Convince me to buy something cheaper...

[TH63]

You guys KILL me!!! 70's Fenders are garbage 80's Fenders are garbage the 90's stuff isn't vintage enough and who in the HELL can afford a 60's Fender and if you could who in their right mind would gig with it!!!!

Sheesh! Generalize much?

 

[Steady Eddie]

Hello fellow bass players! I've been in the market for a new bass for years and years now. And I have some money saved up to spend on one (my current bass is a Toby Deluxe IV, I like it a lot but the electronics are lousy and I'm ready for something else). I've been going to guitar shops around and my goal has been to find something versatile, unique, and preferably under a grand. I ended up around Indiana and got into Sweetwater and played a bunch of things in their shop and a lot was good. But then I played the Fender Jazz Professional series bass they had there and it just felt perfect. It's the most common bass style in the world but damn I like the Sonic Gray color and the neck is definitely the favorite out of any I played (it's really slim). And nothing I played afterwards felt even comparable....but it's right around $1500. Which I could probably do I've been saving a long time, but it's a lot of money.

Has anyone played this bass and know others with a similar feel and sound but maybe a bit less expensive? I went in there expecting I'd want a Lakland Skyline coming out but the Jazz just felt right. Anyway, you people always have great opinions and I learn a lot on here so I figured I can share my struggle and get some good feedback. Thanks!

The traditional advice given to anyone learning a musical instrument is to buy the best they can afford. Today this no longer applies as even cheap basses are pretty good and the extra cash spent on high end instruments is lost in the law of diminishing returns, i.e. to get a bass that is twice as good you need to spend ten times as much. So buy a cheap bass. Get it professionally set up and spend any left over cash on lessons with a good teacher. What matters is not the bass it is the player that is important.

 

[bassexplorer]

You' ll eventually buy a JB anyway, just like the rest of us.... buy the sucker.

 

[elgranluis]

1500 a Lot of money ? Convince to buy cheaper than that ?

Just try everything in your price range (1500and under ) and you can probably convince yourself lol. Plenty of amazing basses at 1.5k and under

 

[Bass V]

you'll have to pry my gaggle of great $200 basses from my cold dead hands

 

[Mark Ellis]

If my house burned down and I was buying basses again the first thing I would go for would be a G&L Tribute JB2 with D'Addario XL round wounds and the second bass would be G&L SB-2 with flat wounds. In my opinion they are the best Jazz bass and Precision bass Leo Fender ever did. They are also quite reasonable priced on the used market. Just play them and see what you think.

I also would not hesitate to replace my Mesa M9 Carbine, EV quad box and EV single 15" for a gigs amp. For my practice and studio amp the Ampeg PF-20T with an EV single 15" is great.

 

[Mark Ellis]

I'm sure it's hard to do the math but "preferably under a grand" =/= 1500

Today's perfect bass is tomorrow closet bass. It's naive to think otherwise.

I have had my primary bass for 18 years and I am not going to give it up any time soon. Most of a bass player's sound comes from his/her fingers. Once you have a good quality instrument that works for your style of music you should be set for life.

Be sure that new bass is not a substitute for practice!

 

[sigterm]

I have had my primary bass for 18 years and I am not going to give it up any time soon. Most of a bass player's sound comes from his/her fingers. Once you have a good quality instrument that works for your style of music you should be set for life.

Be sure that new bass is not a substitute for practice!

Nice

 

[Jeff Scott]

The traditional advice given to anyone learning a musical instrument is to...

He not learning, as in, he's not a beginner. The OP is looking for an upgrade.