Fender JazzBass

[Nakatira]

I just borrowed a Fender Jazzbass, for a recording session here the other day, our bass player couldent make it so we had to play the bass our selves within the band to get it down to track, just to get an idea of things, sound wise.

But I noticed that the Jazzbass, was the worst bass I`ve ever palyed.
sounded beautyfull, but not player friendly, I normally play the guitar, but I`ve palyed bass on dozens of occasssions.

Fender prescission is way better to play, also rickenbackker beats it with miles in player friendlyness.

anyone else with the same opinion.

ps the bass is quite new, and it was in tip to shape, the neck was straight and every thing was allright.

 

[Garry Sharp]

Well I'm glad you liked the sound at least. I think the Jazz is the most easy instrument to play I have ever come across - but we are all different

 

[ROblows]

I think the Jazz is the most easy instrument to play I have ever come across

Same here. The narrower neck is very agreeable to my guitar-acustomed hands. Much more so than a P-bass.

 

[Bassman Brad]

Well, different individuals prefer different necks. It's the same with guitars. I suspect that you are in the minority, however. I have noticed that, when relatively inexperienced bass players (especially guitarists who want to double up on bass) directly compare a Fender Jazz to a Fender Precision, they almost always gravitate toward the feel of the Jazz. In fact, I suspect that there are more Fender Jazz Basses sold that Fender Precisions and Rickenbacher 4002's combined. But, I don't know that for sure.

However, I will say that, even though my main gigging bass for many, many years was a nice Fender Jazz, and even though I still own a couple of Jazz Basses (and play them pretty regularly), I wouldn't say that the neck on the Jazzes are the most comfortable of the basses that I currently own. The neck on my Warwick feels much better to me (and it's a five string, even), and my 1978 Gibson G3 definitely has the most comfortable neck of any of the basses I've ever owned. At least, that's what MY hands tell me.

 

[Light]

ps the bass is quite new, and it was in tip to shape, the neck was straight and every thing was allright.

That bass needs a setup. I mean, the VAST majority of brand new instruments need setup work, and I have never yet seen a factory setup which had a well adjusted nut, but the real problem is that factory setups are only concerned with one thing, that the instrument never buzzes (if it does, most buyers will put it down and not pick it up again). A good setup will almost always make a new instrument easier to play.

The Jazz bass is usually considered one of the easiest basses made to play, thanks to that skinny neck, so I would say it is pretty obvious that the one you had needed some work.

Oh yeah, and necks shouldn't be straight, they need a little bow. Without it, the action needs to be really high to avoid buzzing, so I would say it is pretty clear that everything was NOT alright.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Nakatira]

Actually, when I said that the bass was new, I forgot to say it has had a few services, and checkups. wich is normal to get for free when you buy a new fender, over here any way.

I also forgot to say, when I first saw the jazzbass, I thought that this bass should be a walk in the park to play, but i was dead wrong.
The strings werent positioned to high from the fret or anything.
I was just suprised, I mean with the slim neck and everything it should be a thrill playing it.

May be I found the needle in the haystack, I dont know.

But again there is nothing bad spoken about sound it sounded like the bomb.

For the record I dont think its a bad bass, more me being a bad bassplayer.

 

[Nakatira]

That bass needs a setup. I mean, the VAST majority of brand new instruments need setup work, and I have never yet seen a factory setup which had a well adjusted nut, but the real problem is that factory setups are only concerned with one thing, that the instrument never buzzes (if it does, most buyers will put it down and not pick it up again). A good setup will almost always make a new instrument easier to play.

The Jazz bass is usually considered one of the easiest basses made to play, thanks to that skinny neck, so I would say it is pretty obvious that the one you had needed some work.

Oh yeah, and necks shouldn't be straight, they need a little bow. Without it, the action needs to be really high to avoid buzzing, so I would say it is pretty clear that everything was NOT alright.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

I know the neck isent suposed to be straight, when I said straight I just used the wrong words, as we would use those words for it in norwegian.
What I ment to say is that the guitar was in unpeckabel condition, nice and clean sounding no buzzing frets or anything.

So it wasent the guitar it was me.

I was just so amazed, considering it looks that it would be hard to play.