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Difference between marcus miller and standard Jazz??

M

Mulligan77

Jun 25, 2008
19
0
#1
What is the difference between the marcus miller jazz and a standard american jazz... I noticed the standard is about $100-$200 dollars more... whats the reason for this? can anyone tell me??

I mean, I want to get one or the other, if the standard american is better than why not fork over an extrra $150...

can sum1 give me some insight?
 
#2
the standard is passive, the marcus is an active bass (onboard preamp). the marcus has a thinner neck profile than the standard, the marcus tends to be a bit more noisy than the standard IMO. the marcus also has a gossy finish on the neck (I think), which the standard does not, among other obvious aesthetic differences.

they are quite different sounding/playing instruments really... if you are going for the real "jazz bass" sound, go for the american standard. the marcus miller is great too but it has a more distinct sound/feel. dont buy one unless you try it first.

also the 2008 MIA standards are TOP notch quality

youll be happy with either, but try them both. seriously, they are very different.
 
#3
It's not really a question of which is "better"--they're just different. The Standard American is built in the US while the Marcus Miller is built in Japan (the 4 string, anyway), which accounts for at least some of the price difference. The MM does not have the Standard's graphite-reinforced neck, but it does have 70's style blocks and binding on the fretboard, as well as some other 70's vintage-style features. The hardware and finish on the America Standard is possibly better, but the MM does have an active preamp while the Standard is passive.

Mike
 
#7
haha I actually like the MM pickgaurd

well, to get a feel for the different sounds I u tubed both of them, but any time i put marcus miller it just has videos of marcus miller, does anyone have a link to the MM being played?

oh nvm i found one
 
#8
I happen to like the pickguard, but different strokes for different folks, right? :D

The pup spacing is like the '75 jazz as well, so you're going to have a slightly different tone no matter what pups you put in.

I can also confirm the weight, my Marcus at least is the heaviest bass I own, even more so than my Warwick.

Oh! It also has those vintage tuners on it, the ones that tune in reverse.

Links:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3MJI6k3AVGc&feature=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CbeHtc2qjZs&feature=related

Invalid Link Removed
 
#9
ty for the links, and yah, for me weight isnt an issue what so ever its worth that awesome sound

and ANOTHER question every1....

my amp is ****, so I beter get a good amp b4 i drop a grand on a bass... im looking to spend around $500 on an amp, will that be sufficient for a MM?
 
#11
Buy the american standard. I had a made in Japan Geddy Lee and I have an american standard. On the GL I didn't like the glossy neck finish ,the tuners or the fake block inlays and the quality of th MIA was far superior to the MIJ. The MIA played and sounded much better as well. I made a mistake buying the GL and sold it because of this. I believe the GL is overated. Just my opinion. The real bass Geddy Lee uses is MIA not MIJ. So if the marcus miller is similar to the geddy lee in features, I would buy the MIA. If possible, always buy American products. Support the USA.
 
#12
BassScum said:
Buy the american standard. I had a made in Japan Geddy Lee and I have an american standard. On the GL I didn't like the glossy neck finish ,the tuners or the fake block inlays and the quality of th MIA was far superior to the MIJ. The MIA played and sounded much better as well. I made a mistake buying the GL and sold it because of this. I believe the GL is overated. Just my opinion. The real bass Geddy Lee uses is MIA not MIJ. So if the marcus miller is similar to the geddy lee in features, I would buy the MIA. If possible, always buy American products. Support the USA.
Click to expand...
The GL and the MM are like night and day IMHO, bro. No comparison at all as far as I'm concerned.
 
#17
Mulligan77 said:
What is the difference between the marcus miller jazz and a standard american jazz... I noticed the standard is about $100-$200 dollars more... whats the reason for this? can anyone tell me??
Click to expand...

The Marcus Miller bass is THE noisiest electric bass I have ever heard in my life. I've played bass since I was 11 - I'm 49 now.

Over the top, stupid, ridiculous amounts of noise. If I was Marcus, I would be absolutely LIVID at Fender putting my name on that thing. Just nuts.

Two of my students have owned them; one has spent a LOT of money trying to tame the problem (over $500.00 on mods) and it's still noisy. The other faces magnetic north as much as possible and puts up with it. And I just talked a new student out of buying one. Fortunately he had rented it and brought it to his first lesson. I showed him how noisey it was, showed him what good electronics sound like in my MTD, and he thankfully took the thing back.

Also, the weight was likewise ridiculous.

My advice, if you must have a Fender, is to get the straight jazz bass. Most amps have eq's these days if you must have Marcus' sound...

:scowl::scowl::scowl::scowl:

Cheers,
Cameron
 

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