Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass

I have been waiting for two years to get my hands on one of these.Alder body,maple neck and fretboard,passive vintage Jazz pickups,custom binding and inlays,Badass 2 bridge,and vintage tuners.
The Geddy Bass! That Moving Pictures growl! I haven't changed a thing on it(except the strings) I've been using DR Hi-beams because I can't find RotoSound SwingBass strings anywhere.They have that nice bright "piano string" sound to them. The last bass I will probably ever own.I'm monogamous and I see no further need to search any further,as I have found my soulmate bass!!

Being a student/fan of Geddy for the past 16 years,my heavily Rush influenced style of playing really comes through on this thing.That growling,single coil Fender Jazz tone is awesome.No dead spots mean I can venture further up the neck without sacrificing my bottom-end.The combination of this easy playing,no frills bass and my wall of SWR 10" speakers is capable of delivering one low-frequency orgasm after another.

The bass came from the factory in mint condition and was set up like they knew it was for myself.I only wish that they had let Ged beat on it for a while and possibly transfer some of that Geddy mojo to me.

I haven't owned it long enough to rate the durability factor. Judging from my past experiences with Fender instruments,I dont view this as being a problem.They have an impeccable reputation with this kid!

Fender rules. I got this bass directly from the factory. My contact at Cascio/Interstate Music in Milwaukee informed me that it was one of the last 2 that they had.They busted their butts getting it to me before it could get lost in the NAMM show traffic,which was happening a scant few days after I ordered it.Thanks Dave!!!

1998 Limited Edition bass, made in Japan, 20 frets, 4 string, volume/volume/tone, Vintage 1962 Jazz Bass pickups, passive electronics, alder body, maple neck, black finish only, Badass II bridge, vintage style tuners, maple fretboard with black lining and block inlays, hard case extra.

I bought this bass because I am a huge fan of Geddy Lee obviously. I play in a popular modern rock band. I play through an Ampeg SVP Pro preamp, Crown power amp, and SWR Goliath III and Son Of Bertha cabinets. This bass has that typical Jazz bass growl with a full round bottom, very light midrange, and decent high end. With the stock pickups, this bass doesn't have the punch to cut through high stage volume. I replaced the pickups with Bartolini 9E's which have greatly improved the sound of the bass. This bass has a hefty, very solid feel to it (due to the alder wood), compared to my 1990 American made Jazz Bass Plus.

This bass seemed to be well set-up from the factory and the action was decent albeit a little low. I discovered no noticeable flaws in the fit or finish of this bass upon delivery.

This is my main bass, and since I play at least one gig every weekend it gets a lot of use. After about three months, I noticed that the varnish coating the fretboard was starting to peel off at the most used frets. I took it back to the dealer where I bought it and he said that it would be covered under warranty but would take quite a long time to get it back. So since I need the bass, and since the warranty on all Fender basses built after 1998 is lifetime, I will wait to have it repaired. Also, I recently took it in to have it set-up, and the neck needed quite a lot of shimming to get it straight. I always carry a backup bass with me to every gig.

All Fender basses manufactured 1998 or later have a lifetime warranty.

I have been playing about 20 years, I also own, besides my two Jazz Basses, several Steinberger basses. I probably would try a different model of Jazz Bass if this one was lost or stolen. I love the heft of this bass, it just feels solid and it plays like a dream. With the addition of the Bartolini pickups, it now has more punch and volume than before.

1998 Limited edition made in japan. 20 frets, Alder body with 70's maple jazz neck. Two volume with master tone. Two vintage 62 passive jazz bass pickups. Beautiful black finish with white, black, white pickguard. Maple fretboard with black block inlays and black binding. Vintage style tuners chrome plated. Baddass II bridge. Did not come with case.

This is a reissue of the fender jazz Geddy Lee used to record the permanent waves and moving pictures albums. It is modeled after a 72 jazz bass. I play in a contemporary christian rock band so I needed a bass that can give me very diverse sounds. The sounds out of this one are the typical 70's and 80's bright growlly jazz bass sound. It sounds great unplugged and screams going through a ADA MB-1 preamp with crate 2X10 and Fender 1X15 cabinets. I usually play with tone knob all the way up and rely on the amp for drastic tone changes. I do other subtle tone changes using the two volume knobs. It is common fact that with jazz basses to get a midrange boost you just roll back one of the volume knobs. However a common occurence with jazz basses is that you get 60 cycle hum when you solo a pickup. On the Geddy Lee model this does not occur. I dont know why, since it has passive pickups. But since I was happy with it I did not bother to find out why. With the mable neck the sound is naturally brighter with a snappier top end. Sounds great for slapping. What I dislike about is that the bass is very light. It does not feel real solid like an american made bass. I think that it is very odd that all of fender's limited edition instruments are made in Japan. I am willing to bet that the original model that this is based on is an american made. If the bass had not played so well, I probabbly would not have bought it. I used this bass to record several songs on my bands CD and the sound on tape is very full and punchy. Overall my bass sound sat very well in the recording mix

When I first got it, I thought it was set up great. I could not believe how low the action was. It played like a hot rodded Ibanez guitar. however, after awhile when I really started digging in, I noticed that the E string was getting horrible fret buzz right around the third fret. The neck was set up very well so i simply corrected the problem by raising the action on the E string and it plays perfect now with higher action. The intonation was fine and everything else was put together real tight. The badass bridge is a nice alternative compared to the other bass bridges I have on my other basses. The extra weight at the end helps the sustain pretty good. The finish was gourgeous. The smooth feel of the maple fretboard makes fast runs easier to play. The only flaw probably happened in transport because I did not buy it with a case. The end of the headstock is a little scratched up but it is barely noticable. You think fender would have done a better job packing it up for shipping.

Since this is a passive instrument, I definately use it without a backup. I cant say about the strap buttons, because the first thing I did was put strap locks on it. I dont trust any regular strap buttons. I definatly think that the finish will last with proper care, but the pickguard will probably yellow over time. I dont like the open back tuners because I think they will be more prone to corrode than the newer closed tuners, I will give it a eight because of that.

The Geddy Lee limited edition was only available in 1998. I however was able to obtain one in mid 1999 at an awesome price. There was a price increase at fender recently. The customer service guys were awesome because they allowed me to get this bass at the original lower price. I also own a american deluxe jazz and american standard precision bass. One of the pots on my jazz deluxe grounded out and needed it to be replaced. The guys at fender immediatly fixed it and got it back to me within two weeks at no charge. Lifetime warranties are the way to go.

If you are able to still get a Geddy Lee model, go for it. If you can't and you want a Jazz, get an American standard and you will be happy. Whats awesome about this bass is is the baddass bridge and the neck. The neck is is thinner than the American standard necks and has a great feel to it. The only thing which would have been nice to have was a choice of different finishes. Dont get me wrong, the black finsh with the white pickguard looks awesome. However, it would have been nice to see what the bass would have looked like in a transparent blue with matching block inlays. The reason I got this bass is because I was looking for a jazz with passive pickups and a maple neck. I had always loved the tone Geddy got out of his jazz on the moving pictures tour and since I was able to get it at great price the choice was made.