Would you be playing this ?

[Griendrr]

Last Thursday out of the blue I texted my buddy and said I was wondering what the odds were of him babysitting me while I did my first set up. I'd noticed the neck on my SR had bowed and the action was getting too high to be fun anymore. Note I didn't want him to do it, he'd set up one or two for me before. Being the most excellent buddy that he is, he not only made sure I didn't do any permanent damage the next morning, he also said he assumed he'd come to me. Didn't even have to leave the house. (I truly love this guy)

I can now adjust the truss rod, string height and intonation with relative confidence. (What a great feeling knowing I can tweak it anytime anywhere.) The SR even came with 3 cheaper Allen's that I've kept in the gig bag all along.

Also being a good buddy he brought along this MIM Fender Jazz. He's not a bassist but said he got a nice deal on it at an estate or garage sale. He left it here suggesting I might like it and maybe should try playing it. He also said John Paul Jones played something similar. Hopefully I'll be able to play like him now .

We both had a pretty good laugh when he handed it to me. Feels like it's about 7lbs heavier than my SR. He has a really nice strap that a guy in Canada custom made. The strap really does make it quite comfortable.

I hooked it up and played a few lines. Honestly didn't put much into it... ever since I put flats on the SR I've been avoiding anything else.

I know this guitar has value, it seems like a go to for many bassists. It's probably worth 3 times or more what mine is. I wouldn't ever deny that. I also can't see myself playing it much if at all.

So I'm thinking what better place than here to get some basic facts, opinions, etc. I'm a bassist, I should know these things. Is this anything special ? If yes what makes it so ???

This might seem like a boring question. I'm just not much into gear, or music history much. Any answers short long sarcastic or other wise are duly noted and much appreciated.

Thanks Guys,

Joe

 

[two fingers]

It's a fine bass.

That said, don't ever buy a bass because someone else thinks you should own it. If you love your SR, and don't really bond with the Jazz, don't get the Jazz.

 

[Griendrr]

It's a fine bass.

That said, don't ever buy a bass because someone else thinks you should own it. If you love your SR, and don't really bond with the Jazz, don't get the Jazz.

Sound advice indeed. I concur. I'm fairly sure he's not looking to sell it. Probably more like running out of room at his place, hence him coming to me. It's all falling into place....

 

[C Stone]

Great looking J bass. I have a few of them. I play P's as well and it depends on what songs I'm jammin my J's get plenty of play.
I wouldn't want to be without at least one J bass. Give it a chance.

 

[Griendrr]

Great looking J bass. I have a few of them. I play P's as well and it depends on what songs I'm jammin my J's get plenty of play.
I wouldn't want to be without at least one J bass. Give it a chance.

I will !!!

 

[hypercarrots]

Does SR mean ibanez soundgear or music man stingray or something else? I've seen both abbreviated as SR so i'm not sure which you have.

 

[ZedLepp]

Hey, great job on learning how to do setups for yourself.

 

[Griendrr]

Does SR mean ibanez soundgear or music man stingray or something else? I've seen both abbreviated as SR so i'm not sure which you have.

Ibanez sorry bout that. I was digging on the new ones at GC but I thought for $350 and such a cool look it must be too good to be True. I bought a more traditional used Ibanez for a similar price. (My first bass) I don't even remember what model. I then added a Squire short scale (mustang ?), then came across this used for $150 on Craigslist. It really feels and plays as good as it looks. Narrow neck, super light, I'm very happy with it.

 

[mongo2]

I would not play that bass.

It's a nice bass and I'm sure it works fine but I only play short scale basses.

 

[Griendrr]

I would not play that bass.

It's a nice bass and I'm sure it works fine but I only play short scale basses.

My second bass (second one I bought) is a Fender Squier Jaguar SS. I like playing it a lot. Now that I've tried flat wounds I'd like to put a set on that too maybe...

 

[mongo2]

My second bass (second one I bought) is a Fender Squier Jaguar SS. I like playing it a lot. Now that I've tried flat wounds I'd like to put a set on that too maybe...

I also have the Squier Jaguar SS. It sounds great with the P pickup alone (I don't use bridge pickups). I used flats for decades but I now prefer nylon tapewound strings.

 

[hypercarrots]

Ibanez sorry bout that. I was digging on the new ones at GC but I thought for $350 and such a cool look it must be too good to be True. I bought a more traditional used Ibanez for a similar price. (My first bass) I don't even remember what model. I then added a Squire short scale (mustang ?), then came across this used for $150 on Craigslist. It really feels and plays as good as it looks. Narrow neck, super light, I'm very happy with it.

The ibanez soundgear is a very different feeling and sounding bass from a fender jazz. I have many of both. If you like the sound and feel of your ibanez and nothing immediately catches your attention when playing the fender jazz, then there's no reason to try and make it work for you.

 

[Tanner5382]

I'm not a fan of Jazz basses, but maybe you are! Fool around and experiment with it.

To answer your question, no, there really is nothing special about that bass. It's about as basic or vanilla as it gets. On the flip side of that, there is nothing wrong with it either. It's one of the classic bass models so it's definitely something you should experience.

 

[sawzalot]

It’s a solid meat-n-potatoes, bread-and-butter bass. Classic sound and shape. Right in the middle of the line as far as price goes.

 

[Bass Man Dan]

I would certainly try it out. However, there's no reason to beat your head against the wall trying to like it. If it speaks to you, awesome. If not, no big deal.

 

[micguy]

A heavy jazz bass? Nope - I wouldn’t play that. Every bass I have has hum cancelling pickups, and is very light. Those are issues I won’t budge on.

 

[Zooberwerx]

The weight would be an issue for me. Face it...the Ibanez Soundgear series is the un-official "Dad" bass. Play it loudly...play it proudly...then go take a nap.

Riis

 

[Beej]

That jazz is probably nice, but it's very different from your SR and that might be what you're noticing. I know some fender fanboys will cringe at this, but your SR is like a '94 Supra and that Jazz is like a '57 Chevy. The SR is sleek, fast, handles beautifully, sounds great and says "90s!". The Jazz is also fast, but handles much differently, has vintage mojo for days and screams "50s!". I'd say keep them both. Cruise around on the jazz when you need to, but when Dom shows up with his blown hemi, you can crush him in your SR.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Last Thursday out of the blue I texted my buddy and said I was wondering what the odds were of him babysitting me while I did my first set up. I'd noticed the neck on my SR had bowed and the action was getting too high to be fun anymore. Note I didn't want him to do it, he'd set up one or two for me before. Being the most excellent buddy that he is, he not only made sure I didn't do any permanent damage the next morning, he also said he assumed he'd come to me. Didn't even have to leave the house. (I truly love this guy)

I can now adjust the truss rod, string height and intonation with relative confidence. (What a great feeling knowing I can tweak it anytime anywhere.) The SR even came with 3 cheaper Allen's that I've kept in the gig bag all along.

Also being a good buddy he brought along this MIM Fender Jazz. He's not a bassist but said he got a nice deal on it at an estate or garage sale. He left it here suggesting I might like it and maybe should try playing it. He also said John Paul Jones played something similar. Hopefully I'll be able to play like him now .

We both had a pretty good laugh when he handed it to me. Feels like it's about 7lbs heavier than my SR. He has a really nice strap that a guy in Canada custom made. The strap really does make it quite comfortable.

I hooked it up and played a few lines. Honestly didn't put much into it... ever since I put flats on the SR I've been avoiding anything else.

I know this guitar has value, it seems like a go to for many bassists. It's probably worth 3 times or more what mine is. I wouldn't ever deny that. I also can't see myself playing it much if at all.

So I'm thinking what better place than here to get some basic facts, opinions, etc. I'm a bassist, I should know these things. Is this anything special ? If yes what makes it so ???

This might seem like a boring question. I'm just not much into gear, or music history much. Any answers short long sarcastic or other wise are duly noted and much appreciated.

Thanks Guys,

Joe

It's a nice looking Made in Mexico Jazz Bass. Compare the neck to your Ibanez. If it has the 60's slim C-shape neck, you'll probably like it. If it has that D shape neck or God-forbid the Deep U-shape neck, you'll hate it.

I've played almost nothing but Jazz Basses since 1966, except for my 5-string, which I only use for songs that require a note below low E. That bass is not being used at all right now. If you want to a nice sound of the Jazz that will give you presence and definition in the mix, dime all the controls - V, V, and T. The tone control is what is known as the Fender Grease pot. It doesn't boost anything, it only cuts treble out of your sound, very much like a dimmer switch on a light. With all of those knobs turned all the way up, set your amp to flat (whatever settings actually make it flat). Fender uses a different tone stack and a number of amps do not actually give you flat with the EQ at noon. So find out what yours does and set it flat. With Eden and DNA gear straight up is flat on all the EQ's.

Then move over to your low-mids and give it just a little boost. On my DNA and Eden gear I typically run my Jazz with the low mids boost at 1:30 or thereabouts. Anywhere between 250Hz and 500Hz will do the trick. If you boost the low-mids too much they will honk at you. If that happens, slowly turn it down until it stops honking and then leave it there. Now play some runs plucking the strings by the end of the neck and notice how dark they sound. Move your fingers down by the neck pickup and it will be quite a different sound, not nearly so dark. Then play over or slightly behind the bridge pickup and hear how bright that is. While your are down at the bridge pickup, play some harmonics. They will ring out loud and clear when plucking over the bridge pickup. If you want that Jazz to growl, dig into the strings over the Bridge pickup or slightly behind it. With your bass controls all the way up there is a very wide range of sound you can get out of your jazz by just changing where you are plucking the strings. That is very handy because you can change the sound significantly without twisting any dials anywhere.

Looks like your Ibanez has two pickups too, so try that on your Ibby and see how wide a range of sound you can get by just plucking the strings in different places. Anyhow, if you do that with your Jazz you'll get a good idea of what she'll do and whether or not you like it and can use it. If you like it and can use it, then keep it. If not, give it back or sell it if your buddy doesn't want it. Depending upon when it was made, they originally sold for under $500 but quickly went up to it. And then they continued to climb. Today you can buy a MIM Fender for right about $1,000.

So check that out and let us know what you think.

 

[jd56hawk]

It's an MIM Fender, probably worth $500 or so if you wanted to buy a used one in a store.
If you like your bass with flatwounds, you're definitely going to like the Fender with GHS or D'Addario black tapewounds.
Might just make you forget about your SR.
I've never considered myself a Precision or a Jazz bass guy, now, all of a sudden I have three...and my two newest ones are almost impossible not to play.