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Fender jazz copy

#2
Depends on what cheap fender jazz bass copies your talking about. Squiers are cheap and actually are low end Fenders. The vintage modified '70s ($299) and classic vibe '60s ($349) get great reviews on here all the time and some claim them being comparable to mexican made fenders. I know my vintage modified has been a great bass for the money so far
 
#3
Yes - a Squier bass is not a copy - it is a lower end model and the new ones are very well made and can be extremely good - perhaps even better than a lot of the older ones.

By the way it is spelled COPIES. At least you didn't spell it copy's.
 
#4
Well if you get your heart set upon a particular J style bass you might be able to obtain through whatever resources you have in your youth, bring it up here at TB. The fine folks here, can let you know if it's a good deal or not. There are lot's of great affordable J style basses these days, that would even please a cranky old, J Bass loving geezer like me.
 
#8
Right, sorry silly me. Any way exactly it's $599 USD and I'm in Australia so i think that means a tad cheaper and it looks like the pic so a fender jazz bass. I'm after all round use.
Thanks.
 

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#9
Judging from the price, I think it is a MIM fender jazz. In my experience with MIM is more a hit and miss thing. Some of them are very well made. Since you said that you are not too serious yet, I suggest that you try the squire jazz bass. I agree with Jmac and Bassamatic on how well the newer squires are made. If you like it then safe some money to get the American Fender Jazz or as you put it as "the fantastic ones" :) Almost any bass can be all around especially the jazz bass. Until you determine what kind of sound you are after and what type of music you play, you will never go wrong with the jazz bass.
All and all those are just my humble opinion. If you have a chance to go to a store and try the bass yourself, it would be the best scenario.
 
#10
find an affordable used Fender in your local area, go try it out, if you like it, buy it. This way (1) you'll know if you like it before you pay and (2) you should be able to resell it for the same or a little less if you later upgrade (assuming you don't abuse it).
 
#11
FrettyBassGirl said:
I wasn't talking squiers, a real fender just the $500ish ones. Some rateings say great things others not and they don't say much.
Click to expand...

A %500ish one will be a MIM (made in Mexico) Fender. Their reputation here is hit or miss among some but I think that is due mostly to the sins of the past. From what I have seen in stores the recently produced MIM Fenders are at least as good as the Squiers in terms of craftsmanship and apparent quality (ultimately quality can only be judged after some years of use) and generally a bit better in feature content. Squiers have their own reputation issues here among some but again I think the recent results with them have been fine. I think you can buy either a MIM or a Squier with confidence that you will get a good instrument. I don't know if the extra price of a MIM brings you any extra value over a Squier but I recently was faced with this decision myself and I bought a MIM Active Deluxe Jazz which I am completely happy with.

Ken
 
#12
FrettyBassGirl said:
On the site 'musicians friend' they have cheap fender jazz copys. I have no idea how the copys are compared to the fantastic ones from around the 60s. I just would love a fender jazz. Also it's slapping sound, I'm not to serious though, just a student in yr7.
Thanks
Click to expand...

I recently bought a Squire CV Jazz Bass used for $100 less than MF lists it for. With the exception of the need to make a neck adjustment the bass is a find for that kind money, even at list price ($349). For a few more days MF is offering an additional 15% off that list price so now is a very good time to buy.

The Squire is not of the caliber of the American Deluxe Jazz I owned but it doesn't sell for $1500 either. If you can buy a Squire CV Jazz for less than $300 shipped I'd order tomorrow. It's a great value for that price. I wouldn't spend $200 more for a MIM Jazz. The quality is no better and I have found it worse at times.

I've played Jazz Basses for years so I'm pretty familiar with them. In that price range the Squier is a bargain. The only drawback is that it's only available in white with a rosewood fret board but that was a very popular color in the 60's which is what this bass is patterned after.

You could spend another $100-$150 to upgrade the pickups and the strings to the level of the American Jazz and you'd still have a bargain on your hands. If you're looking for a great sounding all around bass for less than $500 this is a good one. Hope this helps.
 
#13
Thanks. I'd love to have a used one from the 60s but there so expensive. Maybe when I'm older. But to get one from Australia where I live costs so much more than in the US! I'll continue with my 3 quarter size Danelecto for now and dream...
 

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