How the h*** does one choose a J Bass?!

[WoodyG3]

I understand wanting a particular look, like the block inlays. It might take longer and you may have to have more patience to get a bass with a particular look along with all the other features you want.

An active bass can be a little more versatile, and that happens to be my general preference, but remember that you can always add a stomp box style preamp to your signal chain.

There are more Fender Jazz basses out there than any other, but if you see a used Jazz style bass from Bacchus, Lakland, Carvin, Ibanez, Yamaha, G&L, or a bunch more that my sleepy mind can't think of right now, give them a play and see what you think.

Ultimately, it's all going to come down to what feels best to you. All we can do is give some general suggestions.

 

[Engine207]

Then there is this. Let me know if you'd like me to check this out for you;

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[williamk]

Then there is this. Let me know if you'd like me to check this out for you;

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that's awesome! a red jaguar for 500$

unfortunately the guy says locals only and he's in Phoenix (I'm in Montreal!!)

 

[chump stain]

Jags look cool, I'm not a fan of the electroinics. If you read some of the threads around here, you see a lot of people, sheilding their Jags, or trying to mess with the electronics to make 'em sound good. I knew a guy at my church who played one, and to me, it just never sounded very good.

I used to love active basses too, and before taking the Geddy home, I was looking at preamps that drop right in under the control plate. After playing it, I wouldn't change a thing. I'm now a huge fan of passive basses. Passive gives you a growl, and a texture that gets covered up, or smoothed out too much through a preamp. I use the Sansamp RBI rackmount as a preamp, and I'm in tone heaven.

I suggest getting a passive Jazz bass (that's the classic Jazz Bass sound). Play it for a while, you could always make it active later.

 

[williamk]

Yup...this is the other obvious choice. The big difference here, compared to the 70's Classic, is in the neck. Geddys are much thinner and are only available with maple fretboards and black binding/blocks.

Again, this will come down to your individual comfort and style preferences.

you see, this is why I find choosing a jazz bass so hard; geddy's bass was a fender jazz bass from the '70s, yet it is different and has a thinner neck than a classic series '70s jazz bass. Why?? So many options and differences for no apparent reason!

 

[Engine207]

you see, this is why I find choosing a jazz bass so hard; geddy's bass was a fender jazz bass from the '70s, yet it is different and has a thinner neck than a classic series '70s jazz bass. Why?? So many options and differences for no apparent reason!

The 70's Classic is not a true re-issue bass. It's kinda like the new 50th Anniversary Jazz - a hodgepodge of all the favorite features from that era, rather than a replica of a specific bass.

I'm not sure why the 70's Classic has such a chunky, almost Precision-like neck, but that's why it's my #1 player. By the same token, the Geddy bass prolly has a thinner neck than the average early 70's Jazz. It's spec'd like Geddy's Kalamazoo pawn shop find, so it's like a communion wafer.

 

[chump stain]

All the different Jazz Basses have a story as to why they are like they are. I'm sure there's a Jazz out there for you. I would play as many as you can get your hands on. Especially plugged in. After I bought my Geddy I found a MIM in LPB (beautiful color) with a maple fretboard. It played, looked and sounded great. And was only about $600 If I hadn't just bought the Geddy, I would have taken that bass home.

Play the Jag too. It might be for you. I think there's a reason those couldn't sell, or were always on close out. Maybe they'll be a collectors item later. But a classic Jazz is tough to beat.

I would follow your ears, listen to some of the greats that play a Jazz, and see what kind of bass they're using. Use that info as a springboard to find your bass.

 

[dave_bass5]

My vote also goes to a Squier Classic Vibe Jazz if money is tight. So far its the nicest playing bass ive owned (ive also had Lakalnds and MIA Fenders).
Saying that, ive got a Black 70s' MIM Classic on its way here tomorrow so i might change my mind.
I really do like blocked necks and wish i had known about this bass a year or so ago (and the Classic Squier range as well).

Talking of which (sorry to go a bit OT) Can any owners that have changed the pick guard point me in the right direction as to what model i would need to order? I want a black one and know where to get it, i just dont know what to order as the 70's classic isnt listed.

Thanks.

 

[Joronamo]

What does MIM stand for?

 

[dave_bass5]

What does MIM stand for?

The three main abbreviations used with Fender gear to indicate where they were made are:
Made In Mexico.
Made In America
Crafted In Japan (i think the older version of this was Made In Japan)

 

[Josh Pelican]

Agreed. I "audition" every bass unplugged. If it resonates and has good, even response, I can tweek from there.

+1.

I've only owned five basses, but only one or two of them were plugged in before I bought them.

Like a lot of people said, play a few of them in a local store and find one that's comfortable to you, whether it's a used $300 jazz, or a brand new $2,000+ jazz. Hell, you might like how a cheaper Mexican/Japanese model plays. If you don't like how it sounds plugged in, throwing a preamp or new pickups in there won't hurt... plus if you ever sell it, you'll get more than what you paid for it.

 

[Jarrett]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Carvin SB4000/SB5000/B40/B50 basses so far. Carvin is putting out the best J type basses in that price range, imo. Here are the ones they have in stock right now:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=601127&highlight=
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=601127&highlight=
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Or you can wait the two months and have one built to your specs by them. That's what I did. They offer a 10-day trial on any bass they have, custom built or in-stock. I went through a period of checking out every J type bass I could find around me. All the Fenders and various other replicas. I played basses ranging from $300 to $3000 and ended up with an SB5000 at cost me $1093 to have built custom for me. It's my #1 bass now. Check out this thread for more info:

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I'd suggest going with the passive/active electronics they offer and definitely get the new J99A pickups they are offering. They are single coils, so if you like to solo one pickup or another, you might want to do their humbucking version of that same pickup called the H50A. I personally run the pickups near full most of the time and have zero hum issues. Carvin and most owners seem to suggest getting the Volume/Volume/Tone/Stacked Bass/Treble configuration to get the most J bass tone from it. The bass sounds great in both active and passive modes and gives different tones in each. It's also the only $800 all US made J bass I know of. It's the most versatile, best sounding, made in the US, J type bass I could find when I looked. Here are some clips from mine:

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[Joronamo]

The three main abbreviations used with Fender gear to indicate where they were made are:
Made In Mexico.
Made In America
Crafted In Japan (i think the older version of this was Made In Japan)

Thanks mate. New to the forum so need to catch up on the lingo.

 

[chump stain]

I just got a Carvin mailing, and was drooling over those. My guitarist has like 5 Carvins or more. Totally customizable, US Made, they stand behind their product as well. For me the jury is still out on the styling. But that's subjective.

 

[dave_bass5]

Thanks mate. New to the forum so need to catch up on the lingo.

No problem.
Im in the UK and still dont understand some of the terms used here.

 

[MichaelSmalley]

Don't choose one. Build one! You can do what I did and get a model that you dig (in my case a Fender AmDlx FMT Jazz V) and swap in a active/passive 3-band preamp or go custom.

Wait a second... Fender AmDlx (American Deluxe) FMT (What does that mean?) Jazz [bass] V(string).

I'm played fender jazzes for years, and my current bass is an '08 'AmDlx'... how do I know if it's 'FMT' or what that even means?

And to the OP, I've gigged on both Mexican and American Fender Jazz basses, and while both are generally good basses, for me I pay a lot of attention to the grain of the wood in the neck. You want nice tight grain that runs fairly straight. Others have mentioned it, but pickups can be replaced. Active electronics can be added without too much fuss, but bad wood is bad wood. Tighter grained wood will hold up much better o'er the years.

 

[Batmensch]

FMT = Flamed Maple Top

 

[Staccato]

...As for the spacing:
3.6 " spacing between pickups
1960 - early 1970's
1980 - present on vintage reissue series
1988 - present on US Standard and Deluxe series

4.0" spacing between pickups (thus moving bridge pickup closer to the bridge assembly)
Early 1970's - 1984
Also on current 1975 Reissue series

The reason there is a discrepancy between 1984 and 1988 is that Fender regularly used both spacings on their basses during this period - and also used strange combinations of necks from old stock also...

^ More Choices! Spacing between different Fender Jazz Bass pickups!

BTW, current Fender Standard (MIM) have 3.6" like the Fender American Standard Jazz Bass.