Fender Adam Clayton Bass?

[steve_kyle]

Been a U2 fan for a long time, and a fan of Adam Clayton’s playing as well. I love the look of his signature bass

Any of you own or have played one? Is it worth the price, or would a regular American Pro be better?

 

[BGroovy]

I’m not sure what the price difference is. I did play one that a friend owns and it felt solid and well built, I like matching headstocks. Looked great.

Nothing stood out tone or feel wise over any other high quality 60s reissue.

Honestly most of the newer American made Fender pickups have impressed me.

 

[rodl2005]

Tis a sweet looking bass for sure. I've never seen one in the flesh tho

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Been a U2 fan for a long time, and a fan of Adam Clayton’s playing as well. I love the look of his signature bass

View attachment 7158380

Any of you own or have played one? Is it worth the price, or would a regular American Pro be better?

They look even better in person . I enjoyed the one I auditioned. I didn’t buy it at that time because I really wanted to try and find the purple sparkle version and I liked my US Geddy Lee more.

The best 4 string jazz I’ve ever played was a Flea Roadworn .

 

[Gilmourisgod]

You are paying a lot extra for that cool color and name association, otherwise just a nice high end Jazz. If you have the coin, and love the look, go for it. All Fender standard dimension parts, so if there is anything you ever want to swap out or upgrade, it's all drop-in. Love that matching headstock.

 

[Just Wrong]

Basically what @Gilmourisgod said.

I tried it along with an American Professional II and an Ultra II. IIRC, the difference between the AmPro II and the Adam Clayton was the neck profile, the pickups and the lollipop tuners.

Not worth it, IMO. I’d go with the AmPro II and save CA$800 or save an extra CA$300 for the Ultra II.

Edit: I want to add that were it the same price as the AmPro II, I probably would’ve picked the AmPro II. But I also don’t listen to U2.

 

[rmayer]

They look even better in person . I enjoyed the one I auditioned. I didn’t buy it at that time because I really wanted to try and find the purple sparkle version and I liked my US Geddy Lee more.

The best 4 string jazz I’ve ever played was a Flea Roadworn .

Never played an Adam Clayton bass but they look great. I do like lighter weight basses though. As for the Flea, amazing bass for the price, sorry I didn’t pick up an early version. I saw a few under 8 pounds.

 

[Kingofrock43]

I was looking at the Clayton as well, but ended up with an Ultra 1 that was only sold through Chicago Music Exchange. Got it for a nice deal through a TB’er, and reverb prices indicate they’ve dropped since. Not sure of the differences between the 2 models but I love mine.

 

[jimmydean]

I bought the Clayton bass when they first came out and I really enjoyed everything about the bass except the price . I bought it , played it and ended up selling it after six months . It's up to you and your $$$$$$ .

 

[eldorado2001]

I’ve loved mine for 9 years. I also have an American Pro jazz. Lots of similarities. The Clayton neck feels very good. I liked the pickups enough to put a set in my Highway 1 jazz.

 

[steve_kyle]

I be had mostly American Fenders. Had a 60th Anniversary P bass for a long time, the. An American Professional Jazz until this last year. Sold them off, and am playing my Squier PJ at the moment, which is a great bass.

But I’ve waited on guitars before that I really liked, and after they were discontinued, the price skyrocketed. These are going used in the $1500+ range. Can’t get one right this second, but I may get one this year. Not buying it just because of the name on it. Love the painted headstock, the blocks, and Sherwood Green is my favorite Fender color.

 

[Barticus]

Never played an Adam Clayton bass but they look great. I do like lighter weight basses though. As for the Flea, amazing bass for the price, sorry I didn’t pick up an early version. I saw a few under 8 pounds.

The best 4 string jazz I’ve ever played was a Flea Roadworn .

Agree, I’ve gone through a couple more Jazz basses on my quest for the right J for a new project and nothing compares to the feel of my Road Worn and the pickups are so amazingly hot.

I’ve not played one of the Clayton basses, but they look really cool.

 

[Pet Sounds]

I bought a used Clayton from GC years ago but ended up returning it because it was so close in tone to my AVRI, which I still own. Nice basses, though.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

Been a U2 fan for a long time, and a fan of Adam Clayton’s playing as well. I love the look of his signature bass

View attachment 7158380

Any of you own or have played one? Is it worth the price, or would a regular American Pro be better?

Sure - If you want a jazz, and you like the look and features - why not.
I've owned several "artist" series basses - primarily because of the particular feature set. All have been top quality.

No affiliation
TalkBass Classifieds - Adam Clayton

 

[Levitamin]

I played a used one at GC and I was seriously considering it. It’s a beautiful bass, but I thought it got harder to play as I went up the neck. It gets chunkier as you go. I’m also a sucker for matching head caps so I bought a Fender Japan Hybrid II Jazz FSR from a broker on eBay. It was $1000 less with shipping and customs than the Adam Clayton new, and I think it’s comparable or better. I do wish it had those block inlays though

 

[bassfran]

How many signature instruments has that guy had by now? I mean, I sorta' liked that sparkly one...

 

[Killing Floor]

Big fan of that AHPT. Great bass. Do it. Now.

 

[Gervais Cote]

If I was shopping for that specific bass, I would do a side by side sound test against a Fender American Performer jazz bass at first.

You could be surprised……………

 

[B-Mac]

Been a U2 fan for a long time, and a fan of Adam Clayton’s playing as well. I love the look of his signature bass

View attachment 7158380

Any of you own or have played one? Is it worth the price, or would a regular American Pro be better?

Cool!

48 pages of AC Bass here Adam Clayton Bass Club Lots of info!

 

[lowendrv]

Only Jazz bass I own. Great build on my 2017. Then it came with what Fender called at the time Custom Shop 60's pick up. Does everything a J bass is supposed to do. It's my Avatar. Not exactly a U2 fan. But mine is a killer J bass.