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Fender American Ultra II series is here
- Thread starter JenderBazzFass
- Start date
Why don't we bass players get the cool finishes?? I'd totally dig a Jazz like that!
I tried a 5 string yesterday in ultra burst and it was really REALLY good!
Bit of context: I play a 4 string p bass with la bella flats, i play a lot of 16 note patterns so i play right at the bridge. So, I'm in the market for a jazz bass, for that bridge pick up! And I've been learning some Sharay Reed lines and other gospel songs and when playing things an octave higher, you really notice how the lower notes I cant play add to the song! Its not just low notes for coolness, it can really add impact.
I tried tried an f bass bn5, an mtd, a ken smith and although awesome, I couldn't get my groove on with them and the B string confused the hell out of me. Maybe the fender worked for me because I'm used to the string spacing and the £10,000 price tag wasn't staring at me!
Liked:
1. The body: The neck, the balance, the colour
2. The sound: soooooo many sounds! That bridge pickup with boosted mids is just *chefs kiss*
3. The b string: felt great! Sounded great! With my right hand technique it didn't flap around and the attack was TIGHT! It worked for me.
4. Playability: playing 4 strings for 20 years the extra string wasn't off putting. I REALLY like the string spacing!
In the middle about (really for me personally):
1. I'm used to 1 tone control, so all those knobs will take some time for me to play with and get used too!
Didn't like:
1. Couldn't buy it!
2. It's making me consider selling my Rickenbacker in order to finance it, but I want to pass that down to my son, but what if he doesn't want to play bass?
3. Makes me consider finance options
I haven't bought a new bass (from a shop) in 10 years, and even then I trusted the shops i was buying from so I never needed to check the neck. Now I live in Japan and there's a bit of a language barrier. When I look down the neck, what am I looking for? I want to make sure I get this buy right!
Bit of context: I play a 4 string p bass with la bella flats, i play a lot of 16 note patterns so i play right at the bridge. So, I'm in the market for a jazz bass, for that bridge pick up! And I've been learning some Sharay Reed lines and other gospel songs and when playing things an octave higher, you really notice how the lower notes I cant play add to the song! Its not just low notes for coolness, it can really add impact.
I tried tried an f bass bn5, an mtd, a ken smith and although awesome, I couldn't get my groove on with them and the B string confused the hell out of me. Maybe the fender worked for me because I'm used to the string spacing and the £10,000 price tag wasn't staring at me!
Liked:
1. The body: The neck, the balance, the colour
2. The sound: soooooo many sounds! That bridge pickup with boosted mids is just *chefs kiss*
3. The b string: felt great! Sounded great! With my right hand technique it didn't flap around and the attack was TIGHT! It worked for me.
4. Playability: playing 4 strings for 20 years the extra string wasn't off putting. I REALLY like the string spacing!
In the middle about (really for me personally):
1. I'm used to 1 tone control, so all those knobs will take some time for me to play with and get used too!
Didn't like:
1. Couldn't buy it!
2. It's making me consider selling my Rickenbacker in order to finance it, but I want to pass that down to my son, but what if he doesn't want to play bass?
3. Makes me consider finance options
I haven't bought a new bass (from a shop) in 10 years, and even then I trusted the shops i was buying from so I never needed to check the neck. Now I live in Japan and there's a bit of a language barrier. When I look down the neck, what am I looking for? I want to make sure I get this buy right!
I may be wrong but this first round of Ultra II basses are characterised by a very uninteresting choice of finish colours from Fender .. I’m puzzled .. my Ultra P in mocha burst is a gem in comparison ..
Prediction: "Ultra Luxe II" basses with block inlays, rosewood fingerboards, more color choices, maybe even ash bodies and/or nitro finishes.
Not a good photo. Have you seen one in person? All the Ultras have had fancy metallic flake or pearl finishes other than the sunburst and I believe the II series are the same
I have a white Jazz V which is a really impressive pearl finish in person, and previously had a blue Jazz that was a Shelby Cobra like metallic blue. Both really nice and eye catching.
You're right! The colours are gorgeous. I'm not a white bass guy and that avalanche colour looks gross on the web site to me, but in person it's actually really nice. The stand out for me is the blue with black pickguard. There's something about that anodised black! Even though I'm definitely not a blue bass guy, i wish it came in a 5 string! I am a sunburst guy though! And that gold anodised pickguard, omg, and the p-bass style knobs . . . Hold me back! "It shall be mine"
The store i went to had the ultra 1s next to the ultra 2s. Imo the ultra 1s block inlays looked tacky and the bass overall looked cheap, atleast next to the clean ultra 2. The ultra 2s just look classy! Clean cut, solid colours, less is more approach.
It would be fun to see fender push the boat out the and do some truly wacky colours though. Maybe these ultra 2s should be cheaper with the solid colours and dot inlays, then have a 'fun' ultra that is this price but has the block inlays and some wild colours!
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I bought an Ultra 1, the Jazz Bass V, after the info about the Ultra 2 leaked. I love the white pearl finish on the Ultra 1 which is super cool in person, but I also wanted the black pearl block inlays which look awesome on the maple neck. I’m sure the Ultra IIs are great but I was disappointed that they went back to dots on the Jazz personally.You're right! The colours are gorgeous. I'm not a white bass guy and that avalanche colour looks gross on the web site to me, but in person it's actually really nice. The stand out for me is the blue with black pickguard. There's something about that anodised black! Even though I'm definitely not a blue bass guy, i wish it came in a 5 string! I am a sunburst guy though! And that gold anodised pickguard, omg, and the p-bass style knobs . . . Hold me back! "It shall be mine"
The store i went to had the ultra 1s next to the ultra 2s. Imo the ultra 1s block inlays looked tacky and the bass overall looked cheap, atleast next to the clean ultra 2. The ultra 2s just look classy! Clean cut, solid colours, less is more approach.
It would be fun to see fender push the boat out the and do some truly wacky colours though. Maybe these ultra 2s should be cheaper with the solid colours and dot inlays, then have a 'fun' ultra that is this price but has the block inlays and some wild colours!
Not the only factor, but one thing that made me scoop up an Ultra 1 while they were still available.
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What is the Texas Tea finish like in person? It looks really cool. I really like it in combination with that silver pickguard, too. Does it really have that sparkle?
From a distance with dull lighting, it looks blackish/brown. In the light, it really comes to life and jumps between gold, green, brown, and black with lots of sparkles and pop. Everyone who sees mine loves it.
I’ll see if I can capture some this weekend. Today is a mad scramble between work and personal appointments to get to.
I have the Ultra J in Texas Tea. I can't prove it, but I swear the new Ultra II in Texas Tea are a lighter shade. The brown shows much easier. Mine looks almost black until the sun or bright lights hits right on it. I love the color. It does sparkle. It is a metallic finish. It is like they took a black or extremely dark brown finish and put gold sparkles in it which causes it to have the brown color when light hits it.
Gold sparkles in black > Black gold, Texas Tea! Would be Jed Clampett's favorite color.
Went to GC yesterday intent on selling a bass, they had an avalanche Jazz Ultra II 5 on the wall that I ended up trading in for at a decent discount.
As a long time Fender player who's owned many Jazz V models from as far back as the 90s (Deluxe through current series), here's my quick take compared against past interations:
Ultra II Pros:
The preamp is noticeably "better", more natural sounding and little to no volume difference between active and passive. The S1 switch is a better option than a tiny switch for active passive mode. This is the first active fender model I've played where the pickups don't rely on the preamp to sound good. The mid frequency switch is a nice touch and very usable.
The pickups sound great in passive mode and don't depend on the preamp being active to sound right. I found with the Deluxe/Elite/Ultra I that the pickups seemed to be tuned for the preamp and lacked punch and high end when run passive.
The quarter sawn neck is definitely more stable so far, and seems more resonant (on this particular bass). The neck profile and fingerboard feel amazing, I can't expound on the difference between the past models as its been a couple of years since I've played an Ultra I or Elite. I liked those necks as well. The luminlay side dots are a nice touch and remind me of a Suhr or high end "fusion guitar" style side dot.
The white/blue avalanche finish and silver pick guard really pop in person. Well done.
Overall, the bass sounds amazing plugged in, is very resonant unplugged and sets up nicely with very low action (1-1.2mm at the 12th fret)
Ultra II Cons:
The truss rod adjustment is a downgrade from past models. It works fine, but I don't understand why they didn't at least keep the larger T handle nut at the headstock instead of the smaller allen key it has now (or the wheel at the base of the neck).
I liked the block inlays, but the dots are fine as well. I'd say it's evened out, the side dots are really nice if you consider them as a trade for the blocks. Would be nice to see them bring back the MOP dots from the 90s. This particular finish would have benefited from some nice dark blocks. I'm indifferent about the headstock logo color, but a darker font might have worked better against the white and silver.
The bass is heavy. Weight doesn't bother me, but this one is easily around 10 lbs. Wonderfully resonant and responsive, but if you want even a 4 string II at 9 lbs you'll have to search.
The Ultra II is a definite upgrade and IMO the best iteration so far from the last decade, but if I had an Elite or Ultra I I wouldn't be in a hurry to switch over.
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