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Looking at new "Jazz" basses - I am not impressed...

A

AlexanderB

Feb 25, 2007
4,204
2,183
Sweden
#1
I am looking for a new Jazz bass but I can not find any good instruments. What I want is a traditional four string, two passive single coils, no preamp, narrow and thin neck.
It does not have to be a Fender but I started by playing as many of their models as possible.

Then I widened my search and looked at Sandberg, Ibanez, Yamaha etc.

There was not ONE bass I wanted. Not one. And the problem is the same for all of them. They all sound "dead" - no resonanse, no "life" to the tone, many with pronounced dead spot issues to boot.

I spent at least a couple of hours and tried the lot; American Standard Jazz, Geddy Lee, Aerodyne, Roadworn, Mexican Standard, -75VRI (ash) + the Yamaha RB..., BB and RBX4 A2 etc etc. I played through the same amp/speaker setup I use at home. (LMII + Ampeg SVT-410HLF.) I adjusted string height to my preferences on the basses I hade some interest in, BTW.

The Fender basses I already own (Squier JV -82 Precision, Fender Jazz bass Plus V -94) are so much better it is not even funny, especially the Squier. It really sings in every position on the fretboard, has lots of sustain and almost no dead spot. Those of you that have played good vintage basses know exactly what it is like!
I had brought my JV to the shop for reference and the sales guy tried it and could only agree - he had nothing to match its quality and tone. And no, he could not buy it... ;)


Where should I go next? Suggestions?
Price wise I do not really want to go higher than the Swedish price of the American Standard, about €1500.
Should I forget about new instruments and look for a vintage one? Or will a current, dead-ish Jazz develop into a more resonant instrument by use and time?
 
#5
While I agree, the Fenders haven't blown me away lately, I believe much of the issue lies with proper setup. Not just string height. Truss rod, intonation, maybe nut adjustment are in order. Not to mention, pickup height, which would fall right into your biggest gripe: tone. Pup height has a HUGE effect on volume and tone. And of course, perhaps different strings. Ymmv, etc.
 
#6
Mojo-Man said:
:cool:

Find a Fender "Roadworn" Jazz.
You won't be disappointed.
Click to expand...

While I like the roadworns, OP said he did try one and apparently it wasn't what he was looking for. With Fender (and others) though, I've found that the differences from bass to bass can be quite substantial. Might take some shopping to find the one that speaks to you.

Other than that the only other passive I can come up with in your range might be a used Mike Lull.
 
#8
The other thing is if you're trying them in a shop, that the strings may be half or mostly dead. It's kind of hard to judge an instrument properly until you can get some new strings on them and even better if they're the brand and gauge you usually use.

EDIT: Beat me by seconds, Munji. :)
 
#12
AlexanderB said:
There was not ONE bass I wanted. Not one. And the problem is the same for all of them. They all sound "dead" - no resonanse, no "life" to the tone, many with pronounced dead spot issues to boot.
Click to expand...

I would humbly suggest getting your hands on a MIM FSR Natural Ash J Bass from GC or MF, or any MIJ Fender jazz. Could be challenging from Europe to get MIM product, so perhaps MIJ is easier?

My little super-inexpensive MIM FSR natural ash Jazz really sings even with the stock Fender strings. Sustain is incredibly long. Ditto my MIJ '70s Jazz with La Bella rounds.

Don't give up! "The One" is out there...and finding her is half the fun. Though it does distract from practicing. :hmm:

:bassist:
 
#13
Strings were all OK (not dead or twisted) and many of the basses were almost "fresh out of the box". Since I had brought a couple of screwdriver kts I adjusted intonation, string height, PUI height etc if a bass passed the first minute of playing. I also had the sales guy adjust the relief on the AVRI -75.

It does not matter - these basses were FAR from what I am used to. By tha way, the EBS Titanium Nickel strings on my JV have been a couple of years on that bass and it still sounds more responsive and clear.

Pickups is not the issue - basic wood quality and craftmanship is missing.
 
#15
AlexanderB said:
Strings were all OK (not dead or twisted) and many of the basses were almost "fresh out of the box". Since I had brought a couple of screwdriver kts I adjusted intonation, string height, PUI height etc if a bass passed the first minute of playing. I also had the sales guy adjust the relief on the AVRI -75.

It does not matter - these basses were FAR from what I am used to. By tha way, the EBS Titanium Nickel strings on my JV have been a couple of years on that bass and it still sounds more responsive and clear.

Pickups is not the issue - basic wood quality and craftmanship is missing.
Click to expand...

First thing I change out is the factory strings. IME, some sets of Fender strings have dead spots. I won't even bother with them anymore. Don't know about the other manufacturers, but it makes sense they throw on some bulk strings to save costs.

Strings and setup make the biggest difference by far.
 

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