Fender Standard Jazz Bass

1998 MIM black with white pickguard, very boring, very ordinary standard Fender Jazz bass. Read the other reviews for specs. Picked this guy up at Guitar Center for $175.

Thin sounding, noisy, and picks up every kind ghostly transmission from whatever room you happen to be working in. The stock pickups are easily some of the worst pickups ever made! The neck is typical Fender Jazz, in other words the best neck in the business, so what to do? Read on...

Here's where you can really have some fun! I replaced the noisy, thin-sounding pups with a pair of DiMarzio Model J neck pickups from Bestbassgear.com (great service and reasonable prices). I shielded the entire electronics cavity, including the underside of the pickguard, with copper foil from a local electronics store. The POTS and input jack with replaced with Carvin parts. For the bridge, I got a black Gotoh bridge from Warmoth (their shipping prices suck but the total was still cheaper than buying something used on Ebay!). Finally, for cosmetics I got a nice pearloid pickguard on Ebay and some some gold knobs (also from Carvin). The total cost of parts was under $200!!

This MIM Standard Fender Jazz bass is now anything but standard and, in fact, easily rivals any of the American Jazz basses I have played. The sound is now full and thick and I can get Motown to Nashville to West Coast without any added noise! No humming or buzzing or ghost whispers blasting from my rig now. For recording this bass is a dream! Unless I'm holding it right up to my computer monitor I can record all night long without that annoying hornet fading in and out of the mix.

The rating here is post-mods.

Fender makes a very nice product and there's no mystery as to why the Jazz bass has been an industry standard since its invention, although the stock parts on a MIM are mostly dog meat. If you get a good used one you can mod it out cheap and create something that rivals your buddies American Jazz that he/she traded a leg for! Don't let anyone tell you that modding a MIM is like dressing a pig in a prom dress. You'll love your new bass when you're finished!

The rating here is post-mods.

I've been a Fender customer for over 25 years and I've yet to ask them for anything. No need.

I've been playing bass for more that 25 years, both in the studio and in live situations. I've played Carvin (great stuff!), Alembic, Ibanez, Warwick, Peavey, and others over the years. If you're looking for a Fender Jazz bass there's a good chance you already know what you want and need so don't be afraid to pick up a MIM and gut it!

The rating here is post-mods.

2004 MIM Jazz, 21 frets, Blue Agave, rosewood, alder, blah blah.

This is where this bass shines. I play rock, punk, and alternative, and this bass is good for all of them. It's got a trebly sound, not terribly punchy, but I can get by. The only thing is it's a bit noisy.

Setup was good, I love the color, the only thing is if I pluck the A too hard, it comes out of the nut.

This is great live. The upper strap button comes a lil bit loose, but that's okay. I would use it at a gig with no back up, maybe my dad's MM Stingray as a back up.

Haven't dealed with Fender

This thing is great. Not for the money. Great. Period. I've been playing for a year and I'd never go back to Squiers or LTDs.

This is a review of a 1995 MIM Jazz Bass. Two-tone Sunburst, the rest stock. Not sure about the scratchplate, which is a cross between white and that "greenish hue" white that you saw on those "Glow In The Dark" stickers back in the day (It doesn?t glow though). I dunno if this was replaced or has faded to this weird color.

I think the body is alder and the neck maple with rosewood fretboard.

No extra-special features, but what?d you expect? This is one solid axe. Kep things pure and simple.

I played that bass heavily in a drunken, sludgy, stonedasf**k, dirty and crappy-sounding alcoholic metal band that I was in for quite some years. I didn?t really play "metal bass" but play guitar on a bass (mostly lead melodies, slow and very low key, but not all the time "aggressive metal bass") and it suited quite well. I didn?t get the best sound ever on this, but it was pretty satisfying and loud, bassy-sounding. Very full, can be quite dark if you want it to, or if IT wants to. Sometimes it seems, it had a shitty day and wouldn?t sound as good. It?s ok for both stage and studio I?d say, but you can probably find something better if you had way more $$$.

While the neck PU sounds dark and subtle but still great, the bridge PU has a slight growl to it, more treble definetely. When you play both PU?s, the sound goes kinda dull and flat, in my opinion.

I dont know shit about bass specifics (as in numbers, gauges, etc that is). and therefore bought "the cheapest" strings everytime. Sometimes they were thicker, sometimes not, I didn?t (and still don?t) care. But learnt from a mistake I made on this bass:

NEVER (EVER) only change one string when it breaks. You can do this on a guitar, but we?re talking BASS here. My low E broke and I bought a very thick one the other day (not caring) and all it would sound FAT but ruin the action and make all the thinner strings sound like ass.

The action was completely f**ked and I din?t have the money for new strings. I played like this some months with that band and it always sounded shitty from that point on. You would hear the low E over EVERYTHING ELSE, it nearly caused earthquakes, but all the other strings would drown in the mix. NEVER do this! If you stick to that advice, it should last long and stay ok, maybe adjust the neck every once in a while.

The finish is really well-done for that low price I paid.

VERY reliable instrument.

As I said, "drunken, stoned, sludgy Metal band"...

Most of the time I was completely shitfaced when I went on stage and just played and played and played. I jumped around, threw myself around, I just DIDN?T care what I was doing, as I could barely stand. But I could play. Aggressive as possible all the time, nbot giving a damn shit.

Once, my strap broke (MY FRICKIN? STRAP B R O K E!!!!!) whilst on stage, I noticed in the right moment (the state of drunk awareness that is), went down with my bass and played while on the ground, first kneeling, then laying down, later turning circles while laying on my back and playing. After the gig, my precious bass had an ENORMOUS amount of lacquer (and it?s not too thin) chipped off on its butt and several nicks and dents all over. I still worked well.

The strap buttons were solid, but I installed strap-"locks" (Schaller?) and now they?re not solid anymore. The upper one is starting to break out. I?m gonna have to fix this, but this is nothing I can?t do myself.

I?d have no problem gigging without a backup. This bass will never let me down.

This is gonna last forever. And ever ever! E.V.E.R.

no clue. I repair those either things myself or with a friend?s father who once was a good guitar tech (if there?s a BIGGER problem).

Been playing guitar for eight to nine years now, after a while I walked past this shop in vienna, saw this beatiful bass displayed and saw the price tag. the next day I had to buy it, I just had to. If this was stolen, I?d mourn, but I?d probably not buy another as I mainly play the geetar. I love its personality with all those nicks and dents as well as the beautiful sunburst color that definetely looks better on a 10-year-old bass than on some factory new instrument. Most other basses are probably "cooler" (especially all that new-metal type crap) but I?m not about being "cool". I love playing and this has great playability and looks, also wasn?t too expensive. I?ve lived thru so much shit with it that I just can?t split with this axe.

"Anything else you'd like to share?"

Yeah, I use a PLECTRUM!!!!!! AAAIIYYYEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! burn in hell........ . . . . . . . . . . . .

I purchased this bass in March 2003, just a couple of months prior to the Aussie dollar surging towards the greenback, from about 50c per US dollar to 75-80cents. Therefore the price I paid, even with a deal, was comparatively high. These basses now go for under $900 street price. Still, that?s nowhere as bad as if one had purchased an American series Fender here for about $3000 as they?ve dropped to $2000, that?s a lot of difference in money.

Fender Australia have a tendency to set the RRP of Fender instruments way higher than that of any other electric musical instrument company.

For the price the bass doesn?t have the features you?d find in a comparatively priced Yamaha or Ibanez let alone Cort etc, yet it?s a tried and tested design although having two separate volume pots can be a bit annoying, prefer one. Buzz can be annoying but thankfully this 2002 model is lacking in a large amount of buzz (why spend money on something that buzzes??) Best to keep the volume pots level or have them reasonably close (eg, have the neck pot on full and take off some of the bridge to about 8 and you can get a very clear, gnarly sound.)

Standard hardware, standard pickups post 2001. Made in Mexico. Blue Aguave.

The standard deviation to giving a figure on ?Sound? is vast, at times, this bass is corky, farty and anemic and would rate a value of 2 or 3. Yet at times it just sounds so right and fulsome to warrant a much higher score. I?d give it an 7, as soon as you tweak amp settings ? I think with this bass all mids on the amp should be boosted, but keep treble & bass around center position, then it brings out the best tone inherent to the this bass?s qualities. My impression is that using a pick on this bass brings out the best sound for it, it articulates the note so that you get a very definite response and pleasing tone, fairly sweet, quite inky. Finger style is fine too but there is a tendency for notes to sound a bit blotchy and smeared at the lower end though articulates well in the upper register. I don?t slap so can?t say. One guy here mentioned that the Standard MIM bass has a modern/imitation sound rather than an organic/authentic sound, I think he?s absolutely right but one can live with that if you dial up the best tone with the amp settings etc. Having the volume pots on full alleviates any buzz problems but just knocking off the neck pot slightly, by about 2, this thing can growl with the best of them!

The sound is not going to shake anyone?s nuts or tits but it is pleasing in the way the Jazz bass is known to be, it can be growly, and there is a very pleasing smooth ?chocolatey? sustain to it. I do think using a pick tends to bring out the best tone from the bass, just articulates it more and makes it less prone to blotchiness, smudginess or smeared tones, you get the most convincing tones ? particularly in the lower register of this instrument. However, there is a very sweet tone with soft thumb picking in the lower register of the bass for quieter styles of music.

Pickups could be better, sharper louder & clearer but nonetheless this will satisfy most requirements if not fussy. It doesn?t have that classic P-bass deep resonance and fullness so sometimes you?d be missing that when using this bass depending of course on the style of music you play. The fenderjazz bass has a tendency to sit in the mix rather than really stand out.

The sound is even throughout the neck and the intonation is spot on. There?s good scope for expressive playing particularly in the upper end of the instrument. On the whole quite a warm sound. It stays in tune well and is a fine workhorse.

I run it through a couple of amps, firstly the cheap Behringer 1200X combo which I line-out into my Jade 150 watt keyboard amp, in effect, that?s a good rig comparable to about 200-300 watts and gets heard in pubs very well.

It records well.

Excellent generally. I notice the strap button on the bottom of the bass is ?leaking?, some white stuff is oozing out of it so a connection is not quite right there. There is a slight gap in the bass end of the neck where it adjusts to the body. Other than that very well put together. Better than my Musicman SUB in my opinion. Haven?t adjusted the truss rod in the time I?ve had it, the guys at the shop I bought it did that very well. Eventually may look at replacing the bridge but so far it?s worked well. This instrument seems to have been put together very well given the limited hardware. It ?feels? good, it feels as though some degree of attention, care and commitment went into the making of it. I sense the Mexican team are or have become a pretty tight bunch and out to give the American factory a run for their money ? a music shop owner who visited the factory told me that anyway.

As far as getting around the fretboard is concerned it?s nowhere near as amenable as my musicman sub with its painted neck and smooth fretboard, the mex jazz bass?s fretboard seems that bit harsher and not as willing to be played with agility and smoothness ? almost feels like a stick with 4 strings. Nevertheless it does the job well.

Well, it?s passive, not much can go wrong. Withstands live performance. Hardware is ?standard?, meaning barely passable, note bridge and tuners. But they do the job. Polyester finish is good but not as nice as the polyurethane of the American series (probably more tone-inhibiting too). (The Standard series Fender instruments do tend to feel more ?whitegood? like compared to the Highway 1 or American series).

I don?t think you could throw this bass around like you could perhaps a Stingray but unless you?re a rabid punk and play similarly the bridge should last during the gig. Badass replacement is a good option which I?ll look into sometime.

Fender Australia are the middle people here and distributors to Fender instruments in Australia. Haven?t had to deal with them but I do wonder why they set the rrps so high??, especially when you compare to other distributors.

Have been playing for almost 20 years, on and off really but at the moment, on. When I purchased this bass I was surrounded at this particular store, by Spectors, Godins and a bunch of other brands. The Spectors were going at half-price so I could have bought one for $1000 but I went for the Fender. I really liked the look, the feel, the sweet simplicity of the sound. The Spector, like a lot of modern basses, felt like a robot in my hands. I wouldn?t buy another MIM Jazz bass if it were lost or stolen (which it won?t be), if I bought another jazz bass it would be the American series ? but who knows, the Jazz is quite cheap now and they are handy.

I don?t hate anything about this instrument other than it?s not a P-Bass?.meaning that just sometimes you want the width on the nut and the ballsy-woody sound. But that depends on the music of course, most of the time I love the Jazz! My 1988 Japanese P-Bass is in convalescence at the moment, with a neck (if you look very closely) that?s shaped like a banana. Will have it properly adjusted soon.

One guy says it?s worth having a jazz bass in an arsenal as it?s an essential tone, I see it more like it?s nice to have a bass with a 38mm nut given I prefer the p-bass or musicman width.

I notice that a lot of Fender reviewers are generally divided over the merits of the Mexican factory-made instruments in relation to the US made instruments. Some people reckon the MIM instruments are crap, others point to seemingly scant difference between the US & Mexis. What I can say for sure is that my MIM jazz bass is just slightly better than my MIA Musicman Sub (which I?m still very fond of), that I?d bought for the contrast in sound to the jazz when using on stage. The Sub has better hardware but the fit?n?finish, and overall sound quality on the MIM jazz bass is better than Musicman?s MIA SUB. Meaning I?m happy with my MIM jazz bass, but the SUB just makes me wish I had the real Stingray!

On the whole, a good instrument that?s useable for a wide variety of bass applications; it's very much smack in the intermediate range, except for the standard 'vintage' hardware nothing about this bass is necessarily cheap or budget, yet nothing about it is particularly high end either. That's where all the pickup/bridge replacements come in handy etc.

black 97' standard jazz bass (Mexican).

I upgraded my pickups with fender custon shop 60's reissue jazz bass pickups, an american black pearl pickguard, and the ashtrey pickup covers... I call it my poor man's 60's reissue.

This is more of a rating for the 60's reissue pickups... and I must say that this bass sounds sweet (I play fingerstyle, mostly alternative rock).

To this day any bass I play/buy is compared to the sound of this bass as a standard. Yes the bass is mexican, but the custom shop pickups make it really sing. I love the sound of a jazz bass and almost nothing I have played can compare.

My black finish is fine for the money. The neck had a few small buzzes when I bought it, but I got that fixed by a repair shop.

Of note... with the black finish, american black pearl pickguard, and the chrome ashtrey covers I get tons of compliments about the look of this bass.

This bass is my workhorse... from recording to playing I use this bass the most (I also have a Fender Urge II and a 4003 Rickenbacker).

I just keep coming back to my jazz for both the feel and tone.

n/a

Everyone likes a USA Jazz bass... but the mexicans are well made.

Upgrade the electronics and get someone to professionally set up the neck and most people will never be able to tell the difference (and spec wise... you will have a 60's/70's jazz bass). The low price makes it my "workhorse" bass... I am really not afraid to gig and play this bass... if I drop it who cares (If I dropped my fireglo ric 4003 I would cry).

In the end you could not pry this bass out of my cold dead hands. It was my first bass and is still my favorite (well, maybe tied with my new ric 4003).

This is a 2002 Standard Jazz Bass made in Mexico. 4-string, 20 frets, with passive electronics. The body is alder, with a maple neck and rosewood fretboard. Nothing special, here. Just your run-in-the-mill standard Jazz Bass.

I'm running the amp through a Bassman 100 Combo with a Big Muff Pi as my overdrive. The stock pickups weren't that great. They were really quite muddy. But as soon as I had some bassline SJB-1's installed, it made a world of difference. But I guess the stock p/u's were good for what I played at the time (punk/ska).

The factory setup was ridiculous. The action was a mile high, but that's not something a little adjustments can fix. As far as I can tell, the bass was assembled flawlessly. The noise-cancellation worked perfectly. No complaints in that department.

It has survived constant rehearsals and practices. After owning the bass for two years, I have yet to find any major problems with it. I've had a few problems with warped necks, but those problems were taken care of after a truss-rod adjustment.

Nope. Never had to deal with Fender.

I've been playing for a few years now, and this thing isn't bad for a beginner. If it were stolen, I'd probably end up buying an American. But it's still a great bass at an affordable price.

2004/2005 Standard Jazz Bass, agathis/alder wood body (looks liek a three piece body and I'm thinking alder is used in the center, agathis on left and right, but I am not sure), rosewood fingerboard, one-piece maple neck, 20 frets, neck and bridge jazz pickups, two volume / one tone control (with nice Jaco style metal knurled knobs), antique sunburst, tortise shell pickguard, clover-leaf tuners. Looks like a 62 Fender Jazz Bass

For the $200 I paid, it is incredible; even if I paid more, it is incredible. All I wanted was something that would give me the solo bridge jazz sound, and I got it with this bass. I recently tried a American Standard ($939 at Guitar Center) and a Geddy Lee Jazz ($599 at Guitar Center) and this one is so close to those that I just could not see spending more money (Yesm the American did sound better than both of the others, but not $739 worth of better). If I replace the pick-up with an American Standard or 60s reissue, I could have the best of both worlds. But here is what really sold me -- the sound played accoustically (no amp)--this bass resonates better than the American or Japanese Fenders I tired, at least to my subjective ears. Even the volume and tone controls are much better than the usually on/off pots you get with the Made in Mexico standards (which are, in my opinion, the worst of the Fender instruments). Yes, the sound is all there.

Just got it, but the finish is beautiful, although I wish they had a three-color sunburst in stock, as I like that better than the reddish/black antique burst. The action, which was set up by the pros at Elderly instruments before it went out on display, was pretty good, so I can't say what it was like out of the box. I tweaked the neck a bit and lowered the saddles and while I have a litle rattle, it does not show up when amplified and plays extremely great. Even can get a good slap sound out of it. The best news was that the frets seemed to be really well filed on the edges of the fingerboard, something I never see at this price point. Frets seem level, as well. The only problem is the finish is flaking away or was just not applied by the bridge pickup (small amount missing, no bid deal) and I am surprised that the neck pickup route is a big rectangle, not form-fitted to the pickup as with the bridge. I realize it is not exposed, but if you want to pull the pickguard off and play it like Jaco, it'll look a little weird. Overall, very happy with this -- even the tuners seem good, better than the ones on the Made in Mexico Jazz I used to own.

Seems really tough, but I cannot say on this as I have only had it a few days. From the solid feel I get, however, I assume it is excellent in this regard.

Have not had to deal with this, but buying through Elderly instruments in Lansing, MI is always a pleasure. These guys stand behind their products and I have no worries whatever with their warranty service.

Up until a few days ago, I never even considfered a Squire. I just would not be seen in public with that name on my bass. Now I have totally changed my mind. Now I'm thinking why pay for a Fender when you can get this quality with their supposedly lower end line -- this kind of fit and finish on a $200 bass -- unheard of. I bought this with the idea of getting the neck epoxy coated and switching out the bridge pickup, but I like it so much I may leave this one as it is and get another to fiddle with that way. At these prices, I could have a fretted and fretless Jazz bass for $400 plus the cost of the epoxy job. I have owned a couple of MIM Jazz basses and I have to say I have always been disappointed with them. They feel heavier than American and Japanese versions, and their boards just never feel right. I can always tell the difference. But here's the thing with the Squire -- I think it mimicks the real Jazz basses much better than the Mexcian versions, and I think the electronics are way better than the Mexican counterparts. In short, I am sold on these basses, and for those who think the only good Squires came out of Japan in the 80s, take a look at the ones they are making today. Great product, great price, great look, and great sound.

Everyone knows the Fender Jazz Bass Standard MIM so I won't bore you with the spec. Please may I start this review by saying that it covers two Fender Standard Jazz basses, both new, and both Brown Sunburst. Both were purchased on the 'net from the same dealer, both were tuned up and played, and after a day or so both were returned. I do not own either bass now!

I've got to say that the pickups were very noisy when used seperately, and a bit noisy when used together. The sound was oif course the classic single coil Fender Jazz sound. Not great but OK.

Where to start! The first Jazz Bass was returned as it had a deep 1cm x .5cm ding near the rear strap button. Apart from that it was reasonable. The second was a mess... The tuners were very stiff, there was a gap between the scratchplate and trhe chrome control plate, it was really noisy, the dots on the neck weren't inline with the strings, the saddle on the G string was pointing towards the control knobe, the neck pickup was seriously out of line so the strings weren't between the pole pieces at all... Oh, and the neck was curved resulting in a very high action - adjusting the truss rod would have probably sorted this, but I didn't get that far. Also the Fender bridge is a joke, come on guys! This is supposed to be a quality product isn't it?

I didn't own it for long enough to find out.

Didn't deal with Fender, the company I bought from have been great...

I've always wanted a Fender Jazz, and after saving up I could aford a MIM Standard. I have to say that although it's a bit better than a Squier it really was a huge dissapointment. Also, how can a company ship a bass in a cardboard box? Quality Control at the factory should have never let these basses through the door... they've lost me as a customer on the basis of this... Maybe a US or Japanese Jazz is a good guitar, (not that I can spend that much), but my MIM ones were really awful. Come on Fender - get real!!!

Really basic and simple. REally nive to work with. Great for a first or second bass. The neck isn't the fastest though andi am constantly having to reset the action because of deadspots that occasionally appear. I'm not entirely sure this is fender's fault because i live in a very humid place. The finish is real nice but the agave blue cracks and chips really easily. The bridge is a littly crappy and i have already ordered a new badass II which will really fill out the sound.

Good sound, nice and clean no big problems. The nice thing about theses jazz basses is that if you feel you've outgrown it there are so many ways to custumize it that you can totaly change the sound of your bass. But it sounds great from the factory and it is very very quit. It does get a bit grainy up aound the 12 fret but once again i think it is the humidity.

The factory setup was adequate but i have since customized it for my playing styel. It was fine when i got it however so no points off. I do think that the bass should have all of its hardware be made from stainless steel. The bridge is flimzy and should be looked into by fender. One major gripe are the many dead spots that were in the neck when i got the bass.

I have had it for almost two years now and i haven't had any major problems with it. I have played live without it about 10-15 times and it has always held up. If you try and switch to strap locks beware. Removing the screws will most likely strip the bass. Simple cure though. Just break a tooth pick in half and squeeze some glue in there and your good to screw. I would use this bass any time without worry. We have been through alot together and we have a good releationship

N/A

I've been playing roughly 3 years. I use an ashdown 180 combo and i can make beautiful music when i combien it with my j-bass. I wish teh bass came with a decent bridge but thats about it. One major thing though, before buying this bass look into buying the aerodyne model. It is made in japan and surpasses all of the mexicans traits. Definetly a deal and for only 60 bucks more!

It was made some time after 2000 in Mexico. It has 21 frets and is a 4 stringer. 3 controls are givenm - 2 volumes and 1 tone. It has passive electronics. The neck is maple, the fretboard is rosewood and the body is alder. It is strung through body. The neck is very thin and very easy to play.

It has a rich and full sound. Excellent high end and low end. It is great for any genre. I keep both volumes up always and there is no buzz.

There were no flaws that I have noticed yet after having it for over a year.

I take good care of it and it has never fallen. But the strap buttons are fine and I have never used a backup live.

I've been playing 4 years and I previously owned a squier jazz. There is no comparison apart from the looks. If it were stolen. I'd buy it again.