FENDER FEEL...FENDER VS. MUSIC MAN

It is probably not comfortable simply because you are used to something else. If you bought the jazz you would get used to it eventually. Maybe go to the store and play on it for a couple of hours and see if you still don't like it. Might not be for you.

 

The feel you will get used to it, unless its just plain painful.

 

I agree - it's what you get used to playing. I was used to playing guitars with thin necks and ended up getting a Gibson Les Paul for my 50th BD this year. Wow - what a dif! But what's funny is now I just love the sound of it and love the way it plays.

 

a stingray neck is disigned more like a pbass. If you like the jazz u might want to try the sterling.

 

A bass in a store rarely feels good to me. After I can get it home, put the strings I want on it and set it up the way I want, it feels like a completely different bass. Buy from someone who has a long enough trial period, get the bass the way you want it and play it for awhile. Only then, IMO, will you really know if it's for you or not.

 

I happen to own a Stingray and an American Standard Jazz. your right about diference in feel. But we're really talking oppisite ends of the spectrum here. I too would love the sounds of the jazz with the feel of the Ray but I'm not sure thats possible. If I had to choose one it would definately be the the Ray , while true its not as versitile tone wise the feel of the Ray neck is damn near perfect for me (its like butta)

 

My advice is this: get whatever sounds better and seems to be constructed better. You'll get used to the feel of a Fender neck after you play one for a couple of hours. I used to go to Guitar Center and play nothing but Stingrays and I swore I would never play another Fender in my life, but then I sat down with one. I started playing, and the neck felt waxy and weird at first, but then I got used to it and it actually started to feel even better than the Stingray neck. I switched back after playing the Fender for a couple hours, and then the Stingray felt weird! The back of the neck felt weird like an unfinished piece of wood that had just been finished with sandpaper! I didnt like it at all!

So in conclusion... It all depends on what you are used to. When you get used to a cheap squier bass, a good bass will feel weird to you. Trust me, Ive been there. Whatever bass you buy, you'll get used to the feel. Just get what sounds better and you wont mind how the neck is finished because that initial weirdness will only last a couple hours. You'll eventually grow to love the new neck. Besides, Jazz Basses have a thinner nut than stingrays, so when you get used to one, you'll probably be able to play faster on it anyway. Thats my advice!

 

I am not a big fan of the jazz bass neck. too narrow and round.
on the other hand, I love the P-Bass neck. That's half of the reason I bought my Stingray, the neck just feels like an improved version of the P-Bass neck. it's faster and it feels just a bit higher quality (this is where I should mention that my P is a mexican).

I don't know if this is an option for you, but I'd try out a couple of Precisions if I were you. It sounds like you might be after a slightly different tone though...

 

yeah I like P basses too. The J neck is too slim for my hands. Either the Precision or the Stingray will be my next bass, but I will eventually have both of them. I love them both.

 

If it were me,I would have to go with the bass that is most comfortable and easiest to play.I like rays but the neck is too fat for me.



I wonder if I would/could get used to an uncomfortable(to me) bass neck? hmmmm....

 

the difference in the precision and the jazz basically is in the pickup configuration. the jazz has two single coil pickups whereas the P has a split humbucker with pretty high output (my precision actually has higher output than my Stingray - both have stock pickup configurations). The jazz has a snarly, upper-midrangy sound, whereas the precision has a deep low-midrange sound. the Precisions lows aren't as tight and focused as the jazz's are.

if I'm wrong on any of the above, someone please correct me.

if you want thump, a Precision strung with .050 - .105 strings is a strong contender. but an out-of-the-box stingray is an equally strong contender in my book.

I hope this is of some help to you. don't let my advice, or lack of, dissuade you from purchasing the bass YOU think is right though.

 

I would recommend trying the Fender Roscoe Beck signature - this has great sounds - all the Jazz classic sounds and it has the verstaility with its custom pickups to get similar sounds to MMs.

But what I liked about it most was the playability - the neck is much better than most of the Jazz basses I tried - Fenders vary a lot and they're bringing out new models this year - I would look around a bit more.

 

You Also might want to look at a G&L L-2000 which
has the feel of the P-Bass or MM neck and get a few diffrant tones you can't go wrong with any of these