Fender Marcus Miller Jazz Bass

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.