Which jazz bass and why?

[Deleted member 394181]

My opinion, buy the Player II for the value it offers, buy the American Pro II if you want something better.
I currently own two US made basses and two imports. They all sound and play great! The US built basses (and guitars) I’ve owned all share one thing in common and it is tuning stability. My Fender American Pro II P5 and my Rickenbacker 4003 both hold tuning for weeks, inside or outdoor gigs require no retuning during sets. Just my experience and if I were in the market for a Fender Jazz it would be the American Pro II.

I bought a Player and just upgraded it (Hipshot Tuners, Bridge, elec),and it was still less expensive than American models. I like the skunk stripe, the Truss adjustment at the Headstock ( even has a plastic protector there). After i upgraded seems like the difference is minimal. CNC is used on both. Maybe you have to try them first though.

 

[DWA2469]

There is an Ultra Burst Ultra II on Talk Bass right now for a smoking deal!! @RColie

 

[Element Zero]

Well...
The last Fender Jazz Bass that I've had in my hands was the American Professional II model. It was on a trip to the Sweetwater campus last year. It was a lefty, too; which was the reason I even bothered to look at it. It was a very nice bass - except for being a Jazz Bass. But, if I were ever in the market for one? That would most likely be what I'd get...
Sorry, but... I've just never liked them. For several reasons. The offset body feels... weird. Out of the 30 basses in my "Herd", I only have one with an offset body - a Canadian-made, '93 Fury Anthem fretless bass. I don't mind the offset body on that one, 'cause it's offset the "wrong" way. You wouldn't know, unless you looked closely at it... I also don't like the way they've always been wired - so that the volume drops, when the output's dimed. Doesn't happen with any of the non-Fender basses I own, with dual single coils; it can't be that hard to fix... Plus, they're noisy - and I don't see why I should have to shield the control cavity, and everything else under the pickguard. It's not like any of this stuff is new; Fender Jazz Basses have been like this since the first one hit the store - in 1960. However...
I really do like the Jazz Bass necks. A lot. Which is why my left handed '78 Fender P-Bass has the JB-sized, optional "A-spec" neck. And, that's about as close to a Jazz Bass as I care to get...
So... yeah; if I were ever to change my mind? The Professional ll is what I'd buy. At least the color's nice...

You’re not alone. The offset body does feel awkward to me too. I wish fender offered a P bass bodied 5 string with a narrower jazz neck and jazz pickups.

 

[MtManiac]

My opinion, buy the Player II for the value it offers, buy the American Pro II if you want something better.
I currently own two US made basses and two imports. They all sound and play great! The US built basses (and guitars) I’ve owned all share one thing in common and it is tuning stability. My Fender American Pro II P5 and my Rickenbacker 4003 both hold tuning for weeks, inside or outdoor gigs require no retuning during sets. Just my experience and if I were in the market for a Fender Jazz it would be the American Pro II.

Funny enough, I played three sets Sunday and had to tune my American Pro II P5 before each set.

 

[One Way]

Maybe I’ve just been lucky? At least my experience with instruments I’ve owned has been consistent. I have noticed some nut sauce on the string trees and nut slots of the Am Pro P5 allows tuning to pitch smoother, the D string in particular would hang up a little while turning until I added the lubricant.

 

[MtManiac]

I chose the least expensive vote, because.... we are talking Fender and I doubt there is much difference in these archaic designs between models, but that is just me. We've been staring at these things for decades.

I’ll never understand this sort of comment and I see it all the time on Talkbass. The same is true for Les Paul’s, Firebirds, Strats, Teles, Jazzmasters, Flying V’s, Warlocks, Rich Bitches, Steinbergers, Status’s, G&Ls, Stingrays, etc etc etc. Fender is not unique in embracing their classic designs. Heck, even one of G&L’s most recent models (Kiloton) stole design cues from both the Fender Precision and the Stingray.

If posiflex, graphite coated truss rods, lightweight tuners, high mass bridges, and a variety of preamps don’t count as innovation or at least progress, what is it you’re looking for? Have you considered bringing whatever it is to market yourself?

Just seems like unexplained saltiness over… what exactly?

 

[CascadeBass]

It's not really called for, I admit. Unexplained saltiness is a good descriptor.

 

[elgranluis]

I voted the American performer. It’s a normal MIA bass. The 600 extra bucks for the professional ii really don’t add up to what you get (a case , neck through option , carbon rods, and a better neck joint cutaway). Yes, color options are limited , but that’s probably so people HAVE to pay more for a color they prefer.

 

[brianrost]

If you want brand new, AmPro2. Used….AmStd, AmPro, AVRI 62, AmPerformer.

Why? Because every one I’ve played sounded and played great.

 

[Jefenator]

I tried a real '76, a circa-2000 MIJ an ESP copy and a Nash, settled on an Allparts neck with Warmoth body and Lollar pickups.
The J-bass is a great design – truly my favorite. But IME the ingredients really have to be right.

 

[bass12]

Based on the new Fenders I've played over the past year I would say try as many as you can and make a decision based on the individual bass. I tried out every model of Fender Jazz I could get my hands on while shopping for a jazz (for a friend) this year - from the standards to the Ultras. None of them sounded as even across the fretboard or as good overall as the Squier Active Jazz I tried. That's not to say that the Squier is inherently better - it's more that I found a lot of inconsistencies in the Fenders and in this instance the best sounding bass of the bunch was the Squier. With a different "test batch" the Ultra (or another model) might be the best. If possible, put the blindfold on and try before buying.

 

[Aric Bjorn]

Out of curiosity, is your "meta-point" that you think there are too many choices, too many permutations and combinations, and not enough clear differentiation between them? Or do you have a "right answer" in mind and you're just waiting for a reply that agrees with you? Trying to find the middle of a bell curve?

 

[mpdd]

not on the list - bacchus - for the fancy stained ash body and block inlays crowd and folks who like a prewired series option
not on the list - g&l jb - for people who like semi hairy pickups, a meatier neck, and a heavy duty bridge

 

[Greenman72]

Out of curiosity, is your "meta-point" that you think there are too many choices, too many permutations and combinations, and not enough clear differentiation between them? Or do you have a "right answer" in mind and you're just waiting for a reply that agrees with you? Trying to find the middle of a bell curve?

OP Here. Are you talking to me? If so, then.....I don't really know. That's why I'm asking.
I'm genuinely looking for opinions, because I don't know the difference between the models--if there's a difference at all.

Like the aforementioned example--I know that the Geddy Lee has "vintage" pickups, while the AmPro2 has "V-Mod II" pickups. But I have no idea what the difference is, or if there's any substantial difference at all.

Another example - I think the AmPro2 has strings that go through the body, instead of just through the bridge. Does that make any difference at all? (I suspect not.)

Remember--I'm about two years in, so I'm starting to understand the instrument a lot better, and figure out what I like and don't like. Hence why I'm looking for discussion.

I tried a Marcus Miller V3P a while back, but it sounded extremely bright--especially for a guy who plays with a pick. (I play with a pick 100% of the time.) Plus, it had a lot of hum when the pickups weren't both at the same volume setting. I don't seem to have the same problem when I play the AmPro2 at the local guitar store.

 

[bassdude51]

In the true sense, a Jazz Bass is 2 single coil pickups reverse wound/reverse polarity. Around 7k ohm each pickup. 70s Js have the bridge pickup about 3/8s of an inch closer to the bridge.

Which Jazz Bass? Go original or go "tweaked"? It's up to you.

Here's my take on the J. (A build and a MIM P with Js parts bass.)

 

[Aric Bjorn]

OP Here. Are you talking to me? If so, then.....I don't really know. That's why I'm asking.
I'm genuinely looking for opinions, because I don't know the difference between the models--if there's a difference at all.

Like the aforementioned example--I know that the Geddy Lee has "vintage" pickups, while the AmPro2 has "V-Mod II" pickups. But I have no idea what the difference is, or if there's any substantial difference at all.

Another example - I think the AmPro2 has strings that go through the body, instead of just through the bridge. Does that make any difference at all? (I suspect not.)

Remember--I'm about two years in, so I'm starting to understand the instrument a lot better, and figure out what I like and don't like. Hence why I'm looking for discussion.

I tried a Marcus Miller V3P a while back, but it sounded extremely bright--especially for a guy who plays with a pick. (I play with a pick 100% of the time.) Plus, it had a lot of hum when the pickups weren't both at the same volume setting. I don't seem to have the same problem when I play the AmPro2 at the local guitar store.

Yes, thanks for the reply. You just listed a bunch of reasons why I ended up building my own instead, basically. It was a little intimidating but totally worth it, and now I have a much greater appreciation for all of the various parts that make up an electric bass guitar, how they interact, and what goes into getting them to all interacting with each other in just the way that I want. If you're able to find the time and the space to do it in, I would highly recommend the custom/kit route. That said, this doesn't seem to be the advice you're looking for, so I'll wish you well in your journey to find your ideal Fender

 

[ravelax]

From the examples I've played, I've been very impressed with the Player series, and I've felt that the American ones don't really offer that much more value for the money.

The best advice however is to try as many of these as possible and choose the one that plays and sounds best to you, regardless of price point.

 

[EricOnTheBass]

The American Pro II series is really great. I currently have a Precision and a Precision V, both feel and sound great. You can find used ones for around $1200 pretty frequently. If I didn't want to spend as much, then I'd go with a Player II. But I can feel the difference between the Player II and the Am Pro II. The Am Pro II definitely feels higher quality to me.

 

[Gervais Cote]

Based on the new Fenders I've played over the past year I would say try as many as you can and make a decision based on the individual bass. I tried out every model of Fender Jazz I could get my hands on while shopping for a jazz (for a friend) this year - from the standards to the Ultras. None of them sounded as even across the fretboard or as good overall as the Squier Active Jazz I tried. That's not to say that the Squier is inherently better - it's more that I found a lot of inconsistencies in the Fenders and in this instance the best sounding bass of the bunch was the Squier. With a different "test batch" the Ultra (or another model) might be the best. If possible, put the blindfold on and try before buying.

I had that same conclusion when I tried several jazz basses in a store a few years ago.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

2nd hand American Original .. won’t be disappointed I guess