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Battle of the Jazz's!

C

Casperrobo

Apr 11, 2011
76
4
Gothenburg, Sweden
#1
I'm looking for something more standard to go alongside my lovely Thunderbird.

After weeks of Fender Classic 50's P Bass vs Jazz Bass I have come to the decision of the Jazz bass ( This will change tomorrow though probably :ninja: )

Now I just need to decide what Jazz Bass....

It's currently between the Fender Standard Jazz bass, the Classic 60's or the Highway One. I am budget conscious too, I have a lot of student type stuff to get too like books and beer ;) I do plan to try them all out at some point to get a feel and personal comparison.

Also do I dare mention the VM Squier Jazz bass to be a contender?

Does anyone have good or bad experiences with either of these or pearls of wisdom?
 
#4
I love maple necks and a maple neck is a bonus :) But I don't like the bare wood body I prefer the classic sunburst, but the Standard Fender Jazz's have maple neck options, maybe a arctic white maple fingerboard with tortoise shell pickguard or sunburst maple neck with the same pickguard, or a black one
 
#5
Casperrobo said:
I'm looking for something more standard to go alongside my lovely Thunderbird.

After weeks of Fender Classic 50's P Bass vs Jazz Bass I have come to the decision of the Jazz bass ( This will change tomorrow though probably :ninja: )

Now I just need to decide what Jazz Bass....

It's currently between the Fender Standard Jazz bass, the Classic 60's or the Highway One. I am budget conscious too, I have a lot of student type stuff to get too like books and beer ;) I do plan to try them all out at some point to get a feel and personal comparison.

Also do I dare mention the VM Squier Jazz bass to be a contender?

Does anyone have good or bad experiences with either of these or pearls of wisdom?
Click to expand...

I just scored a new Fender MIM STD Jazz at Sam Ash for $349 a few weeks back. The SN puts it about an '08, so really a NOS. It plays fantastic after a little bit of setup. The same day, I played a '04 Fender MIM Std that Guitar Center was asking $299 for. It was in great shape, but the color was just one I couldn't live with.

I too was considering the VM Squier Jazz too based on recommendations and price. Funny thing, between the Squiers and Fenders I played, the Squires generally played better. I attribute this to the stores not doing any setup prior to hanging on the wall, and Squiers coming out of the factory better setup. Any instrument will benefit from a good setup, btw.

My next addition may very well be a Squier P. The value is just so hard to beat. They really are building fantastic instruments for the money.
 
#6
the fender standard (MIM) series is great for cost/quality. if i was in your shoes that's probably the way i'd go. they're good, solid basses that last forever and sound good. they're nothing fancy, so you can bang em up and not feel bad. you get more color options, and the option of a maple fretboard. although you did mention liking sunburst and the MIM sunburst isn't too fantastic. still, it's most likely your best bet. and it'll keep its value pretty well in case you have to sell it in a pinch.
 
#8
Thanks IronLung1986, you have a good point, the colours I was thinking about were the Arctic white with maple and then to put a tortoiseshell on it or sunburst with a maple fingerboard and tortoiseshell but the pictures on the fender site make the sunburst one the standard look like a steaming pile of s**t, need to find one in person to see if the burst really is that bad :(
 
#9
I have had all three, and all are nice basses. For the best bang for the buck....hands down the Highway One! You get a US made bass with graphite support rods in the neck, Badass bridge and the Greasebucket tone circuit. You really can't go wrong with that bass. Plus you get a bass with a nitro finish.....which means you can get some real mojo happening if you play it allot! And if you like the Jaco thing....no routes under the pickguard!
 
#10
One other model that looked like a good deal was a FSR for $499, which had a natural body, rosewood neck and tort pickguard. Pretty classic combination. Not sure the availability right now, my local store said more were coming in June.
 
#14
If you're looking at a Squier, I think you would be happier with a Classic Vibe J rather than the VM. The Classic Vibe series has better pickups, nicer vintage frets, a smoother gloss finish, and are just overall higher quality. The pickups and bridge don't even need upgrades, and it is much lighter than the VM.
 
#15
Get thyself a Classic 70's Jazz if you want a sunburst jazz...

5229141235_16255a64f6_z.jpg
 
#16
I do like the sound of the classic vibes, just the colours are a bit bland and it's about tone but I have think it's a beautiful piece of wood ;)

That 70's jazz is so so so gorgeous, I'm drooling here looking at it :hyper:

After listening to Lenny Kravitz and Bootsy all day I NEED a jazz bass in my life right now. Thanks for all your input it's all great "Food For Thought"
 

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