Best Fender Jazz for heavy music

Fender Blacktop Jazz Bass 2012 - 2014 | Reverb

BlackTop Jazz

I’ve seen Jeff Matz of High on Fire with this.

 

Fender AJB-DX Aerodyne Jazz Bass Deluxe Fender AJB-DX Aerodyne Jazz Bass Deluxe | Big Mitten Music | Reverb

Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Bass w/Hard shell case Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Bass w/Hard shell case | Scarecrow Guitars | Reverb

Fender Aerodyne jazz bass Pewter metallic original vintage p j cij crafted in japan mij Fender Aerodyne jazz bass Pewter metallic original vintage p j cij crafted in japan mij | The Bonfires Vintage | Reverb

 

Just get a Darkglass pedal or two

 

Any Jazz that looks and feels good to you, and assuming it has regular J-bass single coils, a series/parallel switch. In series, it will sound thicker and heavier, more like a P-bass.

Of course there are lots of aftermarket pickup options too. One of my J-basses has Lace Man o' War pickups, which are cool because they're true single coils, but with virtually no noise due to Lace's Sensor shielding technology. They also sound thicker than conventional J-bass pickups, with less treble, so in a band mix they function almost like a P-bass. At high volume, they totally rip.

Otherwise, I like the options posted by @two fingers . I immediately thought of the Deluxe Active and Aerodynes.

 

Did you read back what you wrote?

You fell in love with the sound of a P, so you are going to buy a Jazz.

 

Lots of BC Rich offerings w/ precision style pickups.

 

I would suggest the Aerodyne as well. You can definitely get a P-bass sound out of it.

 

As has been, and will be, beaten to death... Fender P and J sound very different.

That said... I'm grateful you were not scoping the SD CL adds for MIA Jazz basses last weekend. Scored a smoking deal on an amazing bass. The Fender Precision lyte that has held a #1 quiver position 30+ years just dropped to #2.

 

I don’t think it has to do with Fender being higher quality. It’s the P vs J sound thing. There are basses with p pickups in jazz bodies as mentioned above!

 

Get the Aerodyne if you must have a Fender. It has the sexy jazz bass look, but a P sound.

A jazz will sound like a jazz, which regardless of brand or quality, will not sound like a P bass.

 

Hard to tell if they are still being made, but if I was getting a J Bass for heavy music I would get a Jericho Alpha.
Jericho Guitars | ALPHA

 

Um... get a bass with split P pickups in it that you like the looks of.

 

Something I didnt see mentioned (maybe I missed it) is to get a Jazz bass you like the feel of, then install a good P pickup. They make Jazz bass pickguards for P pickups.
It would be quite easy since the pickguard will cover any sloppy routing.

Not handy? A luthier could do it for you. Or even a friend/family member with any sort of woodworking skills.

I personally dont care for the Aerodyne. But to each his own.

 

Mark Hoppus Bass

 

If you're sold on a jazz find one that feels and looks the way you want and slap some Fender Vintage 74's in it.

They are what came in my 50th Anniversary Jazz and can seriously grind when you dig in. Especially with round wounds.

 

Get a used Spector Euro and call it a day!

 

Getting a bass that looks different but has the P pickup (in the P spot) seems like the obvious solution. Going for a J seems like a strange approach to your initial problem, to say the least.

 

Pro