Is there anything that cannot be done with a Fender Jazz?

[alexlocurto]

There's a post floating around Talkbass that says something along the lines of this: The Fender Jazz is the best bass for anything. Play metal? Get a black one. I didn't buy it at first. Then, one of my favorite metal bands posted this. I buy it now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbTd3Ko2Rhg

[elbeau]

You can't sound like a P bass.

[alexlocurto]

Originally Posted by elbeau

You can't sound like a P bass.

Very true, very true. :P

[zachoff]

Not a fan of the Jazz tone unless it's in series. Even then, I prefer a P. So, one thing it can't do is be purchased by me.

[georgestrings]

Originally Posted by zachoff

Not a fan of the Jazz tone unless it's in series. Even then, I prefer a P. So, one thing it can't do is be purchased by me.

I also prefer a Jazz in series, and over a P Bass, unless it's a 1 guitar setting... To me, a Jazz in series thumps like a P, but is clearer in a busy mix than a P Bass is...


- georgestrings

[20db pad]

A Jazz can handle all styles of music, but it can't cure a broken heart.

[Low Class]

It can't fix my toilet, but it can do just about anything else.

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by elbeau

You can't sound like a P bass.

+1 I tried to get jazz basses to sit in the mix for over 5 years..different strings, actives.. whatever. Until I tried a P bass which to my ears is as not as open sounding as a jazz bass is did I find the bass to get me there...just saying.

[FrednBass]

Any style can be played on any bass, as long as you know how to use it.

[baddarryl]

By running in series do you guys mean the mod where you can get the pickups to run as a humbucker?

[GG7]

Its certainly one of the most versatile models around.

I ran a commercial recording studio for 10 years and worked with pretty much every major brand bass model out there as well as many not so common. In terms of getting the best tone for a variety of musical styles, I found the Jazz Bass to be the easiest to work with, followed by the P Bass and the Rick 4001/4003.

When I wanted to buy a bass for the studio to have available to clients, I picked up a used 1976 Jazz Bass. It became a favorite with a lot of my songwriter clients and even some bands. As a result, that bass ended up on a lot of local LA artist's demos and CDs. Recently when I decided to get back into writing and recording my own original material again after a 12 year retirement, I bought a new 2013 American Deluxe Jazz Bass. Sadly...When I closed my studio, I sold off most of the gear, including that beautiful 76 Jazz Bass. The only upside was that I got close to 1000% more than I originally paid for it back in 1981. (Back in the days when you could get used 70s Fenders for less than $200.00)

The Jazz Bass neck is in my opinion the easiest to play of any bass model/design out there.

And to those that say that a Jazz can't sound just like a P bass...I beg to differ! If you know how to run a control room, it isn't that hard with the right tube mic preamp for the direct signal and an AKG D112 microphone and a quality amplifier for the "room" signal. Conversely...It is VERY difficult to get a P bass to sound like a Jazz.

[Needenaneden]

A Jazz can't sound like my MusicMan Sterling or feel as good in my hands!

[Snarf]

Originally Posted by bassbully

+1 I tried to get jazz basses to sit in the mix for over 5 years..different strings, actives.. whatever. Until I tried a P bass which to my ears is as not as open sounding as a jazz bass is did I find the bass to get me there...just saying.

It really depends on the instrumentation. Sometimes a P bass is exactly what's needed, and sometimes a P bass will just get lost. I find if a guitar player has humbuckers, I need to go with a jazz. If he's playing a strat or tele, the P bass fits right in. It's all about working around the tone of the guitar player and fill in the spaces he's leaving. If no guitar player . . . . happy gig!

[jbossolo]

A J can't be a P, and a P can't be a J. That's why you need one of each. Or several.

[petrus61]

Originally Posted by georgestrings

I also prefer a Jazz in series, and over a P Bass, unless it's a 1 guitar setting... To me, a Jazz in series thumps like a P, but is clearer in a busy mix than a P Bass is...


- georgestrings

I have a kinda/sorta similar viewpoint, except without the "series" wiring added. I have always found a J to suit smaller groups better, like one guitar and a drummer. There is something that gets buried with a jazz when you start adding the other frequencies that come from multiple melodic instruments. That's just me, I simply cannot get them to compete with dual guitars and/or keys. It can definitely happen though, but I've seen more concerts where the J just becomes either mud or clank when put in the context of multiple melodic instruments. My 2 cents.

[maturanesa]

Define "can't do". You can play any style with any bass...

[two fingers]

Originally Posted by maturanesa

Define "can't do". You can play any style with any bass...

This. I ended up playing a last-minute show in a town far away from home. My gear was back home. It was a soul/funk band. I ended up using the band's bass player's rig. I played Motown and 70s funk all night on a hot pink Kramer PJ from the 80s. Sounded great. I tried to buy it at the end of the night. (Prolly would have refinished it.)

[bluesblaster]

exactly, its a bass after all. It makes those lower sounds and all. I have a jazz with a series switch (S-1) and flats. Mostly I run in parallel but for a reggae or something fatter I will kick it into series, a very versatile bass. it can even almost sound like my vintage P bass. Either way it just sounds good.

[cfsporn]

It can't play any songs in the Precision genre.

[CapnSev]

Lean against a wall.