Fender Standard Jazz Bass

I never understood why they put those cheapo plastic knobs on the standard line, when the rest of the instrument is quite nice. The neck is thinner than the P-Bass which allows for greater flexibility, especially if your have smaller hands. The wood and everything feels good and has held up well for the past year. The pickups are incredibly durable and have taken tons of abuse from me without any consequence. The bridge is unreliable and must be adjusted relativelty often.

There is no other bass I would possibly go to for better sound. Its not a perfect sound, but its beautiful. Ive tried many basses active and passive and even $1200 Stingrays, but this has them beat. Its extremely versatile. If you live in a northern climate as I do, the sound tends to change from day to day and season to season. It also seems to change after about 15 minutes of playing, but its still great. This is probably not a great bass for the studio, but live it can be very effective.

No complaints. The fretboard wood isnt perfect, but for the price its fine.

Its in the same working condition after a year of heavy playing.

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There is not a better value in a bass that ive ever discovered. The bridge is my main complain. It was my first bass, I have loved it and there is no other bass that I would prefer for under $800.

First of all, I am a guitar player who needs a bass guitar and rig in my garage for "open jam" days.

21 Fret Jazz bass made in Mexico. Body material is reported to be Poplar. Standard Jazz bass pickups. Mine is in Artic white. Goofy black Strat knobs instead of the notched Jazz knobs. Typical stuff and averabe versatility barring the fact that there is no active electronics or any gizmo's.

I used to own a '70's P bass and this guitar seems to be more punchy sounding. Out of the sub $500 Bass guitars I demoed, this Jazz I bought held up but there were some good offerings from Washburn, Yamaha, Ibanez, and Alverez. In the end, the Fender had a more organic sound and simply played pretty good. Plus I own a slew Fender products and I know what to expect. Some report noisy pickups but my 2000 model exhibits none of these traits. Of course there are basses that sound better but 7 is damn good for a Bass for 3 bills.

Average build quality at best. I picked the best I could find...milage may vary. Fret work is pretty primitive but functional. I left this price range in the guitar market over 10 years ago and I have to remind myself that this is simply a working man's instrument that is reasonably priced. No knock on this Bass as it is as sturdy an instrument you will find and I am sure built to last.

The satin finish on the neck is typical on the "standards" (both Mexican and American) and while it looks cheap, it makes for a comfortable feel. The top load bridge is also functional but looks "low end" but it will do the job well enough. The open back tuners are keeping it in tune and seem to do the trick. A few parts here and there can really elevate this instrument into another league but as it comes out of the box, it is tough to beat.

Looks like most Fenders...very sturdy structurally. I am concerned about the pots and electronics (hey, Fender didn't come in under $300 using CTX pots and switchcraft jacks!)

Never needed it from Fender in almost 14 years of owning multiple Fenders.

14 years playing guitar. Own lots of gear...92 PRS custom 24, Gibson Les Paul Classic, Les Paul DC std, 2 Peavey Wolfgangs, Ibanez 520QS, '59 Dano DC, Seagull Artist acoustic, U.S. Kramer Baretta. Fenders incluse '52 RI Tele, '60 customshop Strat, '57 RI Strat, 63 vibroverb RI, and '69 Fender Bassman. Other amps include a Peavey 5150 stack, '68 Marshall Plexi 100 stack and Laney AOR 50 stack. I have a good reference for gear and quality and I call 'em like I see 'em in all my reviews. Make no mistake, this is not a holy grail instrument but a solid Bass for a reasonable price. Most importantly, it plays good and sounds good too.

This Jazz style Fender Bass, was made in 1996 in Mexico. It has 20 frets the standard four strings and two volume controls and one tone control.
It had two J-Style pickups and had passive electronics. It had satin finish and had a heavy yet comfortable J-style body.It had a stinrg-thru bridge and the standard non-locking butterfly tuners. It had a thin Jazz-style neck and a white standard pickguard.

I play alot of punk-rock and the thin neck fit like a glove. I was able to handle quick riffs alot easier than with my old Yamaha P-bass.
It had a fairly good sound although it was a little weak, sometimes it was neccassry to turn my Peavey 112 bass-amp up all the way to get the full feel. It is fairly good for slapping and serves its purpose well with a band. It hummed alot when the tone was all the way up and was best for the lower and higher notes, not to good with middle range, but is good for almost any type of music.

The action was pretty good, although the A-string was to high up from the pickup and was not as audible as the other strings, and was adjusted with an allen wrench. The bass did not have any flaws except for the rattle that occured whenever the A-string was plucked to hard.

During live playing the bass was great. It really served its purpose and defined the bottom well. The hardare with the exception of the pickups seem like they will last.The pickups are just a bit weak and will probably not with-stand the punk I'm playing forever, but would be just fine for reggae, ska, or country. The neck needws to be adjusted roughly twicw a year and the strings(especially D and G) come untuned easily. I would use it at a gig without a backup.

The company was great. I bought it at Guitar Center slightly used. Only a few weeks after the purchase my D-string snapped while I was playing(which is fairly unusual for a bass)They changed it for free and adjusted the neck for me. Unfortunately, I only had a 48-hour warranty

I've been playing this bass for half a year. If it was stolen, I'd probably by the Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Bass, which has all the same features, but with louder pickups.I love its slim neck and easy to use controls. I hate the rattling of the A-string.I chose this bass because of its slim neck and good sound. I wish it had active pickups, or at least louder ones. Over all its a fine instrument.

Mexico made 1997, 20 frets, 2 passive single-coil J-pickups with passive electronics (2 volume, 1 tone knob), poplar body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard.
(Also got a Fender gigbag with purchase which is the most fragile gigbag I ever have seen. Totally worthless.)

You almost never go wrong with a Fender. They have a trustworthy and very applicable sound for most genres. The sound of this bass is pretty close to more expensive Fenders' sound. You can get a fair amount of J-growl with bridge pickup soloed, an okayish P-sound with the neck pickup soloed, and the two together give a warm, growly, very solid and comfortable tone. The electronics aren't the best, and more recently (after 3 years) they've really gone haywire, giving this outrageous HUUMMMM that forces you to zero the volume when you're not playing. Bad shielding or grounding, I don't know - it just hums A LOT. But I REALLY liked the way it sounded before this defect appeared.

Bad factory set-up, and the dealer didn't care to do anything about it either. No flaws on the finish, though, but how hard can it be making the body all plain black? One tuning peg got loose after half a year (I think I danged it into a wall or something), but this was easily adjusted.

The bass has worked well in live situations. I believe I have somewhat mistreated this bass, but it's kept going until the electronics just recently went funny. Add to that, that the bridge pickup seems to live its own life - I guess the wiring has loosened.
It's very solid otherwise, the finish can take a good amount of damage before wearing off, and while the bass has gotten a few dents here and there, they could have been a lot worse on a weaker contruction. The frets are a bit worn, but I'm sure they will last for at least another year.

The MIM Fenders are great for the low price when it comes to sound, and have a fair playability. The electronics' reliability isn't too great, though. And it's a bit ugly, really - I'm about to buy a prettier and more modern-sounding Yamaha TRB5, but I think I'll still use this bass occasionally, because of its warm, classical sound. I would recommend this bass to any beginner, for even if there are cheaper beginner's basses, this one must be considered as a lot better than any cheaper model, and better than many others at the same cost.

This is the 1995 standard Jazz Bass made in Mexico.....it has 2 stand. passive j-bass pickups....it has 20 frets on a rosewood fret board on a maple neck.....the controls are vol. [mid] vol. [bridge]. tone... the finish is black body w/a white/black/white pickguard the only finish flaw is the one I inflicted on it on back of it close to the bridge....

The sound is really nice sound where ever I play [school orch. & garage band]....I have it go through a Fender BXR 15 [45watts] Amp no effects just cranked for some distortion from the amp.....The main time when the pickups are buzzy is when your under certain lights or around a computer then it's like a mad fly going around.....I definately like this bass for everything I play...I hate it for nothing.....

The setup straight from the store was great not to high & not to low so that I can play w/out alot of fret buzz....the pickups are nicely set but when I'm really digging in I hit them.......there weren't n e flaws from the factory.....The neck fit my hands nicely & was great from the first time I picked it up.

This bass is GREAT playing live it can cut through a drummer & guitarist while stil sounding good.....The hardware should last awhile though they r only plastic......the finish seems as if the only way it'll come off of the bass is if i was to cut it or scrap it with a rock. The neck needs adjusted as the seasons change or @ the worst once a month.......I definately gig w/o a back up cause this like most Fenders are built like a tank.

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I've been playing for about 4 years....this is currently my only bass but compared to others I've tried this is great......if it was stolen I'd probably opt for the 5 string.........If n e thing I'd want for this is a new set of pickups like active bartolis or something or the low B string.......that's all

Mexican Standard Jazz Bass, four string, black, poplar body, maple neck w/ rosewood fingerboard, 20 frets, 34" scale (juuuust perfect), came w/ case, strap and cheap ass cord, plus the wonderful allen wrenches that Fender people always throw in.

This is my first bass, and it's a really excellent beginner's bass. I'm using it with a sad, sad Fender BXR sixty amp that can't be heard over my guitarist's rig, and occasionally a Crybaby Bass Wah. It suits my style almost perfectly, and my style is really anything that interests me. Hate to keep myself to anything, and this is the bass to do it on. Blues, funk, jazz, folk, classical... I'm in a garage rock and metal band, and it covers all of those VERY nicely. Good low end, nice midrange, high stuff is fine.

DON'T USE THIS IN THE STUDIO. With all our amps cranked up rehersing in the studio (we happen to be able to reherse in one for free) the buzz became so bad that we had to move all our equipment out into a larger area (very cramped home recording studio we were in). I'd recommend slapping some EMG's or Bartolini's on this sucker with a Badass II bridge (I've had it recommended to me) to give the sound a big boost. Worth trying, especially if this is one to keep.

Finish is fine, and this bass is about as solid as they get. Play it acoustically to find out :) I can't remember how the action was out of the factory because I keep playing with it. I use a really, extremely LOW action which is just dandy. No trouble to play when I got it (even if my chops were impared by never having played before). Easy action for some

This bass has withstood a metal concert or two in it's day... The hardware doesn't need to last because I'm replacing it. Durable, reliable, but doesn't sound as good as a different bridge and pickups could. This bass is otherwise as solid as any bass could be.
ESPECIALLY the neck/body joint. Try playing it acoustically to find out.

I have warranties on so much stuff I don't keep track, and I've never had to deal with customer serive, but I bet all the Fender people are very polite and happy to help with whatever they've subjected us to with a smile on their face....

I've been playing for about nine months now, but working hard enough to make up for lost time. I own a Fender BXR 60 bass amp, and a nice 30" ACC cord. Before buying this bass I wish I'd asked for a P+J bass, since most of my stuff that isn't rock is played on the bridge.
Plus.... P's just sound cool.

When I compared this bass with my teacher's fretless Pedulla and four string Lakland... I couldn't look at my bass. This won't hold up to a $2,000 Pedulla, but it does it's job really well.

If it was stolen I'd probably be left with a crappy squier bass because I can't afford anything else, and be ready to kill the person who took it. I LOVE this bass, and I'm gonna love it even more when I stick some Bartolini's in it. For the price, this is everything you could want in a bass.

I bought the bass new in 1997...poplar body, rosewood fingerboard, 2 Jazz pickups, Made in Mexico (you know the drill)...

This bass was my one and only fretted bass for about three years. I used it for a fairly large variety of musical styles, and basically liked the tone. The sound is generally very full; great bottom end, present highs, and a nice warmth to the midrange. Check out Marcus Miller for a good approximation. However, I did have some problems with muddiness in some rooms. I kept the pickups wide open all the time, and I never really had success with any other settings (YMMV). The sound isn't that varied, but that one sound fits in almost every application, so it's not really an issue.
The hum on this bass is insane. Why Fender couldn't spend the nominal amount of money to make the pickups hum-cancelling, I have no idea. No shielding of any kind, either (Not even any aluminum under the pickguard). This was especially apparent in my one studio experience, where the buzz was not only so extreme that it had to be gated, it varied depending on where and in what direction I was standing in the room. Definetly _not_ a bass to use in any kind of studio application.

I don't recall the factory setup (This was my first bass). Factory setup is kind of irrelevant anyway; after a long shipment and changes in humidity, that responsibility goes to the store.
On my bass, any form of low action is impossible. The neck has a slight wave to it, and I'm sure there are some high frets here and there (though my repairman didn't see anything out of line enough to fix). The action has to be much higher than what I prefer, which isn't really all that low, to prevent buzzing.
The finish is the most insanely thick thing I've ever seen. Thanks to a chip, I can see that there is a veneer (alder?), three layers of clear stuff, a large layer of black stuff, and three coats of paint, plus whatever is used as the clear final coat. I'm thinking that this is a signifacnt contributor to the muddiness. Sure is durable, though.
There is a huge gap between the neck and the body on both sides, the input jack used to unscrew all the time, the fret ends are rough and hacked, and there are some mysterious clear spots (glue?) on the fingerboard. Nothing terribly out of line for the money, though, and it still sounds good.

In the three years I've owned this bass, I've had a tuner strip twice and both strap buttons strip once. The nut isn't secured at all, and a bridge saddle stripped the screw and fell off DURING a fairly notable gig with a fairly notable band while their fairly notable lead singer was doing a song with us. I had to grab their bass player's 5-string Fender for the rest of the set. Having never played a 5-string for more than 5 minutes at music stores, I limped through the rest of the set, and finalized my decision to get a new bass ASAP. Not a dependable bass. Period.

Never dealt with Fender.

Comparing it to other $300 basses on the market, the Fender is still (for me) the top choice. I've seen professional musicians take them on tours after their more valuable basses were stolen. Personally, I'm still never playing it at a gig again, but you can't beat it for the money.

Unbeatable Fender design stripped down to the basics -
4-strings, 2 volumes/1 tone, two single-coils, solid poplar, Old-style bottom-loading bridge, open tuners...

This thing is a beast; it covers all the bass sounds you'll ever need. I play rock, and it works. My rig (if you want to call it that) is a Crate 120 guitar head topping a Carvin Redline bass half-stack. Real blistering highs - Throaty mids and lows that'll blow the bowels out your backside if you crank 'em.
Now, for the gripes ...
IT IS NOISY The single-coils are the same polarity or something, they buzz like a 2000 pound bee. Add distortion and it gets even worse. To top it off, the electronics have no shielding to speak of. Unsheilded wire and cavity. It is a noisy sucker, but you can handle the hum in the lower volumes. I would guess that a pickup change and some shielding paint would quench the hum quite well.

For the price ... This was way above expectations;
- Great neck, nice smooth polyester finish - Nice sunburst finish, no chips or overspray (though I did notice a tiny black knot in the wood where the sunburst turns orange that was overlooked at finishing) - Frets filed cleanly, nice rosewood fretboard
Gripe time...
- Noisy pickups, cranked way too close to the high strings - Marginal hardware (good but not great, might wear out after a bit) - Front-loading bridge instead of strings-thru-body - Bone nut was a little rough - Under the pickguard is a big ugly electronics rout, you can't take off the pickguard (Like Jaco did) without revealing it
Most of these things are taken care of easily enough or were subjective (or silly), so I was, in general, very well pleased with this instrument in these areas.

This thing, like the lion's share of Fenders, will keep on tickin' forever I'd imagine. The finish seems like it would stand well over the years, not so for the open-back tuners and the so-so bridge.
It has never let me down and I just don't see it do so in the future, and I'd have no qualms going into a gig w/o another bass (But if I did I'd get another Jazz Bass). I've dropped it and smacked the headstock on my amp a few times, but it doesn't go out of tune. I slap and pop pretty hard and the frets are still fine, so it's very reliable.

I've dealt with Fender with varied results. Friends and other musicians I know feel much the same. It's so-so.

I'm around eighteen. I've played guitar since twelve and switched to bass a year or so ago. I'm a lefty, so when I caught a lefty Fender Jazz for only 300 I lept at it. I'm glad I did.
- If it were lost, I'd cry and sulk until I had enough to buy another just like it.
- My brother owns a Hohner Stenberger bass, and suffice to say, even with its lighter weight and active electronics, I like mine better. (He even says mine sounds the best)
- I wish it had been sheilded and with pickups that cancel hum when together
- This is a great bass. It's going to get better with time. If you need a bass for under a grand (especially a good lefty one) find one of these.

* 1999 Mexican made * 20 frets, 4 strings * solid top * 2 volume and 1 tone control * 2 passive stock Fender Jazz pickups * Poplar body, maple neck, rosewood finish, beautiful dark blue finish with white/black/white pickguard - resembles a 66 Lake Placid Blue Jazz, but darker in shade the neck has a very nice satin finish * the bridge is a cheap standard Fender unit with smooth barrels * tuners are stock Fender units - very sloppy * neck is nice and thin, feels very nice * accessories include a cord, cloth and 2 allen wrenches

* this bass is used in a blues/rock/variety band and suits it very well - it has a lot of growl, punch and low end. Top end is thick but well articulated with the front pickup rolled off a bit * I play through a 92 Carvin PB500 and a Carvin 2x10 cab, although I have also played it through a Carvin PB180 and Carvin 1x15 in smaller venues * the bass exhibits some 60 cycle hum in a room with bad electrical outlets or lots of neon bar signs * the tone of the bass is thick, and growly. The topend is a little harsh, yet still bright - it could be a little smoother on top. The low end is very big and tight although I do need to boost the 100 a little in most rooms - could be my own preference * this bass can make a broad range of tones - front pickup with the tone rolled off is an absolutely huge upright sound, bridge pickup with tone full on is very Jeff Berlin like. I get a good Marcus Miller tone with both pickups and tone full on, although it is a little harsh - too much 3k - * I've only used this bass live, never in the studio * I really like the overall sound of this bass - much bigger and thicker than my two previous Carvins (88 LB70 and 92 LB76) * the upper register (> 12th G) is a little thick to pop on if you do Wooten type stuff

* the fit and finish of this bass belies its $500 price tag. it was set up very well from the factory. The intonation was accurate, the action was medium high and the paint is beautiful. * the top edges of the pickups (where my thumb rests) were a little sharp at first, but wore smooth within a couple of weeks.

I've used this bass for 7 months straight now live and never once had a reliability problem. This bass has about 250 hours of playing time on it and nothing has deteriored on it at all.

haven't had to deal with the factory for anything

* I've been playing bass for 13 years. Previous basses were an 88 Carvin LB70 with 91 EMGs and a 92 Carvin LB76, all stock. * I knew from the minute I played this bass that I wanted it - it was so loud and good sounding * if I lost this bass, I'd buy another Jazz - preferebly a Marcus Miller model * I love the overall sound of the bass, and the look of it. I don't like the . . . bridge - cheap and prone to breaking strings - the string windings wear into the the barrell, then bind and snap when doing so hard popping or string bending - I'll be replacing this soon tuners - very sloppy - lots of turning for little adjustment - I'll be replacing this soon too stock pickups - good overall tone but the top end is too harsh with the eq flat - the highs peak a little too low for my taste, around 3k rather than > 7k - interestingly, there is a slight dip in the 1k that needs to be boosted. low end is good but a little weak - I boost 100hz a bit on my parametric EQ * this bass has a great thick slap tone - not thin like neck-through-body basses are. 20 frets is limiting however, and if you like to do Victor Wooten type stuff, the upper register is hard to access and a little too thick for popping * I wish it had 22-24 frets, better hardware, better pickups, and a better cut-away * this is a good bass for the money, but as a pro player, I am going to replace the bridge and tuners with heavier duty parts, and replace the pickups with some that are a little deeper in the bottom and smoother on the top. It will then be a perfect all-around bass. It's not meant for olympian-style playing though - the cut away and heel are too prohibitive for that - get a second bass for that kind of stuff if you need to do it

It's a 1999 Fender US made Standard Jazz bass. Passive electronics, in an alder body with a maple neck. Offwhite finish. String thru body. included the case.

All fenders have that classic fender sound that can't be beat!

If you like low action, DO NOT BUY A FENDER BASS! But for the rest of you, this is a classic. Too bad for me, I like low action.

It's a fender if you want it to last forever, just pick a sunburst finish and it'll last a lifetime.

It's a classic, but play it before you buy it.