That's exactly how I feel it is. (As I stated earlier)
But we are from the BeNeLux so what do we know?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
What makes a bass a jazz bass?
- Thread starter jnevi9nr
- Start date
That's exactly how I feel it is. (As I stated earlier)
But we are from the BeNeLux so what do we know?
We should go and have a beer and talk about how we, as BeNeLux guys, agree on what a Jazz Bass is
In that event... I would end up saying that Heineken isn't a real beer and you would call me a kutbelg.
Seriously, I wouldn't mind grabbing a beer with you man. If we are ever in the same area.
I checked out some playing of yours recently (in the recording forum) and you are a far better bassist than me.
If you ever are in Belgian Limburg, let me know.
Silly me, here I was thinking that it was the bass that made you feel all 'jazzy', not to be confused with feeling all 'precise'. Jazzy, makes you want to get all dressed up and play with your poker face on.
I call my SX Jazz bass "my Jazz bass" .........so what?I'll call it my tallywacker if I want to.
And Curly called his violin his Stradivarius. Sorry, if Fender didn't call it a Jazz Bass when they made it, it ain't a Jazz Bass.
The cool hat makes it a jazz bass. Just like in Blues, you need a striped shirt or you ain't squat
Okay I'll be serious now.. any bass that can cut through the mix with a midrange growl. There are no pieces of hardware that make a Jazz bass a Jazz bass. You can play jazz on a Jackson concert bass with humbuckers and sound as good as someone playing a MIA Fender Jazz bass. Hey.. I've seen it.
Okay I'll be serious now.. any bass that can cut through the mix with a midrange growl. There are no pieces of hardware that make a Jazz bass a Jazz bass. You can play jazz on a Jackson concert bass with humbuckers and sound as good as someone playing a MIA Fender Jazz bass. Hey.. I've seen it.
monkey wrench: the Fender Jazz Special (Duff McKagen bass):
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Ultimately it's about how it sounds. With all the variations on the basses original design I think the only things that are really fundamental to a jazz bass are two single coil pickups in either the 60s position or the 70s position. If someone wants to be so specific as to say the neck, original body shape, or hardware are also required then by similar logic a 70s jazz isn't a true jazz due to the relocated bridge pickup.
ah, the age old question. What is a [insert noun]? It is a concept you have in your mind. First you know what an object is (say a bed), then you develop a concept in your head. Later you make one, or draw one, and what you make or draw is the concept and not the object.
What is a jazz bass? Originally a name for a specific model, it has developed, in parallel with the precision bass, into a "genre" of basses. Those genre's have, or allude to, specific qualities listed above, but mainly the body shape.
"This is not a pipe." (Rene Magritte)
What is a jazz bass? Originally a name for a specific model, it has developed, in parallel with the precision bass, into a "genre" of basses. Those genre's have, or allude to, specific qualities listed above, but mainly the body shape.
"This is not a pipe." (Rene Magritte)
ah, the age old question. What is a [insert noun]? It is a concept you have in your mind. First you know what an object is (say a bed), then you develop a concept in your head. Later you make one, or draw one, and what you make or draw is the concept and not the object.
What is a jazz bass? Originally a name for a specific model, it has developed, in parallel with the precision bass, into a "genre" of basses. Those genre's have, or allude to, specific qualities listed above, but mainly the body shape.
"This is not a pipe." (Rene Magritte)
Can we stop being so abstract and return to planet Earth?
The Jazz Bass was the second model of electric bass guitar created by Leo Fender. First introduced in 1960, the Jazz featured an offset waist body made from Alder, ultra-slim profile 34" bolt-on neck, rosewood fingerboard, stacked concentric controls, two full-range bi-pole single-coil pickups at the neck and bridge positions, and four strings.
The Jazz bass is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange with less emphasis on the fundamental harmonic.
...so there you have it, a description of the very first Jazz bass - the original, the standard to which all other "Jazz style" basses were born from. It is up to you to decide how many of the specs above need to be met for you personally to consider it still a Jazz bass.
If you would say that Heineken isn't a real beer, I would happily agree and offer you a Pauwel Kwak
If you're in Amsterdam or Utrecht some time, hit me a PM
You Benelux guys, Carlsberg rules!
For me?
Anything that incorporates the basic look and sonic vibe of the Fender Jazzs from the '60s and '70s. So body shape is pretty important, as would be 2 pickups with the "J" shape.
But my definition would allow for modern offshoots, like onboard preamps and extra strings.
And there are no absolutes. My Warmoth "Wide" 5 has a humongously wide nut but is otherwise very much a "J" in my book. The Ken Smith BSR-J is obviously not visually but definitely sonically. The Dingwall "Super J" states the design inspiration right in the model name, and pays homage to the look & sound so I say it's in (albeit on the outer fringe).
Anything that incorporates the basic look and sonic vibe of the Fender Jazzs from the '60s and '70s. So body shape is pretty important, as would be 2 pickups with the "J" shape.
But my definition would allow for modern offshoots, like onboard preamps and extra strings.
And there are no absolutes. My Warmoth "Wide" 5 has a humongously wide nut but is otherwise very much a "J" in my book. The Ken Smith BSR-J is obviously not visually but definitely sonically. The Dingwall "Super J" states the design inspiration right in the model name, and pays homage to the look & sound so I say it's in (albeit on the outer fringe).
Is that from some old Fender propaganda, or are you editorializing there?
'cuz I've heard plenty o' P's & J's that didn't fit that description at all.
smallbutmighty
Commercial User
By its most strict definition, a Jazz bass is a Fender-made bass, and nothing else.
For better or worse, however, most of Fender's design names have joined that elite group of brand-names that have become general terms for all similar products.
Sort of like Kleenex, Xerox, Band-Aid, Kool-Aid, etc.
When I ask for a Kleenex, what I'm really asking for is a bathroom tissue...any bathroom tissue. Everyone understands that.
When I tell someone I think a picture was Photosopped, they know what I mean. We both understand that it is possible it may have actually been doctored in PaintShop Pro.
When people say Strat, Tele, Jazz, or P-Bass.....
Unfortunately for the brands in question, it is sort of like being slapped in the face with a compliment. Your brand identity has become so ubiquitous that it....loses its identity.
For better or worse, however, most of Fender's design names have joined that elite group of brand-names that have become general terms for all similar products.
Sort of like Kleenex, Xerox, Band-Aid, Kool-Aid, etc.
When I ask for a Kleenex, what I'm really asking for is a bathroom tissue...any bathroom tissue. Everyone understands that.
When I tell someone I think a picture was Photosopped, they know what I mean. We both understand that it is possible it may have actually been doctored in PaintShop Pro.
When people say Strat, Tele, Jazz, or P-Bass.....
Unfortunately for the brands in question, it is sort of like being slapped in the face with a compliment. Your brand identity has become so ubiquitous that it....loses its identity.
It's from Fender and it speaks to their design intent not the actual result so I don't consider it propaganda.
