Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass FMT 4-String

Made in USA in 2002. 22 frets, 34 scale, 18 volts (2 batteries)active electronics, master volume, mic pan, bass, mid, treble. Bridge with string-thru option.

This is the best sounding bass I have owned. Rich, beautiful sound, excellent for slapping a la Marcus Miller. A classic jazz bass but on steroids. Played thru a Hartke 3500 head and 2x10 plus 1x15 Carvin boxes. Rock, funk, pop and tango-rock fusion.

I bought this bass used in 2005. It has a very low action. No need to make any adjustment at all. Fits perfectly into my hands.

Seems it will last forever. I've been playing it almost every day since 2005. Just a few truss rod adjustments. Never needed a backup instrument. The only complaint is it doesn't have a active/pasive switch just in case the batteries go dead, very easy to prevent, anyway.

I havent deal with the company. No need, anyway.

I have played for 15 years now. I have owned 2 Alembics, 1 Smith and 4 Warwicks. I have sold my last Warwick 2 months ago. This is the only bass I definitely will keep.I live in Argentina and I think this is the only FMT around here. I hope nobody will stole it cause it would be impossible for me to replace it. I dont understand why Fender is not manufacturing this bass anymore. Is such a wonderful instrument!!

2002 Model that was purchased from Guitar Center (how do they do it so inexpensively?)...Cherry sunburst with a flame maple top & gold hardware...Truley a strikingly attractive instrument- -which BTW is a direct quote from a SOund Tech recently when I played the bass...

Excellent tones can be generated due to the use of an 18-volt system...It can cover from Old School/classic to New School styles...IMHO the weight of the bass contributes significantly to the varied sounds you can get...Very useful!

Required a set-up...I think every wannabe Bassist in the San Diego area must've demo'd this instrument...Exquisite quality from Fender's Custom Corona Shop though- -no complaints...

An impressive instrument to own...Fenders are easy to work On a figure out if something goes wrong- -That what happens when you're the INDUSTRY STANDARD...

N/A for this item- -although past experience is excellent...

What praises can I say about a Fender Jazz Deluxe that hasn't already been said?...Take it from a +30yr Bassist/Guitarist- -With a Fender you get the most bang for the buck...

This is the first jazz bass i've owned, so comparisons to other jazzes, playing and build-wise, i can't do. Only sound-wise from other players and records and a comparison to basses i've had in the past i can do!
I bought this bass after trying american standards, normal deluxes, musicmans and warwicks.
I settled on a jazz as a wanted a popular sounding bass and after having a custom made bass for years, i wanted a bass that i could easily find parts for and was standardised as much as possible.
I choose the FMT as the American standard's headstock dipped due to the heavy machineheads and i wanted the feel of 22 frets, which the deluxes have... (thats just me.)
The body of the bass is 3 piece alder with a quilted maple top, slightly heavier bridge, string through body (which really adds to the sustain), bound rosewood fingerboard (70,s styling for the neck) and a slightly down-sized headstock and upgraded, lightweight tuners.
The hardcase you get (vintage brown) is worth it itself!!
Everything on the bass shouts quality (all gold hardware) so the cost is def. justified there.
The neck is deep and round. At first, it took some time to get used to, being used to a thin neck, but over the last months the feel of the neck and the whole bass in-fact...just made sense and i am starting to realise why jazzes are so popular (..not just a nostalga thing as i previously thought....ahem!)
The finish..not sure what it is, but having had one dink, the finish sinks into the wood and doesn't chip off (no brittleness) which is good.

The sound is 'active' so only buy if thats the sound you want. The stacked pickups give a great throaty tone to a nice round dub tone if needed. As i said, i can only compare to jazz sounds i've heard off other player or from record, but straight away i got the larry Graham slap tone and using all the neck pickup and thumb muting, got a good reggae and motown-ish tone (ala active!)
This bass did sound a little 'lighter' than a one piece ash standard in the shop, but for the over all package i went for this one!
No noise what-so-ever from the pick ups.
Basically, it seems if you want an active version of all the classic jazz bass tones then consider this bass.............or a Sadowski!

The action was very good from the factory, however, like all basses straight from the factory, it did need a setup.
Frets were fantastic - large, oval and well seated. No complaints.
The only complains are the holders for the strings at the back of the bass are not glued in.
Also, the A string will buzz at the nut if the string is not oushed all the way down to the bottom of the tuning peg. It seems fender have made the shafts different heights to get round this, but you will still need to be careful.
The body has to be mentioned, as it is the most comfy i've had (thats after having a bass for years that has squared off edges!) It does make a difference if you are playing for a few hours.

The bass is very solid (5 screws in the neck plate). Everything else seems well put together, but only time will tell if it can take the knocks of playing and gigging. (me thinks it will!)

Not tried

9/10 and nothings perfect (..except for the hardcase!)