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hypothetical question

S

shookiedookiema

Mar 27, 2013
66
0
#1
If i were to get the following basses:

Fender MIM deluxe active p/j bass (i'm actually getting it on friday)

Fender 2012 Am. standard j bass

Squier VM Jazz bass

Squier CV jazz bass

Fender Geddy Lee jazz bass

Warwick Streamer rockbass

Fender Am. vintage 1975 jazz bass

Say if i were to get these basses, would it still be worth it to buy a 2012 am. deluxe jazz bass? Would the tone be different from these basses or if in passive mode would it be able to mimic all these other basses? Also How would the sound of this differ from that of a 2010 or earlier am. deluxe jazz bass?
 
#2
IMO you have enough overlap that it would be hard to quantify what unique properties the American Deluxe would accomplish. Having said that, it would be your only active true Jazz bass, and since you seem to be ok with a number of adjacent selections in your collection I'd say have fun with it.

If bass collections were poker hands, you'd be sitting on a straight flush.
 
#3
shookiedookiema said:
If i were to get the following basses:

Fender MIM deluxe active p/j bass (i'm actually getting it on friday)

Fender 2012 Am. standard j bass

Squier VM Jazz bass

Squier CV jazz bass

Fender Geddy Lee jazz bass

Warwick Streamer rockbass

Fender Am. vintage 1975 jazz bass

Say if i were to get these basses, would it still be worth it to buy a 2012 am. deluxe jazz bass? Would the tone be different from these basses or if in passive mode would it be able to mimic all these other basses? Also How would the sound of this differ from that of a 2010 or earlier am. deluxe jazz bass?
Click to expand...
The 2012 Am Std DLX would cover everything except the Warwick (not all sounds, but some) and the Geddy Lee (close but not as edgy because of the bridge differences). Also, you materials and workmanship would be superior to all the others on the list.
 
#4
thanks, because i heard in passive mode the am. deluxe is not the best. Also how does this bass differ sound wise from am. deluxe models of 2010 and before? Would it still be worth it to get this bass just to use in active mode or just using my deluxe active Mexican P/J bass and buying a few other passive basses?
 
#5
shookiedookiema said:
thanks, because i heard in passive mode the am. deluxe is not the best. Also how does this bass differ sound wise from am. deluxe models of 2010 and before? Would it still be worth it to get this bass just to use in active mode or just using my deluxe active Mexican P/J bass and buying a few other passive basses?
Click to expand...
I can confirm that the Am. DLX is only OK in passive and much more useful in the active mode. However, in the active mode it's not all that different from your Mex. P/J. The active circuit gives the neck J P/U close to the same boom as the P P/U in the Mex. I think investing in the Am. Dlx would give you a lot of redundancy... I'd say go for a different style other than Fender P or J configs. and you would get creatively inspired by working with some new tones. MTD has some excellent new models, Stingrays are classic in their own right - or maybe something with Soapbars for a different range of tone and response. Keep me posted!
 
#6
thanks for helping Ian. I've decided unless i try an am.deluxe jazz and like it, i will not get if i have to pay 1800 for something tht only sounds good in active even if it has passive option to. Another question-if i keep the active p/j bass what passive jazz bass options should i get and which ones should i eliminate How would one model compare to the next? And i know i asked this before but what is the tonal/electronic difference between the 2012 american deluxe jazz and pre 2010 deluxe models?
 
#7
Glad to help. Most of the post 2009 Am Dlx J's I've played/heard were among the best to date and all sounded very close. I'm not 100% up on the electronics differences, but I'll be happy to check it out for you, unless some of our other TB Brothers can chime in. I know that post '09's have one of the best bridges Fender has ever used, and that's always a plus for me. I'll keep you posted!
 
#9
+1

And remember than nothin' beats an American Standard 4er tone (bein' it Precision or Jazz tone)... American Deluxe chime in in respect of 5er versions: their 34" B string sounds way better with electronic pre to help everythin out

Cheers,
Wallace
 
#10
I don't know if this helps, but I currently own an '06 MIM Deluxe P Bass Special and an '08 American Standard Jazz - bot of which I'm really happy with... I would decribe the Deluxe P Bass Special as sort of a P Bass "on steroids", with alot of tonal options on tap - and the MIA Jazz as being as nice a Jazz as any you'll ever play - add a series/parallel switch on the Jazz, and I could cover an awful lot of music with those two:

IMAG0447.jpg


IMAG0218.jpg



- georgestrings
 
#11
georgestrings said:
I don't know if this helps, but I currently own an '06 MIM Deluxe P Bass Special and an '08 American Standard Jazz - bot of which I'm really happy with... I would decribe the Deluxe P Bass Special as sort of a P Bass "on steroids", with alot of tonal options on tap - and the MIA Jazz as being as nice a Jazz as any you'll ever play - add a series/parallel switch on the Jazz, and I could cover an awful lot of music with those two:

Man, those are some mean looking basses. You seem to like your 2008 jazz very much, but this is my opinion. At my local guitar center i tried a 2012 american standard jazz, one of the best things ever to strike my ears, it had a nice bottem end and was heavy yet punchy. When i went to some other ones i think some pre 2011 models were sold because on the sticker it didn't mention anything about custom shop 60s pickups and those MIA's sounded kind of thin and week to me so i think the new MIAs are a vast improvment (both basses i played througha fender rumble)
Click to expand...
 
#12
Wallace320 said:
+1

And remember than nothin' beats an American Standard 4er tone (bein' it Precision or Jazz tone)... American Deluxe chime in in respect of 5er versions: their 34" B string sounds way better with electronic pre to help everythin out

Cheers,
Wallace
Click to expand...

the new american standard jazz basses definatly give some beast tones, as for the p bass model though i wasn't so enthusiastic on playing it. Don't get me wrong it sounded good, but for me the sound just didn't 'breathe' and it didn't have that punchy heavy tone like i found in the squier CV 60s precision/Squier VM maple p basses.
 
#14
shookiedookiema said:
oh and one more question (sorry i'm so annoying likme that) If you play for around 2 hours a day than how often do you need to change the battery in the mim deluce active p bass?
Click to expand...

You can tell when the batts. need changing when they start to get hummy, or cracky(not the same as "crackly"), or hissy. On my active basses, I've gone 4 months with 2hr/day practice AND weekend gigs and they never got to that point. Personally, I change them every 3 months just to be sure and I carry spares at gigs.

As for the Fender Am J 2010 vs. 2012: Both have the upgraded bridge from '09- topload or stringthru. The main sonic difference is that the pickups in the '10 are the N3 Noiseless Stacks, which I have on one of my Fender J's. They use a combination of Alnico 5 and 3, and I find them nice and punchy... not too hot but more responsive than the standard S/C's. I use this bass live and it cuts through extremely well, especially for funk and power trio stuff. The newer 2012 has the Custom Shop 60's. These are not hum-cancelling but are R/P R/W so they're quieter when used together. I've auditioned them but haven't used them and found them to be a tiny bit more responsive than standard non-CS J's... not a huge difference but a noticeable improvement. Personally, I like the stacks, but they are more modern sounding than the CS 60's.
 
#16
Ian_Flash said:
The 2012 Am Std DLX would cover everything except the Warwick (not all sounds, but some) and the Geddy Lee (close but not as edgy because of the bridge differences). Also, you materials and workmanship would be superior to all the others on the list.
Click to expand...

You're somewhat confusing me on this one, in active mode it micics all the mentioned PASSIVE basses even though you said in passive mode it is worse then the other mentioned basses? So what do you suggest i do, do o get the bass or will it sound too similar to the other ones (and the p/j active) or worse in passive mode? Also how would this compare to a fender select jazz bass (active/passive) or a custom shop 1964 jazz bass?
 
#17
shookiedookiema said:
You're somewhat confusing me on this one, in active mode it micics all the mentioned PASSIVE basses even though you said in passive mode it is worse then the other mentioned basses? So what do you suggest i do, do o get the bass or will it sound too similar to the other ones (and the p/j active) or worse in passive mode? Also how would this compare to a fender select jazz bass (active/passive) or a custom shop 1964 jazz bass?
Click to expand...
LOL! Wait 'till you get to be my age... I sometimes confuse myself before I finish writing the post!:confused: Let me re-frame the details. The Am. Std DELUXE Active, would emulate most of the tones of the other basses in the ACTIVE mode. In the passive mode, it will sound less "vintage" because of the N3 Noiseless pickups which are hot, stacked humbucking design. If you want a SUPERIOR VINTAGE sound in PASSIVE, the 2012 American Standard (Not Deluxe) uses the Custom Shop 60's which would give it the most distinctive yet Vintage tone over the other models. It's not just the P/U's either... it's the wood, hardware, finish etc. The Deluxe is not an upgrade from the Std. Passive, it's just an alternative offering for "Active" enthusiasts. If your main concern is the best tone in Passive, go for the Am Std. 2012 with the 60's Custom Shop P/U's. The Select Jazz Act/Pass would sound about the same in the passive mode and would give you the Active option, but I don's think it's worth the extra $ considering the other Actives that you own.. The '64 Custom Shop... Uhhh I'm just not a fan of "New Retro" models of anything. They're harder to play with "Vintage" frets and radii, IMO they're more SHOW than GO. If I'm still not making sense.. please let me know and I'll try it again!:D
 
#18
Ian_Flash said:
LOL! Wait 'till you get to be my age... I sometimes confuse myself before I finish writing the post!:confused: If I'm still not making sense.. please let me know and I'll try it again!:D
Click to expand...

Okay, thank you. I'm now certain i don't see myself owning the am. deluxe jazz in the future (unless i buy a used older model which i found out is only active). there is a select jazz at my guitar center, i really want to try it. one last question: was it worth it gertting the deluxe active mim p bass (i'm a jazz/metal guy) because i ordewred online?
 
#19
I agree with the guy who said you should go with something entirely different, like a stingray. There's an incredibly huge palette of sounds in a stingray h/s, and if ya really wanna go for broke I'd check out a big al. 3 pickups, 4 band eq, active passive option with an additional tone control for passive, plus the ability to throw the pickups into series or parallel make that bass hard to beat in terms of ground covered. And it's the same price as jazz. Much better quality control with MM too, but I say that in hopes of not opening that can 'o worms. :)

And for the record, I currently own 4 MMs, 4 Fenders, the custom made monster in the vid below, and 2 warwicks. Have owned 3 other MMs, about 10 other Fenders (MIA and MIM), and 3 other warwicks. Not to mention lots of other basses. None of my other basses came anywhere near the 2 musicians above in terms of versatility.
 

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