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J-bass on a $600 budget

#101
scottfeldstein said:
Let's say you're in the market for a used four string j-style bass with two single coil pickups. Your budget is $600 (plus reasonable shipping). And you do not want anything with Squier on the headstock. What are you looking for? What would you jump on if you saw it in your price range?

MIM Fender Jazz?
PRS?
Sire?
G&L?
Click to expand...

Why not Squier?

Ancient Tokai/whatever? If I had up to $600 to spend I'd add to my Tokais.
 
#103
I own both a Sire V7, bought new April 2018, and a G&L JB Tribute, bought new January 2022.
Both were excellent straight out of the box.
Both have plenty of playing time. The G&L JB pickups are modeled after Jazz pickups from the 60's and sound awesome. My V7 has a very useful active preamp plus is sounds good passive, too.
Based on my experience you can't miss with either one.
 
#106
scottfeldstein said:
I wondered if someone might bring this up. Yes, I confess that the Squier name on the headstock has a negative connotation to me, even though it's totally true that I would play another instrument in the same price range on a stage and not feel weird at all. But also... I think they have some of the Fender thing going on that I don't like. With Fender, you always seem to get more with another brand that's trying harder at the same price point. I don't know why, but this seems to be true for Squier as well. I've seen reviews that compare the classic vibe 70 jazz bass bass to the Sire equivalent and it's no contest. You get more for your money with Sire. I don't know how they can get away with this as an "affordable" brand.
Click to expand...
I totally understand your position on this. I know because I would never drive a Japanese pickup.
There is one other thing to consider. That is resale value. Because it is a Fender backed product, a Squier will hold it's value and be easier to sell than some other brands. But, since you're a Fender hater, you will not be convinced. I don't mean to be negative, I'm just sayin'.
Given that, you might consider an Izzy. I have a cheap 5 string and it is really not a bad bass at all.
 
#108
scottfeldstein said:
Let's say you're in the market for a used four string j-style bass with two single coil pickups. Your budget is $600 (plus reasonable shipping). And you do not want anything with Squier on the headstock. What are you looking for? What would you jump on if you saw it in your price range?

MIM Fender Jazz?
PRS?
Sire?
G&L?
Click to expand...

I recently picked a mint sunburst 2019 Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass for $600 on craigslist. Had to get up early on a Sunday morning and drive an hour and 45 minutes to meet the guy, but it was well worth it. Point is, there actually are good deals out there if you're persistent in your search.
 
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#109
scottfeldstein said:
I'm in as long as it sounds like a jazz bass. I don't care that much about noise - bonus if there isn't any - but I want it to Jazz bass. Including, but not limited to, Geddy's Tom Sawyer.
Click to expand...
Are you pushing for a "jazz" style bass for the sound alone, or is it more about a general jazz body and neck being comfortable or familiar to play?
If it's strictly for the "jazz sound", I wouldn't limit yourself. You'll only ever get so close to the Geddy sound, even if you had an exact replication of all his gear. And you can get that close using 9/10 basses and electronics. There are tons of basses out there that can come close to a jazz bass sound. From there it's just pedals and EQ to imitate a sound.
There are tribute bands out there that do nothing but play Rush, Yes, etc. They are amazing and about as good as you can get without being the actual band. They even use all the exact same gear. But they still never quite sound exactly like the original.
My point is, don't limit yourself to one bass.
Plenty of comfortable, versatile basses out there that you can dial into any music.
 
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#111
Erik herman said:
I put a parts bass together, MIM body I had laying around, painted it glitter turquoise badly, on "purpose" didn't sand the black pint off the original body just the clear coat, applied the paint and hit with a few coats of clear just to hold it, has a rougher texture like the USA sub Musicman basses, but it's over sprayed to let the black show once the finish eventually starts to age. Dimarzio model js, concentric wiring harness and a tort pickgaurd, omega high mass bridge
Mighty mite neck with reverse tuners
Sounds great with some chromes on it!

View attachment 4759237 View attachment 4759235
if you want to get a J bass off the shelf, I'd say Sire, I really enjoy my Sire M2 5 string good quality for the money
Click to expand...
Nice work!!
 
#112
I bought a 2008 sunburst JB2 Tribute within the last 18 months for $315, bass in great shape, gigbag a little rough. Jazz-tones are very nice. I'm not one for 1.5" nuts though, so I bought a used a used parts (Jazz) bass that came with an Allparts body, Mighty Mite neck supplied in 1-5/8 P width nut, older Bill Lawrence (I think) Jazz pickups. It's dead-on 9lbs with supplied bridge and pickup covers, natural finished and with appointments to look very early 1970s. Whoever put it together did a good job and thought it through. $550 bucks. It sounds, looks, and feels really special (to me) but it's no holy relic either, so I'm not scared to experiment with it. I'm good with soldering.

Have fun!
 
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#113
scottfeldstein said:
Let's say you're in the market for a used four string j-style bass with two single coil pickups. Your budget is $600 (plus reasonable shipping). And you do not want anything with Squier on the headstock. What are you looking for? What would you jump on if you saw it in your price range?

MIM Fender Jazz?
PRS?
Sire?
G&L?
Click to expand...

good deal

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#118
Mosfed said:
this is absolutely what you should buy. And if You don't, I might. CIJ fenders are among the best Fenders out there and this will appreciate in value
Click to expand...
Ok, I resisted the first time I saw this link, but I just gotta say...sweet baby jeebus why are these instruments so gosh dang ugly?? Ok, if it was 1972 and I had long hair, bangs, a moustache and bell bottom jeans, maybe.
 
#119
alack said:
I don't know if this was already answered, but does the OP prefer 60s or 70s pickup spacing? It matters and Squier offers both.

Here's a few more points in defense of Squier. When I bought my first one about 3 or 4 years ago I was shopping specifically for a Jazz bass. I went to my preferred dealer and tried USA, MIM and a few different Squiers. IMHO the Squier played and sounded better than the others and the price made it a no-brainer. Sure, there are other budget options. But few of them are just hanging in local shops to try before you buy. Several other players have sat in on my gigs and tried my humble Squier J. Everyone of them loved it!

I dig the logo.
Click to expand...

I think I'd go 70s as a nod to Geddy's 72 Jazz.
 

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