Which J Bass should I consider???

[Corevalay]

Fender American Standard 2012-2016
Fender American Ultra

 

[Planespotter]

The USA Geddy is my favorite pure Jazz Bass, but I actually like my Jaguar Bass (JJ configuration) more. You can’t blend the pickups like you can on a regular Jazz, but the series/parallel switch and switchable preamp are great.

 

[Shlabotnik]

Check out Sandberg. They have a ton of configurations and their necks are to DIE for.

 

[5StringBlues]

Something with 60s pickup spacing and stack knobs.

 

[DrBnz]

I'd recommend a PRO II J bass w rosewood. The neck and electronics are great right out of the box. I have the roasted maple as well and the rosewood sounds better (to me). I'd also recommend an older (CIJ) GEDDY LEE J bass. Especially if you like thin necks. I'd still put a Tom Brantly "Geddy Lee" pups on it and it'll bark as loud as any other dog in the pack. USA or otherwise.

 

[sgiacomo]

Don’t sleep on the Fender American Pro II. I have one Jazz and one Precision. Both are incredibly fine instruments. A phone call will get the price down close to your budget as well.

 

[gmarcus]

something like this...it will have to be used to get into your price range, but they do pop up used here. I have the 5 string TM SL and it is really amazing. So musical.

TRADED - 2020 Sandberg California TM4 SL *One and Only Price Drop *

 

[bigdaddybass12]

How about one of Leo’s last design tweaks for the J? G&L JB2.
View attachment 5150150

What I like about these is it does not have that goofy jazz shape

 

[bassdude51]

Fender Player Plus Active Jazz Bass - Olympic Pearl with Maple Fingerboard

 

[bdplaid]

Someone mentioned a downsized body, and I heartily agree. I also recommend building a parts bass yourself. It's a lot of fun, and every time I do I learn something new. Warmoth makes a Dinky Jazz body that might suit you well. And FWIW, every one of my parts basses surpasses the Fenders I have/had.

Otherwise, look for a used Sandberg. Different and excellent in all respects.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Just sold a Fender MIM Jazz to clear a space in the axe rack, and will ultimately replace it with another bass with the Jazz PU configuration. Open to either Maple or Rosewood fretboard. Open to either Vintage or Modern vibe. Open to either Active or Passive. My budget would be around $1000 - $1500. So… TB Hive Mind… Which model should I check out? I’m all ears.. thanks

Budget aside, I’d consider this:

Burgundy mist sparkle .. spectacular ..
You can’t be jazz-bassier than this ..
It has the bad habit of being a product of the Fender Custom Shop but other than that ..
Anyway, sound-wise, it shouldn’t be very different from your MIM bass generally speaking .. more .. defined yes, maybe slightly brighter ..

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Just sold a Fender MIM Jazz to clear a space in the axe rack, and will ultimately replace it with another bass with the Jazz PU configuration. Open to either Maple or Rosewood fretboard. Open to either Vintage or Modern vibe. Open to either Active or Passive. My budget would be around $1000 - $1500. So… TB Hive Mind… Which model should I check out? I’m all ears.. thanks

I know this comes as the horse is out of the coral advice. But, I would have just upgraded the pickups on the MIM JB. I bought my son a MIM FB in 1996. When he bought a MIA JB, he gave it back to Me. I then upgraded the pickups to Fender 62s. It made a huge improvement it's sound. It always did play really well.

He eventually bought a MIA PBj and twisted my arm until I traded the upgraded MIM JB for it back in 2004. He still plays the pants off it.

 

[_One//Man//Mutiny_]

Fender Jaguar Deluxe CIJ is a good one, shame they have crept up into your budget, but I love mine, would definitely say it’s my #1.
It’s pretty much a single coil G&L L2000 that looks like a Jaguar guitar.
Active/Passive 2 band boost only EQ
Series/Parallel switch
Individual pickup On/Off switches
A volume and a master tone knob!
Mine has a painted black pickgaurd

 

[TN WOODMAN]

There’s a nice flamed sunburst Warmoth
Body/Mighty Mite Maple neck Jazz on TB classified for $750 as we speak.

No affiliation to the seller, Elliot Strong , but have observed he’s offered some nice basses priced well over the last few years.

Buy used. Buy on TB. Be a happy BASSMAN.

 

[Hounddog409]

You'll almost always get more bang for your buck used, so maybe a used G&L JB or a used USA Fender Jazz? If you hunt and/or can be patient, you could probably get a new one in that price range or pretty close to it if. A used Lakland Skyline Series Jazz bass would also be worth considering.

New, a G&L Tribute JB or a Sire V series would be good bets.

FWIW, I wanted a relatively inexpensive passive bass to use in conditions where I didn't want to take one of my "good" basses and recently bought a Sire V5R five string for $640 (a four string would be about $550). I used it at a four set, four hour gig a week or so after getting it and was VERY impressed by it, as were my bandmates. I still am two months later. Sire sells several different V series models and they can reach the $1000 level.

Used US G&L would be no where near $1500. I bought a used US SB-2 last year for $800 in great condition.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Just sold a Fender MIM Jazz to clear a space in the axe rack, and will ultimately replace it with another bass with the Jazz PU configuration. Open to either Maple or Rosewood fretboard. Open to either Vintage or Modern vibe. Open to either Active or Passive. My budget would be around $1000 - $1500. So… TB Hive Mind… Which model should I check out? I’m all ears.. thanks

I have an American Pro II that I’d sell you and it’s well within your budget

 

[groove pump]

Agree with the nod for Bacchus. I have an older Model Twenty-Four from Japan that has a pair of JJ humbuckers, preamp, switches for active/passive and coil tap... it does a LOT. Plus the build quality is among the best I've ever seen. Their Jazz basses are quite nice.

Cort has a couple of worthy considerations. The first is their GB Modern 4 (if you're leaning 4-string). I looked at a 5-string version at a nearby Guitar Center and it was a serious rig with a terrific price tag.

The other is Cort's import version of the Elrick NJS-4. I tried the premium Elrick version of this bass perhaps a year ago and couldn't get cozy with its weight or its sound. I've been trying to replace an old 10.5 lb. Jazz with something under 9 lbs. The Cort model I recently got from a TB'er might just be my solution - this one weighs an even 8 lbs. Worth noting that its neck of the NJS-4 is wider and more chunky than a traditional Jazz bass neck, but the string spacing is what you'd get with a narrow neck.

As long as one or another G&L Tribute isn't too heavy for you, one of those could also be worth a look (assuming that they do a Tribute version of one of their Jazz models). I recently used an M-2000 Tribute for a bit and when I eventually compared that bass to a US-made M-2000, they were honestly a toss-up for me. I was sort of stunned that the Indonesian model costing way less than half the US bass was in no way inferior for me aside from the Tribute weighing about a half pound more.

 

[40Hz]

27699030[/URL], member: 391863"]Definitely leaning towards a narrower neck.

Definitely a JB type neck then.

I find my fingers feel a little crowded when I'm down in first and second position sometimes. But it's not an actual problem. Just something I notice when I first shift from another neck over to a Jazz. That said, I'll confess I have a soft spot in my heart for JBs. Probably because the first bass guitar I ever played in my first band was a JB. And one of my earliest bass playing inspirations (John Lodge) played a JB. I heard the Moody Blues live when I was a young and impressionable preteen. And Lodge’s bass sound embedded itself in my head where it remains to this day as what a rock bassist should sound like.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Just sold a Fender MIM Jazz to clear a space in the axe rack, and will ultimately replace it with another bass with the Jazz PU configuration. Open to either Maple or Rosewood fretboard. Open to either Vintage or Modern vibe. Open to either Active or Passive. My budget would be around $1000 - $1500. So… TB Hive Mind… Which model should I check out? I’m all ears.. thanks

I owned a 1965 Jazz that I bought in 1966 and played the crap out of, including touring with it for 3-years in the early 70's. Loved that bass! Then in 1976, house was burglarized and all my touring gear was stolen.

In 1985 I finally found another Jazz bass with the same neck shape, profile, and radius that my '65 had. Until then every Jazz bass I tried had a thick neck that was very uncomfortable for me. I believe the neck on my '65 is now called a "60's Slim C-shape neck with a 7.25 radius". Felt like coming home when I picked it up and played it. It's an '82 Jazz with all-maple neck and 70's era pickup spacing (4" center to center) and was in mint condition.

That pickup spacing puts the bridge pickup .4" closer to the bridge and gives it a little brighter sound all around than I had with my '65. It also has great sustain. I presume the all-maple neck is what gives it the great sustain. It's far more than my '65 had with its rosewood fretboard. Love the sound of my bass both live and recorded. I run my bass with all onboard controls dimed and add just a touch of low-mids boost anywhere between 250Hz and 500Hz. Recording sounds best with the boost set around1:30 at 500Hz.

The MIM Geddy Lee bass has a slim neck and the 70's pickup spacing and that's well worth looking at. The MIA Geddy Lee bass has a thicker neck because Geddy wanted a new neck that would last longer than his first bass' neck did. So they beefed it up a bit for him. I doubt there are many people who could wear out a neck like Geddy Lee did and as far as playability goes, I think the MIM one is a better choice than the MIA one. Really worth a look!

 

[pbass2]

How about a Modern Vintage J?

If I was looking for a new J in my price range, this is where I'd be headed.