Fender American Special Jazz Bass

[charger_289]

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forgive my noobiness if this is not new news but what do people know about this bass?

i was surfing the fender website and came across this bass i have never heard of before that doesnt appear to be for sale yet. its listed under the "American Special" series which has but one bass in it so far.

it doesnt appear to be anything real special (no pun intended) since it is priced similarly to a highway one with similar features (greasebucket tone) but i thought i would ask

 

[Rocky McD]

It's new to me and I don't see any need for it except the price. A Highway one with a glossy finish ????????

 

[DTF]

interesting maybe they are replacements for the hwy 1?

 

[BassBob1]

fender had had an american special series of guitars for about a year. certainly seems to fit the bill for a replacement of the highway 1.

 

[xjeremiahx]

Fender currently is running an American Special series with Strats & Teles, and they're awesome. Would only make sense to give us bassists the same

 

[DTF]

well I hope theyre still making the hwy ones I have 2 on backorder

 

[strost]

The "Specials" offer a maple fretboard which is nice! Why no more Badass though?

 

[bassist4dalord]

interesting maybe they are replacements for the hwy 1?

+1. Greasebucket Tone Control, special colors, etc. That, and I heard some rumors that Fender is getting rid of the Hwy. 1 line.

 

[charger_289]

they just added the american special precision bass to the series

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it wasnt there yesterday so im kind of intrigued by these

 

[DTF]

seems like a hwy 1 minus the badass, minus the nitro , and plus a maple neck option

 

[richardzbaraski]

they just added the american special precision bass to the series

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it wasnt there yesterday so im kind of intrigued by these

wouldn't mind one of the precision of it had the highway one/proper 70's logo .. not the slightly smaller one on the photo's.

 

[BassesForTheWin]

the Oly White Precision Bass model reminds me of Paul Simonon's main bass for touring

 

[TRob1293]

New Slim Profile Neck.
Does that mean no graphite rods?
Is that the same as the Geddy profile?

I was psyched to say the least, but what I really really want?
- a Hwy One with a maple american (graphite rods) neck

This is close, but may be no cigar for me.

 

[Richie_med]

The newest jazz is amazing. my band has just been lent one from a close friend and it plays like a dream. plays much easyer than the P-bass but but lacks the punch. its got a soft rounded sound to it making it perfect for recording.

richie

 

[DWBass]

I'm wondering what is American about it other than the tone circuit. Neck no longer seems to have the graphite rods. Dunno about the hardware. If you're gonna buy this, may as well just get the American Standard. Grease bucket is not a selling point for me. Maybe for the rockers!

 

[selowitch]

This one looks nice! The slim neck profile may be desirable, too. Too bad it's pretty much the same boring body finishes and pickguards. C'mon, Fender — where's the Surf Green?

 

[SJan3]

I just talked to Fender and they say the American Special Basses HAVE graphite rods.

So this is really very much like a Highway One minus the nitro(personal preference) and minus Badass bridge( not my fave either). Also, the current MSRP is $1249 P bass and
$1269 Jazz Bass or about $40 retail more than a Highway One.

 

[xjeremiahx]

We have one of these in the CAR in my store - just got it today. I really dig it. I wasn't all about the Jazz bass...it just didn't feel great to me, sounded pretty good, but it just felt a little 'meh' to me. Played the P bass quite a bit today and it felt great. Real clear & great low end. Favorite P bass I've played so far.
$949 for it with a bag.

 

[benjammin420]

edit

 

[SteveC]

New Slim Profile Neck.
Is that the same as the Geddy profile?

Spent a while with a few basses at the store today. This was one of them. The neck is slimmer front to back than an American Standard. I like it much better. I have been trying a Geddy at home. I find that neck too thin. This was a nice middle ground between Geddy and Standard.

I just talked to Fender and they say the American Special Basses HAVE graphite rods.

Good to know. The neck felt slim, fast and stable. Very playable and not too bright to my ear, which is what I usually think of maple boards. Very comfy.

I've also played a Highway One P bass a lot lately, and that is a sweet bass. Rosewood board and great feeling P neck - which I usually don't like.

If I were buying basses today, I'd get the Special Jazz and the Hwy 1 P - if I had $1,700 - so all my basses would be covered. If I can only have one - it'd be the jazz. I may go back tomorrow. I want/need to move to a smaller neck as my hands are starting to show signs of tendonitis/arthritis/whatever. Sucks to get old