completely different it has the growl and sustain that more premium basses have. I believe that wood only affects the tone of acoustic instruments. Electric instruments, especially solid body slab instruments; the tone is affected by the contact points of the strings. Electric instruments benefit from strong malleable wood. I always suggest buying a mim fender bass or any bass with a slab body, fender style pups and just swap out the hardware.
I'd agree to a point but the vibrations will have some impact on how the pickup recieves them.
Nice basses. I've wanted one of these for years. Time to sell some basses !
You have to give it a try, it's unlike any other Fender. Go on, treat yourself!
after 2 years im still using it just because i cant find anything better for my simple taste. holds a downtune well and with some eq i can get some obscene sounds.
I really would like to hear you thoughts on the fender mustang pj sometime!
31.10.2022 update: This model is officially out of production.
It's been replaced by the "Aerodyne Special" with traditional JJ only configuration (£1.2k) in chocolate burst, California blue, gray or white. No more black w/smoked chrome...fretboard markers added...No more Aerodyne logo on the headstock. 😢
The new ones do come with Babicz bridges.
So if you've got one like Alfie's... It's now a collector's model, because they're still making the non-export models.
3:O4
what song is that bassline from?
Guns N Roses It's So Easy.
@@WhichBass So the 45 - 105 gauge suits it well, right? You don´t need to change or get an adjustment for the 4th and 3rd strings´ nut?
Cause I know that originally it comes with a 45 - 100 gauge.
thx
very nice Alfie
Thank you Mark! Glad you enjoyed it dude.
I thought it actually sounded pretty decent during the demo. Very clear and defined. You messed with putting it through a compressor to get some more sustain out of it? If the compressor has a separate input and output pot you maybe can make up gain on the compressor before hitting you desk/amp?
I do play it with a compressor normally and it does help a little bit. This demo was clean so it's hard to compare!
Nice, I got ya. Love the videos man! Ever considered doing a “know your bass player” on Troy Sanders from Mastadon or maybe Pete Way from UFO? Keep up the good work.
Great info I am tossed between this and a Ibanez SR 600
Gigging with Fender Precision is killing my neck and back
Thanks Dan, if you want a light bass this is the one for you.
@@WhichBass I bought the Ibanez 600 E and satisfied yet Fender is lighter so still looking for a deal on it
I see a lot of good recommendations in comments. For Seymour Duncan quarter pounds, do people prefer p/j or j? Thanks. :)
Think I will definitely upgrade pickups and bridge on mine due to all of these recommendations. ;)
I'll be doing the same at some point! I'm feeling the quarter pounds. They sound good enough for Duff that's for sure.
I’d love to hear this bass with a high mass bridge and quarter pounder pickups.
I am considering the quater pounders I must say! High mass is a maybe ;)
Hey man do you mind sharing what songs you were playing along too? I just got this bass, and am kind of new to bass, and looking for fun songs to play and what you played looked super fun
Hey Michael, hope you're enjoying the bass. Try Guns N Roses songs. The bass is similiar to Duff Mckagens sound. "You Could Be Mine", "It's So Easy", "Rocket Queen" also give The Killers a try "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine", "Somebody Told Me", "Mr Brightside". All amazing on that bass. Good luck!
I would recommend if you want more output try the duncan spb2 and the apollo jazz pickups
Great suggestions Steven I will be considering that when I upgrade.
@@WhichBass the spb2 has huge balls, and the apollo is kinda like a precision pickup in a jazz size. i should also add use 500k pots for the volumes and a 1meg for the tone for optimal results with that setup of pups
how's the buzzing/grounding noise situation?
The J pick up is a little buzzy I must admit.
If you like the look but the sound isn't there for you I would recommend the ESP LTD FB-400 Frank Bello sig. Emgs give it a heavyness that the fender doesn't have
Ah! Great suggestion, I'll defo take a look into that, I did wonder how it differs.
I have one of the older ones from 2003 and it's a good sounding bass but the pots are trashed and the fretboard needs to be refretted but man still sounds very good
Solid review
Thanks Cy! Glad you enjoyed it dude.
that midi version goes hard lol love the sound of this bass.
Haha, have to love midi 😎
Isnt the sound from the bass coming from the strings and the electronics. The wood does not affect the sound on a electrical instrument
Of course wood affects the bass! The vibrations will disapate or sustain depending on the woods used. All that energy has to go somewhere.
@@WhichBass You are very accurate! When talking upright basses...
I think this bass influenced the active IV and V basses from squier in years later. They had active preamps but the basswood body and satin neck are fantastic features.
That's interesting, I'll need to check that out.
Forgive if you have done it, but Mick Karn?
No I haven't David, great suggestion thanks.
@@WhichBass thank you. Probably my favourite bass player. Fabulous channel.
played one the other day. it was for sure a great feeling bass. the jack on mine was tight and took some effort to pull the jack out which is good. but also bad. it was great.
Glad we're on the same page Zacky!
Great video
Thanks JJ! Glad you enjoyed it.
I need a case for mine, does it fit in a normal fender jazz case? Or does it have a special case?
No idea, surely it'll fit in a Jazz case, it is the same body.
Lots of options for hot pups.
Duncan Quarter Pounder set. Spb3 is a hammer. You could go with the Apollo for the jazz, it is completely noiseless.
Dimarzio model P and J. Super hot, lotsa mids.
Dimarzio Relentless. Super hot and clear. These sound fucking crazy and would look boss.
EMG GZR set. Great classic P sound but clear and more sting.
EMG active PJ set .... Frank Bello set is what I'm looking at for my Yamaha
Oh dude, so many options not enough cash! I was looking at the Quater pounders for sure, that will be my first stop.
@@WhichBass ebay bruh
I just tried one of these at Guitar Center and the action is really high! Is this normal due to the 7.25” radius?
Might just be a poor setup!
Alfie, do a review on the new Fender boxer series precision bass made in Japan
Oh yeah, that looks killer. We'll see if Fender want to borrow me one!
I thought about getting one of these. I tend to upgrade my MIM Fenders- pickups, Badass II bridge, tuners, etc., but I'm not a fan of the output jack. I like my 90 degree jacks. That's not the only reason. After all, I can only afford so many basses, as much as I'd love to own more!
Honestly Skeeter, that jack is a bit loose. I think the 90 degree ones are a bit more solid. Stick with that and save your money!
Can you do klaus flouride for know your bass player would love to see a rig run down
Great suggestion Jose, I'll see what I can do.
Ive never had problems with the bridge or the tuners at all
Just me then! That's unlucky.
I've seen that bass in person before, it was pretty good, if you want to swap out the bridge use a Hipshot Kickass Bridge!
Hi Alfie! I think this video was pretty good but i do have an idea on how to make future reviews even better.
I think the backing tracks could use a different soundfont, stock microsoft midi noises aren't doing any favors to anything in this video (might just be me, but it sounds like you're playing doom 2)
it'd do you, and the listener some good. (in my opinion)
keep on rocking!
-Josh
Thanks Josh, yeah the midi tracks are hit or miss. I don't really want to mess about with copyrighted music. I'll look into that! and hey - There's nothing wrong with the music in Doom!
Looks awesome. Needs pickups.
That's what I'm saying.
This is the only Fender bass I like a lot.
It is a great bass for sure!
It seems that this (really beautiful ) bass have to be used with a preamplifier like an aguilar pedal or similar or an eq pedal .... Or upgrade the pickups to seymour duncan 😉