Are Fender Jazz basses common in metal?

[NickInMesa]

I tend to play more and more metal stuff, or at least heavier rock, and I tend to like my Fender Jazz or even my Peavey Foundation (which is a Jazz type) better than my Precision types (I have a Johnson and a Peavey Fury).

I like to put the bridge pickup at 10 and the neck pickup at 6 or 7, tone pot at 10, all 500K pots, by the way, using DiMarzio UltraJazz pickups, into a SansAmp BDDI, into a Peavey Tour 700. The SansAmp is in the Fat Tube setting straight out of the manual and the Tour EQ in smile.

I end with a scooped sound, just a tad of mid, lots of lows and highs, and everyone loves my tone.

You really do not see a lot of guys playing Jazz basses in metal, or maybe I did not look long enough.

It seems to me that metal and country are two genres where bassists tends to be original in their choices.

 

[Bogster]

I've not seen too terribly many metal bassists using a jazz bass. Only one that comes to mind offhand is Nevermore's Jim Sheppard, who can be seen rockin' a Fender Jazz in their I, Voyager video. I think Jason Newsted might own one or two Sadowsky jazz basses. And I also own and play a Peavey Foundation in a metal setting.

Hey man, if it works for you, then do it. If playing an upright or an Epi violin bass in your metal band is what you dig, then go for it. It's metal. There ain't no rules!

 

[EagleMoon]

I would imagine that the reason you don't see many of them is because they don't "look metal". Not pointy enough. Plus they cut through too well in the mix.

 

[A-Step-Towards]

i was going to say frank bello but his is pj

 

[René_Julien]

Martin Mendez
Steve DiGorgio

 

[dohead]

Jason Newsted used jazz basses.

 

[El-Bob]

there are a few that use them for sure, but they're a minority. it's not because they aren't pointy either... most metal bassists don't use pointy basses.

 

[jloftin1]

When i saw God Forbid a couple years ago, that guy was playing a jazz.

 

[Waspinators]

Martin Mendez of Opeth plays Jazzes, and the Marcus Miller sig. Also James from Megadeth.

 

[maxschrek]

Ian Hill of Judas Priest used to use one...he may still.


T

 

[synterx]

Joey Vera from armored saint does I believe. He's pretty accomplished in my opinion. In the 80's when metal really got commercialized, everything BUT Fender was cool. Jackson, Hamer, Kramer, those styles really were popular. BC Rich was also big. But today? Don't see why Fenders aren't just as popular as other genres. It's hard to find much else in your typical music stores. Cheapo non-Fender, or real Fender.

 

[crucislancer]

When I was playing a lot of metal I was using a Jazz as a backup, but not my primary bass. I was using either an Ibanez SR800 or an EDC700, or my Rick 4001 back in the day. I rarely ever saw any other metal bassists with a Jazz.

 

[fourstringburn]

I didn't know "metal" was used to describe heavy music these days.
Play a bass that you like not what others think or play!
But to name a few, Steve Harris used one in his early days as did Ian Hill. Also there's Kip Leming of Riot, Peter Balts of Accept credits one on the metal heart album, Jon Alderete of Racer X, Michael Anthony did a lot of recording with a '64 jazz and ME!

 

[Steveaux]

Random Metalhead: "Dude, you can't play Metal on a Jazz Bass"

You, smiling: "No, Dude, *YOU* can't play Metal on a Jazz Bass".

 

[lowendfriend]

Somewhere on a TB thread it was asserted that Warwicks are popular "metal" basses.

 

[kjpollo]

+1 to Ian Hill but I think he's rockin Warwicks now.

And I KNOW you cant trust an 80's hair metal video but the guy from Y&T at least held one in the video for Summertime Girls.

Oh yeah, and Glenn Danzig's bassist in the "Mother" video as well.

So while they are NOT common, if you like the tone you get, got for it!

 

[fourstringburn]

So while they are NOT common, if you like the tone you get, got for it

Enough said!

 

[darkstorm]

No not common. The main ones I see metal bassists playing are humbucker/soapbar pup equipted basses along with douple P (neck and bridge position sets) pup BC Riches.

 

[Darkstrike]

Strange, while far from the most common choice, I never found Jazz's to be that rare in metal, they pop up often enough.

 

[sutarappa]

Fender jazz basses are common, period. Across all music. Nothing wrong with that; I very much enjoy the Fender jazz sound. In my experience, the idea that a specific brand or design of bass correlates to a specific genre is generally unsubstanciated. I've played with various projects, various types of music for the last ten years and the only thing I can say is that Fender jazz basses are quite common. Rickenbacker basses, not so much.