WHICH Jazz (or Jazz-like) bass?

[Arnel M.]

G&L, Sandberg.

 

[Spidey2112]

G&L
Fender American Professional Series
Sadowsky Metroline
Mike Lull J

+1, for the Metro!

 

[Hounddog409]

Looking for a Jazz to gig with. I have a passive Squier Jazz (Vintage Modern MII), and a MIM Fretless Jazz (with a ton of upgrades), but I'm feeling the need for something a bit more upscale (but not necessarily boutique or money spent for the sake of money)...

Needs:

4-string
Fretted
Excellent fit and finish

Wants:

Maple fretboard
Block markers
Lightweight

Nice-to-have

Drop-tuning tuner like a Hipshot on low E.
Higher-end pups and electronics - my fretless has Fralin pups with a John East U-Retro preamp and it's a monster...if only I were a better fretless PLAYER.
High-mass bridge

Don't want

Through-body strings

Undecided

Passive vs Active...although I probably have a bias towards active.

Where should I start looking? There are no right or wrong answers here, I suspect...just looking for input.

Go to the Carvin/Kiesel web site and built that exact bass.

 

[sstillwell]

Why don't you just mod the Squier? That's what they're there for, right?

See the part about "fit and finish". The Squier is a fine bass for what it is...I was gigging it this weekend. Just looking for something a little nicer that looks/feels a little better in the eye and hand.

 

[socialleper]

The Lakland Darryl Jones and 44-60 (Joe Osborn) basses are pretty nice. The Skyline series is affordable and very well built for an Asian assembled instrument. The big bridge offers both conventional and through body stringing.
I have also been eyeballing some Bacchus basses. I'm getting tired of dealing with international shipping though.

 

[TDR1138]

I actually saw a nice G&L Jazz in the Classifieds, but it didn't have maple fretboard nor block markers (not sure G&L ever did that, anyway).

Someday I'd like to add a G&L or two to the stable, though...thanks for the idea.

G&L just recently started offering blocks. They've done fretboard binding for years, but the blocks probably just showed up in the last month or so.

 

[ale29]

I can vouch for Sadowsky Metros as well.
If you can find an UV70, and are okay with the 70's bridge pickup placement, you'll get the bound & block'd neck as well. OR you can get the Will Lee model and get stock D-tuner
Weight will vary from average to light-ish. My RS4 weighs around 8,6 lbs; I had an MV5 and it was 8,8 lbs, but I've tried samples that were more like 9,5-10 lbs.

That's how it sounds with flats:

 

[sawzalot]

G&L does blocks and binding on their jazz basses now.

 

[gricko]

The Lakland Darryl Jones and 44-60 (Joe Osborn) basses are pretty nice. The Skyline series is affordable and very well built for an Asian assembled instrument. The big bridge offers both conventional and through body stringing.

^^^

 

[Rabidhamster]

70s J

 

[DigitalMan]

US Geddy gets my vote too.

 

[MCS4]

This is not true about the Carvin. I ordered a PB5 bass about 5 months ago. I could not get used to the spacing. You have 10 days to send it back after you receive the instrument. I received a full refund. The quality of the bass was top notch, I just did not like the string spacing.

+1. I've owned several Carvin basses and guitars, including my current No. 1 bass. I sent back one custom order during the 10-day trial period because it just didn't work for me (I was trying out a 6-string bass), as well as a couple of instruments I demo'd from their "In Stock" page, and it was a painless process.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Pay a couple bucks more and have Nino Valenti build you the bass of your dreams.

 

[wizerd]

Marcus Miller Sire V7. Fit and finish on mine are excellent, passive/active switch, you can order with blocks, and it won't break the bank. G&L JB2 also an excellent choice as some have pointed out. I have a tribute JB2 which is rock solid. Happy hunting

 

[sstillwell]

I should probably say that I probably want to keep the budget at $2k or less...that will likely eliminate Metros and such unless used...although the idea is appealing.

So far, I think I may pull the neck from my Precision Special and mount it to the Fretless body and see how it treats me. That at least sounds like a good stop-gap measure. It may be "good enough", it may not, but at least I'll know.

 

[Kustom_Thunder]

Mayones Jabba classic 4 it's a fantastic bass

 

[nonohmic]

I'd get a used Lull. Those things look killer.

 

[GregC]

I should probably say that I probably want to keep the budget at $2k or less...that will likely eliminate Metros and such unless used...although the idea is appealing.

So far, I think I may pull the neck from my Precision Special and mount it to the Fretless body and see how it treats me. That at least sounds like a good stop-gap measure. It may be "good enough", it may not, but at least I'll know.

Used is the way to go, IMO. For under $2K, there's a pretty wide array of great used jazz basses available. US Lakland, Sadowsky Metro, and Lull all turn up regularly in the TB classifieds, and most tend to be in excellent condition.

 

[Scarey Larry]

If you want the Fender sound (P or J), get a Fender. For $2K you can get a killer bass used and there are a lot of J style basses that are really good. Rather than price may I suggest you try before you buy and don't worry about cost. Cost is a consideration but getting a bass you want to live with is more important.

 

[JimHouchin]

IF you want light weight AND a FANTASTIC fit and finish.... (sorry no blocks) ... you should buy this bass (or one like it.) I (IMHO) will say unequivocally that a G&L JB will KICK the living sh!t out of a Fender USA Pro/Std. The feel and smoothness of the new G&L's cannot be over stated for me. Really guys, you HAVE to grip the neck on one of these things. For one, they are PLECK'ed and if you haven't felt that before, you're in for a treat. Second, in the Empress wood they only 7 and 1/2 lbs!! I have the 5 string version and it's only 8.2 lbs! Can't say enough how much of a joy they are to strap on.

This is for sure the most under-rated basses on market.

Rocket Music - GLJBEmpressVintageWhite

G&L JB (Empress, Vintage White) (Item# 6449)
$1549.99 (Stock: Available)

This bass is a G&L JB model. It features an Empress body and a Maple neck w/ matching Maple fingerboard.
This bass weighs 7.6 lbs.

Features

• MODEL: JB ($2000 MSRP)
• BODY: Empress (+$143 MSRP)
• FINISH: Vintage White
• BRIDGE: G&L Saddle Lock with chrome-plated brass saddles
• TRIM PARTS: Chrome Pickguard Screws
• KNOBS: J-type Black
• PICKGUARD: 3-Ply Tortoise Shell (+$72 MSRP)
• NECK PROFILE: G&L Medium C - 1 1/2" Nut, 9.5" Radius
• NECK WOOD: Hard Rock Maple Neck w/ Rosewood fingerboard
• NECK FINISH: Satin Clear
• FRETS: Medium Jumbo
• NECK OTHER: Black Pearl Face Dots
• NUT: Bone
• TUNERS: G&L Ultralite Tuners w/ Aluminum Tapered String Posts
• PICKUPS: Two G&L JB Alnico 5 single coils, Black
• CONTROLS: Dual volume, single tone
• CASE: Hardshell Case Include

**** NO I do not work for Rocket music or G&L !!