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Fender Jazz Bass?

#23
Venturella said:
Im on a verge of getting a fender 2012 am std jazz bass. I play mostly play rock and metal. (rhcp, opeth, tool to even dream theater and cannibal corpse etc) Are they good for metal? Im putting a lot of thought into this and i cant decide if i should get one. Also, how are those bass like in general? How would you rate them?
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Literally any bass can be used for metal.
 
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#24
MovingPitchers said:
For Dream Theater-like tone, a Jazz isn't the best for that, I think. John Myung uses HH or HS pickup configurations. The last time he used double single coil basses was when he was first starting out as a kid...using a Fender Jazz.

But if you're looking for modern DT tone....a Jazz won't work. I think.
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Considering that he's basically inaudible on most Dream Theater records, I don't think emulating his configuration is necessarily desirable.

Marikk said:
Get a Jazz,
add a series/parallel switch,
Enjoy overwhelming awesomeness and epic sonic victory
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Yes, this is a great mod.
 
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#25
I used my fender jazz modern player for a hardcore/math rock project I did a few years back and that handled it very well, especially when played through an Orange Terror amp. That motherfricker had balllls man.

You don't need EMGs to get good metal sound. My Spector has two EMG's, and I prefer the jazz. But the modern player has twodual Modern Player humbucking Jazz pickups, so I think that helps too!
 
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#26
Tommy Torsion said:
I used my fender jazz modern player for a hardcore/math rock project I did a few years back and that handled it very well, especially when played through an Orange Terror amp. That motherfricker had balllls man.

You don't need EMGs to get good metal sound. My Spector has two EMG's, and I prefer the jazz. But the modern player has twodual Modern Player humbucking Jazz pickups, so I think that helps too!
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I actually really don't like EMGs for metal.

I've played mostly metal, and the basses I've used have been a Rickenbacker 4001 and 4003S, an Epiphone T-bird with a series mod, and a modded Peavey (Rickenbacker pickup in place of the original split coil).
 
#27
For metal I prefer beefy pickups with active electronics ala G&L L2000's. I like the added bottom end that the humbuckers provide over the jazzes single coils, which imo sound a bit thin.
To each their own I suppose, but to my ears a Jazz is not the best bass for metal (hence the name Jazz, though one could argue that Leo never named a bass the Metal bass either).
They are however great basses (I own a USA Deluxe Jazz, AND a highly customized Mexican Jazz Deluxe), I just prefer my G&L's for a heavier sound.
 
#29
Venturella said:
Im on a verge of getting a fender 2012 am std jazz bass. I play mostly play rock and metal. (rhcp, opeth, tool to even dream theater and cannibal corpse etc) Are they good for metal? Im putting a lot of thought into this and i cant decide if i should get one. Also, how are those bass like in general? How would you rate them?
Click to expand...

You must be new here. Just to explain, "what's the best bass for metal" is a question that gets asked so often it's the standard community joke on the forum. The fact is that there is no answer to it. You can play metal on any style of bass you like, and metal bassists do use every style of bass out there. So yes, you can play metal on a jazz bass and yes, the American Standard is a high quality production line. Having said that, every bass is an individual entity, and you're getting it used, so try before you buy to make sure everything's intact and in good condition, the neck hasn't twisted or the wiring gotten loose or whatever.

The jazz bass does have its own character. Its neck is thin rather than chunky. That's not good or bad, that's just its thing, depends on the preference of the player if you like it or not. It has two single-coil pickups, so a little more flexibility in tone than the precision bass with its single split-coil pickup. Generally it has a little more growl than roar in its tone - one metaphor I've heard is that a P bass is pounding with a hammer while a J is slashing with a sword. Up to you what you want for a sound. Of course a lot also depends on the strings you put on it, the amp, any effects you use, etc.
 
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#30
Venturella said:
Im on a verge of getting a fender 2012 am std jazz bass. I play mostly play rock and metal. (rhcp, opeth, tool to even dream theater and cannibal corpse etc) Are they good for metal? Im putting a lot of thought into this and i cant decide if i should get one. Also, how are those bass like in general? How would you rate them?
Click to expand...
Any bass guitar will work, for metal.
 
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#31
mpdd said:
ime a good jazz will have a bite that works great with effects, unfortunately I sold all my jazzes :(
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Related to that:

I'm using a Sadowsky Will Lee 5, which is JJ with singlecoils. IME/IMHO the Southampton 5th Gear pedal works great if you want to "scuff up" the tone without going all the way to distortion-land. (And a hat tip to @AngelCrusher , for turning me on to it, a while ago.)
 
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#32
I say go for it. A jazz bass with a good compressor can conquer most anything. If you don't end up loving the single coils, you can always get one of several pickup replacement options that are split-coil or stacked-coil (my favorite being the Dimarzio Model J pickups), that offer a fatter, hotter sound.
 
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#34
It will work fine! But, with the artists and genres that you mentioned I really, really, really recommend you hunt down a G&L L2000 and try that first. It does a great impression of the tones you described, especially Tool/Justin Chancellor without spending a ton of money.

Plus, the import "Tribute" versions are available pretty inexpensively.
 
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#35
Hard to go wrong with that choice. the Jazz bass design is one of the most played in the world (along with it's sister the P) and there's a reason for that.
That being said, there are other Jazz "inspired" basses that are worth looking into so there are options other than "Fender". I love the American standard, don't get me wrong but there's so many other brands and models out there that offer a different take or feel on that iconic design, may be worth looking into and a visit to a good ol' music shop should answer that.
The bass is incredibly versatile, it does so in it's own voice so to speak, I would keep a Jazz bass in my collection anyday. With that being said, based on your music preference, another bass that may be worth looking into is a Musicman Ray.
 
#37
I play a US Jazz in a blackened death band, it works pretty well.
Blaargh's Jazz Bass

Blaargh's Jazz Bass

I did put active ceramic EMGs in it though, I felt it needed a little extra punch. If you didn't want that extra hassle you could probably get a decent clean sounding overdrive and it would work fine. The main thing for me is that it's just a very comfortable neck and great upper fret access. Apart from that I don't like many metal styled basses, Jazzes with cream pickups look sweet.
 
#39
My main bass for hard rock/metal is a P bass with a .022 cap and DM SR2000 strings. It's like a bass cannon.
My backup for same is a 1985 Ibanez 5 string.

I usually use the Jazz bass in a cover band situation, more chameleon-like in that setting imo, ymmv and all that.
 
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