Advice on Fender Standard Jazz Bass

[JouniL]

Hi!

I need to get myself a good bass. My budget Yahama bass is 23 years old and is no fun anymore.

So I was thinking of getting my self this one: Fender J-bass.

My question is: For a Fender this price seems like a bargain ($479). But what does a Fender Standard stand for? Is it just a "Fender Overprized by Brand Made In China Piece of Crap" or can I expect to get myself a quality instrument? I'm not looking for a high-end instrument, I need a bass that can be intonated, tuned and adjusted properly for my needs and that will stand the test of time.

/Jouni

[cwight]

Not China, Jouni, but Mexico. I have a Standard Strat that is Mexican and I love it. Mickey's Tele is a mex, and I think Pooters might be as well. It should be fine but there's nothing like trying a few out in a shop first. Should do all you want...

[trikloretylen]

jouni! check them out on 4sound on folkungagatan in stockholm.
i was there yesterday and they had alot off basses to try out!
including the mexi bass.

[JouniL]

This is a recorded message ... bleep:

"Jouni is currently unavailabe. He was last seen strolling off to 4Sound on Folkkungagatan/Stockholm with a wild glaze in his eyes ... "

[JouniL]

Ha ha! 4Sound takes 6995 Swedish Kronor for the Mex Jazz-bass. Thats 861 dollars. Sam Ash takes 479 dollars. Insane ...

[pooterpatty]

I have a Squier Jazz Bass (probably half the price of the Fender) which I wouldn't hesitate to put up against any Fender out there, tone wise and build quality wise. With a little bit of setup, you can get a lot of mileage out of a Squier, for not a lot of jingle.

I do have a mexican Tele, and bought a mexican Strat this last weekend. Nothing wrong with buying cheaper guitars as long as two criteria are met: 1.) The instrument feels good in your hands, and 2.) You're not afraid to do a little setup work on it.

[solone1]

I've got a Squier MB5 / 5 string and love it. Not bad on the price either. One gotcha is that if you use alternate tuning you might have problems with string tension on the neck. With standard tuning it's a real player and very good quality.

Ex: http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=43826&Category=Basses

[trikloretylen]

your right jouni! the prices in sweden are insane . i bought bass strings for 325 swedish crowns thats about 50 usd.
i thought it was thime to change my 15 year old billy sheehan signature bass strings

[MediaTechGuy]

I was impressed with a Squier Vintage Modified '70s Jazz Bass that I tried out recently. I loved the sound of the pickups and the fast feel of the maple neck. The price was very good as well. I have to buy a new electric 6 string before I can buy this though.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Squier-by-Fender-Vintage-Modified--70s-Jazz-Bass-103726584-i1166457.gc

[pooterpatty]

solone1, you bring up a good point, but therein lies one of the beauties of Squiers - they're easy to wrench on, and pretty forgiving. The truss rod is easy to adjust and quite sturdy, and with a bolt-on neck you can shim it for perfect action all the way up the neck. I myself have used several different gauges of string on my Squier Jazz, and several different tunings, and didn't notice any difference in how it played. It's just like a guitar, you gotta play a bunch of them before you find the perfect one.

[JouniL]

billy sheehan signature bass strings

Wohoo you ARE old trik ...

Made the Söder tour of stockholm (3 major stores), grabbed at least 40 Fender basses. Bottom line: a bass is not better than how well it is adjusted, intonated and how fresh the strings are.

I tried Fender De luxe, standard, mexi, signature and squier basses and the difference was NOT huge. They basically all resonated and felt the same, next time I will probably plug them in to an amp.

The best fender type basses today was a ... german bass brand named ... Sandberg. I tried Jazz, Precision and Stingray (I know, that's not Fender ...) type basses from Sandberg and they felt like 1000 bucks compared to Fender basses. And the price was the same as Standard American Fender! This was my favorite, unfortunately they are too expensive.

http://www.thomann.de/se/sandberg_california_jm4_rw_tobacco.htm

[trikloretylen]

billy sheehan signature bass strings

Wohoo you ARE old trik ...

yepp i know jouni! i was called old man at work recently!