Are Jazz Basses becoming less popular?

[JOME77]

There's so many Jazz basses for sell because there are so many Jazz basses in circulation.
I suspect that percentage wise there aren't any more Jazz basses for sale than any other type bass.

(Example: 1,000,000 Jazz basses sold - 10,000 used for sale = 1% for sale; 10,000 MTD's sold - 100 for sale used = 1%)

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

The opposite probably. You're seeing a ton of them because they sell. I love my P and J basses, w/ nickel rounds

 

[Bassdirty]

I think I'll make it a "P VS J" club, that's even more fresh!

Yeah, a club. and we'll cut it into 4 sections, and serve it with potato salad or fries. How do you all feel about frilly toothpicks? I'm for em

LOVE IT!

R.I.P. Mitch

 

[cnltb]

I get by with a single coil P mostly...
At the same time I think there is a reason , so many people use Jazzes and that I might catch up some day...maybe?

 

[knumbskull]

what surprises me is the number of smaller players I see using Jazzes, given that they tend to look huge on people of slighter frames. I guess they are comfortable though.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

You're premise seems valid to me. I own 2 Jazz bases and 5 Precisions, so there is all the statistics you need to prove your point.
Glad I could help.

 

[5StringBlues]

"Are Jazz Basses becoming less popular?"








Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no...no, no, not at all. I, I, I just think that the.. uh.. their appeal is becoming more selective.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

I had a Fender CS sixties jazz that I bought from TB to try a jazz bass. It sounded really good but it didn’t have the oomph of the P bass IMO and I sold it. I am definitely a P bass guy.

It seems like natural finishes are all over the classifieds. I notice that more than jazz basses.

 

[Matty Koff]

I want ALL the basses...

 

[EmuBass]

What is the poor technology that you are referring too? They have the same technology as a P bass but and extra pickup and pot. If anything, I like that the controls are mounted to a metal plate with three screws and if I need to work on the electronics, it's more accessible than the P bass where you have to take of the strings and remove a pickguard with 10 screws.

OK. My arguments (have declared them in other places several times - see below): besides the awful humming of a single-coil in a regular J-Bass (yes, you CAN have other pickups; yes, you can eliminate that by using both pickups at full vol) the most annoying thing with the electronics (established long before the really useable active electronics became common-place) is the double-vol-poti thing. You can read about my point-of-view here: Does anyone use the neck pickup solo on a J-Bass?
and here: Fender Jazz bass pick ups
and here: blend knobs - yay or nay?
Besides: I do not like the metal control-plate although it gives you some advantage. It really looks crappy - especially when there is no pickguard applied.

 

[Matt R.]

no

 

[AMJBASS]

OK. My arguments (have declared them in other places several times - see below): besides the awful humming of a single-coil in a regular J-Bass (yes, you CAN have other pickups; yes, you can eliminate that by using both pickups at full vol) the most annoying thing with the electronics (established long before the really useable active electronics became common-place) is the double-vol-poti thing. You can read about my point-of-view here: Does anyone use the neck pickup solo on a J-Bass?
and here: Fender Jazz bass pick ups
and here: blend knobs - yay or nay?
Besides: I do not like the metal control-plate although it gives you some advantage. It really looks crappy - especially when there is no pickguard applied.

Personally I have never had an issue with the vol/vol/tone configuration on a Jazz. Generally I will roll off the bridge pickup a touch, but there is a sweet spot you can hit where its not humming and still removes the filtering effect of both pickups on full. I play a P bass for about 95% of my electric bass gigs these days. For club dates and touring, I know(and the engineers know) exactly what I am getting sonically, and they sit in the mix just great. I don't think Jazz basses are becoming less popular though.

 

[MegaSwing]

Dunno. Too busy playing one to notice.

 

[LoTone]

I think that people are hoarding them. You sell last year's hot bass to get the latest model announced at NAMM. Let's see, I pulled one from the closet last night. I have four myself.

 

[BigBluez]

what surprises me is the number of smaller players I see using Jazzes, given that they tend to look huge on people of slighter frames. I guess they are comfortable though.

It's the neck. I love the jazz neck. Better for my smallish hands.

 

[BigBluez]

I think there are trends of popularity... it does feel like P-basses are the "in" thing at the moment (just my gut sense, plus what I see here on TB). But J-basses are never exactly out, and they'll be the "in" thing again soon enough, I'm sure. I love both, own both.

 

[4sight]

Yeah, give it another 60 years and they'll be gone altogether.

 

[npbassman]

Funny that this thread pops up now as I have just recently rediscovered the joy of my MIA Pro Jazz after nearly three years of doing the P thing. I've played the J on the last couple of gigs and am just loving it.

 

[Mo cowbell]

I am with you on that. Just now building my first P bass to see what all the hoopla is about.

I bought 4 Precision basses. First a Squire, then an American Elite, a MIJ Steve Harris, and a new Ventura. I sold the Squire in hopes the Elite would cure my itch. It didn’t and now I have 3....which I like but my Geddy still feels more natural to me.

 

[arbiterusa]

"Are Jazz Basses becoming less popular?"

Yeah, so stop buying them, especially cream-colored bound n' blocked with rosewood fretboards.