• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Do I or Don't I?

Joesmintballs

Joesmintballs

Oct 16, 2018
33
37
#1
Hi everybody, I need some advice about a purchase I'm thinking of making.
My local music store has a Fender AM PRO ii jazz bass, mercury finish (the silver to black one) and while I've fallen in love with the looks, I keep seeing/reading mixed reviews about the QC and pricing of the instrument. (It's £1299 used).

If anyone could give me an honest appraisal, I would be very grateful.

Thanks in advance, Joesmintballs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dbsfgyd1 and pholli00
#4
Have you played it (given that it's in your local music store)? Did you like what it 'fed you back', feel 'n' sound wise? Is it in good shape and can your local stora back it up, service wise? Can you afford it?

If your answer to all (and probably more) of the above is 'yes', then don't let the horror stories keep you from something potentially very nice.

I bought a near-mint American Professional (I-series) P-bass, which I still consider to be a kind of a reference instrument... No regrets there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SuperTheBass, FullumMusic and SJan3
#5
I bought a brand new 2021 Am Pro II Jazz V back in December 2021. It has been a superb instrument and has never given me any issues at all. The only change I made to it was to install Dunlop strap locks, which I put onto almost every instrument I own (the only exception being the two Rics that got Schallers).
 
#6
I bought a brand new AmPro ll jazz in Dark Night blue with maple board last year and sold it again. Regretted it ever since. Loved the quality. Mind you I did get to play it in store first so knew what I was getting.
 
#7
I have both the Am Pro II 4 and 5 string. Build quality and sound on both are amazing. The most important thing for me is the neck and I found both exceptional. Much better (for me) than the Pro I, Player Plus and even Ultra.

Great, solid passive jazz basses. No modifications needed. Interestingly, the 4 and 5 sound quite different. The 4 is brighter and more aggressive while the 5 is fuller. I’m sure there could be many reasons why. In any case, I really like them both.
 
#8
If I were you, I would find a MIM Fender Player jazz to try also.

I have a Player fretless jazz and it is a great bass---I think it was $750 new.... Not sure if there is huge, huge differences, except for the price.

For reference, I have an American Pro II P bass, and my jazz sounds just as great as my P.
 
Last edited:
#9
Since you have the opportunity to hold the bass in your sweaty little paws - something that I, being a lefty, almost never get to do? Just play it, to see how it sounds and feels; and, simply inspect it as you should do any bass that you've got your hands on. If it passes muster? Buy the thing. If it doesn't? Don't worry; you're a righty - there will be another one along shortly... ;)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: FullumMusic and stevensivak
#10
I have an am pro II p bass and it’s mechanically perfect. Needed some shielding and grounding but that’s pretty easy. I could have lived with the stock pickups but again easy to swap ( for me anyway)

Go see it in person, play it, check the neck, fret ends and have them set the action how you want it to make sure the truss rod is good. Check for cracks or anything strange. If all that checks out and it plays and sounds good, then it is good.

I’m sure there are duds out there, just make sure this isn’t one of them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FullumMusic and pholli00
#11
Joesmintballs said:
Hi everybody, I need some advice about a purchase I'm thinking of making.
My local music store has a Fender AM PRO ii jazz bass, mercury finish (the silver to black one) and while I've fallen in love with the looks, I keep seeing/reading mixed reviews about the QC and pricing of the instrument. (It's £1299 used).

If anyone could give me an honest appraisal, I would be very grateful.

Thanks in advance, Joesmintballs.
Click to expand...
I'm no expert, but as long as you can feel it and look at it and play it, you should be able to see if most of the QC issues are noticeable. Frets, intonation, tuning machines. You can check to see if the electronics sound good or wonky. Check your seller's refund policy, just in case things go wrong. Everything I've read about the AM Pro II, is that when it's right, it's really, really right.

Other posters here will have better advice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joesmintballs
#14
The QC for that particular bass can easily be checked by going to your local store with the bass, picking up the bass, and examining it.

Ordering delivery means you get what they give you. But if it's right there at your local shop, and you can see it before you buy it, you can do your own QA check.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Five or Six and faulknersj
#17
Joesmintballs said:
Thanks to everyone who responded to my request. As many of you have said, the best bet is a visit to the shop to examine and play the bass.
JMB.
Click to expand...
Definitely check out what you may, or may not, buy.

Relevant/true story; The time...winter, much like now. The place...the Guitar Center near Atlantic City, NJ.

I'd gone quite a distance to buy a bass through Craigslist, only to have the buyer ghost me when I got to the rendezvous area. (Different story, but still...what a 🤬 pratt!) To make the drive a little more "worth it", I decided to check out that nearby Guitar Center for the first time.

After sampling three tiers of Fender/Squier basses...an American Standard, a Mexican-made Standard and a Vintage Modified Squier...I found the Squier to be the best of the three. Meanwhile, the American-made Jazz had a serious bow to the neck and the frets felt like a buzz-saw.

To be clear, this is not a "Squiers are just as good as their Fender counterparts" story, 'cuz that's a whole different bag of angry weasels. In this case, I ended up "playing detective" and it was very illuminating.

For a while, I could not help but wonder why the MIA Fender felt so completely "off". So, I broke the first rule of horror films...I looked up. Wouldn't you know it, but the American Standard's spot on the wall was just a couple of feet from the overhead heating vent. The fretboard was getting cooked by weeks, if not months, of dry heat blowing directly on it. That's why the fretboard had shrunk and the frets were sprouting like spring blossoms.

So, the moral of this story is to take an instrument's environment into account when sampling them. The same can apply if an instrument is within easy reach of everyone who can pass by, noodle upon and/or accidentally knock over said instrument.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joesmintballs and Prodigus Filius
#20
Joesmintballs said:
Hi everybody, I need some advice about a purchase I'm thinking of making.
My local music store has a Fender AM PRO ii jazz bass, mercury finish (the silver to black one) and while I've fallen in love with the looks, I keep seeing/reading mixed reviews about the QC and pricing of the instrument. (It's £1299 used).

If anyone could give me an honest appraisal, I would be very grateful.

Thanks in advance, Joesmintballs.
Click to expand...
I have an AM pro JB and it’s a fine instrument that needed no set up.
image.jpg
I paid about the same last summer.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back