Fender Marcus Miller Jazz Bass

Made in Japan.
20 frets. 4-string.
Ash body. Maple fingerboard with White Binding and White Pearl Block Position Inlays.
2 Vintage Jazz Bass Single-Coil Pickups
Controls: Volume 1. (Neck Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup), Tone 1. Active Bass Boost/Cut, Tone 2. Active Treble Boost/Cut
Natural finish. 70's Jazz Bass body and neck style.
Leo Quan Badass?? II Bridge.
More info at http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=0257802321

In passive mode: versatile 70's Jazz bass tone. Great general purpose tone.
In active mode: nails the Marcus Miller tone (of course), Great slap tone.
Finger style tone is a bit on the thin side. Can get lost in the mix.
Noisy electronics. Had several live sound engineers complain about the noise in active mode. Even after getting the electronics compartment resheilded could not quiet the hum in large venues.

Average for a new Fender. Minor fretwork issues. Some dead spots and a little rattle here and there. Nothing major. Setup out of the box is average to poor. Typical Fender inconsistency. Does not hold up against the similarly priced Lakland Skylines.

Good Reliability/Durability. Had some minor issues with a loose input jack but overall no problems.

Never used Fender support.

With a price tag of $1,399.99 those looking for the perfect 70's Jazz Bass w/ preamp may be better served with a Lakland Darryl Jones w/J-Retro option.

2001 made in japan olympic white fender jazz bass w two single coil pickups and active preamp w bass/treble controls and volume pots for each pickup, active/passive switch, one-piece maple neck with block inlays and bone nut(!), ash body, leo quan badass bass 2 bridge, schaller vinitage tuners....

i play mostly funk, pop-rock and salsa. i like groove and there's a problem. with active preamp engaged you get you get rock solid massive bottom and very crisp highs but no midbass punch at all. even my cheap aslin dane, copy of stingray has more punch and better cuts through. i use eden traveller head and my own 4x8 cab+1x12 horn subwoofer. probably some nice new preamp like aguilar or sadowsky should solve this problem

factory setup was a crap and the strings were also. everything else is great

this bass is a tank and it will last for decades of road and wear. tuners are high class, can hold everything,leo quan bridge is very massive and a fine improvement to a jazz bass. didnt have to adjust the neck yet and i'm playing this bass for a year now

one fine top quality instrument which can be a lot better with a little improvement (preamp and maybe pickups). this bass is very simillar to a lakland skyline darryl jones s. model. i always wanted a fender jazz bass and my opinion is that every bass player must have one.

1998 i tink. 4 string, 21 fret. the controls have two active controls and 2 passive (passive alson change it while switched to active) and a switche to turn from assive to active. maple neck very bright. jumbo frets

i play lots of jazz\ funk (marcus miller, victor wooten) and plenty of metal lots of primus and claypool. i also play a lot of classic rock to. its great for the funk stuff but not the metal.not so great for primus either becuase its uber hard to tap on this bass.
bright soud untill you turn the bottom active nob all the way to the to the right. then it gets a huge sound. if play slap bass the is the bass for you. pertty versitile

action needs to be lowerd.got used. it had a big chunk of the shiny stuff missing under the nobs.

this a tank. heavey but im used to because before i had this bass i had a peavey t-40. the hardwar will last longer than i will. i want new strap buttons but their retty solid. never adjusted anything sept changed the battery strings.

nothing

ive been playing like 2 years. i own a mustang bass, a waterstone semi hollow, and a danelctro longhorn. completly diff from all of them. i like it better than all of them. i would probobly get a five string of this or a schecter 5 if this was stolen. (if i had the money i proboly get a peavy cirrus or a warick dolphin)
its like the tele of basses.

My Marcus Miller was bought from an exhibition in London in 1997 - it was the first one in the UK and when the thing was opened up, a friend of mine noticed tha the soldering and the wiring on the preamp have all been done by hand. ome kind of prototype possibly? Anyway, the usual fantastic neck and usable preamp.

sounds a tiny bit weedy for full-on rock, i need to use a line six floor pod when i'm rocking out, but then this is a bass designed to be slapped so you can't complain. could do with a bit more low end in my opinion. also, it has a real hum/buzz problem, worse than other jazzes. i had the preamp fitted into a little copper box to try to improve this, and all the internal wiring replaced with shielded cable, but it's still a buzzy old bass.

the action is awesome. the neck is a dream, the best i've ever played. lovely finish, although after 11 years mine is starting to show it's age a little!

as i said, this has been my main instrument for for over a decade and its still going strong without any major work whatsoever. built to last.

never had to get it repaired.

been playing for twenty years, i would die if this bass was stolen/lost/damaged. it's my pride and joy and has defined my playing style - i'm just not as good when i play my thunderbird (although that does sound better). this bass is my friend and i will never, ever sell it. maybe one day i'll replace the pickups with something meatier, but nothing even comes close for playability.

i love this bass.

This is an update on my "Fender Marcus Miller Jazz Bass" research. My observations, results, findings and conclusion from 12/06/2007 have not changed, but I wanted to clarify some of my statements.

I'm Tommy Thompson, The Bass Advocate. One of my main goals has been to develop a method of testing the "STOCK" "Fender Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Bass" (also commonly referred to as the "Fender Marcus Miller Jazz Bass", "Marcus Miller Jazz Bass" and the "Marcus Miller Bass") introduced in 1998. So, I tested my MM4#2 in a head to head comparison to my Fender MM4#1 which has all of the stock parts except for the installed Sadowsky preamp with Vintage Tone Control (EXCELLENT preamp).

A lot of players have told me that the STOCK "Fender FMEQ PREAMP" does not have enough output, bottom end and LOW MIDRANGE FREQUENCIES. I strongly disagree. QUESTION: How much output, bottom end, and low mids do you really need? Just think about it this way:-)

DISCLAIMER: A passive Ibanez, Peavey, Cort, Jackson, Kramer, Samick, Hondo, Electra, Ampeg, Gibson, Fender Precision, Fender Jazz bass, and etc., will all work to provide the frequencies needed to support a band in studio and/or live situations.

At least, that's what I believe. I figured I had heard enough so I decided to resolve this issue(for me) once and for all; I hope.;-) Hence, I decided to examine the "Fender FMEQ preamp" (the stock 2-band treble and bass preamp in the Fender Marcus Miller Jazz Bass) to see if I could unveil the truth(to the best of my understanding). Wish me luck :-)

NOTE: If the preamp in your bass DOES NOT function CORRECTLY, true-bypass active/passive switch and resistance of the pots don't really mean too much.:-)

I. Research of the stock Fender FMEQ preamp:
A. Preamp technology similar to preamps used in the 1980s.

OBSERVATION(S):

1. The actual FLAT SETTINGS for the TREBLE and BASS controls are about 3 O'clock (about 1/4 turn). If the treble and bass controls are set fully COUNTER-CLOCK WISE (about 12 O'clock), then the treble and bass controls are approximately -3.

A. BOOST(Clock Wise) = 3 O'clock to 10 O'clock. No center-detent.
B. CUT(Counter Clock Wise) = 3 O'clock back to 12 O'clock. No center-detent.

2. The Marcus Miller Jazz Bass Wiring Diagram:
NOTE> Lug 1 is the grounding lug for normal volume controls.

BASS CONTROL wiring:
1. Orange, 2. GREEN, and 3. N/C = no connection.
TREBLE CONTROL wiring:
1. Blue, 2. Gray, and 3. Purple

3. There are two(2) "Marcus Miller Jazz Bass Wiring Diagram(s)."
A. The "CORRECT" diagram has the "GREEN WIRE" connected to the MIDDLE LUG (#2) of the Bass Control Pot, and the "orange wire" is connected to LUG (#1). The Fender Marcus Miller Signature jazz basses arrive from the factory using this configuration.

When the Fender FMEQ preamp is installed correctly, the LOW MIDRANGE FREQUENCIES are fuller sounding with more presence and body to provide very good support for the band in live or studio situations.

B. The "WRONG" diagram has the "ORANGE WIRE" connected to the MIDDLE LUG (#2) of the Bass Control Pot, and the "green wire" connected to LUG (#1). PLEASE do not use this diagram.

CONCLUSION: I have two Fender Marcus Miller jazz basses(MM4#1 and MM4#2). MM4#1 has a Sadowsky preamp with the Vintage Tone Control that was installed in the fall of 2007, and MM4#2 is completely STOCK with original Fender jazz bass pickups and Fender FMEQ preamp. When the treble and bass controls on the Sadowsky preamp are fully Counter Clock Wise(CCW) the preamp is FLAT. When the Fender FMEQ preamp is fully Counter Clock Wise(CCW) the preamp is about -3. The Flat setting for the Fender FMEQ preamp is about 3 O'clock(about 1/4 turn). The Sadowsky 2-band preamp is an excellent preamp and considered by some as the industry standard. The Fender FMEQ preamp is very capable of producing all that is needed to support a band for live or studio gigs. ;-)

Thanks,

Tommy Thompson
The Bass Advocate

Won't bore anyone with what is easily researched by reading previous reviews or Fender's website: my MM Jazz Bass was built in 2007 in Japan, has a natural finished ash body. The bass features a pair of vintage-style Jazz Bass single-coil pickups; a two-band active EQ that has an active/passive mini-toggle switch (for active/passive selection), BadAssII bridge, reverse tuners, one-piece C-shaped maple neck with a 7.25???-radius maple fingerboard held by three-bolt neck plate, white binding on the neck, white pearl block inlays and a satin finish over natural wood. Gorgeous finish. Includes deluxe gig-bag. This bass delivers the goods AND looks hot...

The range of sounds available from this bass are amazing. When it's active, you can really make her growl or whisper. When it's passive, there isn't much you can do other than adjust the volume as the tone controls don't seem to respond.
I play through a Fender Rumble at home and the sounds are simply wonderful.

I purchased this instrument through Musican's Friend after I walked out of Guitar Center of Rockville. With the exception of one minor scratch at the lower cutaway (not preceptible at first sight and not really an issue), the bass came out of the box perfect: fit, finish, intonation and action were perfect. I let the bass settle to room temperature a day before and it's perfect. Kudos to Fender Japan.

The bass is built like a tank. I haven't had to make any adjustments to it out of the box. The only change I plan on making is changing the strings to flats as they are my preferred type.
I bought this bass knowing that Fender Jazz Basses are built to last: ask Geddy Lee or Marcus Miller if you have doubts.

Fender CS is always good at responding to my questions, most of the time anyway. Now regarding the vendor:
As I said, I purchased this instrument through Musican's Friend after I walked out of Guitar Center of Rockville. I saw the bass on sale online for about 20% less than what GC was asking and the salesperson said that although GC says they will price match, they wouldn't meet the price from their competitor. So I called Musician's Friedn and they not only met the price, they shipped the bass sooner than I expected. Thanks Musician's Friend for the excellent service and sorry Guitar Cenetr: you guys have some lackluster salespeople in the Rockville store.

I have been playing for about a year and a half again after not touching the bass since high school. I purchaed a Squier Vintage Modified '70's Jazz Bass before I bought this one and this will be my only bass for years to come. I like what Mr. Brown once said in Bass Player: there is really only ONE instrument for you, it should be like a wife or soul mate. Sounds cheesy, but the MMJB is the one instrument for me. Try it at Guitar Center but buy it through Musician;s Friend where they have knowledgable people who also keep their corporate proimise of beating competitor's prices.

Hello Again. I'm Tommy Thompson, The Bass Advocate. One of my main goals has been to develop a method of testing the "STOCK" Fender Marcus Miller Signature jazz bass (MM4#2)to see if it can truly meet my expectations. So, I tested my MM4#2 in a head to head comparison to my Fender MM4#1 with the installed Sadowsky preamp with Vintage Tone Control(excellent preamp).

A lot of players have told me that the STOCK Fender preamp doesn't have enough output, low end and mids. I strongly disagree. QUESTION: How much output, low end and mids do you really need? Think about it this way. A passive Fender Precision or Jazz bass has all of the frequencies that are needed. At least, that's what I think. I figured I had heard enough so I decided to resolve this issue once and for all; I hope.;-)Hence, I decided to examine the Fender FMEQ preamp(the stock preamp in the Fender Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Bass) to see if I could unveil the truth. Wisk me luck:-)

NOTE:
If the preamp in your bass is NOT functioning CORRECTLY, true-bypass active/passive switch and resistance of the pots don't mean too much.:-)


I. Research of the Fender FMEQ preamp:

OBSERVATION(S):
1. DRAWING DIAGRAMS: There are two(2) "Marcus Miller Jazz Bass Wiring Diagrams."

A. The "CORRECT" diagram has the "GREEN WIRE" connected to the MIDDLE LUG(#2) of the Bass Control Pot, and the "ORANGE WIRE" is connected to LUG(#1). The Fender Marcus Miller Signature jazz basses should arrive from the factory wired this way. This is the "CORRECT wiring diagram."

B. The "OLD" diagram has the "ORANGE WIRE" connected to the MIDDLE LUG(#2) of the Bass Control Pot, and the "GREEN WIRE" connected to LUG(#1). This is the "WRONG DIAGRAM."

2. PROBLEM - Fender FMEQ preamp lacked Midrange frequencies: After 7 years or more, I discovered that the "orange and green wires" on my MM4#2 were connected to the WRONG lugs of the bass control pot. Whenever the FMEQ preamp was engaged, the MIDRANGE FREQUENCIES seemed scooped.

3. The SOLUTION:
The "GREEN WIRE" should have been connected to the MIDDLE LUG(#2) of the Bass Control Pot on my STOCK Fender MM4#2. Now, the MIDRANGE FREQUENCIES are fuller sounding with more presence and body to provide very good support for the band.

The Fender FMEQ preamp CORRECT wiring: REFERENCE:(Lug #1 is the ground lug on a volume pot)

A. The Bass Control Pot has 2 wires:
1. Orange, 2. GREEN(middle lug), and 3. N/C = no connection.

NOTE: The "GREEN WIRE" is connected to the MIDDLE LUG(#2) of the Bass Control Pot, and the "orange wire" connects to lug#1.

B. The Treble Control Pot has 3 wires -
1. Blue, 2. Grey(middle lug), and 3. Purple

CONCLUSION: When the Sadowsky treble and bass controls are set at their lowest settings(FLAT)= 12 O'clock, and the Fender FMEQ Preamp treble and bass controls are set to 3 O'clock, the Sadowsky preamp and the Fender FMEQ preamp sound very similar. The Fender FMEQ preamp functions similarity to the Bartolini TCT it was designed to copy. NOTE: The original Bartolini TCT had a second gain stage for boosting your output more just in case it wasn't loud enough; burst your speakers and crack your windows!!!. :-)

Thanks,

Tommy Thompson
The Bass Advocate

Regular Marcus Miller Natural Finish 20 frets electronics standard to MM. Delux gig bag included. Everybody know the features by not hi hi.

I love the sound of warwicks bassy etc. but this one delivers on what it promises lots of mid jazzy sound with the bonus of active on/off bass cut +/- .015 db. sound is what your amp can deliver. Bass is very trebbly to begin with due to wood selection. Single pick up is noisy it's to be expected here haha. I would say if you set it right you can acheive a warm sound with a lot of slap sound if that is what you are lo0king for. I use a mark bass amp 1X12 plus 2X10 ampeg extension cab great sound..

Great setting didn't have to adjust anything.

no need to adjust in my case, I think that this bass is like any other fender product sometimes you get a lemon sometimes you don't I've been playing for over 25 years good bass solid stuff take care of it it will last a lifetime and more

N#A

I've played a lot of instruments this is definitely a good instrument depending on the style you play. Not for heavy or more aggressive type of music but will hold its own no matter what it's a fender after all. I've been playing f0r over 28 years I have one it's a beautiful instrument.

Achieving a sound SIMILAR to the Marcus Miller Sound.

See DETAILS BELOW.:-)

KEY WORDS: Marcus Miller Sound, Tommy Thompson - The Bass Advocate,
Fender FMEQ Preamp, Arrangement of POTS, Bill Bartolini, Roger Sadowsky, and The Yumpy.

DISCLAIMER: The following information worked for me, Tommy Thompson on 09/01/07, and is provided as a reference. I make " NO PROMISES " that these modifications will work for ANY OR NO other Fender Marcus Miller Signature jazz bass.

09/01/07 - LABOR DAY WEEKEND UPDATE:

For years I tried to achieve the Marcus Miller Sound utilizing the STOCK Fender Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Bass. Somehow, it always seem to elude me!!! Many times in the past I have posted information on the internet. This is another bit of information, and once again I hope it helps. Over the Labor day weekend, 09/01/07, I tweaked my MM4 once more. In conclusion, ALL of the parts on my jazz bass are STOCK, and I love the sound of this bass!!! :-)

The FACTS:

1) The STOCK Fender FMEQ preamp is very cool. The NORMAL FLAT setting is TREBLE CONTROL = 2 O'clock, and BASS CONTROL = 2 O'clock.

2) The STOCK Fender pickups sound very good and provide a full sprectrum sound.

3) In 1998 I purchased a Fender Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Bass. I found that the resistance of the POTS shaped the tone of my bass. If I would known then, what I know NOW, I would have replaced my 206 kohms neck pickup volume pot with a pot that possibly would have read in the 250-260 kohms neighborhood. The 250-260 kohms neck pickup volume pot would have matched up very well with the 275 kohms bridge pickup volume pot.


The BIG PROBLEM is:

1) The ARRANGEMENT of the POTENTIOMETERS:

A) To get a sound similar to the Marcus Miller Sound the POTS must be arranged as follows:

FOR EXAMPLE-
Neck pickup volume pot(LOW resistance) - 235 kohms
Bridge pickup volume pot(HIGH resistance) - 255 kohms
Treble Control Volume Pot(HIGH resistance) - 467 kohms
Bass Control volume pot (LOW resistance) - 435 kohms

B) To get an excellent passive '70s Jazz Bass Sound:

FOR EXAMPLE-
Neck pickup volume pot(medium resistance) - 245 kohms
Bridge pickup volume pot(low resistance) - 220 kohms
Tone Control Volume pot(HIGH resistance) - 275 kohms.

From my personal experiences, and tweaking jazz basses for a few years, the BIGGEST PROBLEM has been UNDERSTANDING the ARRANGEMENTS of the POTS.

THANKS,

TOMMY THOMPSON, Ph.D. - The Bass Advocate

Features have been well covered in past reviews. You get a lot of bells and whistles on it for the price.

Out of the box I have to admit it doesn't sound very good to me. Kind of a let down. I will talk later about the necessary mods to bring it to what you probably expected when you first heard this thing was comeing out.

not bad from the start but the electronics pots etc are cheap feeling and sounding. The body and neck etc the bass is great.

Its a jazz bass it will last if you take care of it.

OK here we go. If you realy want this bass and you want it to sound like you always dreamed it would when you heard it was comeing out then here are a few sugestions you might want to do. First look around for a good like new used one they are out there by the boat full because they just don't stack up out of the box and many poeple opt for another bass instead of investing in an instrument they are alredy dissapointed in. This will save you and get you some of the money left over to do the mods that you need. Now find a good luthier or repair shop you trust and this is what they can do to make this bass a real winner.
Get yourself some SD Antiquity Pickups, all new american standard pots, a new switchcraft jack, shield the entire cavity and replace the preamp with a Sadowsky preamp kit. Have the bass set up to your taste and style and I promisse the bass will become what you realy wanted it to be in the first place. This is a case of a great instrument with a few cut corners that realy make it dull. But the good news is it can be spectacular for just over the sore price if you buy a good used one and fix the problems. This done I would give this bass a 9 any day.

Hello I'm Tommy Thompson - The Bass Advocate.

I hope this is HELPFUL to the MillerHeads :-)!!!

If 12 O'clock is the LOWEST SETTING for the TREBLE and BASS controls on the FENDER Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Bass, then 2 O'clock for the TREBLE and 2 O'clock for the BASS controls are approximately FLAT(0,0) for EACH.

Hence, determining the FLAT MODE:

The output of the pickups in the ACTIVE MODE(2,2) = the output of the pickups in the PASSIVE MODE(0,0).

CONCLUSION:
When the Fender FMEQ preamp(STOCK PREAMP) treble and bass controls are set to 2 O'clock each, the preamp sounds really good. Please remember that (treble, bass) = (2,2) is approximately FLAT(0,0).

2002 japan made, the rest everybody knows it.

here a bit different, I did some changes, i replace the switch with push pull potentiometer. i wired so i can play active and passive mode with vintage tone control, now i can have both world; Cutting edge sound and old vintage tone (marcus sound on Rio Funk)

i give 9 on this area, because i adjust the truss rod my self. the action from factory setting is to high. the rest of the bass is perfect

I only set the trust rod once, i play on the church not rough play but this is my #1 bass, my 2nd base were yamaha fretless bbn4F. I use DR string, i've check my fret it doesnot wear so much, it almost 5 years now.

never had a chance

I buy this bass after review almost all bass (that i afford to) here at harmony-central and this is the highest comment with the highest score and most important affordable to my pocket. believe me you dont regret to own this bass. the most favorite feature is the NECK, you dont get with new fender this is the old model neck.
the draw back is the weight, its a heavy bass compare when i hang my friend 6 string Fodera it so light.

bought in 06 [guitar center] made in japan. 20 fret 4 string. solid alder body maple neck.2 volume & 2 tone controls with passive - active switch. badass II bridge you know the rest.

i really like the sound. i run it through a GK back line 600 300w head with a GK 2x10 speaker cab. it has a rich warm tone but can also be bright.a good variety of sound. i think this bass would work equally as well on stage or in a studio.

the action had to be set a little higher for me as i'm not a good player. chrome job on the bridge could be better & it would have been nice if access to the battery & electronics was through the back this would have made the pick guard look cleaner.fit & finish overall very good. this is a beautiful guitar.

i think this bass will stand up to playing live it is a solidly built[a little bit on the heavy side] guitar. the finish looks like it should last if taken care of but i haven't seen a guitar yet that won't get some wear if played alot. i changed the stap buttons to schaller & after 2 months of play haven't had to make any adjustments. perhaps different strings would be the next thing.

i have not dealt with fender & have heard only stories about customer service. its not rumored to be too good but i have had no contact myself

i've been playing off & on [mostly off] for more than 30 yrs. so never got very good as a player.i have an old yamaha & a heavy[close to 20 lbs] travis bean. i looked at epiphone,fender j & p, gibson,dean & a couple others but the look,feel & sound of the MM sold me. if it were lost or stolen i would get another for sure. my daughter found my yamaha in a closet one day & 3 yrs later she's still playing [a schecter] so thats gotten me fired up to play again. wow is this kid good. she wants a warwick but thats another story.

Hello,

DISCLAIMER: The Bartolini pickups in my article are referred to as low output, BUT, years ago I talked to Bill Bartolini and he told me that his pickups are similar in output to the "single-coil pickups" he used as reference.

I'm Tommy. I performed a comparison test between my favorite bass (The Yumpy) and the Fender MM4(1998).

The Yumpy is a jazz bass I started working on in the early 1990s to capture the tone of Marcus Miller. Out of fifteen(15) years, it took one(1) to two(2) years from 2000 to 2002, of concentrated effort to finally make my bass buddies take notice. I realized when they started paying attention to the way The Yumpy and the Fender MM4s sounded that I was in the right neighborhood. The TRUTH is that it took the understanding and knowledge I gain from working on my Fender Marcus Miller jazz basses to help me optimize The Yumpy.

BOTTOM LINE: The "skinny" about the Fender MM4 electronics problems is that they can be fixed.

This bass is a copy of the Marcus Miller one -> 75 Edition modified.
MArcus has got the proper Sadowsky preamp that has absoluely nothing to do with the very average preamp from Fender (see below).
Since it is a "70's edition", the vintage machine heads with anti*clockwise rotation direction,the jumbo fret are coming standard and ould be badly appreciated. The baddass bridge is famous and so good, but makes (it is the not the only guilty) the bass very heavy. I measure 1.88m and weighs 110 Kgs, hence it is not really a problem for me, but if you are not that big, or Ladies, you should try it with a belt before purchase it....
Anyway, back to the hardware : the pickups are phenomenal but buzzy... Again, it'spart of the pleasure to have a "70's style" instrument.
Very very good stuff! 8 (with a proper preamp, it'd have been 10 without the shadow of a doubt).

Besides, delivering a ??800 instrument even without a soft bag, hum hum....

At first sorry for my English since I am French....
Bought mine in 2000 and found the sound correct, but far as good as
I wanted it to be.Then I replaced the pickupds by Bartolinis and changed the preamp for a Sadowsky. Besides I have added a hipshot (E to D machine head) and (really missing!) added a tone control. I have turned the switch into a serial/parrallel selector as the passive/active selector is a push-pull pot replacing the bass tone.

Those upgrades cost me ~??500 (Did everything by myself, my bass never saw a luthier and I never wanted it to be tuned by anyone).

I plug it either to an Ampeg SVT5 Pro, either to the Ampeg BA115.
The sound is AWESOME, especially in slap : very very very powerful, 0 distortion to crazy levels, very bright if needed, the bass are precise and never mellow or "leaking". But never hard either.
I play mostly funk and jazz, and although the fingerstyle is slightly inferior (what do you expect from maple/ash anyway : this bass is a funky machine fullstop), and though the modification I had to make, I put 10 cause for a quite reasonable price, you can have something sounding as ??3000 bass easy!

Awful set-up at the store : too high action, but it's right nothing was buzzing...
The strings are ABSOLUTE cr@p and must be put into the bin directly and changed to proper ones : my prefered DR Standard.

However, the neck -though it was not properly set up- was -and stayed- absolutely perfect. Nothing to say.
Pickups well adjusted, but as I changed them....

Very good quality overall : worth a 10 as I don't know if the adjustment up was coming from a poor setup form the store....

Wood : perfect! The finish will last forever (although I put 3 big dents on it, but I gigged it so much since...)
Straplocks compulsory.
Stays tuned even changing room (!) and temperature (reasonably) : the mark of the very good instruments.
Had 1 major pb : the original scrathplate was charging in static electricity and was making awful hum and noises when touched. After changing it + the pickups + the preamp, didn't have the problem since...
And hopefully I rewired it : the quality of the solders inside are the worse I've ever seen.

Rubbish : Fender France is hopeless, helpless, useless.
Use to give their service to David Glenn (D. custom shop) : nice guy, friendly, a very talented luthier, but was not impressed by his skills in electronic.....

I own different guitars & bass:

- Cort BA400 EQ FL : acoustic fretless bass (very good for the price)
- Fender passive PJ 1976 with lengthened mahogany fretless neck ()
- Old classical guitar.
- Fender strat 70's Mexican (veeeeeery good)
- Simonandpatrick SP6 Cedar (awesome)

The Fender MM will be MY bass for ever! My 1st loved instrument and nothing compares to it!
If it was stolen/burnt, I think or I might re-build the same (buy another one and re-do the modifications) or buy a Fender FMT 4 strings that is also an awesome machine!

2003 MIJ Marcus Miller Jazz.
All of the standard features are listed on the Fender site and in other reviews.

BEST features overall?
The neck is sleek and fast, and I love the bound maple and pearl white block inlays.
The US Vintage pickups are great for achieving a huge variety of tones in conjunction with the onboard active EQ.
This makes this one of the most versatile jazz basses of all time.
The Ash body gives it a solid weight and adds to the already thick sustain from the factory Badass II bridge.

The Active EQ and the passive mode really do add a ton of tonal variety.
Spend the time to dial this thing in, and you'll have the thickest, warmest jazz bass sound you've ever heard that can turn dirty and mean by a flip of a switch and a turn of a knob.
Ironically, I've been using this to play very fast punk influenced hardcore. Tube distortion growl and bite sound incredible with this bass and really carry the low end in the mix while still cutting through quite well.
Through the same amplifier I can produce ambient, rich clean tones respectively.
I haven't come across too many jazz basses, if any, that can have that kind of sonic palette to put infront of you.

Can't say for the factory set up, seeing as I bought it used.
All I can say is that I got a peach of the bunch, and the Japanese construction blows away any modern American Fender basses I've played in recent months.
It's solid, it's heavy, the natural gloss finish is thick as a tank and beautiful in conjuction with the maple neck.
Nothing at all to complain about here.

My basses need to withstand things like being smashed into monitors and band members, and concrete floors and vents on ceilings.
This has and will continue to for many, many years.
That's all I need to say there.

No contact with Fender.
I know for a fact that they're no good to deal with though from experience on other products.
Fortunately, for the most part, this bass is rock solid and you won't have to worry about getting too much support.

Let's just say that I hated Jazz Basses until I played this.
Hell, I hated most Fenders in general bar a few real solid P's I came across, but I still didn't dig their setups and rarely dug their necks.
This has been the first and only Jazz I've really loved.
I've played much more expensive Jazz basses, Warwicks, Rickenbackers and vintage instruments and there's been seldom few that came up to par with the tonal capabilities and construction of this.
I'm not saying this is the best bass ever for every person in the world, but if this bass fits what you need it to do, it's going to do that with such astonishing perfection.

2006 Marcus Miller 4 string. Brand New From Guitar Center. Same specs as all of the other reviews

I play origianl music that sounds like late 1960 / early 70's. This bass has the classic rock tone, but the active eq is the secret weapon!

Basically this bass sounds and plays like the vintage gear that I've never been able to afford. If I could buy a real 1978 Jazz Bass for the same price, I still might go either way.

Finish is BEAUTIFUL. Best looking finish I've had on any Fender Instrument. Set up was good. Will still take it in to be set up one of these days, just to see if it can be even better. No complaints at all.

This bass is like a tank. I would say they don't make 'em like this anymore(but I guess they do...as reissues)This is the most solid bass I've played. The only complaint may be that it's too solid!

Hope to never need them

I've been playing bass for 20 years (since I was 15) always in bands. This is the bass that I have wanted since I was 15. I had played MIM and MIC jazz and P basses that don't even come close. Even with hundreds of dollars worth of upgrades, the MIM never quite felt like the REAL DEAL Fender... This one does!

I was looking at the Geddy Lee and the American Hwy-1, but the Marcus is just way cooler looking and has the active EQ. I also looked at some used Fender USA basses. Again, they were 80's & 90's and did not have the features or the 70's vibe.

I traded a 1997 MIM Jazz , an Ibanez SR-500 and $175 + tax for this bass.


My other bass is an Epiphone Les Paul (got a deal on e-bay for $300 brand new!), which is now my back-up. My amp is a Carvin Red Eye ugraded with a pair of 500 watt speakers.. it weighs a ton, but handles all of the 600 watts from the Carvin (the factory speakers handle about 150 watts)

I have played two shows with this bass and I get such good compliments on the sound! My guitarist plays in another band with a "gear-head" bassist and says my sound is better. Deep lows and a little mid for the punch. I don't play slap or use a pick, but I like a little growl to cut through.

My suggestion (Dear Mr. Miller), is to offer more colors. That's about it. This is damn close to perfection

www.myspace.com/luxurykings

The basic features have been well documented by other reviewers, eg Jazz bass with vintage pickups, active/passive switch, superb finish, great neck.

It has an excellent sound. I wanted something with the traditional jazz bass sound, but with an active preamp for extra punch when needed. I'm using it with an Ampeg B1RE head and BSE410HLF cab. The bass produces the rich jazz bass tone on passive, and has great low end with the active preamp on. Although I don't usually play slap, with the preamp on it has an excellent sound for this style.

I bought it at the Guitar Center and the action was too high. However, after adjustment it was perfect for my preferences. The pickup adjustment was good. No flaws noted.

I've only had it a week and gigged with it once, but it is now my primary bass. The instrument is very, very solidly built, and I think it will last. The strap buttons are fine. I would use it without backup.

Haven't had to deal with them.

I've been playing guitar for 30 years off and on, bass for 5. Currently I play contemporary Christian and some rock. I also have an Ibanez SR905 5 string bass. If it were lost or stolen, I would replace it with another MM, but might opt to buy the American made 5 string version. I love the appearance and tone of the instrument. I had a Mexican made Jazz Bass Standard before, and the MM is far superior in quality and sound. The only things I don't like about it are its weight, and that there is no tone control in passive mode. I'm looking at a modification based on other posts in this section. All in all a great bass. Everyone who has heard it thinks it sounds great, and the other bass players at Guitar Center gave it a thumbs up as well.

Bought from Guitar Center (I know, I know) in May 2006. MAde in JApan. 20 frets. 4 string. Solid ash body, polyurethene finish (very thick and shiny).
Bridge volume, neck volume, bass cut-boost treble cut-boost.
Two single coil vintage style Jazz pickups (US)
Switchable active/passive electronics) Bass and treble pots inactive on passive mode.
Leo Quann Badass II bridge
Reverse vintage style tuners
thin C shape neck 1.5" nut width
Gig bag, had them throw in a strap and set of strings

The sound was hard to dial in at first, well, actually it sounded sweet at guitar center and when I got home. When I played with my band at practice though, I found that what sounded sweet just thumping around by myself sounded very tinny with a full band. After an hour or two of running through songs I was familiar enough with the eq, to get either a classic jazz bass sound or the super sweet crispy slap sound that this bass is made for with the fiddling of a few knobs.

It has a bit of a hiss when bridge pickup is full on and neck is off, nothing that a little noise suppression won't cure. This bass seems like it would be killer on stage of in the studio (hey, it;s a jazz bass!).

The only real problem that I have is that it would be nice to have some tone control in passive mode. I may look into some modifications... For the price, I don't really think you are going to find a better bass, this thing can slap like a motha! and fingerstyle sounds sweet too.

I took it off the shelf at guitar center to try out some effects, I didn't really care for the effects, but 5 minutes playing with this bass and I was up at the front counter wallet in hand (doh! did it again!!!!) Set up was fine, very low action, no buzz.

This bass is a fender, and for some reason whenever I play a fender I just want to kick the crap out of it (maybe watching all those Jimmi Hendrix and The Who videotapes back in high school did it). It's a good thing they are built like tanks, and look better with a few dings and chips in them. This bass will stand up to normal playing and gigging without flinching for years (if I keep it that long) and if abused, will probably still last for a long time (It's a piece of wood after all....)

Never dealt with fender, and I can't really see any reason why I would want to deal with a huge corporation like them anyways. The circuitry is fairly simple and I'm going to void the warranty with some mods anyways.

I'm 30 and have been playing bass for half of that (it's my religion, I'm a basstafarian) I own way to much other gear to list, but this and my alembic essence will be my main basses until I get bored with them. If it were stolen or lost I might replace it, or look at it as an opportunity to check out something else(I have no loyalty with my instruments, I change them more often than my underwear).

I love the slim fast neck and the active circuitry. Nothing to really hate on this bass. I've played lots and lots of basses and this is definitely a great bass. When I think of a bass and how it should sound the first thing that comes to mind is fender, either P or J.

Same as below. Basically, it's a Geddy Lee Jazz with a slightly thicker neck, active electronics, and real fretboard inlays (look real close on the Geddy Lee---yep, those are painted on). The Geddy Lee, for those who do not know, is the best bass for the money Fender is making right now.

Let me say first of all that I hate Fender. I love Carvin. Carvins are not loud enough, though, to play heavier styles of music. They sound and play fantastic, but the stock pickups are low output (says right on the Carvin website.) This thing cuts through with ferocity.

All of the bass players I try to emulate (tonally, anyway) play either EMG-Equipped basses or Active Jazz basses. I play mainly hard rock/melodic hardcore, but I do a lot of slapping for a punchier, booming sound. This thing is awesome. I just hate that the headstock says Fender.

It should be noted that this bass will not automatically make you have Marcus Miller's tone. If you want his glorious slap tone, you'll need to get a Sansamp Bass Driver, set it to the Factory supplied "Slap" setting in the manual, and you will indeed get that glassy yet punchy tone that Marcus gets from his expensive rig.

Aside from that, this thing will conquer any style of music you want.

NOTE TO FENDER AMERICAN SHOP---your Japanese counterparts are making you look bad. I have yet to play a bad Made-in-Japan Fender, and for the money, they are better than the U.S. series (for example, the US Custom shop version of this bass is $1600 and it's identical).

Right out of the Box at Guitar Center---RIGHT OUT OF THE FREAKING SHIPPING BOX!!--This thing was set up to perfection. The Bad Ass II bridge really aids in letting you get the strings super low and still playing true all up and down the fret board.

I would recommend taking off that stupid pickup cover unless you're going to slap exclusively though, because it really inhibits fingerstyle. Because the bridge keeps such nice tension on the strings (huge sustain), it's a little harder to play fingerstyle on the bridge pickup because the strings are so so tight there.

The battery cavity is in a stupid place. Unscrewing part of the pickguard is just silliness when they could easily have added a pop-up battery box to the underside. Only thing I dislike about the setup.

Locking tuners would have also been nice.

I've never heard of Fender necks turning into bows, but I would have still preferred graphite reinforcement (ala Carvin) to ensure it was straight for my lifespan. Only other qualm is a question over how the screws over the battery cavity are going to hold up. Why do they make you unscrew part of the pickguard to change the battery...? =(

Don't like Fender as a company. You're stuck with the local Music stores for customer support. It's a shame Fender has become the huge company it set out to compete with--i.e., Carvin is the new Fender (little guy, good value) Fender is the new Gibson (huge corporation, almighty $$$ driven).

Let me reiterate--I don't like Fender. I hate buying from Guitar Center. Yet I have this bass. What does that tell you? This is the kind of instrument that you can sit down with and play on for hours because it just feels RIGHT. It really is an outstanding guitar.

Thank heavens Fender still has a Japanese line, because the basses coming out of their Japanese factory are superb. One of the best basses ever made without an EMG "P" pickup in it.

2000 Marcus J- read others for features.
MIJ. I cant believe the oblivious guy who thinks CIJ is the only way to go. Marcus and my 85 J special (Duff MCKagan model) are sonorous,
beefy, resonating tone machines with exceptional build quality. I own CIJ teles and a Geddy Lee (which I also love) so this is utterly
unbiased. I also know that any given production run will have lemons and peaches. I got me some peaches.

The sounds are fantastic. Ballsy & thick passive mode or the Hi tech
Miller stuff that is otherworldly. Holy crap. Lots of realized bottom for a J. And much, way much high end. Sick high end. Equalizer anyone?
Even with the active treble fully cut it still pierces. Crazy. Never will this bass lack in the brightness department. All the while the mids still bonk with a "period correctness" Way to go Japan.

Got it used. Can't vouch for the factory. Once my tech set it up, it was on. Gorgeous, grinding and gleaming.

oh yeah, the MIJ slammer was also wrong on the finish. It is polyurethane and thicker than a boatdeck.
Everything is up to the typical Fender "Sherman Tank" level of durability.
Kids: dont play shows without a backup. It's just not worth it. Murphy
says so.

Not a real concern.

28 years exp. If stolen I'd get another(MIJ or CIJ, no matter)This is an excellent product. Heavy as an anvil. True to it's purpose.
We musicians are blessed to have cool products like this to mess with.
Go buy one...you fools......

This is the MM 4 string bass, maple neck, ash body, nice and heavy (12.5 lbs), natural finish, etc. I have owned it for about two years. I have done a lot of changes and have finally made it the bass I was really looking for. I added a drop-D tuner, a two-piece brown 4-ply tort shell pickguard (Never liked the look of the black pickguard with the natural ash body) and changed the electronics, see below. I'm giving this a 9 for features, eventhough I changed a lot of things I feel this bass has a lot of great features for the money (bounded fingerboard with block inlays - very cool looking, passive/active switching, Bad ass II bridge for great sustain).

The factory sound is great for the active switch setting but not great in passive mode, but I've changed all that....(these changes will void all warranties and if you don't know what your doing, may screw your electronics up).

First of all, the passive/active switching is not a truely passive/active switch, the passive switch is still wired through the active box. If you rewire it correctly you will be amazed at the true passive sound. It really does sound like a true '75 Fender Jazz bass, great bite and edgy sound. The rewiring is very simple. In a review by Tommy below, it is all spelled out. This is a MUST DO rewiring. I used to never play the passive setting before I changed the wiring of the switch because it sucked, now it is like I have two basses, a Fender late-seventies Jazz bass and a MM bass.

Second, I have never liked the two volume controls on a Fender Jazz bass. I just don't understand the point of this. The pickups on this bass are coiled in a humbucking mode, if used! To show this, pug in your bass and crank your bass amp up to 5 or 6 and stand in front of your bass amp. Now, with the bridge pickup on 0, turn the the neck pick up on slowly from 0 to 10 and notice the amount of hum. Now, with the neck volume on ten, slowly turn the bridge volume from 0 to 10 and notice the volume of the hum. The hum goes from loud (0) to almost cancelled when on ten. Hence the reason why I would never play the bass without the two volumes identical (hum drives me crazy, but I love the sound of the defined single-coil pickup). This being said, why have two separate volume pots when I'm only going to play the bass with both pickups on the same level as eachother? Solution, wire the two pickups to one volume pot and never worry about true single-coil hum and having to turn two dials when wanting to lower your volume (Two volume dials makes it impossible to do trippy volume swells and a pain to turn your volume off). Now that I had one volume pot, I used the other pot for the following modification...

Third, I have have always struggled slightly with the trebles on the bass. Because of the ash body and maple neck, there is quite a bite in sound from this bass. This is good and bad. Sometimes I want this sound, sometimes I want it to be more mellow. Solution, use that extra pot for a tone control for the passive setting. I added a 0.1 capictor to the former bridge pot and wired this to the passive/active switch. Some may prefer the sound of the 0.047 capcitor for the tone pot but I experimented and liked having more trebles sent to ground with the larger capcitor, it can give more a pronounced mellow sound. Anyway, now that I added a tone control for the passive mode, I really get a true late-seventies Fender Jazz bass sound, and I absolutely love this sound. Since the active setting has a treble pot, at this point in my modification I could control the trebles on the bass in both settings. But wait, there is more, I still didn't have as many tonal settings as I truely wanted. There was one more change that I performed that made my tonal journey complete....

Fourth, since I now had my volume going through one pot, I experimented by wiring the pickups in series (Jazz basses are traditionally wired in parrallel, and P-basses are wired in series). Wow!!!, the difference is subtly if you're just a passive observer, but enormous if you really listen. After my experiment, I went online and bought a 250k push/pull pot so I could have both sounds (there only a couple of bucks). The push/pull pot is basically a 250k pot with a DPDT (Double Pull, Double Throw) switch, which is exactly what the passive/active switch is on the MM bass, it is just a push/pull switch as opposed to a toggle switch. I chose this switch because I didn't want to add a hole to my pickguard, and frankly, I probably didn't have room in my control cavity for this anyway. So I wired the push/pull pot so the pot acted as my tone control in passive mode and the push was my series pickup configuration and my pull was the parrallel pickup configuration (Pickup the Guitar Electronics, circa ~1982 book to understand more about all of this, it is a must have book, it explains it all). In my opinion, the series gives a funkier dirtier sound with slightly less trebles while the parrallel gives more definition between your notes with slightly more trebles. Of course, series configuration gives a greater output than parrallel, which I like better. Regardless, I now have the capability of getting a slightly dirtier P-bass sound or a warmer, more defined true Jazz bass sound. I love having this option! Because of the increased output in series mode, I can be playing in parrallel for the supporting role in a song and then push into series mode for a solo allowing me to cut through a little more with an edgy, slightly dirtier sound for my solo.

In my opinion, I now have the closest thing to a one-bass-does-it-all, and for a great price!

Minor notes: I also shielded my cavity with copper foil including the back of my control cavity pickguard and ran all ground wires to a single ground point. When you add copper foil to the back of the pickguard, you now can remove the grounding wires connecting the pots and jack. If not removed this creates a grounding loop which can add a slight hum, but you probably won't notice anyway. Just be sure the conductive material (Al or Cu) on the back of the pickguard goes complete to the edge of the pickguard so that the screws used to screw the pickguard down make contact and allow a ground to occur (What you have now made is a grounding plate, that's right, just what the original Jazz basses have; this allows the cavety to be shielded and all pieces screwed into the grounding plate [i.e. jacks and pots] are now grounded to eachother). The control cavity on my MM was painted with conductive paint, but not very well. I used my multimeter to check the paint and there just wasn't enough paint (i.e. conductive material) to create a good shield. I also carefully added copper foil to the inside of the black pickup covers (don't run this to ground!) which allows better shielding of the pickups and takes a slight amount of trebles out of the sound (I like the sound better, some may not; it is subtle though).

Frankly speaking, all the shielding doesn't really do a preceivable difference to killing the hum because the wiring of the pickups to a single pot (i.e. both pickups always on) allows the humbucking effect to be taken advantage of which is going to be a much bigger effect on the hum cancelling than shielding.

This is now an amazingly versitle bass. I can get a more classic P-bass sound (series pickup configuration in passive mode with the tone rolled down slightly), a classic Jazz bass sound (parrallel pickup configuration in passive mode) or a close approximate Marcus Miller bass sound (parrallel pickup configuration in active mode) or even an active P-bass sound (series pickup configuration in active mode). I love this bass!!!

For the factory setting sound I would give it a 5. For my modified sound I would give it a 9.

Factory set up was alright, but the neck was set a little high. A quick turn of the screw, a tweak here a tweak there, everywhere a little tweak tweak, Old Mc Donald had a bass, E I E I O. The flaw in the bass was the neck pocket, not that tight. Finish is great, frets are good. I'm giving it a 5 (average), due to the neck pocket.

This is a very solid bass, did I mention it's fighting weight is 12.5 lbs and it has a Bad Ass II bridge? Translation, it has amazing sustain. The finish is a polyurethane coating, true to seventies specifications. Polyurethane finishes are very hard and resist abrasion well. Personnally, I think polyurethane adds a slight amount of treble to the sound. I prefer nitrocellulose, it is softer and results in a softer sound. But, nitrocellulose is not an option and is usually more expensive anyway. My dream bass would be my MM bass with a nitrocellulose finish.

It would be very hard to break this bass.

Never tried to talk to Fender.

I couldn't live without this bass. It looks cool, sounds great with a lot of tonal control and feels great.

The specs are best viewed on Fender.com. For all it's goodness, one feature I'd like to have on this bass is tone control in passive mode. But don't let that be a deal spoiler, the bass is still the most versitle I've owned.

The pre-amp can be a little noisy, as are single coils in general, but that's just the nature of a Jazz bass.

Ten. Period. This is a harmony-central review, but the act/fit/finish is perfect.

Yea, it is very solid. One advantage that the MM has over other active basses is the active/passive switch, so if the battery died in a gig situation, you could just flip over to passive mode and limp through the rest of the night that way.

n/a

The first thing that caught my eye about this base was the look. I?m not a Marcus Miller fan, had never heard of him before seeing his sig base on Fender.com.

I?ve been swinging between Ps and Js for ten years now, with the grass always seeming greener on the other side. My hope with the MM was that, with the bass and treb boost, I?d be able to better hit some of those reggae and dub sounds that so require a P-bass. After playing one at a music store, I was convinced that I could pull it off. The pre-amp with an on/off switch was a big selling point. The active bass boost gets me close to P-bass heaven, but I find myself playing in passive mode most of the time. In passive mode, it?s all good 70s Jazz. It?s surprising, but I don?t really miss the tone knobs. I just make the adjustments on my 15? combo amp.

I bought mine used for $600 shipped with a hard case. It came in nearly perfect condition, set up to my liking, with no issue. Action, fit, and finish is typically Japanese, which is very good. I would rate the quality as similar to that of my former USA ?62 Reissue Jazz.

Is there a downside? The thing is a boat anchor at about 11 lbs. I like to play standing up, but I?m not a gigging pro, so the weight is really an issue with me. When my back starts to hurt, I just go grab a beer and a snack, after which I?m usually ready to go back at it.

I?ve owned my MM for about a month now. Usually when I buy new gear, I go through an early honeymoon phase where all seems perfect, before finally discovering its many flaws which previously went unnoticed, then I think how I?m going to get rid of it. (Yea, I?m still talking about guitars.) But the MM just keeps growing on me. I used to hear a bass in a song and think ?I need that sound?. Now I think about how the MM would sound in its place.

Hello, I'm Tommy. I was one of the first reviewers(03/28/2000) to submit a review of the Fender Marcus Miller(MM) Signature Jazz Bass. I hope the insight I have gain since that time will continue to guide future players about the MM jazz bass. If you like basses( particulary the Fender Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Bass), then please read the info that follows:

"How To Optimize your Fender Marcus Miller Jazz Bass"


DISCLAIMER: I have ONLY heard Marcus' 1977 Fender jazz bass on albums, and in concert. I have NEVER touched or heard Marcus' 1977 Fender jazz bass through a normal bass amp. Therefore, this info is provided to optimize the "STOCK - Fender Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Bass."

I have examined all of the electronics on the "STOCK" Fender MM jazz bass. The electronics of the MM jazz bass are: 1) Pickups, 2) Pots, and 3) Preamp - active/passive switch, battery connection, and output jack.


1. Pickups - stock Fender jazz pickups are FINE. In my humble opinion, NEW pickups are not necessary, just OPTIONAL(personal preference).

COMMENT: DON't BUY new pickups. Wait(at least 6 to 12 months) to see how your MM bass sounds, supports the band, or records, then decide if you want to invest your money in new pickups.

2. Pots - volume pots(250 kohms-ideally)and control pots(500 kohms-ideally).

Volume pots - are ideally 250 kohms(rare case), please measure. There are 3 modes for the volume pots - A) INDIVIDUAL MODE - MOST IMPORTANT, B) full-up, and C) OFF.

A) The individual mode.
The INDIVIDUAL MODE is the MOST IMPORTANT mode for a jazz style bass(bass with 2 pickups). In my case, my bridge pickup over powered my neck pickup. It was not because the brige pickup was MORE Powerful, but because the Bridge pot(275 kohms) was much greater than the Neck pot(206 kohms).

CORRECTION: Swapped the pots. Neck Pot(275 kohms) and Bridge Pot(206 kohms). The neck pickup provides support, and the bridge pickup provides flavor. :-)

B) Full-UP
The Fender jazz bass is wired in a quasi- parallel mode. To me, this is not true parallel. The output of the two(2) pickups is more of a compromised sound. In real parallel wiring, it truly "does not" make a difference about the resistance of the pots. In a Fender jazz bass, the ARRANGEMENT of the POTS make a BIG DIFFERENCE.

C) OFF
The values of the pots DO NOT matter(logical).

CONTROL POTS(500 kohms)
Treble and bass pots(values specified by manufacturer).

3. PREAMP - active/passive switch, battery connection, and the output jack

A). Active/passive switch - stock configuration is FINE. However, I prefer true-bypass. True-bypass means passive(no EQ), and active(with EQ).

B). Battery connection
1) solid bare lead(HOT) from preamp(FMEQ) should be covered (insulated by tape, or heat shrink tubing).
2) battery ground(black wire) should be connected to the STEREO output jack. If the battery ground is connected to the common ground, the preamp is in a 24/7 "on - mode." Therefore, the battery is engaged all the time.

C) Output Jack - STEREO output jack(3 pronges)
Should be a STEREO output jack. Three(3) connections are: battery ground, common ground(center), and HOT wire.

That's it :-)

I performed these changes on my 1998 Fender Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Bass. At first, my battery only lasted about two(2) months, now they last 3-4 years because of the frequency I play. All of the electronics on my MM#1 are stock, and the bass sounds great. :-)

Thanks,

Tommy

I'm Tommy. I have two(2) Fender Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Basses (MM#1 & MM#2). I bought MM#1 brand new, and MM#2 in mint condition. After a month or two I realized that both of these basses had problems. MM#1 battery died within 2 months, and MM#2 had no shielding. Like I said before, PROBLEMS. Also, neither one of these basses had the real Marcus Miller Sound.

Hence, this is where my journey began. I must say that I finally fixed all of my problems and my MM#1 & MM#2 sound great. After all the work I performed on my MM basses I believe the info that follows is very important:

1. The battery: PROBLEM - dies in a very short period of time( 2 or 3 months). (A) The battery wire is/was connected to the common ground on a pot in the circuit and made the battery think that it was on 24/7. (B) The bare wire(hot wire) on the FMEQ preamp - Must be covered to prevent 24/7 "on Mode." If it touches the shielding paint in the control cavity it will turn the battery all 24/7. SOLUTION - the output jack(STEREO JACK) should have 3 connection points( battery ground(black wire), common ground(black wire), and hot).

2. The volume pots: PROBLEM - if you use your neck or bridge pickups in an individual mode, then you will notice a big difference. SOLUTION - draw a diagram of the volume pot connections and wiring, then disconnect the wires going to them. MEASURE the RESISTANCE of the neck and bridge volume pots. Put the higher resistance on the neck pot, and the lesser resistance on the bridge pot. Neck pot > Higher resistance, and Bridge pot > lesser resistance.

If the volume pots are in the correct order(neck pot = higher resistance, bridge pot = lesser resistance) this is VERY IMPORTANT. The battery connected the correct way should fix everything. My battery lasts about two(2) or three(3) years, given the amount of time I play.

MM#1 - has been modified. MM#2 - STOCK, and sounds very good. MM#2 has a more usable sound and supports the band better.

Bought new in December '04, so I've been owning it for almost a year.
Two single jazz picks, Badass II bridge... you can check all the specs in Fender web-page or in other issues. I think the "real" features are the Badass and the in-board pre-amp.
I know nothing at all about wood...

Looks very well, natural, I love it. Vintage.

I really love the sound of this bass, even if I don't like Marcus Miller and I don't play slap! I like classic rock, blues and jazz, and it suits really well for playing this stuff. I mean for playing it on a certain way, active mode with a little bass-boost and a little drive (Ashdown ABM EVO-500 with the drive pot at 12) and you can feel like Berry Oakley at Fillmore East! With the neck-pickup full-open and the bridge one near full open you can get that ass-kicking Mel Schacher sound (Grand Funk!).
Really groovin', amazing for soloing, and you can always play with pickups and pre-amp volumes to get a wide sound-palette, fingerstyle, with pick...
And I believe it would sound even better with some Lindy Fralin or Fender Noiseless!

Maybe most users of this bass are slappers, but I can say that this bass also ROCKS!!!

Uhhhhhhhh...

Factory setup was a real CRAP! I had to increase the height of the strings and the pickups, adjust the neck... With factory strings and setting it sounded dead, after some changes it started to sound better and now I'm really happy with it, but I think it's not the way a 1000 ? bass should come from factory! Fender!!

I think the pickups are a little too "cheap", seem very fragile. Have to check some noiseless or Lindy Fralin, I think this will make this bass a really big gun. The rest of the bass is solid-built and could stand live playing and whatever.

I love this bass, but with a proper set-up (this is not a problem now, but it was in the beggining!) and with some top-division pickups (these japanese pickups do not seem compltetely well...) I think it could easilly reach the 10 in this section. I'll tell if finally change the pickups!

75 Fender Jazz w/ Marcus's mods, you know the rest.

Sold my all original '75 Jazz to get this bass - the MM thing beat the tar out of my old one - I could give a hoot about whether it's vintage or not, I just wanted a smokin bass. This has the old school passive sound ... kick in the active and you've got plenty of whatever you need. I rarely use either knob turned past 3 ... you could level the building (or ruin speakers)with the bass knob on 10.

I will eventually have the tone controls wired for passive mode, but nothing urgent about that really.

Great bass all around - I do my own setups so I tweaked it to my needs, but everything seems solid, and well built. I like it better than the new American built Fenders. I love the neck and the Badass II bridge or something comparable should be standard on all Fenders - I hate those crappy plates and flimsy saddles they use ... c'mon, its 2005 fer chrissake!

It's my touring bass and has held up fine to luggage handlers, roadies, and TSA inspectors. The tuners aren't that smooth, I'll throw some hipshot's in there and probably some high end pots, but only because I'm a snob about that stuff - it all functons fine, and wouldn't bother me if I never got around to the mods.

N/A

I bought this bass as an 'expendable' bass for touring, meaning if it got stolen, or destroyed it wouldn't be the end of the world. It turns out I play this bass more than any of my others at home and for studio work and would be devastated should it be taken from me. However they are still made, and every one I've ever played in a store (even crappy ass Guitar Center) has been one I would buy .. they all seem very consistent. I highly recomend this bass

Japanese made, ash body, 20 frets, maple fingerboard with white pearl block inlays. It has a (removeable) 70's style pickup cover on the neck pickup. 2 J-bass pickups... same kind as on the standard US models, i think. Active preamp with bass and treble boost. Active/passive switch. It has no tone control in passive mode.

I've removed the pickup cover, since it got in the way of my playing style. it was comfy for slapping though, but i like to work with lots of different hand positions for different tones, and some of the best tones for fingerstyle playing are right there over the neck pickup. Too bad, 'cause it looked really nice.

The feel of the neck is one of the best things about this bass. The finish has a great, smooth feel, the fretwork is excellent and the bindings and block inlays makes it look and feel great. I compared this bass to a lot of other basses in the same price range (US fenders, warwicks, low end MTDs etc.) and this was by FAR the best built instrument. Especially the US made fenders made me disappointed... i couldn't believe how sloppily built they were - fretwork, fingerboards, neck finish etc. (for the price range, that is, of course.. they were decent instrument, but i wouldn't pay half of what i paid for the Marcus bass for a US j-bass. At least not the ones i've tried.)

I play mostly jazz and slap style funk on this bass. It's got a wide range of sound possibilities, the passive mode is a good vintage fender type of sound, with lots of "fartiness" and mids. the highs are really nice and shiny, it sings and to me this bass really has a great voice for leads. With a little boost on the active preamps bass knob you can get a really big fat boomy bass sound, a lot more than you'll probably ever use. (even if you're some sort of "vacuum cleaner-bass"-reggae/dub pervert... ;) Slap sounds are great, they're really what the preamp was built for, just turn up the active knobs a bit and roll back the bridge pickup a little and you'll get a great slap sound (as long as your strings are fresh, of course.) Watch out for going over the top with the eq though... the highs can really hurt your ears if you're poppin' through an amp with a tweeter.

I would have liked a tone control for the passive mode, even though i'd usually play most any passive bass with the tone control wide open. This one has a lot of brightness and high end though, so i'd like to be able to roll of the top when comping in passive mode. i'll probably have a passive tone control installed some day.

I have some minor noise problems with the bass... the kind of hissing that comes when you take your hands off of the instrument. (that's some sort of earth problem i suppose, and it's probably easy to fix. even though i bought this new and at the price i paid this should have been fixed at the factory.) I'll get this fixed as soon as i get around to it...

I love the tone of this bass... the only thing that i would object to is that it doesn't seem to respond too well to over- aggressive pick style playing. If i want a rockish sound thoungh i pick it a little more gently, an crank the amp.. that gets a fatter tone anyway.. but i dont think this would be a good axe for punk type of sounds.. but then why would you buy a bass like this for that?

It was set up alright, i had to tweak it a little, as always, after changing strings. One thing that's not exactly a flaw, but kind of annoying, is that the tuning pegs are made to tighten the strings when turning them in the opposite direction from what's standard. This always confuses me, since i also play a fretless j-bass, and it's tuning pegs turn the other way.. and btw this has nothing to do with how i have stringed the bass... the strings only go one way around the pegs.

Finish seems great, it doesn't scratch easily. I haven't had any problems so far. I've used it for five months now.

i'm a music student, and have been playing bass for about 5 years. I also play a mexican Fender fretless j-bass and a DeArmond Ashbory bass.

I love the feel of this bass, both sound-wise and physically. it seems to sing when i play it in a special way that not many basses do. I love it, but it was real expensive imho. I'm lucky i was able to afford getting it though, it was worth it to me.

This is Bobbo77", the proud owner of a 2004 brand new in the store Marcus Funk Machine! Been wanted to get one of these for the longest, and found this one at one of my favorite pro shops here in the Northwood's area. It's a Maple/Ash beauty, classic funk recipe, and yes, it live's up to the billing! Of course it's heavy, but it's Ash! Neck is nice and slim, 70's specs I beleive.Won't bore you with the rest of the specs, check them out on the Fender.com site.

Well, the tone is all good, but I'd advise IF you decide to keep the stock Pre amp, check out Tommy Thompson's quick fixes for the battery pre amp on/off, passive/active to be able to use the tone control's when in TRUE passive mode, and the checking of the resistance of the pot's too pick ups. I don't know why Fender never addressed these simple but important factors on this bass.
This Bass won't Make you instant Marcus, but the bass will get you kinda close, with very solid and Groovy tones at your disposal! The treble is kinda bright, but you can tame it down, and it has the 60 cycle buzz (It's a Jazz!) but I use a noise gate. I tried it today with my Eden Metro and 2-10 Avatar cab, and it very impressive! It has that cool "Throaty" Jazz bass sound Fingerstyle and Thumb style! Could'nt put it down, just wanted to see what this thang could do. With passive mode of course theres no tone controls, but I set up the solid state side of my Metro, and it sounds like a very good passive Jazz. But kick in the Pre and look out! Yes, a Bartolini, Sadowsky, J-Retro pre probably would get you closer to THAT tone, but the Fender Pre is all good! I'm happy with it.

Set up at the shop, it was very confortable, but I like my action a little lower, which I can do myself, Again, the neck is very cool, with a Poly(I beleive) finish, as well as the rest of the body. I was worried about the neck pocket, since I've read was not tight, but my Marcus is very tight with no gap's! Fret's are nice and manicured,no sharp ends. Pick ups adjusted great.

Hardware, finish and top notch. I put strap locks on it also. I'd depend on it on a gig, but I alway's bring my trusty #1, 77" Music Man Stingray.

Haven't used it, but I think Fender is hit or miss.

I've been playing for over 27 years, and have had many basses along the way, My main bass has been my 77' Stingray I've had 22 yrs., but my first Real bass was a 77" Jazz bass, Ash/Maple, so this is like playing and old friend. If it were stolen, I'd get another. Again, wish Fender could of addressed the Passive/active switch for a TRUE passive setting, and at least included a gig bag! But all in all a great bass!!!

Mine is a natural finish with a black pickguard. I never really bothered to check & see of the MM basses have it though, but my used one came with an adjustable shim installed in the neck. It makes a world of difference!

I love the sound! You can get good round sounds out of the neck pickup soloed, or a good nasal tone out of the soloed bridge p/u. It's good for most kinds of music, and if you're slapper, you won't be able to put this thing down. Especially once you've made Tommy Thompson's modifications!

When I bought it used, it was setup perfectly. I adjust it from time to time to make sure the neck doesn't move around too much. It's pretty stable.

This thing is a tank.

NA

I've been playing for about 13 years. I also own an Alembic Orion 4 string bass which I also love to use as my more "modern" sounding bass. I've played a lot of Fender jazz basses, and this one (with Tommy Thompsons' modifications) is my favorite and IMHO sounds the best.

All I can say is if you're reading these reviews, and are thinking about buying an MM bass... get one. You won't regret it. If you want to save a couple hundred bucks, pick up one used.

And those of you who already have one, follow Tommy's instructins regarding the placement of the neck/bridge pots. It makes an absolute world of difference.

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

The bass is made in Japan, but the way it feels and plays, who cares? I dig the sound that I get and that all there is to say. This is my first 4 string im a really long time, so I'm getting use to the narrow neck again, but it's a hip bass, so i'm happy with coping with the minor changes.

We have a 3 piece ensemble at my church: keyboards/organ, drums, and myself. My Marcus Miller fits right in with our sound. Since all my other basses are active, it's cool to have a active/passive selector when a more traditional bass sound is required. A "full, bottom end" is that traditional Fender sound. The only thing that bothered me was that it was very noisy. I took out the origional pickups, and put in some EMG's. Man, it's TOTALLY slammin!!! (that means it's really nice!)

The setup was a little high for my taste. I don't know if that was from the previous owner, or from the factory, but it was fixed. The reverse tuning pegs kinda threw me off, but that's just a little getting use to with a new axe. The other owner took very good care of it. It looked like he/she didn't have for very long. Tuning pegs were still shiny, not tarnished, knobs were still tight, no dents or dings on the body or neck. I just lowered the action, changed the strings (I like Smiths!) and I was ready to go!

I play at my church, and we totally rock the house. This makes my 6th bass, and I love it. I haven't played a 4 string in such a long time it took a little getting use to. But it's all about the tone, Jack! My first "real" bass was a Fender, back in 1975, so I'm familar with the Fender style. I got the action lowered when I got the pickups changed out, so I'm very happy.

I didn't have to call Fender for anything. When I lived in San Diego, I did a little R&D for Fender's string division. That was sooooo cool! You guy's know how expensive strings are? I was gettin 'em free! There was no warranty from Guitar Center, but those guys are really good to deal with, so I wasn't woried about it.

I've been playing for over 30 years. My MM Jazz is a keeper in my "family of basses" (this one makes a total of 6). If this bass was stolen, yes, I'd get another one. My circle of bassist friends here in Indy all play 5, 6, and 7 strings, so I like to be different, that's why I busted out with a 4 string. What I like about it is what every bassist should dig about his/her bass "THE TONE" baby!. With the new EMG's, it still has the Fender bottom, and the "punch" of the EMG's. Very cool! When I worked at Guitar Center here,(Indianapolis, IN) I wanted to get one, but I copped a Schecter (another hip bass). So I was there about a few weeks ago, saw a used one, and the rest is history. Totally a great bass for any player to get.

This one is a 2000 japanese 77 jazz bass reissue.
I had it a couple of days,and rewired it per Tommy's instructions.
This is how it should have been wired from the factory!
Now this thing is a funk machine!
Nice,true mid 70's jazz bass passive sound now.
I've always liked the vintage reverse tuners.Nice thin 1 1/2" 70's jazz bass nut width,and the correct 4" pickup spacing.

I play about anything except country,unless I'm getting paid for it.
Right now i play through an ampeg svt with a art tube preamp and a full stack.
The bass has a great high and mid range but lacking in some bottom.

I purchased this bass from the orginal owner, and had it setup right.
There is a small gap on one side of the neck joint (factory)While the other side is flush.Almost like the body neck joint was cut to wide.
A small over cut on the 15th fret inlay.
The bad ass bridge needs to be cut deeper to prevent string slippage.
This is of course not fenders fault.I think Leo Quan's team needs to have a little redesign change of this great bridge.

This Puppy Hangs like a real bass should,it's a good chunk of hefty ash. Everything seems solid on this bass.
I would use this bass without a backup thanks to the active/passive switch.

I've dealt with fender a number of years ago when they were in fullerton,Ca.Then they were extremely helpfull.Thank's to Leo Fender.I dont think their as customer friendly as they use to be.Just try to contact them!

I've been playing for about 28 years.I started at 15 years old.
I've played,and own or have owned alot of basses.This is my first japanese made fender bass.This one might be a keeper,it plays as well as most of my american fenders.It is a beautiful looking bass.As far as sound,or a soul mate only time will tell.

2001

Didn't do it for me,until I read Tommy's input and had him change it around.( I'm not that good with a soldering iron.)
Now the beast sounds the way it is supposed to sound.
Even better in the true passive mode, just like a real 70's Jazz.
I can only recommend to do what Tommy says,you are not changing anything (Partswise) on the bass ,it just sounds a lot better.

See all the other listings

Very friendly

I've been playing as a hobby since 72, and had alot of basses since.
The MM is one of the easiest to play, do to it's weight and neck shape.
Soundwise it's my 2 nd favorite,
My first choice is a Signature custom vintage Jazz with Dimarzio DP 149's and a J-retro preamp.So far nothing compares to that especially when you like to slap!!!!
Signature basses where popular in the late 80's - early 90's before they were literally shut down by Fender, because of the perfect copies they made. They changed the headstockshape but to no avail.
I bought a whole collection of these basses ,and let me tell you they are better than any jap fender out there, the early models were even better than the USA made originals,but that's only my humble opinion.

marcus miller bass purchased on ebay, came with case, love the fit of the body and neck, actually prefer the vintage reverse tuners, take some getting used to, but rightie tightie, right? Body on mine is super light, not sure if they are all this way or not.

i play rock, folky singer songwriter, hip hop and I'm trying hard to get into jazz/fusion. Here is where I'll differ from the other marcus reviews, I HATED THE STOCK PREAMP. So did my guitar player fot that matter, the treble on the thing seemed very non musical, harsh, and biting. He was tired of having his ears split, and I was tired of twiddling every knob. (It generally takes me a long while to get a bass to where I am happy, anyway.) I had the preamp removed, and started using the bass as a passive with 2 volumes, 2 tones. The "u.s. vintage" p/u's then sounded awful too. sounds like they were wound specifically to work with the pre, but either way, I was not happy. The end result is that I installed a pair of jason lollar single coils (they are amazing), installed a tone bypass switch, had a fender american deluxe bridge installed(strings thru), and had it adjusted and set up and now I am very very happy. Tone bypass is exactly what it sounds like, no tone knob in the circuit. Just a volume knob for each pickup. With these mods, the bass sounds really musical( punchy and sting-like. I have since cut the tone wire on my main bass as well(a blueburst maple body jazz with a maple neck/fretless ebony fingerboard, hipshot strings thru bridge, reverse gotoh tuners and had similar results. It was more noticeable on the marcus,however.

Since I bought the bass on ebay, I don't have too much to say about the factory setup. I love my bass now that I have made the above mentioned mods. These seem like very good intermediate basses, especially in that around $700 range. Do try to find one in a store and see how it sounds to you. As bass players, we can get caught up pretty easily into always chasing someone elses' sound(marcus, jaco obviously), but it doesn't seem to me like chasing gear will ever end if that is the case. Those players found something that worked for them, find what works for you. Horn players use the giants as starting points to develop their own voice. I think we bassists should remember the point is our own voice.

Had to fix a loose strap button with some glue and sawdust, some stripped screws, dings etc. Stays in tune, takes a beating fingerstyle. I bring 2 basses with me when I play, a fretted and a fretless (I also own a fretless '76 sunburst pre- Ernie Ball stingray)so a backup is not an issue. Since its' last adjustment, it has been like a rock. Finish is nice, beautiful grain on mine. The back looks like lacewood.

Good bass, but expect a little time to make it yours.

Japanese 77 jazz bass copy, ash body, mpl neck w/ mpl fret board. Too much finish on the neck ( poly fin a little thick for my taste but not really a minus, i might remove it). active /passive deal (see tommy thompsons reviews that cat seems to know his stuff, i haven't tried his mods yet but i will soon). The only real problem i have is the tuners,not smooth will replace.

sounds good, passive is very authentic, active i roll off a lot of the highs. Its bright but not brittle. I like it but... i'm gonna try a set of bartolini's to see if i can get a touch more low end.

OK, Long story... I build and repair guitars for a living. A pro cat i do work for brought his in to have it dialed in pro style. i had to level and recrown the frets, the factory job was good/ok but this guy wanted super low action with no buzz. i reset the neck and adjusted the microtilt so the badass II saddles sit higher giving the bass a taught feel w/45-100s at 1.2 mm action. His bass played like a dream. Back to my bass i should follow the same steps with mine but haven't had time yet (2 months) it plays fine at factory specs, but it can be great. (side note : the above work also included nut work, intonation, pickup adustments for sonic leveling all part of a basic setup) also i saw a guy who converted his to stringthru i might try it?

SOLID AS A ROCK. read the bassplayer review and get strap locks

If you have Q's Ask your local dealer to call the fender area rep

I dig this bass, in fact i got rid of just about everything i had. if it was lost, stolen or destoyed well i just build another useing all parts maybe a rosewood fingerboard? killer bass, great sound and vintage vibe for way less than a grand.

A new 5-string version of the popular MM Jazz is now available: it shares all the nice features of the original 4-string, but was updated with an American Deluxe 5-string Bass Bridge, an assymetrical 5-bolt plate, a contoured heel for easier access to the upper frets, two Hipshot string trees and a 5th tuner at the bottom of the headstock, due of course to the addition of the popular low-B string.

The new Marcus Miller Jazz Bass V provides lots of tonal shades; think Marcus playing the original Sadowsky MM 5-string bass, built for him by the Sadowsky Tokyo Japanese operation. Especially attractive was the low-B "growl", which was tighter and meatier than other 5-string equipped Jazzes. I'd never seen Marcus playing his own signature Jazz Bass V, but I watched him playing a fretless 5-string bass on many concert photos.....

Fender had fitted the new MM Bass V with an American Deluxe bridge for top-load or string-through mounting operation as well, the fact that she doesn't currently found a Badass Quann II bridge for 5-string in order to give a closier aspect of the original 4-string version to the new 5-string MM J-Bass. But the MM Bass IV can also gain an American Deluxe bridge, a heel-joint truss rod adjuster and a 5-bolt neckplate, like the new 5-string version. Although the new MM Bass V's scratchplate was notched to acommodate the truss rod adjuster from the heel joint, the original 4-string feature the classic "bullet" truss rod, who was adjusted directly from the nut, a feature found on many '70s Jazz Basses.

I can't purchased that instrument yet, so I don't have any comment to do about the new Marcus Miller Jazz Bass V.

I can't dealt with Fender about the new Marcus Miller 5-string, but the fact that Sadowsky Japan had built a 5-string version of Marcus' original bass had given a strong impact to Fender, who decided to join the battle by releasing a faithful replica of the original Sadowsky MM Jazz Bass V, but updating it with some of the classic American Deluxe Series specifications. Of course the 22 fret neck option was not included.

The 4-string MM Bass had gained an extreme popularity since his first launch in the late '90s. But many Marcus fans wanted a 5-string version of this popular signature J-bass for their gigs, so Fender had now released the new 5-string MM Bass, as popular demand increased through the years. Like the 4-string original, the new Marcus Miller Jazz Bass V had been manufactured at the Fujigen factory in Japan, although the American Corona factory supplied new American Deluxe hardware to the Fender Japan operation for updating the new Marcus Miller Jazz V with some American Deluxe specifications (the 5-bolt plate, the new American Deluxe Bass bridge, the two Hipshot string trees and the notched pickguard).

Brand new 2002 MM J-Bass. Butterscoth finish, sexy as hell. I love the Japanese Fender line- more playable than USA in my opionion. It's made to the standard MM specs with stock everything. I didn't recieve the manual with the bass, so I'm gonna have to figure my way around the controls (2 volume, 2 eq, 1 A/P selector) because I got the bass yesterday and I'm used to the standard P-Bass simplicity. It's got that Leo Quan Badass Bass II on it, which is my only quarrel. Fender Japan didn't feel it was necessary to include any accesories.

Everything else aside, the singlehandedly best part about this instrument is its head-turning sound. Although the bass is a true beauty, the sound is simply untouchable. I foresee my Japanese fretless J and American Standard P collecting dust in the future. I'm running it through a Hartke 350 and a vintage Vox 15". The bass' tone actually compensates for my lack of HF output in my rig, which is a real plus. I noticed there are definitely grounding and noise issues (the pickup guard picks up tapping, etc., hissing in A/P) but I've never been a real snob about those kinds of things. I am a slap-man and I look forward to playing this thing out.

Here's the problem- and I noticed in on some other reviews as well: That damn Badass Bridge II. Sure it combats neck dive, but having the G-String pop out during any fingerpick-maneuver can be costly--especially on stage. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that; I'd rather not have to take a file to the bridge. I'll bring it to my luthier, I'm sure he'll know what to do. Besides that, the pickups sound excellent and their setup is flawless from the factory. Like a Lexus rolling off the line, this piece of Japanese luxury looks and feels perfect right out of the box!

Well, I've had no problems yets, seeing as I've only had this thing for 2 days, but I definitely don't look forward to having to mod the battery ground to avoid rapid drainage, thus making my warrantly defunct. Once again, I think my luthier's gonna have to take a look at it. It's worth the 10 or 20 bucks, in my opinion, to ensure that I don't mar this sonic miracle.

I hopefully won't have to ever deal with this corporate monster.

I've been playing guitar and bass for about 10 years. I've been through almost everything - Ibanez (SDGR), Guild, Fender (J, P, FL, USA, Japan), Warwick (FL Corvette - BTW Buyer Beware), and this piece takes the cake. If it were stolen or lost, I'd look into bying the same bass, but this time off eBay - some of the other reviewers got great deals (anything under 600)! I love the look and sound, but I don't like the g-string slippage factor. My favorite feature is definitely the Active EQ on/off - a mod feture that comes stock. Also, instead of taking the pickup guard off, I think I'll leave it on. Hell, I'll get used to it - the style points are worth the slight inconvenience (MM himself keeps it on). And what's better than a heavy-ass guitar?

This bass is a copy of the modified Jazz bass that Marcus Miller has done the majority of his solo/session work on. It has an Ash body (mine has the Sunburst option and the grain shows through well) with an all maple neck. The bridge is the popular Badass replacement which, due to its weight, helps to solve the usual Fender neck dive tendencies.
The tuners are 60's style reverse (a pain when de-tuning mid-song).
The active circuit is Fender's version of the Sadowsky modified bartolini circuit fitted to Marcus' bass. It has active bass and treble controls (boost only). A toggle switch gives a passive option (useful if your battery fails).

The combination of ash body, maple neck and badass bridge makes for a bright sound in passive mode (compared to the alder/rosewood combination found on some Jazz basses). In active mode the bass control adds good body to slap lines whilst the treble control helps old strings sound like new. Despite shielding this bass (my US Jazz wasn't shielded) Fender still haven't solved the old single pickup hum problem common to the Jazz .

This bass seems better built than my US jazz. It feels more comfortable due to there being no neck dive. The neck adjusts to give a low and even action.

Its only two months old - but seem very solid

No contact with Fender

The Marcus Jazz sounds great, looks great, is well built and is good value. Unless you want the freedom to modify a stock Jazz with your own choice of components, I can highly recommend that you buy this bass. Available in natural, sunburst and white.

The bass is as well made as my US bass, has great xtra components fitted as standard and still costs less than my basic US Jazz - great value. Shame they haven't included a case as standard though!

Fender Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Bass. Made in Japan. Ash body, bound maple neck with pearl block inlays and 20 frets. 34" scale. Reverse thread tuners; Badass II Bridge. 2-band Fender 9V active preamp. Controls: volume, volume, treble, bass, preamp on/off. Natural polyester finish. Chromed neck pickup guard. More tricked out than your plain jazz.

Accessories typically sold separately, but I bought used.

This is a hot bass with lots of output, even in passive mode. Neck pickup soloed give lots of nice round tones. Bridge pickup is more nasal sounding than a typical jazz; the instrument seems to produce a natural mwah. The preamp can add a lot or a little bottom to the typical mid-heavy jazz tone. The treble control sounds kind of harsh, though, and puts out a noticeable amount of hiss at about 70% of max. Still, the bass is plenty versatile.

Bass seems built to 1977 specs. Only a three-bolt neck plate, and there's a noticeable gap around the neck. The tuners feel a little stiff. Some sharp fret ends. (I realize that fret filing is difficult to do with a bound neck, but the setup guys could probably have taken a little more off of the ends.) The neck is also really skinny, so light gauge strings are a must for some semblance of tuning/action stability.

On the plus side, the body and neck are very well finished, and the blocks and binding are as good as I've seen on instruments costing over twice as much. For once, Fender seems to have cut the nut properly. The pickguard and all of its pieces have been cut and fitted well. Aside from the slender neck, it seems pretty solidly built.

See above. Strap buttons look solid. Call me a heretic, but I'd like a better truss rod in the neck, or maybe some graphite reinforcement.

Never dealt with Fender.

Cool looking instrument with a cool vintage vibe and heavy tone. Like Marcus himself. Minus some points for noisy treble EQ and some construction niggles. Still, it's one of Fender's better built production instruments.

Made in Japan (2001), 20 medium jumbo frets, 4 strings, 2 volume controls, bass and treble controls (works in active mode only), active-passive selector, 2 U.S. Jazz Bass pickups, ash body, maple neck and fingerboard, natural finish, BadAss II bridge, vintage style reverse tuners, 34" scale length. I'm missing the passive tone control, and it came without a gigbag or case.

It fits my style very well (mostly country), I love the sound of it. It has a warm sound, and sounds good even in bad acoustic conditions. When I first plugged it into my Peavey TKO 80 on a gig I surprized how it changed the whole sound of the band. It was amazing. That was about 3 weeks ago, now the strings are worn out (since I got kind of acidic hands), but I can still find a very good tone on the amp, much better tone than my Peavey T-40 bass had. Should sound better on better amps.
I use the passive mode most, I like the passive sound, but when I switch to active it becomes a real beast (not need for country, but for others it's great). As I wrote I miss the passive tone controls. I liked to play a little with that on my earlier basses, but I still got the two volume controls to play with. :)
Never used it in a studio. Once I played a gig with it trough the PA and I couldn't get a real good bass sound out of it.

I was the first to open it from the box it came in, and saw that factory setup was awful. The neck looked like a bow, the strings were too high. The service man set it up for me and told me to take it back in two weeks to set the bass up again. So now it's set perfectily, the intonation is ok, the string height is ok, quiet fret buzz (needed for the jazz bass sound, right? :) ).
The finish was flawless, but there are two faults in the wood work (one corner at the bridge pickup is broken off, and at the neck joint where the body is getting thinner the edge is broken off), but it's nearly unnoticeable. The frets are ok, tuners ok, pickups needed a little adjustment, it has the usual jazz bass noise when one of the pu-s are not full up.
It might be normal, but there's noticable space between the sides of the neck and the body.

It looks very solid, I think it will be a good friend for many years to come. The controls are noiseless, the solderings are ok, I replaced the strap buttons with straplocks, so it won't fall from my neck.
I always used my basses on gigs without backup and never had a single problem with them, I don't think I ever will.

I dealt with the hungarian retailer. They were helpful to select the bass (they don't have many instruments on stock, but they told me they bring a Marcus Miller bass to the country in 2 weeks so I can try it), and the boss even gave me 20% discount. The shop assistant was sometimes upset because I told him the things I read on the net, and he sad that fender doesn't make mistakes (read Tommy Thompson's reviews) etc., but they were helpful and sad that if I want to have any modifications to be made just bring few beers and they'll do it. I couldn't get a stack 500K pot in Hungary, so I have to give up my plan to have the passive tone control.
I think it has one year warranty, but I don't think I'll ever need that.

I've been playing for about 5-6 years (about 100 gigs last year), and this is the best bass I've ever had so far. If it were lost or stolen I bought another one if I could get the money. I love the sound, the fell, the look. What else could I need? Maybe a better amp... :)

2001 Fender Marcus Miller Jazz Bass made in Japan.
Beautiful solid ash body and comfortable maple neck.
Natural finish, reverse turn tuners, badass2 bridge.

It is a funk machine. I like to play fingerstyle and would like to hear some more midrange. There is very little shielding which makes it noisy especially in the active mode. If your a slapper, it the bass for you.

The construction was flawless. Gorgeous glossy natural finish. The setup was very good.

For live playing this bass should hold up well for many years especially if you shield the electronics.

I take care of my own instruments so I dont ever plan on having any warranty work done. Ive never dealt with Fender.

Ive been playing bass for over 20 years. If it were stolen, I would probably build my own with a different preamp. I love the look and feel of this bass. I just wish it had more tonal versatility.

What a bargin !!! I am going out and buy another. Nice durable finish
on the body. I feel it will stand up to many years of use and keep smiling at cha. Ample if not reverse tuners. The Badass bridge seems
moderate and a little better than the stock bridge although some may differ. The neck is nice and fast, but be careful, my bass had some burrs on the side of the neck i had to gently file down. Overall, the feature were above average. Nice sturdy hardware for the price.

What a beast !!! I recomend highly rewiring the active/passive switch. The instructions on how to do this was submitted above by a gentleman named Tommy Thompson. This procedure works so well, im going out and buy another bass and mod it also !! Just follow the directions one at a time and READ CAREFULLY !!! I found that my bass had a wire coming from the output jack connector and i didn't add an additional wire. I just moved the wire from one pin to the other as instructed in section 5 of his instructions.

The set-up was great. One problem, when the pre-amp is engaged, a res or better yet, a nasty hiss jumps up. This can be prevented by not getting to close to any power source. I am going to try and sheild the control cavity a little better to see if it helps. Overall, a nice job.

What can i say, this bass sounds great. A real solid sounding live and recorded bass. When you strap it on it feels like a bass and you can do some damage with it. Get some STRAP-LOCKS !!! If this baby comes-a-loose, she's going to do some damage !!!

Ya know Fender. Someday's ya get the elevator. Someday's ya get the shaft !!!

I own a 84 Musicman Stingray, A fretless Standard Fender Jazz and a Modified Ibanez 5-str. The Marcus Miller Signature Fender Jazz Bazz is a real bargin. With a little modifing, this bass really kicks butt. It is true, after moding the switch, you end up with 2 basses !!! One a true old fasioned U.S.D.A 1977 Jazz bass and a True
Marcus bass w/real funky ballsie tone. What a DEAL...WTG FENDER !!!

This thing is one beautiful Japanese-made Fender Jazz bass. It has a volume control for each pickup. It also has treble and bass controls, which only seem to function in active mode. It is probably one of the prettiest basses in the world, with its maple fretboard and ash body. The pickup cover really adds something to the look, as well as the playability. Its got the Badass Bass II bridge, which really doesn't seem that special to me, but at least the strings aren't through the body.

I'm a guitarist, not a bassist, but I do multi-track recording on my computer in which I record all of the instruments, which includes bass. For the style I play, which is blues, this thing can't be beat. It's got a nice, fat, low but not muddy tone, or a nice funky slapping tone when you turn one of the pickups down. One thing that I have noticed, but is barely noticeable is that when one of the pickups is turned down lower than the other, it seems to hum a little bit, but not much. You can't notice the hum at all while you're playing, just while you're stopped, and not much then. I haven't recorded much in the active mode, but man, it really does rock in that setting! I think that would be the way to go for a trebly funky slap sound or something. I think it would be great in either the stage or the studio, but I've only used it for one, and that may not ever change.

I got the bass at a place that sells damaged freight, and stuff like that, which was going to go to other stores but ended up there. Mine happens to have a dent on the back of the body, but I'm not judging it by that at all, since I know that Fender didn't do that. Anyway, the action, neck, and intonation were set up horribly!!! The A string was buzzing against the pickup cover as the E string buzzed against the frets. The intonation was way out, as fretted notes were sharp on some strings, flat on others. I was able to fix all of that in less than half an hour though, with a couple of allen wrenches and a philips screwdriver.

This bass will definitely withstand some brutally live playing, but I don't intend to make it endure that. The hardware seems to be very sturdy. There is that dent I mentioned earlier, and I know Fender didn't put it there, and it happened before I got it, so I don't know how easily that dent was put there, but I'm guessing it was dropped, in which case the thing is built like a tank. If I were to play it in a live situation, I'd definitely expect it to hold up just fine.

I've never had the pleasure of dealing with them.

I haven't been playing this thing very long, but it definitely seems to be one of the best basses available. I definitely believe that it's the most beautiful bass in the world. Some may find the pickup cover to be inconvenient, but I rest my thumb on it while I pluck the strings on the side closer to the bridge. I don't have much point of reference, but it seems like it is an amazing bass. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have bought this if I hadn't gotten an amazing deal on it. I would have ended up with a Standard Jazz Bass or something like that, but I couldn't pass up this opportunity.

This is a MIJ MM sig series Jazz bass. Natural finish, ash body, maple neck, BAII bridge etc. Reverse (!) operating tuners, I found this a bit strange after being used to the usual operating tuners. Also, the tuners are as solid as you would expect from a new Fender bass. I found the lack of tone control in passive mode a bit annoying. Without that, I feel forced to use the active mode all the time.

I play funk, soul, fusion-jazz and latin and this bass is just perfect for that. There's quite some hum when I don't touch the strings, apart from that this bass sounds awesome. This is by far teh best sounding bass I've ever played. I have played a '77 and a '78 Jazz bass but the MM beats them easily! Even in passive mode, there is a lot of low-mid that gives the bass comfortable spot in a mix. The sound always cuts through so you never need to boost your amp too much. In active mode there's 2 settings that i use: First, for regular finger-style and slapping both pickups full, bass at 60% and treble at 40%. Slapping sounds great on all 4 strings. My second preferred setting uses only the bridge PU and bass boost at 80-90%. This will provide a lot of growl and allows for some great finger-style funk. I'll be honest here and subtract 1 for the hum...

The setup was quite good. I had to do minor adjustments to the intonation and string height. There was no allen wrench delivered with the bass to adjust the saddle heights which was a real pain because that small size is hard to find at the regular hardware store. I had some trouble with the neck PU (see below). I would say that the neck and frets could have been set up a little better. There's some minor fret buzz on high positions on the D and G string. The neck to body construction looks very solid and fits actually a lot tighter than the originals from the 70's!

After playing on it for 2 days, the neck PU went dead (see below). This was something I'd not expected to happen with a brand new Fender. Besides that, the bass is solidly built and will last for a long, long time.

After the neck PU died I returned the bass to the local retailer. They immediately ordered a new PU. Until then, thumbs up. However, the replacement PU never arrived. After a lot of calls with the retailer and the Fender europe distributor, finally nothing happened. The retailer brought the bass to a local luthier who repaired the PU. So, in terms of Fender support this deserves a 1. The shop was somewhat better, i'd give them a 5. Overall a poor average of 3.

I play bass for about 15 years now. My other gear consists of a '78 jazz, a '84 fretless jazz and an Ellio Martina (a dutch luthier) 4 string. The MM will be my main instrument for regular gigs. I would buy another one, but would pay attention to the quality as this (unfortunately) varies a lot with Fender, albeit somewhat less with this model. However, I've tried several MM sig basses before buying this one. This one sounded best to my ears.

This is a 2001 bass purchased brand new. The other reviews have pretty much said all there is to say about this bass. The only thing that keeps this from a 10 is the fact that you don't have tone control in the passive mode.

I play in the praise team at church and I play old 60's stuff (mostly Motown), 70's and 80's R&B/Funk with some Reggae and Jazz as well--I'm a groove player. This bass handles it all without a problem. I use a Hartke combo and go direct through the speakers at church (don't know what they are), I keep it simple the only effects I use are through my Korg Bass Pandora. This is the second best sounding bass I've ever played (my Steinberger XL is still the best).

James Jamerson must have set this bass up at the factory. It arrived from the factory with the strings set extremely high. Except for the pickup guard being loose and a light scratch on the pickguard, the bass was in great shape, I think the fit and finish is excellent for a non-custom instrument.

Again I have to compare it to my Steinberger, it ranks behind it for solid construction but comparing it to other wooden basses it would be at the top of the class. Except for the fact that it eats batteries like crazy, I wouldn't hesitate to use it without a backup.

Lets see, I emailed Fender on July 16, 2001 received an email on July 24th saying they would get to me ASAP, its August 24th and I haven't heard anything else. They did respond pretty quick on a past email request when I asked for a wiring diagram. So I'd have to say they are ok, pretty good for a big company. The one thing I noticed about their website is that you have to click on "contact us" twice to get the email form--not very customer friendly, unless you don't really want a lot of emails.

I'd give this bass a 10 because of the great features and tone at such a bargain price. I initially intended to purchase a used Jazz and set it up like the MM Jazz but there is no way you can for the same price that I paid. The "Vintage" market has gone crazy (I remember when things just got old and were used), a mid 70's Jazz is about twice the price of a new MM Jazz. Lets see a natural finish, badAss bridge, preamp, vintgage pickups, and vintage neck at under $700.00--this is the best deal out there for a mass production instrument.

I bought this new in '99. It is a Japanses-built 70's 3-bolt Jazz bass with active electronics. This one has a maple fingerboard an natural ash body - looks wonderful. It has the metal cover over the strings by the bridge pick-up. It doesn't have the bridge/tail cover but that is because it has a Badass II bridge.
There are two metal pots for the volume control of each pickup (vintage according to the fender spec) and two black plastic knobs for the active treble and bass boost.
The pick guard has quite an ugly shape, as it has an extra removeable battery cover near the bottom. You get at the battery by unscrewing this cover - would be much neater if routed in the back instead of the front. It is supposed to look like a Sadowsky modified Jazz.
There is an active/passive switch, but no auto switching on the jack socket. This means that it eats batteries because you always forget to turn them off before putting it away. I had mine modified, so now my batteries last a reasonable time. I rate this as an essential mod.

I use a Trace Elliot amp, and have also di'd it direct to the mixing desk. It can sound flat when di'd (but so do most guitars)- I prefer to take the di out of the amp to give it a bit of compression and EQ.
The only change I would make to the sound would be to use a tube pre-amp. I mostly use both pickups at the same time, but have noticed they can be a little noisy if used singly. Again, I would experiment with different pickups but love the tone so much I don't want to risk spoiling it.

Excellently set up straight from the box. Can't fault it.

I put straplocks on. Its a Jazz, built like a brick outhouse.
I should take a backup in case strings break or someone treads on it. But I generally don't. I bought a flight case for it.It will probably last longer than I will!

I once had an amp serviced by Fender in the UK. They were very helpful. Also my local guitar shop (Machinehead Music)is run by someone who used to work for Fender, so he always gets good service!
This bass won't need support

I play a mix of blues, jazz and rock in a gigging band. I also have a Yamaha John Pattitucci 6 string and a couple of other lesser axes. I have been playing guitar for more than 40 years.
I just love this bass. I can get a really "woody" jazz sound, a Marcus Miller sound, or use the bass boost to give it more of a "thump". I also have a Zoom footpedal that I sometimes use to get more of a Precision tone.
I tried many Jazz basses when I bought this one, and this model was very distinctive - I bought it in preference to various USA models. It is lively and more responsive. It has the usual Jazz deadspots. If I could cure that without otherwise affecting the tone I would, but I don't want to risk messing up my favourite instrument.
The more I play it, the more I like it. If I lost it, I would have to buy another.

Made in Japan. Now i know a lot o' you snobs out there say that if ain't American it ain't worth havin', but I must disagree. It was superbly made. It has standard '77 Jazz specs as far as pickup spacing and neck size. It has the inferior 3-bolt neck system, but it's true to the '77. It has volume controls for both passive pickups, a bypass switch for the active pre-amp which has boost only capabilities on bass and treble frequencies(i feel it should be boost/cut with a dent in the flat responce area). The bridge is a Leo Quan BadAss II which increases the mass at the body and makes it sustain much longer and more eavenly than a standard bridge. I do have a complaint about the bridge though. When i would pop the G string it would often slip out of its string slot on the bridge. I fixed this by filing the slot a little deeper. I found that to be a problem on all 3 of the MM basses i tried out.

It has a wonderful array of tonal options. The active/passive electronics are useful, but i think they should be boost/cut not just boost. I also find that when playing without the pre-amp (passive) I don't have the standard Jazz tones because there is no tone control. I am thinking about putting concentric knobs in, so I'll have tone control in passive mode. Another problem is the usual hiss associated with the Jazz pickups. If you have both pickups up full, no hum. If you have them both down somewhat there is no hum. But if you have one up full and the other down some you get 60Hz cycle hum. This is common on all passive jazz basses not just the MM. I play through a '70's Ampeg V4B 100 watt all tube amp into a 12" Sunn Speker Horn combo and a 15" sub. The bass has a nice warm Jazz sound in Passive mode, and flipping to active pushes that 15 just enough to shake any room. The finger funk tones are excellent with just a little bit of active treble added, and blues and rock sounds are a cinch with some bass added and forward hand placement.

I bought mine used, and it was in excellent shape. it had barely been played at all, but the action and intonation had been set up in the store. I tweaked the truss-rod a bit to facilitate my own preferences, but it was set up nicely anyway. The finish is flawless 3-Tone sunburst even under the pickguard. The brass inserts that prevent screw stripping under the battery compartment cover is a very economical touch. The neck was nice and slim and was so glossy it made my hands stick a little. The bone nut is nice, but I prefer a zero-nut (which no fender bass has, Arghh). The only real problem was the aforementioned Bridge slipping. But i think thats a grievence with Leo Quan not Leo Fender.

I play live with it all the time. No backup needed (I do carry a Fretless Ibanez sumthinoranother for upright tones). It will without a doubt standup as well as any other Fender Bass no matter where it was made. I never use straplocks and have never had to. I may be stupid or just asking for trouble, because it is heavy, but i dont jump around or anything so I'll just stick with stock. About the weight, it must weigh a good 12 pounds. Very heavy (again true to the '70s models), but i always like a good solid chunk o' wood on my shoulder. Keeps me focused, would you forget about that terrible ache in your left shoulder? It feels very solid, and i wouldn't be at all worried about some inept roadie toting it around and using it for a hammer.

Its got a warranty, but i threw it away. Its that solid. Never dealt with Fender probably never will.

I was playing a vintage '64 (pre CBS) P-Bass, but was a little leary bout totin that bad mother to gigs downtown. My Marcus Miller was cheap, and solid. I retired the Precision and will take this Jazz anywhere. If it were stolen I'd go pick up another that day, and tell the theif he got a real bargain.

I will not go into the tech setup of this bass. If you wanna know I suggest that you check Fender's web site.

I own a couple of nifty basses: Alembic Series 1, Alembic Spoiler, Music Man Stingray, but when I heard this bass I was blown away! Such brilliance and depth in the sound. I am playing over EBS power and pre amps and an Eden 4 x 10" 700W speaker cabinet. The combination is awsome. After gigs I get tons of compliments from bass players on my sound (I hope they like the playing as well....). The combination of the active and passive setting, the mix of pick ups and the tone settings make it a versitile instrument and my main axe! Now Fender has to release a fretless version as well....

I was not to happy about the factory setup. I fooled around for quite some to to have it set up properly. It is not one of the most lightly playable basses around, compaired to for instance my Stingray. But you will get used to that quickly! Overall finish was good.

No problems so far. Been playing it for a year now.

N/A

Made in 2000 in Japan. 20 frets, 4 string bass (yeah, i am answering the suggested harmony central questions that everyone else has so pipe down). 2 active eq's, 2 volume, 1 active/passive switch, 2 vintage single coils (jazz). Electronics are active or passive (switch). Maple neck and fretboard, ash body. Natural finish. Badass II bridge, vintage reverse wound tuners. (I will be giving this all tens)

Okay, if everyone gives the american standard jazz bass 9's and 10's, and i've had that bass, and it was pretty kew, yet this bass is a hella better, i'm definitely giving this one a 10. (did u get all that?). The sound is totally killer even without touching anything. Already I (and my teacher) noticed a huger, warmer, darker sound. It cuts right through the mix on rock, and it's a breeze to play Jazz on it. Once you start fiddling with the tone, you can get a lotta different sounds out of it. That active/passive switch is great for when you need a boost in a song. It also allows you to leave the bass plugged in all the time, cuz u can jus switch it off (unlike other active basses where you have to unplug it so the battery doesn't wear out). The battery is also in the front of the guitar, not in the back, it's that area with 4 screws in 1sq inch square of pick guard to the immediate right of the bridge.

This bass was set up perfectly from the factory. I haven't changed anything (unlike with my american standard, no, i'm not raggin on it, i'm jus saying). Marcus must be inspecting em himself. Anyways, the action was perfect, pickup height is fine, the electronics (yeah, i took it apart, ya lazy slob) are set up beautifully. I tested out the intonation as soon as i got it and it was dead on, now that's rare. Normally it's at least 5-10hz off. I can move on this bass a lot faster than my old one.

I've only had it for a few weeks, but i've dissambled the whole thing, and it looks like it will last me quite a while. The finish, hardware, everything is solid.

never dealt with fender.

I've been playing for about 2-3 years now. If this bass were lost or stolen, I'd definitely replace it if I could scrap up the money. I love everything about it, but especially the feel of the neck, and prolly the dinky little thumbrest (yeah, i know, but it helps and adds to that "look" a bit). The badass bridge kix. Stays perfectly in tune, and it actually has slots for the strings (unlike a certain american standard). The one feature i "dislike", would have to be the fact that the eq knobs have no center detent like the manual sayz, oh well. I compared this bass to my old one, a few ibanezes (however the hell u spell it), and some yamaha's. (i've owned all of em at one point or another). I can't think of anything that I wish it had, maybe a built in cup holder? I didn't write the price I got it for cuz, well, I don't wanna get anyone in trouble. :)

The features have all been stated well from the other reviews.

I'm using the MM through a Peavy 115, and it sounds better through better amps. The bass has a wide range of sounds. The bridge pickup is closer to the bridge than normal making it nice for slapping etc. The bass can shake rooms if you put the active lows all the way up. There is a slight hiss when u turn up the treble up alot, but thats to be expected.

I bought this bass used off of ebay. I have no clue what the owner did to it, but everything was perfect when I got it. I'll give the finish a 10, it's beautyful. The action is low on the one I got, and i like it that way, i'll give the action a 10. Since these aren't the factory settings i'm not putting in a rating otherwise.

Never been gigged on and only 4 months old, so I wont rate it. Thus far I've had no problem with the battery nor have I herd anything about the battery beyond one of the other reviews. As far as i know this is a great bass.

From what I've herd Fender has been jerky to people lately... but i've had no trouble... then again i've never talked to them...

I haven't been playing bass for that long but I've listened to music and played drums for about 9 years now. I know how a good bass sounds and this baby roars. I listened to other basses while I was looking to buy one and none of the others seemed as versatile or beautyful. Nice job Fender.

i believe it made in japan in 1998. 20 frets 4 strings. black pickguarg. two jazz bass pickups. 4 knobs. volume for each pickup, but instead of the regular jazz bass master tone knob, there are two separated bass and trebele knobs (a great plus!!). an active electronics w/a switch to turn the active EQ on/off. made of ash. natural finishings. jazz bass boy style. vintage style tuners. 34" scale lengtn. trebele pickup cover/handrest. good for pick players. block inlays.

very good for every music style. because of the active EQ it goes from classic jazz to slap. i used it trough Trace-Elliot Boxer 65. not noisy at all. hissless on the EQ active possision (unlike the G&L basses). due to the EQ it has large range of sounds. full trebele to full bass. never tried it on stage. sounds great. but a little dry for me. after all... it is a jazz bass.

good action set-up. the pickups were adjust just fine.

i play for 7 years. i play blues and rock. i own a rickenbacker 4003. i loved the marcus miller. great feel and sound. i highly recommend of getting one. it is better than any other jazz bass i know.