Fender Standard Jazz Bass

2002 Fender Standard Jazz Bass (Made in Mexico), I purchased it new with non-Fender hard case. To clarify any confusion on the Standard Jazz Bass features for some of the readers, Fender upgraded the Mexican Standard Bass in 2001. The "new" Standard Bass now has an Alder body (better tone and sustain than the previous Poplar body), better bi-pole pick-ups (less noisey, stronger output, standard size), a redesigned neck which has an accessable truss-rod adjuster at the headstock (great improvement!), and now comes with the same vintage knobs as the Amercian Jazz (bye-bye silly numbered knobs). The Mexican Jazz also uses the same size pickguard as the American Jazz now. My Jazz is black, and I put a new tortoise-shell pickguard on it. It's a killer look, especially with the chrome hardware. Best advice if you're looking for a used MIM Jazz Bass - it would be wise to seek 2001 and newer - check that the serial number starts with MZ1 for 2001, MZ2 for 2002, etc... At least you're "starting" with a much improved bass over the older mexican Jazzes. Prior to 2001, I rated the MIM Jazz a '5'.. This one is an '8'..

Very versatile sound for a passive bass. There is a little buzz if the volume controls aren't close to the same setting, but the treble has to be really cranked up to notice it. This was a much bigger problem on the older mexican Jazzes. I love classic Jazz bass tone, but mine seems to vary a lot depending on the strings I use. I've tried a half-dozen different bass strings and seem to keep ending up with Fender 7250's medium gauge. Classic Jazz growl, the tone is deep yet has a bright bite at the same time. Only an American Jazz Bass can beat it. Good stuff.

Factory set-up was barely acceptable. I downloaded the Fender Bass set-up guide from http://www.mrgearhead.com/faq/basssetup.html and used it for my own set-up. Definately MUCH better now, I set my action just 1/64" higher than Mr. Gearhead suggested to elimninate some buzzing when plucking hard in the higher registers. Aside from the poor factory set-up, the finish was excellent.

Well, the bridge is the main weakness on this bass. The saddle screws are forever backing out with regular playing.. you need to keep re-adjusting string heigth if you're playing a lot (or playing hard). I've heard that a little super-glue on the screws will solve this, so maybe it's not much of a problem. Everything else (tuners, etc.) is pretty good, not great, but very good for the price.

I've had this bass for 2 years, never had to deal with Fender for anything, no repairs ever needed. No opinion.

I've been playing for almost 20 years now. Have owned several "budget" basses made by Grecco (P-Bass copy), Yamaha (RBX-360), Ibanez (SG garbage bass), this Fender Standard Jazz, and most recently a Dean Q5 5-string. The Fender Jazz blows them all away for it's tone and playability, tho' the Dean Q5 is a great bass for the money if you're looking at active 5-strings. If my Jazz were lost or stolen, I'd probably cry a little, then I'd use the insurance money for a "down-payment" on a new Fender Amercian Jazz. The new American Jazz (2004) has some cool new features such as the "S1" switch, and the one I demo'd last week sounded just amazing - easily the best bass I've ever played. But I still think the newer Fender Standard Jazzes (Mexican) are the best "budget" basses out there. Quality varies on these, so try before you buy! :)

I purchased a Mexican Fender Jazz bass in 1996 after my Kramer was stolen. I was low on cash and bought this cheap Jazz. It is white with a solid white pickguard that covered the whole bass. It was an ash body with a maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. All of the hardware was generic. Total cost was $250.00. The bass died one year after purchase. By that time I had purchased a USA Standard Jazz. For the last eight years this bass stood in the my living room and my plants grew over it. Despite the fact that the bass was dead, The construction of the instrument was solid, and the neck to this day has never really needed and adjustment, the pickups and wiring were bad. I decided to take this bass to a local music store and told the owner to give this thing a face lift. The owner cleaned it up, placed a new black pick guard on it, and a chrome control plate which it did not have on it, and new vintage pickups.

Before it died it had a soft sound, when plugged through my Nemises Amp I couldn't really get a lot of volume out of this thing. After installing a set of '60s Vintage Custom Shop J-Bass pickups, you can't tell it from an American Standard. The pickups totally revived this bland instrument.

I don't remember how well the bass was set up when I bought it. The neck was good, it's pretty narrow and sturdy. After sitting up for eight years as a plant stand the neck hasn't reaaly needed an adjustment. The hardware is the standard generic hardware Fender uses on it's foriegn made instruments. I play alot of funk and the neck pretty fast. The body is light and comfortable with no major flaws that I can detect.

I used to get caught up in all of this talk about American, Japanese, Mexican, and Korean made Fenders. I played all of these basses, some are good and some are crap. This Mexican Jazz is a well constructed bass with bad wiring, bad pickups, and generic hardware; but played great. Now that the bass has been overhauled, you wouldn't know that it was made in Mexico unless look at the head where it says made in Mexico. I have three Jazzes. '76, 2001 USA, and my refurbished Mexican Jazz. Right now the Mexican made one is my #2 bass next to my '76. I would definately use this bass on gigs, without a backup.

I have been playing for twenty years and have owned a variety of basses over the years. This bass is great now that I have remodeled it. As I stated before a few simple adjustments changed this bass completely. You have to examine each instrument, all brands don't play the same. Sometimes low end instruments become your favorites and sometimes very expensive instruments are crap. A good bassist can make any bass sound great.

tuners horrible, bridge sucks, the neck warps, when you put the volume above 7 on the it sounds saturated and crappy. this bass is like the nanny, it looks nice but sounds crappy

sucks balls

dont get me started about the action, finish is nice and so is the fit

it falls apart so much. the action pegs collaps and the screws pop out on the bridge.

this bass was with me through the best of times and the worst of times, it was the reason for the worst of times. if you want a good bass just save up another 300 dollars and buy an american, mexico is crap, and they cant make basses.

I believe it's an 03 or 04, MIM Jazz Standard Special Edition. What all is special about it, I'm not certain. It's a GC exclusive, and the obvious upgrade and only confirmable one, is the Natural finished Ash body. I've heard there are other upgrades, including the pickups, but I can't confirm whether there are or aren't.

It's still pretty much the standard Jazz, either way. Two passive Jazz style single coil pickups, passive electronics, V/V/T, maple neck w/ rosewood board, etc. It's a Jazz, nothing fancy, so I'll give it a six in features, and that high because the body and finish upgrade.

This is a Jazz, everyone should have one. They're an essential bass tone. However, there are different levels of tone quality in any bass style. I played at least ten other MIM Jazzes, one MIA, and one MIM Deluxe. The only one that sounded better, by a minute bit, was the MIA. This thing killed the other MIM's I tried, even the Deluxe.

IMHO, your standard MIM is just one step up from your Squier. They sound "like" a Fender, but it's a more modern/imitation sound. Tonally speaking, this bass is much more authentic/organic in sound. I found it to truely be just underneath the MIA in sound.

Anyway, I'm giving a number rating based on comparison to other MIM's and MIA's. Seven, because it's so close to the MIA (which I would give an 8) and kills the other MIM's (which I would give 4's and 5's), but still has that damn annoying traditional Jazz humm and would probably be killed by anything with upgraded third-party pickups.

*Note: This number reflects a Fender to Fender comparison ONLY! A KSD Jazz or other similar clone could sound a lot better. I haven't had the privilege of trying one.

I don't give number ratings for action. I get all my basses off the floor, so there is no telling what horrible things have happened during their life on the shelf. Besides, getting a setup is cheap, or you can do it yourself fairly easily.

Fit and finish do get a number, and sadly, that's where my Jazz falls apart. :( The good? The Ash body is really nice and finish was impeccable when I bought it.

However, everything else is flipping screwed. :( Where to start? Well, for one, there is a clear gap between the control plate and pickguard, from a misalignment of one or the other. That sucks, because it leaves the control cavity visible. It's not exactly a little noticeable, either. I'd say it was visible from within a good five to ten feet.

Next up, there are misalinged screws in the pickups, in the bridge, and in the control plate. This isn't a terribly big deal, but they are there. Also, there is a dent in the neck plate above one of the screws. Not to mention, the pads under the strap buttons couldn't be more out of line if their placement was done by a monkey.

Then, there's my biggest complaint, the neck. There are random dents, scratches, and deep grooves in different spots all over the fretboard. It could have happened on the show floor, but I doubt it.

Next up would be the frets. EVERY damn Fender I picked up had the fingerboard covered in excess bonding material from the fret job. The MIA literally had yellow frets! This is ridiculous and sad. My frets aren't completely covered like the MIA, but there are some spots of it. Also, the frets stick out a slight bit, not enough to chew up your fingers, but it's noticeable.

Last complaint in the neck department, but a big one to me, there is enough room in the neck pocket, between the upper horn and the neck itself, for me to stick a credit card in.

As for the hardware, the tuners are great, but the bridge is trash. I just picked it up, and I noticed the saddles have moved considerably, just from normal play.

The number for fit and finish then, is two, and that's because the tuners, the body, and the finish on the body were excellent. Other than that, I will have to buy a new neck and bridge sometime soon, if I'm going to keep her. These are common upgrades to an MIM Jazz, but they should be optional, NOT neccessary.

Well, Jazzes and Precisions are a large staple in the bass world, so of course plenty of people use Jazzes both on stage and in the studio. However, I wonder if they aren't older basses or custom shop jobs, because the mass produced pieces that pass for shelf worthy instruments these days, are an atrocity to the Fender name.

Anyway, as for toughness, this thing is about one step above a paper bag. My gf knocked it partially out of the stand, and it bumped my Peavey and the floor, which resulted in a small but deep ding type of crack in the finish, and one nice groove type scratch. The Peavey didn't have a mark on it.

That leads me to believe a fall from just average standing playing height, would result in a chunk of the bass coming off. That combined with the crappy looking construction job ensure I will only play it sitting down, unless I upgrade the strap buttons.

As for the rest of the hardware, the tuners are great, as I said. They do their job exceptionally well. I've only had to retune once, and it was just my G string, and that was after a heavy slap and pop session. Being I've only been playing five months, I'm sure you can envision how well I slap and pop.

The neck plate looks cheap, just a piece of chrome, but it does it's function well to. Only reason to replace it would be to see if I could line the neck up better in the pocket, might as well get a better neck (maybe Warmoth) before I do that, though.

I knew the bridge looked like it was cheap, but I thought it would do ok, until I picked it up and noticed how out of place the saddles had become. Therefore, I got to give it a four. New strap buttons, new bridge, new neck, damn, why the hell did I buy this? I got to lay off the beer.

Well, I bet the incredibly poor construction of their instruments reflects exactly what they think of their customers. However, since I've never actually dealt with their CS department, I won't comment.

I've only been playing about five months now, but I'm cutting my tone teeth. This is really the reason I bought this bass. It sounds exceptionally good. Much more authentic and natural sounding than most of the other Jazzes I tried, minus the MIA. It was extremely close to it, though. A pickup upgrade to just those found in the MIA, and I bet it would sound even better than the MIA.

However, I stupidly didn't inspect the construction on it for more than a minute, and that was mainly to look for body dings and scrathces. It's playable for now, but I have a feeling it won't stay that way without the neck and bridge upgrades.

Would I buy another if it were stolen? I'm not even sure I'm going to keep this one! It's hard to justify socking as much money into fixing it up, as I did into buying it. I love how it sounds, the body is absolutely beautiful, and it plays as well as any other Fender Jazz. However, it would be almost as cheap to give it away as to keep it and fix it. Still, I'll give it a 5 for the "oh so sweet" stock tone alone.

I got this one second hand,it's a Mexican.
4 stringer and 22 frets I think, can't remember.
Two Volume (one per pickup) One tone.
Passive bass, great sound.
I have read more and more about the pickups not being great and the
bridge moving, I can't saw I have had that yet and the pickups are fine for me, maybe I'v just been lucky.
Lovely rose wood neck.

I play rock, AC/DC, Thin Lizzy and older Lead Zep.
This bass suits all the above and can also sound smooth and soulfull,
she rocks. I have a crap little pratice amp and this bass makes the amp sound OK. As I said it was bought second hand, 5 years old and
she has not got a mark on her, class.

Finish is perfect after 5 years, I had to change the action a little.

I have giged a little with her and she always looks great and sounds
great. I think she'll last years more, she will with me anyway.

N/A

I played a cheap jazz copy at first, can't remember the make, next was a OLP music man that rocked BUT this girl has sooo much more to offer then the OLP, I got her for the same money as I got for the OLP.
The great rock N roll swindle lives, Malcom would be proud.
I played sound gear/squire/olp nothing compares.

Me and jazz will be together for a long time.

Standard Fender Mexican heaven. Two jazz bass pickups, standard bridge, 2 volume/1 tone controls, ect.

The pickups aren't the best pickups, but certainly not the worst. Fender, even if it Mexican, makes good passive pickups. The sound is the traditional Fender Jazz growl with a decent slap-sound for a passive pickup. Variety of sounds from adjusting the pickup tones (more neck for a thumpier sound, more bridge for that nasally Jaco sound.)If you turn down on pickup, you'll get a lot of buzz, which is usually with Jazz basses, but the Mexicans do it alot. I keep mine both up for that reason, and that I just like the full-volume sound. And the tone, which I just left all the up all the time. I play jazz/jamband/funk and this bass is great for that, at least. The sound is ruined when a pick is taken to it, but in my opinion, picks always sound horrible on basses.

I have an agave-blue metallic finish, which is very pretty and well applied, It even goes under all the hardware, which Squier does not do. I was disappointed that the routing for the wire-trenched is revealed, so you gotta keep the pickguard on unless you don't want dusty cavities. The action was pretty medium, but I like it low. Wah wah Wah

This is a tough bass for the money. It's heavy, but all Fender Jazz Basses are. I'm in love with the neck, though it differs very slightly from the Americans. It's just the slightest bit wider, not enough to be noticed beside from an anal Fender Jass enthusist. The bridge is pretty crappy. The action of my strings kept changing. I even replaced it with my old Squire bridge and it's been fending better. I need an update!

Never dealt with them, but I have a safe vibe.

I've been playing 10 years and before I bought my Jazz, I've drempt of them. I love jazz basses, and this is definately a jazz bass. There isn't tons of difference in the Americans and the Mexicans, beside the little things and the hardware, which isn't quite up to par. I'm in an up-and-coming jamband and this is my main bass. There isn't enough difference in bass to make me want to spend twice as much for an American and I'm just going to update mine. Buy one used for about 250, put a good hundred into the hardware I say you have yourself one hell of a bass.

Typical standard jazz bass stuff...I won't bore you with all the crap everyone has already told you.

In one word...THUNDEROUS!!! I originally bought this bass as a backup for my Spector NS2000/4...but the first time I plugged it in to my Hartke stack (HA5000 head, BBE Sonic Maximizer, 410 cab, and 115 cab) it instantly becme my primary bass. I actually sold the Spector and got a second jazz bass. This bass actually sounds meatier than a lot of the more expensive active basses I have played. You will get a lot of low mid growl if you tweak this thing right...and I love the way it sounds with a little overdrive added to it. Just one tip...the single coil pups in this thing can give a nasty hum if you roll off either volume, so if you don't like to hear it then keep both pups cranked or swap em out for noiseless pups. Overall though you can get a lot of nice sounds out of this bass. The neck pup is very warm and thumpy and the bridge pup cuts like a butcher knife. One of the best sounding basses for the money.

This was my only complaint. The neck had to be slightly adjusted right out of the box because it was a little too bowed for me. The action was also a bit high for me as well. Nothing major though as it can all be adjusted. I just figured that it was the difference in temperature from traveling halfway across the country. The pups were set to perfect height and the finish was excellent. I could not find any other problemswith this bass at all.

Well it seems pretty solid...and there isn't much in this bass to go wrong since it is so simple. Since I have only had it a short time though I really can't make an accurate judgement. Seems to be pretty durable though. I have read in Bass Player Magazine, however, that Jaco Pastorius carried his famous jazz bass around without even putting it in a case, and his trusty axe lasted him through years of abouse.

I have owned or played plenty of basses in my 6 or so years of playing bass...Ibanez, Warwick, Music Man, ESP, Spector, Rickenbacker...if Guitar Center carries it I have probably had my hands on it. The Standard Jazz Bass simply blew my mind when I compared it to some of the higher end stuff I have jammed on. The only basses I have played so far that have outdone the Jazz Bass are a MM Stingray or Warwick Thumb. The catch is that they both cost hundreds of dollars more. The only thing I wish Fender did differently was offer a neck-thru option. Aside from that small demand, I have no complaints about this bass.

2004 Made in Mexice (MIM)
4 string
20 frets
you know the deal or visit www.fender.com and find it

This bass is perfect for my style of music which is funk/rock/metal/jazz/anything with a bass in it. I'm runnig it through an Ashdown mag 250 combo with a 1x15 speaker via a boss ODB-3 (also a great pedal) with very little noise when clean. when o/d, it hums just like anything with o/d. It has a rich deep sound fingerstyle with everything cranked on the bass, slap has growling, crisp slap and sharp but not harsh pop sounds. With a pick it is very 'zingy' and punk-like. The neck is sweet. Very skinny, noticably thinner than my p-bass. The sound is also more refined and generally smoother than a P, but when treated like a bitch, growls back at you wanting more.

Set up from the factory I can guess was ok, but the guys in the shop set it up first. The black body with the white pickguard looks 'classic rock'. The neck pocket isn't that tight. The wood on the neck has some attractive grain on the top making it a pleasure to look at what fret you are playing. The black is very deep and glossy, so you can use it as a mirror if you want.

There is no doubt it could handle at least 3-4 years of gigs, all seems very solid, the soldering job is very good so that will stay for years. Hasn't been gigged yet, as I have owned it for 2 days so far. At a gig. I would take a back-up, but there would be no need for it as this is a fender, or tank as some call it.

2 Days old-not needed now probably never will.

I've been playing a beaten up squeer P-bass for a couple of years, a peavey microbass (brilliant amp btw) a yamaha RGX drop 6 guitar and a marshall MG30 DFX. My only pedals are a zoom 506II (good for a year, then falls apart) and a boss ODB-3 (built like a tank, fantstic sounds) If it were stolen, I would crack the thieving little bastard's head with my squeer and make him bite a curb, stamping on the back of his head breaking out all his teeth, or pull every other tooth out. I compared this to a standard P-bass, that had a bit more grunt for heavy rock/ metal, but this sounded more mature and played the hell of a lot nicer.

I originally didn't have enough to buy the $430 plus tax bass. Luckily, Guitar Center has price match. I found Bass Player Magazine in the store while a friend of mine was looking at something else. It was advertised for $380. I picked up the Wine Red one and it had a chip. They were willing to give it up for $350, but that's all the lower they would go. It was a tiny chip. Looking back, I should've bought it. But I went back and grabbed the first one I found. Blue Agave. Also a very nice color. Bass:$430 Stand:$15 Tax:$31. Getting over $475 of equipment for under $420:priceless.

2003 Mexican Jazz Bass. Your basic stuff. 2 J Bass Pickups, 2 volume, 1 tone. Poplar body(alder, if I'm wrong), blue agave paint job. Very nice looking. I named it Jasmine because the color reminded me of Jasime, the princess in Aladdin. I changed the original knobs for skull knobs. I had to add a little of my own flavor to it.

I play rock, jazz, classical, etc through a Crate BX100. Single coil pickups, wired in parallel, so if you turn on volume all the way down, it hums. Something wrong with the tone pot. It hisses until I touch the strings, or turn the tone knob all the way down. Not just regular hum from the singles, this is different. When it isn't hissing uncontrollably between songs, this thing sounds great. I can got gritty, punk rock tones(bridge pickup up, neck pickup down, full tone), a good, punchy, jazzy sound(both pickups up, half tone), or a soft, almost acoustic feel(1/4 bridge pickup, 3/4 neck pickup, tone down).

When I played it in the store, I liked it. When I got it to band practice(I didn't even go home first) I plugged it into my GK Backline 112. I hated that amp. It sounded alright, though. I adjusted the pickups a little. I don't have a thumbrest, so I place my thumb in the edge of one of the pickups, depending on the sound I want. I played with the action slightly. It was set up with the A and D strings higher than the E and G. I liked this. My old bass would never do anything like that. I was busy the whole next week and wasn't able to play very much. When Sunday's band practice came around again, the action on all the strings but the D was terrible. They had all gone down and were buzzing past the 2nd fret. I still have to adjust it once or twice a month, and definitely before shows. The neck was great, and the finish is still holding up. Gets finger printy a lot, though, especially on the chrome control plate.

This this is an ox. The knobs that I removed and put on a friend's Strat are in great condition. No scratches....yet.

I haven't had to deal with Fender yet, but Guitar Center is always there for me.

I've been playing around 3 years. I'm always using everyone else's bass for some reason or another. I've played Ibanez basses, Squiers, American Fenders, Peavey, Epi, BC Rich, Rogue(hahahaha...Rogue..hahahahaha), you name it. The Ibanez basses are probably better suited for rock, but they wouldn't give me the right tones in the school orchestra or jazz band. The American Fender I play occasionally is older, and all stripped down, so I can't really compare the two. The Squiers, Epi, BC Rich, and Rogue don't begin to compare. The Peavey was one of their lesser models, but it had the same feel as the J Bass(without the arched action). I would like to look into Carvins or other Peaveys in the future, if I ever want to upgrade again. Maybe to a 5 string. The only downfalls of this bass are the hissing with the tone pot and the crappy bridge. Also, I plan to buy hum cancelling pickups if I ever get the chance.

Mine is a 92 Mexican made Jazz Bass I bought in Austin Texas, febr. 2003. It is well used. Nothing special.Just a simple white Jazz with rosewood fretboard. No accessories.

Sound is just what I like about a Jazz. Versitile, round sounds when using the neck pickup, more Jaco-like with the bridge pickup is dailed in. Lots of combinations are possible. Most of the time I play blues and blues/roots orientated music, so I don't needs lots of Highs. This is not a bass for HiFi sounds!!!!
It can be too noisy ! In some live situations and in some cases in the studio I cannot use this bass, because of the hum coming out.That is a pity because the playability is great.

These tuning pegs are terrible!!!!! I replaced them as soon as I was back in Holland. Now I use some fine Schallers.

So far I had no problems with this bass. (after the pegs replacement) I would never go on a gig with only one bass, no matter how reliable the basses are. Roomconditions let me decide what bass I am going to us; the Jazz or the Precision.Truss rod adjustions only after changing the string gauge.

I've been looking for a long time to buy an affordable good Jazz Bass. I now found it. I really do love the way it feels. The neck is almost without any finish, it plays so smoothly. I replaced the pickguard, it now has a red turtoise one, beautiful.

2003 model standard jazzbass - color blue agave - all basic features.

I play all kinds of music (mainly blues & rock) and the bass suits fine for those styles. It has ingredible sustain and a very smooth neck. You can vary the sound very much by just using the controls on the bass. I can get enough lows, mids and bright slap tones. (The amp i'm using is Yorkville XM-200.) Te only thing that bothers me is the noise from pickups, when i turn the volume down from another. I'm thinking to replace them with some noiseless ones. That's why i didn't give 10 :-)

The factory setup was ok - action was a little high for my fingers, but it was easily handled by some adjusting of the bridge.

Evrything seems to be solid and unbreakable :-)
I've only had this bass for 10 months - so ican't tell much for it's reliability. So far so good.

Haven't needed yet.

I've been playing bass over 30 years and this is absolutely one of the best playing basses i've had in my hand. With noiseless pickups it might have been the best. I'll probably buy another if it were stolen.

1996 Mexican (Standard) Fender Jazz Bass
20 frets, 4 strings
2 passive single coil's
v/v/t knobs
dont know what kind of wood (alder maybe), rosewood fretboard
most of the things are the same as the other jazz basses

The sound is alright in this bass, what ive noticed is that if it is being run through a nice cabinet its fairly decent sounding but any way else it is all but mediocre, this could be said about other basses but it's not nearly the same--trust me. Has alot of crunch but its a real dry crunch noise, so slapping usually doesnt sound too fantastic (a preamp would help). This is my second bass and ive played for 4 years, alot of stuff i play is jaco or stanley clarke oriented and this is an alright bass for that. This is good for a solid rock bass though, really has that clean/grinding tone one would need for that. The tone knob offers more variety than one might think, and its great for getting rid of that nasty 60hz hum.

I upgraded from my first bass, an Aria Pro, to this, so obviously when i first played it it felt like the lord had came down from the heavens. That said, the bass is in every aspect alright. The tuners are kind of sloppy as would be indicated from marginal machining procedures, the screws in the pickguard dont look as if they had the utmost time and patience spent installing them, and the strap holders tend to like to screw loose. The action can only go so low on this bass, i used to have it set for me until a tech taught me how to do it myself (because on cheaper wooded the neck must be set often), so if you are looking for Music Man type action this is NOT the bass for you. This bass plays differently from most other mexicans, of course all mexicans play different from other mexicans because consistency isn't a forte of mexican fenders, but that said this bass in all is a great beginner bass and an excellent backup, (which i will keep it for when purchasing a stingray or quantum 4).

This is finally a category this bass really has going for it. The only problem I've had is the screws like to work their way out of the bridge saddles. Seeing as this is made outside the U.S. everything is metric and those screws are a wierd metric size I had to beg a tech at Cascio to let me buy (because he doesnt have many either). It hasnt broken at all since then. As a testament to its durability: in one of my bands that I play with other bassist we regularly kick, punch, bend, twist, and throw our basses to get strange sounds out of them-- my bass plays the same every time. I wouldn't hesitate to use it at a gig without a backup.

I tried calling one time during the weekend when that screw came out and I went through like 40 menus on their phone system in vain. It kinda sucked because I had a gig that weekend. I'm not really complaining since Fender is a big corporation and cant really deal with every individual's needs. I dont really know how to rate them as a result.

Ive played for 4 years and this has been my main bass for the majority of that time, more as a result of economic contraints than choice. If one is looking to play punk or rock or is getting started in funk or jazz this bass will work great, especially for rock/punk guys because they seem to enjoy tossing their instruments about alittle more--it can take it. It's mediocre across the board save reliability so keep that in mind, but it's about the best direction a mere $240 of my money could be sent so I'm not going to complain too much. I've played new jazz basses and they feel completely different (more of a laminated feel) so I would suggest purchasing a used MIM jazz bass rather than new to save money and get a good product.

2002 MIM Fender Jazz, 20 frets. Solid Poplar body (sounds like alder). Its a Jazz you all know what the features are.

I modified this bass. it had the 60 cycle hum we all love so much and a nasty noise that went away when i touched the strings or bridge. Plus the output was a little lacking. So I put in Dimarzio dp123 model J pickups, shielded the cavity and put on a Gotoh 201 bridge.

Now it sounds warm and clear and loud. Bridge soloed gives a very dirty focused sound and the neck soloed is round and does thump quite a bit. Both mixed give a good variety of tone. These pups are kinda hot and dont sound so good unless you are playing with a band or CD. Sounds weird but its true. Lots of punch too-see the review of the DP123s.

This was my first bass, it sounded good at the store, but I quickly grew out of it and had to make the changes above, and what I got is a bass that does very good warm and gritty tones that sounds very good recorded or on stage. doesnt do the round sound so well.

I play this through a GK 400 RB and SWR workingmans 210 and Hartke 115 and an Aphex bass exciter-VERY GOOD PREAMP!

Rated it on how it sounded before I made the changes

I went to a local music store looking for a new pickguard for this bass ( the white thing was just nasty) He laughed and said something along the lines that Fender Mexican guitars are produced at the rate of 1 every 37 seconds. I think he was right.

The nut was a complete disaster. It had very bad and uneven spacing and was just shy of being parallel with the frets. The action was high.

When I put the new pickups and pick guard on I found the routes were filled with some nasty grey material I could not readily identify. I later guessed it was unbuffed polish. Plus there was a circle about the size of a quarter and a 1/4 inch deep in the body. what the hell is that? it was finished in the same manner as the rest of the body so it was there when it left the factory.

The floor of the pickup cavities were uneven.

this bass has been onstage and despite being very poorly setup it does feel sturdy. not G&L sturdy by any means, but not flimsy either. I dont get it when people rate these things with the same numbers I see people giving Sadowsky or G&L or old Fenders.

I dont get the impression that it is ging to fall apart anytime soon, but neither do I get the feeling that "yeah this thing is SOLID!"

dont know

I bought this bass cause I needed a bass right away cause I just started playing in a band and I DID like its sound better than anything else I saw in that price range. Having made the changes I did this thing is not too bad. But I would never buy a Mexican anything after this. I cringe eating tacos now.

For the money I spent on this bass I could have done a lot better. If you like me are new to bass playing save just a bit more than I did and try something like the G&L tribute series or the 300-400 Hartkes or an old T-40. I could have gotten any of those for the cost of this bass plus the mods I had to make and would have been happier. But at least now I know how to install pickups, do a set up, make a Warmoth Pickguard fit a MIM bass, shield a cavity, ground a volume pot, and oh yeah... PLAY! :)

This bass was made in mexico in 1998, 20 frets, rosewood fretboard , passive pickups, and single coils.

Used wit ha bx100(crate) it sounded decent, but the tone was not "full" enough. It lacked a nice low end, but had decent treble. VERY noisy though, it buzzed like crazy, it had some crappy soldering job from the bridge to the controlls, i tried to fix it but it. GOOD FOR PUNK, some jazz and blues, but not enough low end

The bridge sucks, and the neck warped easily, also the neck pickup wires came undone. Also the paint job was mesy neat the pickups, and the neck. LOTS of fretbuzz.

THis bass was fairly reliable, only once did a wire come loose so the neck pickup became disconnected. I would gig with this, but not without a backup

NEVER DEALT WITH FENDER

Better than a squire, but not good as an american made jazz bass. Id say go with something else if you want a great sounding versatile instrument.

its a jazz bass. look at the other reviews.

i play several different genres, including funk, rock, jazz, and several other genres. i use a hartke VX4x10 cab and a hartke 3500 head. they seem to work well togethor. this bass is good for slappin' and poppin' but is also good for fingerpicking. it soudns well during my band practices, although i would prefer a gallien-kruegor cab over a hartke cab. you can get a lot of different soudns out of this bass.

mine was good but not great. needed neck adjustment. and the bridge sucked.

this is one section for someone who wants to purchace this bass. YOU MUST READ THIS. mexican jazz basses are very inconsistent. ive noticed this. i originally bought one and played it for a couple months. the bridge crapped out and i had to replace it. the folks at guitar center let me exchange it for any bass within the same price range. i decided to get the same exact make and model. the bridge hasnt crapped out yet.. and i noticed that the pickups soudned richer and fuller than it did on the broken bass. the neck on this one is also a lot thinner. so when you test the mexican made jazz basses, compare a few of them because theyre inconsistent.

i didnt directly deal with fender but the folks at guitar center were really friendly.

2002 standard mexican jazz bass, 20 frets, passive bi pole pickups, all the normal stuff

i play emo, punk, rock,hardcore, old rock, lots of stuff and the jazz bass works for everything! its such a good sounding bass with a thunderous E- string. there's a little buzzing sound if both volumes are at different levels but its all good. i use it through a gallien krueger backline 115 and its incredible! its also a great bass for slapping and popping. i love everything about it

i got the bass right out of the box from guitar center and it was in great shape. great paint job ( blue agave) and good straight neck. everything was i place and good to go.

the bass is very well built, the bridge is a little cheap as with all jazz basses, but i think the original bridge makes the bass sound like it shoud and i would think twice before replacing it. the strap buttons were great. i would definitely use this bass without a back up.

havent had to get it fixed yet!

i've been playing for about 2 years now and im really good. i had a squire p - bass before this one and the jazz bass rocks. if this bass were to get stolen i would cry and then get another one. i played alot of bass at gc, such as ibanez,warwick, but this one was unique and i bought it. GO BUY IT!

1995 Standard Jazz from Mexico (ie, 20 frets, 2 passive single coil j-pickups, you know the drill).

I bought the jazz bass to add a little treble to my bass arsenal, as my main bass is a 2003 BC Rich NJ Warlock (tends to be warmer and more brooding). The Jazz has more punch, due mostly to the two J pickups. It's very versatile sound, but lacks the low end thump of a Precision or my Warlock. I do admire it's bouncy, punchy tone that is much more friendly than what you would get with P style pickups.

I bought it used, and considering it was 8 years old when purchased, I need to set it up a fair amount. The bridge saddles were totally uneven, and the string height inconsistent. On the up side, it took me only minutes to adjust it to a near perfect set up. Minor nicks in the finish, but I personally like basses with a little bit of character to 'em. Slight buzz on the open A string.

Fender basses are built to last. Their lack of anything really fancy (internal pre-amps, EQs, etc.) make them real work horses that have tons of sustain and can hold their own.

I've heard horror stories about Fender customer support.

A great back up bass for anyone. Not as fancy or high end as a lot of basses out there, but definitely more reliable. A great addition to any bass collection.

made in mexico 1999, 20 frets 4 strings
2 vols 1 tone
2 pick ups passive bass guitar

i play punk rock and the sound is perfect, incredible, u can get rady's from pennyise sound, bad religion, blink, mxpx, minor threat's sounds. i play through a crate bx100 by now and the sound i ve got is excelent, i just got the zoom 708 II and i m amazed how this thing sounds now!
i m about to buy the ampeg b5r in 3 weeks so i know it ll rock!

i got this bass used and iwas nice just put some new strings and it was ready to play

this bass i ll have it forever, i m planning to get the mark hoppus signature series soon, but i ll keep this one to cuz it brings a nice sound with finger playing and pick playing

never have any problem

been playing since 1992, i had an ibanez bass which was pretty smooth but i ll never get one agian, i wont change fender!, i ll start gettin more fender basses!

4 string jazz bass made in ensenada mexico
20 frets
2 pickups
black with white pickguard
the basics

great sound for rock playing whit a pick and full treble you can get a punky p-bass sound while if you play fingerstyle great sound for black sabbath riffs only dislike is a little hum but thats probably due to a cheap cable

great finish only flaws is that black shows a lot of smudge marks an dust one thing thoug the nut sucks the A string countinusily goes out of place forcing me to play in a calmer way

stays in tune well definitley a live bass only quirk is that the saddles get out of place but thats only after a week oh hard playng

excellent bass for the money you gotta have a fender bass they are the first ans the best period just wish it had a better nut a better bridge and come in different colors such as the surf green i dont get it why the only fender bass in surf green is the piece of crap mark hoppus bass

Fender Jazz Bass Standard - 2003 Model - Mexico
2 volume, 1 tone knob - Passive Electronics
Maple neck, Alder Body - Beautiful Traditional 3-Color Sunburst
Non-Fender Hard Case and tax Included in price
I didn't give it a ten because the "10" rating says it has "Tons of Features" It doesn't, but it has what you need!!
MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE IS A TRUSS ROD THAT IS ADJUSTED UP BY THE NUT.
VERY ACCESSABLE AND VERY IMPORTANT !!!

Sound is versatile enough to play any style. I play mostly hard rock, psychedelic stuff. Currently play through ancient Yamaha bass amp. Sometimes it seems a bit noisey, sometimes not. A large spectrum of sounds are attainable and I'm sure it'll sound even better when I get an Ampeg or SWR amp. Sounds great when plucked near where the neck meets the body. Also gets a nice punchy sound when using more treble. Interestingly, when you turn up the bridge volume knob, the bass doesn't really get much louder, just more trebly. Not annoying, just interesting.Instead of adjusting the tone settings, it's amazing how much tonal variance you get just by plucking the strings at different areas ( by the neck, by the bridge, etc.)

Factory setup means the strings are attached!!!Anyone who gets an instrument from the factory perfectly set up is incredibly lucky or full of baloney. The neck was pretty straight (maybe too straight) cause I think a bass neck should have a very slight concave bow) I loosened the truss rod just a bit and that eliminated most string buzz. I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH HOW NICE IT WAS TO HAVE THE TRUSS ROD ADJUSTMENT BY THE NUT AREA, WHERE YOU CAN GET TO IT EASILY OR WITHOUT TAKING THE NECK OFF. NO INSTRUMENT SHOULD HAVE TO HAVE THE NECK TAKEN OFF FOR THIS SIMPLE ADJUSTMENT!!! The intonation needed a little adjusting (Anyone with a tuner can do it). Because I'm so damn talented, it now plays great !! As for workmanship, everything was pretty darn nice. The wood in the alder body has nice figuring as well as the usual graining and the maple neck wood is attractive as well. Fender 3-color Sunburst means you NEVER get tired of looking at the instrument. Not that you would anyway when you take into account that the lovely off-set style body of the Fender Jazz Bass is probably the sexiest design ever.
Now I admit I'm not a fan of satin finished necks but they play pretty smoothly and they DO get shinier as you play them. The peghead has hardly any shine to it all, however. That kinda bugs me and if you look really close, you can see sanding marks still in the neck but can't FEEL them at least. These last 2 issues are minor compared to everything else that is good. If it HAS to be perfect, eat only once a day for 5 years and with the money you save, get yourself an Alembic.

All seems pretty rugged. The bridge that everyone whines about DOES seem flimsy, especially when compared to the heavy, cast iron types that would look at home on a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. However, it really doesn't seem much different than the bridge on my vintage 60's Jazz Bass. Maybe a LITTLE flimsier. But when you plug the bass in, all those worries go away. How long do you want a note to sustain for anyway?
Play the note, and then move on to the next one. Just one man's theory !! You could probably use without a backup but you should always be prepared. Having a backup is always a good idea. That's why some guys have 2 girlfriends. Just kidding, ladies !!!

Never had to seek support.

Have played 20 some years (guitar& bass). Just ordered Epiphone '58 Flying V Bass as backup. Also have '65 Burns-Baldwin Nu-Sonic 6 string, 70's Hayman 1010 6 string. If bass was stolen, I'd cry and then call my mommy. After that, I'd systematically track down the SOB and tell him how much he hurt my feelings !!! I WOULD replace it because whatever your bass arsenal includes, you've just GOTTA have at least one Fender Jazz cause it's SO-O-O-O-O BASIC!!! Having more than 1 bass IS fun, but if you could have only one, the Fender Jazz would be the one, Mexican or American. My advice: If you get one, don't immediately run out and change everything on it (bridge, pickups, etc.) Just play it like it is for awhile and you'll probably love it.

standard jazz made in mexico, i think its 2001 model.
standard features, for all specifications go to fender.com.

first of all, sorry for my poor english;i'm not able to describe it with expert words.i hope my review will help; i play in 2 bands, one jethro tull and the other is tori amos tribute bands; for my styles this bass is great.i use it in many amps; a roland,trace elliot 100 watt and it sounds great.u can get a lot of different sound, but i use just the deep sound opening both pickups. this is important: i was lucky with this bass, i think that fender basses should be tried,mine is amazing and much better compared to the american jazz of my bass teacher!!dislike??for the price i paid?nothing!!

the setup was good, no problems at all; i liked the strings as well, i replaced them after 6 months!!
the quality of wood is not terrific but remember that you paid a little, what you want? the sound is great but the finish poor.

for live gigs it rocks!!!
never played it for recording so i can't help.

it came with warranty.

i've been playing for 3 years,i also own a yamaha rbx 760.
i'm very happy that i bought this bass,if it were stolen or lost i would stole another one to somebody else!!!!!!!!
i love the look, it's sexy! midnight blue, i compared with a lot of other basses, but in it's price range you can't beat it! but i can compare this one, i tried other standard that weren't so good, be careful.

I've had this bass a little over a year now, and this is my second review about it ( My previous review was Basskid at 12/21/2002 16:57). Since my last review, i've installed a Bad**s bridge and two Basslines Quarter-Pound Pickups, and threw on some D'addario roundwound strings. I also added straplocks and a white moto pickguard. The rest of the stats you already know.

Since the change of hardware, I've noticed a fuller and thicker sound, less humming, and longer sustain. However, it still seemed to be lacking something, so I grabbed a new pair of strings and the Bass just seemed to turn into the American Standard. Plus, after all my modifications, the Total cost of the Bass is a little over $1000Can, when the American Standard is retailing for $1400Can without tax. So I ended up with a bass that looks, feels, and sounds very similar to the American for about $500 less. I'm currently playing it through a G-K 400RB-3 and RBS series 210 (with the 115 on the way), and I can get great rock and funk tones with this combination.

Overall for the amount of money I payed in total i think it's a great bass, also attractive, because of the new pickguard. I think fender basses are great, their design's may be simple, but they seem to fit right in any style of music. Leo got it right the firs