(Yet Another) 2008 Fender American Standard Jazz Bass V Review (w/soundclips)

OK, I know there's been a couple of these already, but this bass is deserving so here goes. The short story behind this is that I sold my MIA 2007 Deluxe V because my tastes have gravitated towards passive basses. I'm done with preamps (on-board). Anyway, having owned an MIA Jazz Deluxe 5, I kind of knew going in that I was in for something good, but I had no idea. The improvements in the American Standard series are just wonderful - the back side of the neck feels great, with a thin, satin finish that feels a lot like the Stingray I used to own. The polished, gloss maple board is beautiful to look at in person (hard to capture on camera though), and gives a very classy look - I'm diggin' it, a lot! The High Mass Vintage bridge is such an improvement in & of itself over the Deluxe - quite a bit more substance to it than on the Deluxe, (hence "high-mass"). The intonation adjustment screws are not like other bridges I've had, with a hex wrench adjustment for the saddle screws. Still top-loading or string-thru-body options. Before the bass arrived I had went out and got some shielding materials, expecting to have to do a full shielding & setup (possible neck shim, etc.) but to my pleasant surprise the bass is ultra-quiet & came with shielding paint & cavity grounding lug applied at the factory (see pic below). I don't know if they're paying particular attention to the new American Standard Series because this is their debut year, but I haven't seen a setup this good & action this buttery-low since the last couple of boutique instruments I've owned. Best playing Fender jazz I've played yet, that's for sure. Certainly the last thing I expected from a factory setup. I had to shim the neck on my '07 Deluxe to get it where I wanted it. The action on this '08 - straight out the box from Fender is still better than I could attain with a shim in my '07 Deluxe. It's super-low without buzz even when digging into it hard.

Yeah, yeah - we all know the features, but how does it sound?

This bass has MONSTROUS TONE! I have an extra set of Duncan Basslines 1/4 Pounders & Nordstrand NJ5F's laying around waiting for it, but after hearing the stock pickups through my bass rig & the recorded tone, I'm not changing a thing. Neither set would be an improvement at this point, IMO. The string-to-string volume is perfect & yes, for fellow 5'ver TB guys/girls out there, the B string maintains its clarity all the way down to open B. This thing simply epitomizes a killin' classic Fender jazz bass tone, I don't know how else to describe it...
This has got punch, funk & growly tones down in one awesome package. Major organic mojo! Very, very impressive. Classic & modern rock, funk, old school jazz tones & more - it's all good. In the tradition of a killer passive Fender Jazz tone, it's incredibly versatility allows you to sculpt & forge almost any tone you want to hear from it. Highly recommended you check it out.


A few recorded clips - no post-EQ, only light compression (and poor drum programming)...

SansAmp tone circuit at 50% Blend - Drive at 12:00 Noon: http://media.putfile.com/Stock-Pickups/
SansAmp tone circuit at 50% Blend - Drive at 12:00 Noon: http://media.putfile.com/Synchronicity-II-78/
SansAmp tone circuit OFF, Passive Tone Knob almost fully OFF: http://media.putfile.com/The-Same-Thing

A bunch 'o pics:

 

Yeah sorry, it's a new hosting site that I was trying out. On the upload page, you don't see all those ads...I already had a couple up & noticed that myself, so I put the last clip on a website I'm more familiar with. Think I'll stay with putfile.com in the future.

EDIT: All soundclips moved to Putfile.com

 

Thanks guys!

Mine appears to be - you can see the black shielding paint in the photos above. A screw w/grounding lug is screwed directly into the wood/shielding paint. Don't know if they started shielding the American Standard Series from the beginning of '08 or not. Interesting though...

 

Thank You! I'm an ameteur at best with the photos, but when you have a good subject it makes things a little easier. I love the bridge, like I was saying, it just looks & feels a lot more substantial than previous vintage-style bridges Fender has been using. I wanted to get a good close up of it because I hadn't seen a clear one yet on a TB thread, it's a very nice bridge.

 

Hey Doc! Thanks for the kind words. I called the GC in Fairview Heights and they only had one left (the Olympic White/Tort like yours). I had been reading on other threads that the finish is a little more easier to take on dings & dents, so I was kind of hesitant to pick that one up that wasn't brand new. So, I gave the guys at Bass Central a call. They told me that they were completely out of these, but that this one was on order from Fender, so I purchased before it had even arrived at Bass Central. They simply received the box from Fender & shipped it straight out to me the same day they received it.

It came down to either the Olympic White or this one, it was a difficult choice, but I love the black/maple/white pearloid look. Had to go with this one. With a stroke of luck, it was what Bass Central had on order anyway...Yes, this one is a solid keeper with no question! Amen to that!

 

I appreciate the info. But I gotta say, I'm digging the stock pickups personally. I've got no problems with Barts - had them in other basses but this bass is staying stock. Each person's bass rig is different, and we all hear things differently too I suppose. But, the stock pickups suit me just fine & then some on my gear.

 

I wouldn't say they're any more prone than other basses in that regard. At the time I ordered it, I didn't have any experience with one, but I had read in a couple of threads that some people were saying the new thinner undercoating is less protective against dents & dings. I'm not too concerned about it, nor have I had any problems (and don't expect to). I have accidentally given it a moderate bump or two in the past week of owning it, but the finish is none the worse for it. FWIW, those who were saying that about the thinner finish also seemed to have a general dislike of the bass as a whole. Since I've bumped mine a time or two without issue, I'm not buying into the theory quite so much.

 

Yep, looks like about three primary "seats" to choose from. Right now, the strings are seated in the tightest grouping they can be. I guess Fender decided to set the '08 Standards up at the factory with the tightest string spacing the bridge allows & let the customers decide from there. In any case, I'll be moving them to the outer grooves soon. Although I haven't measured them, I'm assuming putting the strings in the outer seats would put the spacing at roughly 18.5mm or so.