6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Evulution without loss of character.
Date of Review: May 14, 2002
The Bottom Line: It is a tasty evolution of the classic sixties Jazz Bass, and while it could have been improved, it does represent value for money, is well built and sounds great.
Fender USA's most recent version of their standard bass sets
new levels of build quality,sound and playability.
Introduced two years ago, this American Series Jazz Bass
preserves the look, sound and most of the vibe of the original sixties bass but actually adds new features to make an overall higher quality instrument. However ,I believe it could have been improved even more.
The body shape is preserved as is the headstock, pickup and control configuration so that the look is largely preserved.
Sunburst, natural and solid-colour finishes are set off by an off-white three-ply pickguard with a notch by the neck
to facilitate truss-rod adjustment with the supplied wrench.
The bridge, which is heavier than that of the original and
its '62 Vintage reissue,combined with through-body stringing
a la Precision and a graphite reinforced neck,eliminate deadspots and give very good sustain. The nut and frets are very well done and the neck feels comfortable in the hand,
although it is much bulkier than that of the '62 Vintage reissue. The rosewood fingerboard is very dark and I like this. On the debit side, the body of my example clearly shows join lines indicating that the body was made of three
pieces of wood . The recently deleted Hot Rod Red (Fender's
colour code 15) lives up to its name-subdued it ain't- yet it,combined with the pickguard, it does look 60's!
The instrument is reasonably light and comfortable to play and unamplified, notes ring well. Amplified, the classic Jazz tones are all there and won't disappoint.Progression through the three control levels is smooth. The old single-coil hum still exists,however, when one of the volumes is rolled back to give a throatier tone. Surely technology exists that could have eliminated this without adding to the cost of the bass.
Overall,however, the quality of this bass is high. I have seen and played other Jazz type basses that cost an awful lot more. This version,Fender's own, while not cheap, does
bring a quality instrument within reach of the gigging musician and as such, is a welcome development. The innate conservatism of the guitar/bass world will ensure that this
instrument will always have a market.
Other features included in the package are:
straplocks to stop your prized possession from falling off,
pickup magnet slugs are now raised above their black plastic covers, a hardshell moulded case of very good quality, cable.
This instrument is situated at the entry level of Fender's USA line, and despite good instruments manufactured in Mexico and Japan, does have enough new features to distinguish it from them and justify its higher price. In addition, despite the aforementioned, in many people's perceptions American-made is better, although a high proportion of this particular instrument's manufacture is carried out south of the border in Mexico!
One thing I don't like concerns the thicker headstock and tuners. They don't look or feel quite right. I believe,
given the detail of the rest of the instrument,that a specification nearer to that of the original could have been found.
All in all, a very good bass that essentially is a modernised version of an old favourite.
