Fender American Series Jazz Bass S-1 Switch

jazz bass with s-1 switching,maple neck and fingerboard.through body bridge,20 medium jumbo frets.black body.

lovely sound with my ashdown 500 abm head and 4x10 abm cab.always play it with both pups on full and tone up as well.guitar and amp were made for each other in my opinion.with the s-1 lots of styles could be obtained not that i use it as i've found the sound i want a nice vintage sound.nothing to dislike about it.

well set up allthough i did adjust pups a bit.finish is superb.

use this bass with no back up.trust it completely.

n/a

off and on i've been playing 25 years.i had a jazz before and loved it then.(why did i sell it)had two cheapish basses before i bought this one but i knew i had to buy a jazz.there is nothing to hate about this bass its so easy to play,especially the thin neck if like me you have smallish hands.i would definately buy another if anything happened to it.

2006 American made standard S1 Jazz. All the usual features with Rosewood neck and translucent Orange ash body.

Great Jazz sound - full and round sound even with stock pick ups - no hum or noise from the pick ups and a great punch with the S1 switch in.
Usual growl and twang that you associate with a Jazz bass.

Out of the box the neck was slightly concave and the action was way too high on every string not just usual Fender G string set up. But with a bit of adjustment it noe has a beautiful low action with little fret buzz. Everything else was perfect - the paint finish is suberb and the neck is a pleasure to hold.

I have had a 74 Jazz since 78 and is still going strong so don't see any problems with the new one.

Never had cause for complaint

I have been playing on and off for around 30 years and owned a 74 Jazz from new. I have started playing live again after a break of many years and really didnt fancy carting a vintage guitar around rough pubs so treated myself to this new bass. I have to say I have not been dissapointed - whilst the 74 has a great vintage mellow sound the 06 has fantastic punch, especially with the S1 swith engaged. I play though a Trace Elliot head and a 2x15 HH loaded cab and the sound is just awesome! The E notes are especially low and sustaining even with the stock pick ups and bridge. By comparison to the bridge on my 74 the 06 bridge is lightyears better! The only slight downside is the frets are much higher than the old one and the neck, whilst identical in width, is just not as smooth due to a polyurethene finish rather than a nitro cellulose finish on the old one? Otherwise it is just the most amazing and versatile bass you could buy for the money and is a real return to form by Fender.

Made in california USA in 2003 paid ??930 came with hard case, fender strap etc..got the 3 tone sunburst with white scratch plate.i have been playing now for about 14 years and have had about 6 different basses but never owned a fender so thought it was about time,when i got it i thought it was amazing sounded great felt great and looked great but after a year playing with my band (jazz rocky type of stuff ) i felt i was lacking a bit of oomph or growl so i ripped out the pickups and replaced them with a set of seymour Duncan quarter pounders and what a wicked move that was now it sounds like a beast,still warm but much more output and funk.I also changed the bridge for a BADASS 2 which was a good move also(recomended)now the bass is perfect for what i want and is perfect for me

After changing the parts the bass sounds BAD (as in bloody amazing)

when i got the bass the set up was a bit to high for my liking so got it lowerd etc..but other wise the bass was fine

All hardware is spot on but i do recomend changing the bridge for a BADASS 2 it gives you more sustain better harmonics and a alround better play

very good bass highly recomended

2006
4 string
rosewood fretbourd
s1 switch
black with black scratch plate
american jazz

multitudes of tones and sounds are easily got from this bass

the action could be a bit lower.might need a pro set up
paint finish was perfect and looks beautifull.
plays beautifull

only time wil tell
but seems solid as a rock

have delt with fender before ,no probs

i have played for many years and it is a real joy to finally have a real bass,the tone is sweet and clear,i just love it

brought from new 2005.got all the usual candy on it see all reviews above.wanted a chrome red with black scratch plate and a maple neck.which duly arrived;and it looked fxxking gorgeous and still is.

sounds great and does exactly what its supposed to.i set the tone half way,bridge p/u on full,neck p/u about 3/4 and its perfect.the s-1 switch i thought was just a gimmick,but i was completely wrong.may not sound exactly like a precision but it certainly fattens the sound.

perfect setup.

beyond reliability.feels comfortable,superb finish,looks and sounds great.got small hands so its nice to play.

never had to deal with them.

been playing 4 years;through a hartke 550 head,vxa4x10,vx1x15 rig.definitley replace if lost or stolen.my brother"s got a mexican jazz which is also brilliant and its thanks to him that i got one.

This is a followup to previous review I had done

I finally pulled out the original crappy pickups and replaced them with an EMG active set and now the bass sounds great. Yeah I know the Fender Freaks will say that the Fender pickups give the best sound, but those days are long gone. I was possibly going to replace them with Lindy Fralins or Bartolinis, but was unwilling to experiment with pickups at about $200.00 a set. The EMGs are a known quantity and sound great. No more buzz and finger noise.I also replaced the vintage style bridge saddles with Graphtech 8304 saddles and what an improvement they made. The vintage style saddles that the bass came with were very limiting as to what strings worked on the bass. The strings wouldn't sit fully into the saddles and this created a loss of sustain and high end. The graphtech barrel type work just fine, but the could increase the spacing by 1/8 inch total.

Bought in Paris, France in 2006 (sorry for my English...). Alder sunburst body (unfortunately more a 2 tone than 3, but nice veneers, nearly like ash ! ) with maple fingerboard because it gives more snap and the too common rosewood version felt a bit more chunky .
The light satin finish added to rolled edges and compact size at nut really make the neck ?a dream to play? . I found graphite rods make a world of difference when slappin' . Very useful S-1 switch, ugly white scratchplate... I tried lots of different Fenders models so I'll compare them to this one...

After reading hundreds of user reviews, trying several times and recording most of the Jazz bass versions, I choosed the more comfortable and versatile which could give the nasal Jaco sound on bridge pickup, the hollow 70's slap sound whith both pu... plus the round sound of a Precision to play Motown lines !

In fact, I knew the pu's would lake a bit of personnality (the neck one has a great solid presence but the bridge don't sound as burpy as a classic JB. I'm going to put BareKnuckles pu's and it should be perfect ) but the playability is so great, the sustain so long and the sound so fast - very snappy notes thanks to the graphite rods - that It won !

Depending on balance and tone knobs, this model can give the best of the both worlds : vintage and modern !
With the mapple fingerboard+ alder body, the notes can be warm but never muddy ; or cristal clear without hurting the ears like a mapple+ ash bass.

The S1 switch (pu in serie mode) is really a plus.
I first wanted a Precision and tried new, reissue and old ones (neck too wide for me). Having compared a new PB and a JB S-1 in the shop, I was astonished by the similar sound in S1 mode !

JB S-1 vs. the rest of the world :
Tried the great looking JB 62 US reissues and Custom Shop Relic : best Jaco sound off all on bridge pu but it was the only interesting -poor neck sound, very limited for slap...

LOVED the look and feel of the bound/block inlay fingerboard on the 75's Reissues and on Marcus Miller. Both excellent, perfect for slap, but the ash bodies lacks the roundness I want.


Even tried Music Man Sterling and the very interesting Variax Bass !

Hated the thin Geddy Lee neck (althougt I have small hands) and found the JB S-1 sound more beefy.


So, 9 with the present pickups and 10 with new ones

What makes the JB S-1 incredibly easy to play is the adjustable space between the strings (a bit too wide at bridge with most of 4 strings Fender when you used to play a 5 strings).
The finish is perfect, althought a bit too dark on the body, and too clear on the neck. Action can be low with the graphite rod. Also, Fender could have a bit more color to choose.

Looks very solid. The Marcus Miller was incredibly fun to play but had a kind of plastic feel. Probably the drying of the wood and the lacquer.
No problem yet with the S-1 switch but I know it is fragile

I ordered a black pickguard to Fender, two months ago. No news. The shop told me that one time, they waited for a Fender product for... 2 and a half years !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have had over Fender bass or guitars in the past but never experimented the support

I 've had a lot of basses in 12 years : 3 Music Man, Warwick, Yamaha, Vigier Passion (great bass !), actives Precision Deluxe & Jazz Bass Deluxe (couldn't get the vintage sound) and still own a Sadowsky 5 strings. Althought passive, this Jazz is one of the more versatile and best sounding. For an affordable price !

2004 American Jazz Bass With S-1 Switch
Has about the same features that a Jazz Bass has always had except for the S-1 switch. Mine is a sunburst finish with a rosewood fingerboard.

The sound of this bass sucks and I'm going to change the pickups to Either EMGs or possibly Bartolinis. The pickups are noisy and pick up an unbelievable amount of string and plucking noise. I have owned many Jazz Basses in the past and none has sounded quite this bad. I have an early 90s Mexican Jazzbass with better sounding pickups. I may also change the bridge saddles and go back to the old barrel type instead of the screw type the bass came with. The only stings that fit correctly in the saddles are DR tapers. The S-1 is kind of limited in my opinion, but its O.K if you want to boost the output and bass a bit.

Bass was well set up from the factory, but i did a bit of tweeking to fit my playing style. The neck does need periodic truss rod adjustments but after a few years the necks usually become fairly stable.

I'm sure the bass will be reliable and durable. They always have been and they probaly always will. Hopefully Fender will get wise and start using decent pickups again.

I have dealt with the company in the past and have found them to be helpful.

I have been playing bass for about 30 years. I have always played a Jazzbass because I don't have large hands and love the slim tapered necks. Again, I wish it had decent pickups.

It's a jazz bass, nuff said.

sounds like a jazz bass, nuff said.

just like a jazz bass should, all adjustments available to you, nuff said.

It's a fender, will go the distance, nuff said.

no idea, not tested, nuff said.

ok, heres the review. I've been playing for 25 years. This black and maple jazz is the nicest, sweetest bass I have ever owned or played. This is a gift from the universe. It took me simply ages to find this one. This is the issue with Fenders, the one for you is out there but you have to search long and hard to find it, easier to find the holy grail. Good luck in your quest weary knight, you will instinctively know when you find it, and you will will realise the search was worth it. It's a head thing, it's a heart thing, it's a jazz thing......
Jaco played a jazz, nuff said.

2004 American Series Jazz Bass
3 tone sunburst finish
Maple neck with beautiful rolled rosewood fretboard
Rounded body shape made of alder
Volume\switch, Volume, tone controls
Passive electronics\I installed Fender Noiseless pickups as well as a 4 ply celluloid tortoise shell pickguard and strap locks
Very functional string through body bridge
34" scale with hardshell Fender case with all case candy!
I must also say I have purchased 2 of these basses and I will review the other at a later time.

The sound is Fender Jazz all the way. I had installed the noiseless pickups in the bass immediatly after I had recieved it. The S1 switch is a nice feature that really pumps out the low end. Nothing like a P bass though, only a P bass can sound like a P bass. This bass can cover any style that is thrown its way with authority. I play as a hired musician with my roots anchored in Metal and Hard Rock. I have played everything from Elvis to Slipknot with my Jazz and it kills! Has a very nice growl and sits nice in a live or studio mix. The bass is extremely quiet with the standard P/U but I prefer the noiseless P/U for my home studio. I use a Hartke 3500 amp as well as a Ampeg SVT 2 with this and all of my bass's. I have A 4x10 hartke aluminum cone cab with an Ampeg 1x15. I play dry with no effects however I do religiously use my 1997 Sansamp bass driver DI live and in the studio.

I bought this bass from a local music store. The guys had lowered the action and put better strings on it. Like I said before I had purchased another bass from the Fender factory and I will review that one later. The finish is absolutely awesome, a very nice darker sunburst finish, I can compare to my stock second bass wich is a lighter finish. I do however prefer it darker. I have to admit no matter what bass I buy I tear it apart, neck, electronics and all to set it up my way. I have been playing since I was 16 and now am 35 and have routed my own pickup configurations as well as winding my own pickups. The neck on this bass is straight as an arrow, and the fretboard is beautifully grained. This is my 7th Fender Jazz bass and I have never owned a dud. People who complain about the action and setup from the factory need to relize that Fender uses a base line for their setups and everyone has different playing styles, I set it up my way regardless how it is purchased, low action, no string buzz, straight neck and finger style playability!

I have owned 7 Fender J basses and every one took the punishment I had dished out. I played for 6 years in the Chicago metal scene with only 2 basses. I had soundmen knock them over, straps throw them to the ground and drunk singers spitting beer all over them. Not once have I ever needed to resort to my back up. Fenders are great instruments. You as the consumer need to maintain your gear to make it last, just like a car. Now I play for numerous musicians mostly for recordings and I dont see either of my bass's having any issues. I can say that my 19 years of playing bass have made me a Fender player forever.

Never needed them!

Been playing 19 years, have owned Ibanez, Washburn, Ovation Viper Bass (Still have), Dean and a few other knock off bass's. None compare to Fender and its 50+ years of heritage. I would buy again and I have, for backup.