Fender Marcus Miller Jazz Bass

You can read the features on the Fender website, so I won't bore you with the obvious. Highlights are the active/passive electronics which sound great, a BadAss II bridge, Ash body, bone nut and a unique pickguard.

This bass screams "Slap me!" It starts with great lowend and then when you kick in the preamp, you have more booty than _______ (fill in the blank with your favorite). Passive mode isn't just a backup in case the battery dies in the preamp, it sounds great - just wish there was a passive tone control. I've been playing a lot of basses over the past few weeks looking for a 4 string. This bass sounded the best including $2k+ basses. You can get some hiss with the treble cranked or pickups soloed, but its the price you pay for the great single coil sound.

Needs a little neck tweaking, but not bad off the rack. Everything is solid. I think the bass is superior to the US made Fenders. Certainly blows away the new breed with the S-1 switch. I'll give it a 9 because I wish the neck has a satin finish.

No opinion - I'm a new owner.

N/A

I love this bass. I've seen a lot of its a great bass "for the money". I'll just say that this is a great bass. Period. I own several custom built basses (Matt Pulcinella) that I love very much, but with the maple neck and Marcus influence, this is probably the perfect slap bass. It doesn't have the organic feel of a hand-made bass. I was considering a Sadowsky Metro, but at $1800, I could almost buy 3 of these basses. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to try a Metro, but I'm very satisfied with the MarcusMiller. I no longer feel the need to find a Metro to try. In the similar price range, I tried the Ken Smith Design Proto-J. Junk compared to the Marcus.

An oustanding bass at an affordable price. Not a one off, so you're not afraid to take it to a seedy bar. If it was stolen, I'd be sad, but I'd head down to GC or go online and purchase another. This is a keeper.

98 Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Bass. This baby was made in Japan. I have no issues with Japanese basses. Some of my alltime favorites (Yamaha BB1200, 2000, 3000, 5000, BC Rich RICOs and NJs neck thrus, Early -mid 80s Fenders, Old Tokai, Fernandes, etc.....) are made in Japan.

I bought this to keep the miles down on my 79 Jazz Bass. It has the trans red finish that was put on so shitily that it either falls off or turns disgusting pinkish-white. Mine held up for many years but has begun to fall off. I go through many phases but this always ends up my number one.
Through the years I have owned many types of basses. Alembic, Aria, Barrington,BC Rich, Brubaker, Carvin, Citron, Dean, Dolan, ESP,Fbass, Fender, Fernandes, Fodera, Gibson, Guild, Ibanez, Kramer, Mouradian, Peavey, Rickenbacker, Sadowsky, Schecter, Smith,Spector,Surine, Steinberger,Tobias,Tune, Univox, Vigier, Warwick,Yamaha, Zeta ETC........Hundreds.......
With my love of an ash bodied, maple necked late 70's Fender (call me weird but I love it better than exotic woods)this Marcus Miller totally fits the bill.
When I first got it I needed to set it up. It was buzzy and the strings sucked. I changed out the strings and made the adjustments and was totally amazed at what it became. The ash body has a nice grain. The one piece maple neck is well done. The mop block inlays are cool. The inclusion of a bone nut is almost unheard of in a sub $1000 guitar (street $) but definitly very cool!!!!
I A B'd it to my 79 and found the body was not as well carved. The 79 has more of a flowing curve to it. The Marcus Miller is a bit blocky. Another area that pissed me off was the neck pocket. People say that the late 70's early 80's Fender suck but I must have an exception. The neck pocket on my 79 is super tight, You can't put a business card in it but the M Miller has a HUGE gap. Fortunatly this does not translate to the basses sound but I am a bit concerned with it's integrity.
The Marcus Miller has a great tone. It's very well made! The US Vintage J pickups do and excellent job ( These are the same as what is on the US 62 and 75 Vintage series and Geddy Lee Jazzes). It has 2 volumes 1 for each pickup and then you have the Marcus Miller stuff. There is an active/passive switch and active bass and treble. I find the bass is very useful and the treble is too much. Obviously finding a happy medium you can get some super active sounds from the bass and then switch back to a classic Fender sound. NICE!
Suppossedly Roger Sadowsky modified Marcus's 77 Jazz bass back in the early 80's with it's active/passive electronics. I just saw the DVD for Live Aid (Christmas Gift) and saw Marcus playing with some lame British artist but the bass he was playing looked exactly like mine!
The Marcus Miller comes with the afformentioned pickups and electronics, ash body, 3 bolt maple neck etc.... in natural (mine) 3 color sunburst and white. No case comes with it but I feel that the inclusion of a case is still cheaper than a US standard Jazz and you have a MUCH cooler bass! Great deal for the money!

This bass sounds great!!!!!!!! I bought it to replace my 79 Jazz and it definitly fits the bill. I play it through various amps depending on the gig and my mood.
Ampeg SVT II Through an Ampeg 8x10, Trace Elliott AH350 through a Trace large 1X15 cab and Peavey 4x10 TX, Gallien Krueger 1001 through an oldschool Hartke 4x10 and a SWR Super Redhead alone or plus an Eden 2X10XLT.
I used various effects again depending on the gig and my mood. Typically I have Boss CE-2 Chorus, BF-2 Flanger, CS-1 or CS-2 Compressor, SYB-3 Bass Synth, Akai Uni-Bass and a Snarling Dogs Bass Wah.
This bas can growl like a 60's Jazz or it can sound like a modern day hot rod. Very versitile for many types of music!

The only thing that concerns me is the gap in the neck pocket. I feel I must baby this bass to prevent any structural mishaps. Otherwise this is a very well made bass. I would feel confident using only this bass on a gig.

Haven't had any contact with them yet. Supprising since I have owned probably 40 Fenders.

For the money $800 ish this is a super value. A US Standard Jazz costs over $1000 and doesn't have as cool a vibe. Mexican Jazzes are $400 ish and are kinda crappy.

Great bass for the money!!!!!!

I just purchased a 4 string Marcus miller jazz and I love it. This bass gives me that classic jazz sound with a little kick. The japan thing does not bother me at all. The bass is built great. I like the controls but I would have liked to be able to have some tone control in passive mode.( this bass only has volume in passive mode) This bass has everything on it that I would have done to a stock jazz bass. The brige is a nice bonus. Some strap locks would have been nice to have.

This bass is great for blues , jazz and slapping. With the active switch on the bass is killer. Is some situations it is too much.

I bought the sunburst finish and it is awesome. I took off the pickup cover cause it was kinda in the way and I like to rest my thumb on the pickups. The bass has a great finish on the body but I do notice that on the neck the finish is in some places on the frets. No biggy.

I would think that this bass would take anything you do to it. Unless you like smashing your guitars on the stage. The 3 bolt neck kinda worries me but it is still a tight fit. Im not sure how long the battery will last cause I just got the thing 3 weeks ago. The action was perfect and didn't make any adjustments. Even though I love this bass I would still bring a backup. I have a lakland and a roscoe 5 string that I play mostly but this bass may replace them.

I haven't had to call yet.

I have been playing for 20 years not and I own a bunch of stuff. My main rig is a Eden Navigator into a DBX compressor into a Boss SE70 effects box into a QSC mx2000a amp into a SRW Goliath and Triad cabs. I have a Peavey TNT for practicing. I own a Lakland 5 string, Fender jazz plus, Roscoe 5 string and a Yamaha bb3000 fretless. I have owned a Yamaha bb5000,Yamaha TRB5 Yamaha TRB6 and a spector 4 string. If this bass were stolen I would get another one. The only thing I would maybe change is to put Hipshot ultra light tuners on it.

This Japan-made Bass has a hell lot of features. Basically everything a 70's Jazz Bass has, additionally the Badass 2 Bridge, which is BY FAR better than the original Fender-Bass-Bridges and a preamp. My Bass comes in natural color, didn't like the look of the other options...20 frets (I miss the high E!!!). Body made out of ash, the fingerboard and neck maple. The tuners are vintage, so are the PU's (it's a 70's copy, like I said :-D). Everything is well-made, precisely and "with love". Just like the american brothers. You can switch between active and passive mode.

The sound is stunning. I never played a bass before that had such a powerful and groovy sound (probably due to the preamp). But you need an amp that can handle the high output. Anyway, the bass makes a little awkward noise if you switch to active with your amp between half and full volume/gain. I simply leave my right hand on the strings when I don't play during a session or switch back to passive, then, no strange noise is heard...But it's alright, no complaining, the sound is great, extremly versatile and personal at the same time. Really good for Blues, Groove, Funk, Pop. But due to its low end you can actually use it for any style of music. The mids aren't too powerful, but that's part of the sound. Just test it and you'll hear...:-D

Everything is well-made as I said earlier on. Only thing that annoys me is the neck pickup cover, because it's exactly at the position where my fingers normally attack...I'll probably take it off sometime, but it looks so nice...

This bass is an axe, if you keep it, it will stay with you forever. I've owned this bass for 1 1/2 years now and will never sell it. My first bass (musicman stingray) quickly became the emergency model and was never needed...I played a lot of shows with it and it never failed or showed any weaknesses. A pure road bass.

Until now, no need for repair or anything.

I've been a bass player for nearly 10 years now, right now I use a Trace Elliot 200 Watts amp with a 15" speaker. Going to purchase a Yorkville XM200 soo, that's easier for sessions.
I would immediateley buy a new one, no doubt.
My favourite feature is the preamp, it makes the bass a Fender with power!

I have NOT just bought this, as I have played on it and waited to give a GOOD review and not a 'Christmas morning delight' review. I have over 20 years as a guitar player behind me, and this is not my first bass (and I can afford anything).

This is a 2004 CIJ Marcus Miller IV signature Jazz bass. Why specify CIJ? Unlike the MIJ guitars, this one is a seriously high quality instrument.
This bass has: maple neck, natural finish swamp ash body, binding on the fretboard, MOP inlays, bullet truss,3-bolt neck, microtilt, USA vintage pickups, reverse vintage tuners, a real BadAssII bridge, and Fender active circuitry.

Also, it looks like it has a thick coat of Nitro laquer from headstock to body. It has that 'new guitar' smell to it!

The sound is KILLER. Unlike my old Fender P-bass, it does not seem to have mud as one of its sound options. I get tones from Motown (the 'natrual' sound of this bass) to Rock&roll to the heaviest of metal possible. I have not been dissapointed with it.

I use a two different amps: Crate BX160 and a SWR WM 2004 head. While each amp is different, I can find a killer tone out of either amp (I would not expect to get great all-around tone out of 150.00 amps, so if you have a cheap bass amp dont expect a better than cheap sound no matter what bass you use).

The active preamp does wonders with the Crate, while the SWR amplifiers I have played do not require the bass/treb boost and cut capabilities of the built-in preamp on the bass.

I have not ever played such an alive J bass EVER.

The action is LOW and neck is stable (not a cheap feel like the MIM P-bass I used to have). I found no flaws (except it was not MIA). The fact this is a CIJ is of no concenquence: I have seen 1,100.00 Jazz basses that were inferior in quality and feel to this one. The craftmanship of this instrument is A+, and I have no problem treating it like an instrument worthy of my time and effort to play.

Its a pleasure to play this bass: thats the way your instrument should be. My last bass was flaming gay purple and the guitar felt like it was made out of balsa wood. I felt like I was playing a toy bass. Not this one. Its the REAL deal.

This is a SOLID bass well built. If you have never played a 1975 bass, go do it. The neck and action is different from your garden variety jazz bass. The neck is more like a Les Paul with its binding and feels real stable. Once you play a 1975-type, I swear you will never go back to a plain jazz neck.

The guitar seems well built for the long haul, and I feel like I can trust it for years to be there when I need it.

No idea: I would think Fender stands behind their products. If it is as well built as it seems to be, Ill never findout how their customer support is, as it will never fail.

I dont know about what that guy is saying about the Preamp sucking, but it is a HELL of a lot better than the stock passive Jazz bass. There is noting wrong with the stock preamp. Modify it if you want, but I think its fine as is.
Think of this bass as a 1975-RI with a preamp and a badass bridge.
If someone stole this bass, I would have them crusified old testimant-style. After many days of agonizing suffering and death, I would sell their corpse to degenerate necrophiles and buy another Marcus Miller to replace the one stolen with the cash (sounds harsh, but after you play one you will see what I mean).

You will not find a finer Fender jazz bass for under 800.00. DOnt get the 3-tone or other colors: the 3-tone I owned was mediocre in quality (suprising to me). Get the natural one with its thick nitro laquer finish!

I won't do a recap of all the specs again. It has been done. Besides...this bass doesn't have too many features. Plain and simple. Good bridge, easy knobs, known Fender stuff. Tuners are reverse and hold the strings quite well. The G string tends to slip off from the tuner on my bass when installing new strings. Ensure you've got at least 3 windings.

Changing the battery requires 4(!) screws to be unscrewed. Luckily they aren't driven into the bass' wood but into metal casings, sunk into the body. Good thing. And there's a seperate battery compartiment of course.

You shouldn't need to open the bass up, but if you must, you must unscrew another handful of screws. Lots of wires in there. Hard to put back. Be careful there. Again, you should not need to touch it.

Electronics are active/passive. Switchable. No pops while switching due to a resistor inside. When in active mode you got treble and bass controls. When passive, you don't. Not even tone. I like a tone knob on passive basses. This one hasn't.

But fair enough: good features.

BE SURE...to put brand new strings on this bass if you want sounds similar to Marcus'. I bought this bass with the strings all dead. It sounds DREADFUL with such strings. The sound becomes uneven and unbalanced. With new, bright, roundwound (nickel) strings, the sound is excellent!

Overall I think this bass is a real slapper. Not so great for pick playing though. Fingerstyle is good too, like on most Fender basses. Just make sure you remove the neck pickup cover. It may look cool, but it's in the way. Marcus only uses it because he can't play without it (check his website).

One BIG con though: loads and loads of hiss when the treble is up. A little less when passive or treble rolled off, but still loads of it. When recording, make sure power supplies are shielded and grounded. Roll off treble and add it back when mixing.

Action great, finish great, pickups great. Everything great. No complaints, really. I give it a 9 though, for I think a Jap bass like this should be protected by a gigbag. Especially for the price. It sells without one though.

This bass may last a little less longer than the average passive Fender jazz bass because of its active electronics. The battery may run empty. You cannot quickly replace it (4 screws, remember?). Switching to passive mode is an option, but you lose a little volume and a LOT of brightness. Goodbye Marcus'. So bring a backup. Construction is great and should not let you down.

I hope I'll never need to contact Fender...

I have owned loads of basses. This MM may well be a keeper. Still I might change my mind. I'm not a real slapper.

Fenders are among my favorite basses these days. Jazz basses that is, not Precision ones. They're simple, sound good and balance well. One should have at least one of these (or a similar model from Lakland, Sadowsky, Esh or any other good copier).

Is it worth the price? I guess so. Fenders are usually overpriced. Especially the "old" 70's basses (so called vintage, while they were crap in their time). When you're into Marcus, get this bass. When you're into slapping, try this one and a Musicman Stingray. When you're into Fender, compare this one to an American DeLuxe jazz. If you've got enough money to spend, just buy it. No loss.

You got all of this from previous reviews...
In passive mode: two volume controls.
In active mode: two volume controls, bass and treble boost.
Nice fast J-bass neck.
BAII bridge cleans the sound up quite nicely.

It rocks.
In my opinion the sound of this bass is at least as good as all other fender offerings and better than almost all of them. No mods required, the hot rodding has been done for you. Sounds great in passive and active mode. Quiet Electronic (except for the typical single coil hum). I've never had a problem with draining batteries and I've owned 4 Marcus Miller J-Basses...

What kind of sounds can the bass make? ...good ones.

Perfect on all fronts. No detectable flaws. Plays like butter.

I've never had any major problems with any Fender basses that I have owned.

Don't know... no reason to contact them.

After deciding to thin my heard of basses out, this (Marcus Miller J-Bass) and my Musicman Sterling were the only "must keep" 4-string basses. I love this bass!

Made in Japan. 4 string model, which is standard. Every 4 string MM is just like any other as far as features. Simple bass, which is good.

I play mostly Contemparary Christian music, and it didn't do it for me. I read glowing reviews on this bass, and when I got it I wondered if I had the same bass everyone was talking about. It sounded very artificial. Like some other type of bass trying to sound like a jazz bass. Noisy out of this world!! Never heard anything so noisy. I used it two Sundays in church, and then got rid of it.. When the music stopped the church was filled with this loud humming noise coming from this bass.. None of my others do that. The bottom end was decent, the high end sounded cheap. I think the preamp in this thing is garbage. A new preamp and some sheilding may have fixed all of these problems, but I didn't feel like getting into all that.

I bought it used, so I can't say how it cam from the factory.

This baby crapped out on me in the 10 days I owned it. The neck pickup died, and the every knob on this thing made noise when I turned them. The finish was nice, and the Leo Quan is a nice upgrade. Strap buttons should be replaced with strap locks. I wouldn't depend on this thing.

Didn't waste my time.. Heard about them already..

Maybe I got a lemon, but I wouldn't recommend this bass to people I don't like.. much less some I do like. I've been through a Ric 4003, Tobias Killer B, and a Stingray in the last year. This bass was awful in comparison. If it were stolen.. The joke would have been on the thief.

They have already been fully covered.

When I started playing it I felt something was wrong with the G string. It buzzed and sometimes wasn?t really playing (it ?went dead?). Due to Tommy Thompson true by-pass suggestion I brought it to the local music store / luthier and they set it up (thanks Carlo!):
- the nut was filed (reason #1 for the G string problem)
- the strings were replaced with DR Hi Beam strings (reason # 2 for the G string problem)
- the electronics were modified according to Tommy?s instructions (thanks again to Tommy for sending me the summarized info !)
Now the bass sounds GREAT. When passive it?s got THAT Fender Jazz sound and when active you can really have a good variety.
Allow me a naive comment: what a difference can good strings make !

See the a.m. problem with the G string. Otherwise its finish and action (low) are very good.

Looks it will last A LOT.

I didn't need proper support so far. I sent a few emails / questions to Fender and they have always been promtly answered.

I really love to play it. If it were stolen I'd really be in trouble...I'd have to buy a new one. Besides the neck is the best I ever tried. Considering that when I bought it I wanted a Fender Jazz I compared it with Mexican, US modern and vintage models. The only one which, in my opinion, was better was an original 75 (not a reissue).

It's all listed below but basically Jazz bass with Active/Passive control. Ash body etc. Very Beautiful guitar to play.

Sound could be better. Tommy's modification is well worth a try. The bass seems to lack middle, could benefit from EMG's or similair. Main annoying problem is the buzz from the bridge pick up!!! When both pick ups are used then the buzz is cancelled, but with the bridge on its own for that "Jaco" sound be prepared for a noise. Does anyone know how to fix this??

Great set up, low action. Pick ups needed lowering slightly.

So far so good, it seems well built and everything works as it should..........apart from that terible buzz on the bridge pick up!

No need to deal with Fender, purchased from www.soundslive.co.uk they we're great. Quick delivery and very friendly - Cost #675...i think

I've been playing about 6 years on/off and this is the bass i've enjoyed the most. I play it through a Behringer BX3000T head and a custom built 4x10 and a peavey 18" cabs. My style is anything from funk to fusion to indie to reggae. I have a SD American Precision with EMG's which i like the sound of but the quality is no where near that of the MM Fender. I wish the MM bass had tone control in the passive mode