Angel Crusher, it sounds like you know what you like in a bass. I get the feeling you like the Fender Jazz Deluxe V. I don't blame you either. I think a lot of folks have just made up their minds that a Fender can't be good enough no matter what.
LOL..yeah. I have used Fender Jazzes on so many sessions for so many years that I lost count really. I didnt look at basses for years until I realized I needed an active 5 string for certain genres. Honestly thought that the more boutique brands were the specialists of this type of bass, and in many ways they are. But nothing sounds like a Fender in the studio. I really thought Lakland was close, but after doing a few sessions and then recutting with a RW Jazz, it was night and day. The Lakland did a very good job, but it was not that buttery perfect tone that allows every note to be clear in the mix without any off frequencies sticking out. I emailed another session guy who has a rather impressive collection of J-style basses including Lakland and Lull, and he said the roadworn was his go to recording bass as well.
So before I demoed all the 5 strings, I spent 2 hours with my roadworn, just to get that tone in my head for the day and the feel under my hands before I went to the store.
With all that's been said, you owe it to yourself to try a Carvin SB5000 before you buy. Made in America, 18v active Jazz bass, starts at $999, customizable out the yin-yang. The first time I played one I was blown away. Saved all my extra scratch until I had one of my own.
The only difficult part is tracking one down. They only sell direct, so you can't find them at your local big box. Do a search for both the Carvin club and the SB 5000 appreciation thread, and see if you can't find one near you to play. I promise, you won't be disappointed.
I was really interested in this one, since I'd save around $500. A few things that I didn't dig. The Carvin sounds less warm when I listen to it. I am talking fingerstyle here. Slap wise, the SB5000 has a sick tone. Honestly, if I did not do so many sessions, I would not be so picky. But after doing 100s of sessions, you literally hear every little nuance. If I was not doing sessions or hired gun gigs, I would probably save the $500 and get the Carvin. I know guys are using the Carvin on some sessions, but I heard some pretty high quality files of the different fingerstyle tone, and it did not have the size and buttery warmth of the fender. I wish I could describe it better, but the Carvin has a more sterile sound to it. The Fender Deluxe is also very modern sounding, but it retains its warmth better.
I also prefer the 3 band EQ. If you get it on the Carvin, you have to give up another option or wait around 10 weeks for a super custom bass to be built. I didn't really want to wait that long. Honestly, if you are just gigging live and are really into slap and gospel style..the Carvin is more than ideal and you will save half a grand. The other red flag is a lot of guys are posting that they prefer the bass in passive mode. To me that is never a good sign for what I want, because that means the active mode is too hot or hyped up. I went through that with the lakland 5502. When I buy an active bass, I buy it to use the active tone 90% of the time. The passive option is there in case of emergency to me. I think it is key to make a decision on if you want active or passive as I have never heard an active bass in passive mode that sounds better than a passive bass.
Superficially the Fender maple/natural is like a sports car. Just a beautiful bass. That is always nice as well. The carvin looks pretty cool, but the horn was bugging me.
The new Fender American Deluxe's are a lot different than the model from a few years ago(different neck, completely different electronics, different body shape). Hard to compare. The older model was decent, the new one is terrific. I'd say they are right on par with Sadowsky Metro quality wise. Tone is subjective. Frankly I like both, but could go either way if I was in the market for an active Jazz!
I agree since I also played a 2009 Fender. I believe the 2009 neck had the modern C and the 2013 I played has the assymetrical C. Both are awesome, but the newer neck is incredible. It is the first bound neck I played that didn't really bother me. The binding on the Sadowsky does not look as sharp or really do anything for me.
After spending more time with both, I agree the Fender is easily on par with the Metro, and in all honesty for me, it surpasses it (my wallet thanks me as well, as I was very serious about buying the Metro if it really was a better bass). I know some players like to track with the Sadowsky, but to me most of the frequency boost is unusable. Basically you dont (or really can not) boost much treble or bass at all unless you want to sound like the jerk bass player who is in a bass trap in the room in the corner using a 15 and boosting 40hz, or the guy who relies on his tweeter to cut through a live mix. It is that tone if you dont watch out. The Fender Jazz is a lot more conservative on it's frequency boosts , and those frequencies work a lot better to my ears. I still like the Sadowsky, but it is one of those basses I'd have to buy and spend time with to see if I could make it work for what I like to do. The Fender gives me what I want out of the gate.
For fingerstyle bass in an active 5, I think the OP should demo a Peavey Cirrus (incredibly great bass, I prefer it's finger tone over lakland and sadowsky) and a fender active jazz. The mid control boosted a bit with both pickups on full is a game changer in itself.
If you like slapping as well, then you are covered with any of the basses I mentioned. But the Fender has the best tone to me. When you slap an E on the A string and pull the octave, that is an example of what I mean. No other bass has the perfect rich tone without getting harsh. The closest I heard was the Carvin, but it still sounds harsher.
