Fender Modern Player - Telecaster vs Jazz bass prices

[Bass V]

I've been interested in both of these for years now and you don't see them come up for sale much, yet when they do the drastic difference in general asking prices are often staggering, sometimes a 1K separation! assuming they are built similarly well and compare equally overall, what on Earth could account for such wild disparity? Tele MPs have gone up while Jazz MPs have gone down in the last year or so, further emphasizing the divide, is the Tele merely riding on a coolness factor the J misses? or are there serious issues between them to keep the Jazz from being as desirable?
Fender Modern Player Telecaster Bass Sunburst
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[Lowbrow]

? I know the Tele is discontinued, but that is A LOT of money for that bass. And while your experience may vary, but I bought and returned mine in quick succession.

 

[Bass V]

? I know the Tele is discontinued, but that is A LOT of money for that bass. And while your experience may vary, but I bought and returned mine in quick succession.

please elucidate on your experience with your Tele, I want to know the negs!
my GAS for these has been greatly tempered with my latest, a foreign Peavey Zodic BXP (burst w/maple board) which gives me what I've been lusting for in a deep thumper ala the EB-1 and fatso Fenders, so I'm not gonna pony up the bux for those unless THE must have crosses my path. ...but I still want that MP Tele!

 

[RadioactiveGuy4]

I currently own a MP Jazz and I played the Tele.

I chose the Jazz because I preferred the neck and the pickups. The Tele didn't play bad but it has a P Neck which is not my taste. What killed it was the Mud buckers. They did not sound good to me.

I'm kind of blown away that they are asking 1200 for that bass but I would not consider Reverb to be a good reference when it comes to researching used bass prices. Either the shop has no idea what its worth and is just pricing it based on other Tele basses on reverb (all of which appear to be vintage or Custom Shop) or they I trying to sucker someone into buying an over price bass because it looks like a Vintage Tele Bass.

Fender Modern Player Telecaster Bass - Butterscotch Blonde

If you scroll to the bottom of that page you see that these sold for 599.99 Brand New. So unless there are 6-7 $100 bill stuffed under the pick guard I would pass. Or buy one of the Vintage Tele basses listed on reverb for about the same price.

 

[Bass V]

I currently own a MP Jazz and I played the Tele.
I chose the Jazz because I preferred the neck and the pickups. The Tele didn't play bad but it has a P Neck which is not my taste. What killed it was the Mud buckers. They did not sound good to me.
I'm kind of blown away that they are asking 1200 for that bass but I would not consider Reverb to be a good reference when it comes to researching used bass prices. Either the shop has no idea what its worth and is just pricing it based on other Tele basses on reverb (all of which appear to be vintage or Custom Shop) or they I trying to sucker someone into buying an over price bass because it looks like a Vintage Tele Bass.
Fender Modern Player Telecaster Bass - Butterscotch Blonde
If you scroll to the bottom of that page you see that these sold for 599.99 Brand New. So unless there are 6-7 $100 bill stuffed under the pick guard I would pass. Or buy one of the Vintage Tele basses listed on reverb for about the same price.

thanx for the input! $500 is my max on the MP Tele and it's gotta be the burst, but your dislike of it's PUs is a bummer cos I've heard the Jazz's dbl. Js are quite good and I guess it's got a Jazzy neck which I can live with. but then I might like what you don't re the Tele's neck and PUs which I believe are quite different builds from mudbuckers and that mud is the sound I want. I'm generally stuck buying without trying and is probably the only way I'll know if it's suitable...
the links were lone examples of what's currently on the net but the gap is what I've been finding lately and I'd doubt these go for anything beyond a nutty $800 and those are always the bursts. you'd think the J would be preferred between the two yet they go for cheap and the Tele get's crazy quotes! I'm still thinking it's cos the burst Tele just has more sex appeal.

 

[RadioactiveGuy4]

How About burst MP Jazz? I had to special order mine back when they first came out because I wanted that burst.

 

[Lowbrow]

Hey sorry for the delay - well it was several years ago and I didn’t own it long, but I remember that my issue was mainly sound and weight. Really can’t be more specific this far removed. Played OK as I remember.

 

[Ghastly]

I have the 2012 MP Jazz and though I've upgraded to American, I just can't part with the MP. I happen to LOVE the sound of the stock pickups. I'm curtently reworking the look of this instrument for fun, but here it is with a fretless neck my wife gave to me.

 

[Bass V]

I have the 2012 MP Jazz and though I've upgraded to American, I just can't part with the MP. I happen to LOVE the sound of the stock pickups. I'm currently reworking the look of this instrument for fun, but here it is with a fretless neck my wife gave to me.
View attachment 3017539

geez Louise, I need a wife who carries a spare maple boarded Fender fretless neck around in her back pocket...!!!
and another ringing endorsement for these J PUs, I almost popped for a pair recently but another bass got in the way.
I hope you post again when you redo the looks, but that's really nice as is.

 

[Bass V]

View attachment 3017439
How About burst MP Jazz? I had to special order mine back when they first came out because I wanted that burst.

YES! I'll be stalking your gigs from now on, don't take your hand off it!
I want a neck 'buckered Tele but boy does that take the prize... I wonder how many like it are out there?
thanx for posting that, at least I got a pic saved to pine over, plenty of sex appeal there and woulda sold big.

 

[rodl2005]

View attachment 3017439

How About burst MP Jazz? I had to special order mine back when they first came out because I wanted that burst.

These are great. I had one a while back that I got for a steal, sold it to a band mate, for what I got it for. I use it on occasion for recording, it sounds and feels great.
Sorry, my one was the passive one, just 2 volts and master tone controls like a regular jazz, but with the humbucking pups, tis a monster!

 

[MoeTown1986]

Woah! $1,200 for a Chinese made Fender?! Someone has lost their mind.

 

[IPA]

I guess when you have the only one on verb you can set the peice...it's not going anywhere...

 

[apolinario87]

AVOID THAT TELE BASS! It's the most useless bass that I've ever tried.

* CONS:
1. Too expensive. C'mon... It's a chinese bass.
2. Cheap hardware.
3. Cheap electronics.
4. Sound from this bass is useless. Better get a Jazz Bass.
---------------
* PROS:
1. Nice looking bass. That's all!

 

[bylar13]

Here is a Fender Blacktop Precision (that came with the same pickups in the MP Jazz) that I put a set of Lollar T-Bird pickup in, a MIM Jazz neck and a custom/upgraded wiring harness in, all for less than the cost of that Tele bass.

 

[Alacajun]

I actually contemplated posting that link to the Tele bass on Reverb just to laugh at it....

 

[scuzzy]

Way too much for the tele and you gotta know what you are getting into with those humbucker. They are loud, aggressive, and dark. They do dominate the Sonic space though. I have a starcaster, and they have those pickups. I am currently wiring it with push pull pots to go series/parallel, to get a more versatile instrument. I have heard great things regarding those in parallel, and I already like them in series. But they don't sound like a jazz or precision pickup at all.

 

[AaronVonRock]

I used to have the MP Tele and it was a beast. Kind of regret selling it now. I paid $500 for mine on eBay in 2013 in pretty much mint condition. No way I'd pay over $600 for it much less $1200.

A little off topic but kind of related, I've always wanted a Schecter Model-T. A few years ago, they sold for $350-$450. Now they are $800-$1000.

 

[Brio]

Had a MP tele as well and it has been one of my favorite necks. I sold the body loaded as there was little to no definition in those pups. Kept the neck and slapped it on a 54 style body with a duncan SCPB-3.

I disagree with the earlier post that these bases are cheap. Mine was assembled well, adjusted well and had decent enough electronics albeit muddy pups. If I were in the market for one again I wouldn’t hesitate to pay $500. $1K is too much.

 

[Bass V]

Way too much for the tele and you gotta know what you are getting into with those humbucker. They are loud, aggressive, and dark. They do dominate the Sonic space though. I have a starcaster, and they have those pickups. I am currently wiring it with push pull pots to go series/parallel, to get a more versatile instrument. I have heard great things regarding those in parallel, and I already like them in series. But they don't sound like a jazz or precision pickup at all.

YES! cool post, bud! all those words are making me want one even more, and thanx for reminding me about the wiring upgrades which I archived but kinda spaced on. funny tho, I got the Peavey Zodiac you nearly helped me with just because of these Teles which I kept missing out on and it really came thru with the big tones but without the murky negatives often associated with the mud style PUs, so now I don't NEED the MP Tele but still WANT one LOL they just look too cool.

Had a MP tele as well and it has been one of my favorite necks.
I disagree with the earlier post that these bases are cheap. Mine was assembled well, adjusted well and had decent enough electronics albeit muddy pups. If I were in the market for one again I wouldn’t hesitate to pay $500. $1K is too much.

yep, my research said these were good and with luck may verge on great, certainly the videos (I know...) of them were very convincing. like always there will be dogs and there will be gems. the fact that they are rarely for sale says something in their favor!

I used to have the MP Tele and it was a beast. Kind of regret selling it now. I paid $500 for mine on eBay in 2013 in pretty much mint condition. No way I'd pay over $600 for it much less $1200.
A little off topic but kind of related, I've always wanted a Schecter Model-T. A few years ago, they sold for $350-$450. Now they are $800-$1000.

$1,200 is crazy talk, but there are nuts with $$$ out there and if I was one of them I'd pay big if I found THE one. I don't have a Schecter yet but I'm a fanboi and got my eyes on a P/J sweetie which may be from the old era, special, and way under priced @ $350! those Ts had me considering them too til I got distracted...

 

[AaronVonRock]

Had a MP tele as well and it has been one of my favorite necks. I sold the body loaded as there was little to no definition in those pups.

Agree 100%. Excellent neck, crappy pick-ups. The pick-ups are why I sold it (but originally why I bought it). I wish I would have thought to keep the neck because it was fantastic. I think all of the necks on the Chinese Fenders are great.

 

[Bass V]

Agree 100%. Excellent neck, crappy pick-ups. The pick-ups are why I sold it (but originally why I bought it). I wish I would have thought to keep the neck because it was fantastic. I think all of the necks on the Chinese Fenders are great.

for me the PUs other than being positioned where I want on a Tele are the least important part as they can be dealt with in a number of ways to become great. plus, over the decades these big block chromies are all different inside, from the Sidewinder / mudbuckers to ?, some are singles, some HBs, some are twin singles, and some are virtual mysteries (at least to me), it's the bass' build and inherent sound qualities that make or break it imo and those seems to be all the MP's strong points. same goes for the MP Jazz except those PUs are respected, it should be the better bass twixt the two in question, yet they can go dirt cheap...

 

[lafolie]

Fender Modern Player Telecaster Bass | Bernardo's Boutique

I have one for sale!