Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass

enough of it posted already...loved the Badass II bridge and neck though

ok, i was in guitar center with nothing in my pocket at the time. i just went to look around because i already was having an active deluxe jazz bass sent to me through the music store i work for. well, make a long story short, i picked the bass up and just started tooling around with it. i immediately fell in love with the way it plays, the neck feels so comfortable. right after i got done playing it, i ran over to the nearest bank and took out 600 bucks to pay for it so i can use it that night for my gig. i play progressive/hard rock (tool/a perfect circle) and i love the way it sounded with my rig. mesa boogie m-pulse 600, ampeg pr410hlf cab, and a small board of effects including delay, distortion, and chorus. i got the sound ive been looking for for a long time, i am now stuck on fender because of this bass.

well the action was OK, i was able to due with it for that night and the intonation sounded fine. but with any bass i get, ill set it up to the way i like it.

everything seems good so far, pretty solidly built.

i used the same bass for 3 years without a back-up so, yes i would use it without one.

nothing yet, just about my other bass, they didnt give me any information at all except they didnt send it out yet because everything wasnt for sale for about two weeks because of changes they were making. i ordered it 3 weeks ago and i still havent gotten anything, and i still have to wait those two extra weeks...not fun

ive been playing in a bands for about 5 years now...my old bass is a schecter elite 5 and that held up fine. very easy to play live with, i didnt have to get used to it at all, i felt comfortable enough to play a show with it just hours after i bought it. so far, buying it was a very good idea and i have no regrets.

Bass model: 2003 Geddy Lee Artist series Jazz Bass by Fender (Japan)
Frets: 22, I think
Strings:4
Controls: Volume/volume/tone
Pickups: Fender vintage J/J single coil
Body:?Alder or ?Poplar- not sure.Trad J shape. Finish is a lustrous black. White 3-ply scratchplate
Bridge: Badass II
Tuners: Vintage Fender style
Neck: 70's style, all Maple with block markers in black, thick and glossy finish to fingerboard. Neck is shaped to a slimmer than standard profile, which makes it a Geddy Lee bass!
Accessories:none

I bought my Geddy Lee Jass Bass via the net about 5 months ago and have used it for about a dozen gigs as well as in rehearsal studio countless times. To be honest, I bought it as a good priced early 70's reissue rather than as a Geddy Lee Bass!
My previous main bass was a US'90 Fender Precision Plus. I play mostly vintage RnB (Motown,Stax etc.) and 70's funk as well as classis Santana and some work with an Afro-Cuban outfit.
I bought this bass because I wanted an authentic vintage jazz sound without the high price tag.It contains all the features I would look for in a retro Fender Bass.The badass II bridge is nice extra for me.
I really liked the neck profile and action, I find it a little faster than my P-plus bass. The 70's style colour sceme is just perfect for the kind of music I play. I give it 8 in this category, simply because there are other, better featured J-basses at a similar price (Marcus Miller signature which I nearly bought, but didn't)

The Geddy Lee bass sounds very different from a previously owned Mexican active deluxe J-bass which I didn't like that much.It almost has as much bottom as my P-bass but in addition, the bridge pickup is really excellent for slapping and popping.I would have to say that this bass is more dynamic throughout most of the range than my P/J configured precision (which is also passive)I was surprised by the output of the passive pickups, however the sound quality demands frequent string changes to keep it up there.
(I use Fender nickel 7250's which luckily, were fitted as standard)
I feel that I can really get that authentic 60's funky J-tone without any effort. I use a SWR amp with a Celestion quadbox,but I nearly always play D.I.
Other guys in the band seem to think that my overall tone is darker and a little smoother than with my previous P-bass, with more definition and brightness in the mid and higher range. Live recordings seem to confirm this. I have also found myself slapping a lot more as a result of this.

The ability to sound like a P-bass makes it easy to get a Jamersonlike tone- ballsy, warm(ish) and well rounded, but crank up that brige pickup and, with fresh strings, you can be Larry Graham! Oompa-Oompa-da-ra-ba!I use a P-bass as a studio standard and haven't yet used the Geddy Lee in this situation.

In conclusion, like all good J-basses, the Geddy Lee can really cut through the mix. Oh, and it was really quiet when both tone knobs were in "phase"

I think that the Geddy Lee J-Bass (a la '72 J-bass, which is what it looks like)is a beautiful instrument, it always draws compliments on it's appearance.

First impression after the glorious finish is the sheer playability of this J-Bass with a slim neck and low action it seemed a breeze after my P-bass!
I particulaly liked the finish on the fingerboard, except that it's already begun to lift a little immediately next to the frets.
My overall impression is that the bass was very well setup straight from the box with a low action which I liked.
I do feel, however, that my P-bass plus (now 14 years old) is tanklike in comparison to the J-Bass, the machineheads on the P-bass are fantastic, whereas the vintage style items on the Geddy Lee just lack that 100% solidity feel.Likewise, though the finish on the Geddy Lee is a gem to view, I don't feel, somehow, that it will look quite as good given the same treatment that my P-bass has had over time.(We'll see!)Still, the bass was flawless as supplied, I have had a tone knob work loose as well as the jack socket. Both easily fixed.

Mine is standing up to regular live playing (in some very sweaty situations!) no problems. As per my previous comments I will wait and see if it lives up to the legendary reliability and durability of finish of my P-bass.
I reckon that all the usual J-bass things will happen as we go along,the strap buttons will work loose, certain frets will buzz etc. etc. I hope that the finish on the fingerboard will standup.I also wonder if the slimmer than standard neck will retain it's shape, in other words, ask me in 5 years time!
Adjustment of the neck appears inconvenient, but not a concern for me as I find I rarely have had to do this with the Fenders I have been lucky enough to own. All other hardware just seems like standard stuff to me (except that bridge which has to be an improvement on Fender's effort and is a nice touch as that's what many players customfitted back in the 70's)

I have to tell you a story here.

I live in Melbourne, Australia. Fender want $Aus2300.00 for the Geddy Lee Bass,case excluded, here in Australia. I bought mine for$Aus1000.00 (about $US750.00)on the web.I was initially told that I couldn't have the bass shipped directly to me as Fender wouldn't permit it! (the guy at Musician 123.com told me that Fender have instructed them not to ship product to Australia) Luckily, I have a cousin in New York who took delivery for me and onshipped it to me here in Melbourne. I had it shipped by UPS and with import duty, fully landed, case included,it cost me $Aus1500.00, still more than $800.00 cheaper, well worth the trouble! As a result of this,I feel letdown by Fender on 3 counts!

1. That there is a gross price differential between here and the USA which I can't reconcile (over 120%markup)shipping alone cannot explain this as the bass was made in Japan anyhow!

2. That Fender oppose free trade by trying to prevent me from purchasing my bass where I like and at what price I can get.

3. That Fender will now "punish" me by not providing any warranty as I have purchased my bass in this manner.

Sorry Fender, I love your products, but you have to learn to treat your increasingly mobile customer base a little better than this!

I've back playing for 4 years now after a break of some 25 years! I would like to try the new Stingray SUB active as well as I'm currently playing a lot more funk. My other basses include a 90 P-bass plus, an OLP stingray and an upright.
I bought this bass after reading the reviews on this page and have found them to be accurate.If it were stolen or lost, I would have to try and replace it. I love the tone from low and ballsy through to the bright and strong high end, the style, the finish and the sheer presence of the thing on stage.It is a prince of J-basses.And extremely playable too.The only other J-basses I would like to own would be an original 62 or maybe a highend G&L.

This is weird, but, I feel that there is an uncanny resemblance (in the feel) to the old "JV" series basses from Squier - I wonder if it's the Japanese way? Anybody who knows of those JV basses will realise that they were rather excellent (too much so, some would say, for Fender's liking)and current secondhand prices for those instruments reflect that!

There's really nothing I could say I dislike about this bass.

Won't go into the features, they're already covered.

I love the sound from this bass. The pickups seem very sensitive. If you pluck a string hard, It really comes out in the sound. The sound from using the Bridge pickup alone is just incredible. I wasn't used to the "hotness" of these pickups at first but now I've learned to use them and I really like having that option.

I had to do some tweaking with this bass when I first bought it. The strings were too low and the pickups were a touch to high. Once these were adjusted it was fine.

The reason I bought this was because I was breaking strings on my American J-Bass pretty frequently in a live situation so I needed something reliable.So I bought this bass and have used it for four months of gigging without any problems. This is a solid bass.I rely on it 100%

Never had to deal with them.

I've owned 6 Fender basses in my life other than this one and I must say that this is my favorite of them all

34" Scale
Alder Body
Maple neck with Black Block inlays
Medium Frets
Reissue 1962 J Pickups
Plain White pickguard

It is exactly what it is - a 70's reissue.

Provides the classic Jazz Bass sounds via SWR Working Man, Fender Bassman 100 and some nicer rigs at Guitar Center. IT sounded great through each. I primarily record with this and it sounds just fine direct into the board or via an Bass PoD or a Bass PoDxT. You just get more tonal capabilities via the PoD's.

Varying the volume levels of the individual pickups can really change the sound from nasty snarl to smooth and full. None of the settings were harsh or muddy.

If you are looking for a sweet smooth sound for Jazz then you may want to look at the Marcus Miller model - also a very nice bass.

Perfect from the factory although I am noticing some very small cracks in the clear coat on the fingerboard. I have never had a Maple neck instrument before and given the more aged ones I would say this is just the norm.

The neck is slim and easy to play. Normally I like an unfinished oiled neck as the gloss slows me down but the clearcoat on this neck causes no problems.

The factory action was a little low for my taste but that was easily resolved and it plays perfectly.

We'll see I have not had it long enough.

N/A

I played a boat load of basses before getting this one. All basses have their pluses and minuses. If you love the more aggresive sound of a Jazz Bass then this is your bass. It has snarl and growl built in.

I played no other bass that came close and they had plenty between Guitar Center and Sam Ash. The unique thing about a Fender is the tonal variety that you can get just by how you play it.

For the money paid for this bass it is a fantastic deal. Not fancy, no Phat knobs (LOL!). Simple elegance and a phenominal sound. Try and steal this and you are in for a serious bruising :-)

One thing that I have learned is that it pays long term to buy a decent instrument and this qualifies. When I was but a wee young'n I got a 1978 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe and it plays as nice as the day I got - possibly better. Not so for the dust collecting bargians that grace the back of my closest - Fender Squire J-Bass Special with a warped neck, Fender Squier Strat. Note that Squires only have a 1 year warranty.

Good Luck and you better one before their gone!

Japanese made bass with 20 frets. Maple neck w/ maple fretboard, black block inlays and black binding around neck. Fitted with Badass Bass II bridge (Geddy is known for fitting his basses with the Badass bridges.) Has a real vintage 1972 look, but modernized for today's standards (thumb-rest bar is nonexistant, as well as an absence of pickup/bridge covers.) The neck is very thin, more so than I've felt on any new Jazz basses. The controls: bridge pickup volume, neck pickup volume, master tone. The only accessory that came with this bass was a small Allen wrench for adjusting the bridge saddles and tone knobs. I give this a 10, this bass is absolutely MARVELOUS.

A very aggressive style, and is very well suited for Rock music (my style of music.) The amp I am running it to is a Peavey TNT115BW (15" Black Widow speaker), and it sounds great thru that. It sounded TERRIFYINGLY awesome on an Ampeg SVT Pro that went into a 4x10 Cabinet. It is a fairly noisy bass, the pickups are very responsive to the strings. Fairly rich sound with a good amount of sustain. As for the tonal variety, it lacks the Low end of a DELUXE Fender J-bass, but it certainly can hold its own. It's noticably better for the stage, probably just because of how noisy it can get; but that all depends on the type of music you play.

The bass came with very low action, but still had great sound. The pickups needed no further adjustments. No flaws on the bass that I can tell of (except a loose tone knob, that was easily adjusted with an Allen wrench.)

This bass feels like it is built like a rock, most Japanese Fenders are. The hardware seems very sturdy. I am not worried about the finish at ALL - Fender has always been very good with that. The finish on the fretboard seems to be a little thick, but that is not a downside at all; it actually contributes to the look of the bass. The strap buttons arent goin anywhere. When I got the bass, no neck adjustments needed to be made, and I dont think that there will be a need for adjustments any time soon. I wouldnt use it without a backup, because I never play without a backup. You never know when your adrenaline is going to pick up, and you start playing harder, and snapping strings. I have had that problem before.

I have never had to deal with Fender on issues concerning this bass.

I have been playing for about 4 years... I also own an American Deluxe Fender Jazz bass. If this bass were stolen, I would definitely buy another one, brand new. You just cant beat the price. My favorite feature is the WHOLE BASS. I compared it side by side by my American Deluxe Jazz bass... just out of curiousity. I love this bass as is, and I cant think of any adjustments it would need.

Features are STD and were decribed by others, It is a Japanese J-Bass with STD passive electronic and US Vintage pickups.

I believe the only special features are the Leo Quann Badass II brige, Black Binding and Black Block Position Markers,
Badass II Bridge.

The neck and the fingerboard are maple.

The neck plate is engraved "Fender Limited edition" but I believe it is made since '98 and it is not really hard to get.

Mine is a 2000.

I will rate features at 9 just because it is passive.

It is possible to get a sound close the the P-Bass using only the neck pickup, but the sounds is still more punchy. Using just the bridge pickup or a combination sounds very interesting, very punchy and aggressive. A lot brighter than a P-bass since mine did not feature a brigpe pickup. I like the sound a lot but I will still use my P-Bass for some specific songs that we are playing with the E string tuned down to C#. For some reason my Jazz Bass does not play well with that tuning.

I will have it tuned up with DR LoRider or SunBeam, I'm sure my sound will get better, but it is still awesome and the variety is a lot wider
with the 2 pickups.

Outstanding, and as I mentioned it is not even freshly tuned. I played a 70's US Made J-Bass before buying the Geddy Lee Model, and I believe the later was better.

I was surprised that one of the machine heads had a little backlash , I'll have it verified.
For the balance it is good enough to sport the name of Fender.
My P-bass will still act as a back up (tuned down as explained), all basses need a backup...

Did not need it yet.

I'm playing guitar since '82, bass since '86 but I spent the 90's without serious playing (occasionnal on my Tak 12 acoustic that I still own). Do not let your job take over music, music is a therapy...

I use to play an Fender Precision (USA) in the late 80's, an I started over playing with a Squier Bass Pack in '99. No need to say it is an upgrade. I was considering my Squier as fair (may be I've been lucky with this chinese, the playability is still ok but the sound can't be compared) But now I believe that the sound of my previous Fender was too deep in my memory.

I am using a Fender Bassman 60 (recommended for rehersal in small rooms only). The amp was distorsioning a lot with the Squier, my sound is really better and the distorsion is minor now with my Geddy (with volume over 80%).

In my 2 months shopping process, I played a Peavey and a Yamaha (both Precision-like in the $4-500's), the fender Sting signature, an active 5str. Bass-Collection, an OLP (Chinese passive Stingray), a Mex. P-Bass, an active Washburn and a Rickenbaker 4003. Among these, I found that only the the Ric and the Geddy Lee were interesting soundwise and were a real upgrade compare to my Squier (playability were all better tough).

I really looked for a MM Stingray, but I lost a bid on one (you can't get $1000 from an ATM and banks bus.hours are a shame) and I purchased the Jazz Bass as a result of frustration and I have no regrets.

If it was stolen, I would try again to find a Stingray, try it and decide after.

My rate will be 9 because I am still a Stingray virgin player...


I do not

Made in early '98 I believe, bought new, so i've had it knog enough to know what it is going to do. It's a Jazz bass, but it is modeled after a '72. Maple board with black markers. Ash body. BadassII bridge. I give it an 8 because, well, it's a jazz bass, and they are not known to have all of the features that will blow you out of the water. However, I would only give several other jazz basses a 7.

I owned this bass for about four years before I even really used it much. I was in metal and funk bands, so a Hi-Fi Warwick 5 was my main axe. I recently joined a classic rock style band with a modern edge. Think Michelle Branch-ish. Bottom line, Jazz basses, in general, are a great bass if you are a sideman. They always sit well in the mix, but never draw attention away from the star. I haven't tried to get it to sound exactly like Geddy Lee, so I can't comment there, but it sounds as good as any american Jazz, which is I wanted it to do. The body could be a bit more resonant, but that is nobody's fault but the tree. Any production bass can vary like that.

All were fine, but as a '72 reissue, The tint of the finish on the maple could be a bit darker. Vintage fender guys will know what I am talking about. You do have to remove the neck to adjust the truss rod, but you wouldn't knock a '62 Jazz worth more than you car for this, so I won't knock this one. Again, as with any bass, spend time adjusting it to your liking. You should never think a bass is perfect out of the box, it helps if it is close, but you'll always have to tweak.

I gig with the bass a minimum of once a week. The only time I use a back up is when I am at a clean venue and I feel like taking my vintage P-Bass ('78) with me. 90% of the time, I have no back up and have never felt like I would need one....Knock on wood.

This bass was stolen once. I contacted AJ's Music in Las Vegas, where the bass was purchased, to see if they still had record of the serial # (always write these down, lesson learned). They contacted fender and were able to get it back, which in turn got me my bass back. I didn't deal with Fender directly, but the job got done. I am still going to leave this as NA.

I am a pro, L.A. studio and gig player with 12 years under my belt. I was always a "modern" bass guy, but I knew that I would need to get a Jazz or P bass if I wanted to do a lot of sideman work. I bought this bass because it was cheaper than the American bass, still had an Ash body, and had the BADASSII bridge. The bass just has a cooler vibe that the American Standard too. Bottom line, I love it. I have since played a ton of similar era Jazz basses, and some are better and some are not. No one engeneer in studio or soundman on stage has ever said anything bad, and it always sits great whereever I play or record it. Mabee I'll put some Fralin's in it some day, but I am always happy with the consitancy of the sound. This bass just always works, no fuss. If you want to be a studio guy, this is key. If it was stolen (again) I would collect the insurance money, and spend the difference on an origional '72, but only because of the investment value of a vintage insturment. The best value Jazz bass on the market, hands down.

Geddy Lee Limited Edition Jazz Bass, a replica of the instrument he has used for for years. Ok the bass features an alder body with a maple neck/fingerboard (34" scale length; 20 Medium Jumbo frets with black fingerboard binding), this J-Bass is custom-fit with two U.S. Vintage Bi-Pole pickups (neck & bridge), and a Bad AssTM II Bridge.

It's got a decent sound but not as full as my American made Jazz. It's quiet and records well. I will be replacing the pickups in time with a Dimarzio ultra jazz set.

Nice fit and finish. No gaps or other mishaps and fret work was well done. Action is pretty good but I hate the fact you have to remove the neck to access the truss rode. Sure it's a classic bass and sure you can have the body routed for access, but still!!. Also I find the neck a little to thin for my liking.

Should last a long time as it's well constructed and has few error prone parts. The inlays in the neck are not true inlays and this may become a problem in time as the maple board begins to show signs or wear.

I'd say for a big company Fender does a decent job at customer service.

A really cool and pleasing jazz with some nice extras. Still not as good as a U.S. made jazz, but still a very good buy.

I bought this bass brand new. It is actually the second one I bought. The first one (which I sold) was in perfect shape. My current one has a little of the laminating of the top of neck peeling off around the 3rd fret. No big deal. Also some small lines in 2 of the black fret markers. Cosmetics like that don't bother me. The thin neck is excellent, especially compared to the Fender Marcus Miller model. Overall, I am very pleased.

The sound is excellent. The reason I sold my first one is that I replaced the pickups with Active Bartolinis. It lost it's "Unique" sound, but gained absolute silence. I am leaving the original pickups in this one. The best way to describe the sound would be to listen to "New World Man" by Rush. Play along with that song, and you will know what I mean. Excellent.

The factory setup was just average. When I bought it, the bass tech took about 15 minutes to adjust the truss rod and the action. Since then it hasn't needed anything, even with drastic temperature changes. The neck is holding my preferred setting perfectly.

This bass seems ready for anything. It appears it could take a beating, a few spilled beers, or just about whatever abuse you have. I would only question the slight noise, but I guess most passive basses would do that. I'm used to playing a dead-silent Kubicki. I was spoiled with that.

Didn't need it.

I play this bass through a Trace Elliot 1x15 300 watt combo and a Hartke 2.5 XL extension cabinet. This is the best sounding combination I have ever owned. My only request would be a little more fine tuning control over the tone. It's just one small knob that controls both. 1 tone knob for each pickup would be outstanding! Anyway, I will NOT be selling this bass this time.

I wish It came with a cass. Fender puts thier basses in great cases.

I did not want geddys sound nor did expect it. You need alot of outboard gear to ound like that (or a ric). I use a mesa 400+ and two mesa 2x15s. I also have a fender 400 and a 2x10 with a 1x15. I run a good sized pedal board. OD, chorus, EH big muff, wah and delay. It is just like any jazz you have ever heard but for half the price. I dont know how fender got away with this, but if you know jazz basses, they could easily sell this for at least 1200 dollars. I

This bass was adjusted to my standards ten minuets after I got it. LOW and buzzing the frets. It came with no flaws, except for loose strap pegs.

The tone and pickup volumes have either came off or have turned past were they are actually supposed to stop at. But I have giged with this bass over 250 times and practiced a over 600 times with it. So I dont blame this bass for sorta falling apart. Some of the finish on the neck has chiped. But oh well, every thing that has gone bad is my fault. This bass is as tough as nails.

Never dealt with fender...........I should though.