Fender Electric Basses

This offering from Fender comes from their plant in Mexico. It is considered a best of both worlds bass taking features from both the Precision and Jazz bass. I own the Blizzard Pearl model with a maple neck. The bass is equipped with a 20 fret Jazz type neck. There are options available for maple or rosewood except for the navy blue metallic which is only available with the rosewood fret board. This bass comes standard with a vintage type bridge where the string rest on a barrel type saddle. The bridge allows for adjusting the string height and intonation of the individual strings and is finished in chrome. The bridge also holds the strings ball ends and does not have a string through body option. This bass is equipped with both a P and a J style pickup. These are the vintage noiseless variety and work in tandem with the onboard active electronics. Both pickups are controlled by a single volume control, which is the first knob. Instead of a traditional selector switch the second knob acts as a blend switch. At each extreme of this knob one individual pickup will be active while the other is silent. As the knob travels between extremes the pickups are blended in varying degrees. There is also a center detent on this knob which offers an equal amount of the P and J pickup. The next 2 knobs are responsible for the active equalization of the bass. The third knob in the series is actually a two part knob where the smaller top hat of the control adds or cuts the high end and the larger skirt of the knob does the same for the bass frequencies. They both have a center detent to indicate unity with altering of the tone. The fourth and final knob controls the midrange frequency and as the third knob it also has a center detent for unity gain and adds or subtracts midrange frequency as it is dialed away from center. The electronics are active and do require a 9 volt battery in order to operate. UTILIZATION This offering from Fender is a solidly built instrument. It feels substantial when held and is well balanced. The neck is fully accessible and plays very easily. The quality of the fretwork and neck build allow for action to be set to preference as long as the user has the neck set up properly. The bass sits very comfortably on the knee but as with many full size basses might get shoulder heavy after a long session. The bass sits very comfortable against the body and the contour on the lower bout affords a high level of comfort to the picking hand. Being a best of both worlds design this bass is very easy to get that sound you are looking for as well as some you might not have expected from it. The pickups are quiet as the name suggests but still retain that open sound. The electronics offer a huge amount of useable control but be careful as they do allow for large decibel increases and will easily overload if the user does not use the volume in tandem with all the gain available. This bass is capable of producing just about any sound that might be in your head. SOUNDS I use this bass in three different situations. I use a fender bassman amp for one, Amplitube, Ampeg edition for another, and the last is with a Tech 21 Para D.I. box. In all three instances the bass has exceeded my expectations. My main reason for this purchase was to have a bass that would offer that classic P bass sound but have the flexibility to do other styles when the situation called for it. It covers P bass tones from Steve Harris to Roger Waters up to my greatest expectations. I am overly impressed however with the pop and slap style that it can also achieve. As I alluded to earlier this bass also has enough equalization variance and gain to achieve heavier or more distorted tones. I play and record music from heavy metal to old classic rock as well as some worship music. I find that unlike my other bass or others I have tried over the years in this price range this instrument pleases wherever it is applied. OVERALL OPINION I believe this bass to be one of those truly great values that so few instruments offer. I have tried a few bases out and for the money this one could not be beaten. I have played more expensive instruments that have been better but that is to be expected. It would take over double the price in my opinion to top this instrument. The sound quality and build have exceeded my expectations but at this price point and with a mostly machine build there are variances in quality that should be noted. First off the neck is very playable and the frets are set and crowned nicely, the instrument does intonate well across the whole board, but without the niceties like rolled edges you would find on a higher priced model. The bridge is useable but I fully understand that a higher mass bridge would be better for it. The finish is comparable to my American series guitars but with very minute tiny flaws that have to be closely examined to see. One was a slight swirl in the finish color that is a tad darker and the other a slight bump as if something got caught under the finish or a spot missed sanding between the bridge and control area. Both of these are minute and would not call for a return of the instrument I am just highly observant and picky about my gear. The bass played and sounded too phenomenal to try another or nit pick, I have seen many higher priced instruments suffer worse over the years. The only other gripe is aesthetic and an easy fix, the gold pick guard is defiantly an acquired taste to say the least. Given my experience I would replace this instrument in a heartbeat if it were lost or stolen. It has taken me from someone that plays a bass because he had no choice to someone who now loves the bass playing experience.

Online auction - 450 bucks Nice satin sunburst finish, great neck and thick old school sound from the noiseless pickups. Sold a MIM jazz to get this and there is definitely a big difference in quality. So far I like everything...well almost everything. The fretboard is kind of a light brown color which doesn't really do anything for me ( or the bass). Nice and lightweight. Very solid neck/body fit. Superb sustain. Finish is satin....no gloss. I prefer this finish but if you like gloss then this bass is not for you. In my opinion a good compromise between the Mexican Fenders and more expensive made in USA models. Great looks (satin finish), lighter weight than the MIM and noiseless pickups make this the ideal bass for me. Definitely worth every penny and a bass you just might fall in love with. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

First of all. Mark Hoppus is one of my favourite bassist. He is the bassist for Blink-182. A band i listened to from the start. I had seen them live when i made the decision i wanted one. This christmas (2004) i recieved it as a present in the Daphne Blue colour. My parents paid a little over 1000 as it came straight from the factory, there where shipping and handling payments, the local dealer shop had to make money, and what not. What i like about this bass is the different colours it comes in (not your average colours). I love how there is only one volume knob. And i like how this is an original set up for a bass guitar (precision pickups, j-bass body). I also like how it is equiped with a "top of the line" pick up company called Seymour Duncan. The lows and the highs sound terrific and its great for shows, or just jamming with your band, or yourself. this bass is good for pop punk/rock/fast punk and what not. i would recondmend this product to someone that is looking for an original style looking bass, someone with the committment to playing music and someone who simply likes Mark Hoppus as a bass player. there isnt really many things to say about the bass in general. except when i got mine, i noticed underneath the tuner, they accidently drilled a hole in the wrong spot. but that isnt on every make. just mine (grrr). i dont have any other complaints but for people who play metal/jazz/blues/reggae or any of that style of music. you probably wouldnt like the bass as much as people of that genre complain about the bass not having a "tone knob". but people who love the punk/rock music. this is a def. buy. well crafted. smooth. original. ive had mine since this past christmas (december 04) and nothing has been wrong at all with it. it is greatttt quality compared to my Squier/Fender P-Bass Duluxe. bottom line. good bass for the buck. aka good bass for the price. best brand you can get in my thoughts. andddd well, this bass simply has it all for your typical punk rocker. rock on www.outworn.net This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this bass for $325 at a pawn shop close to my house that specializes in guitars. They stuff they get isn't cheap old used crap, its like walking into a music shop, they have all kinds of great guitars and basses. It's got a great feel to it, and it sounds great. The 3 band EQ is a big help if you like to control your tone. The neck is great, and i love the tortoise shell pickguard. The only problem i found with it, that i fixed, was the A string had this funky sound when you hit it open but this is a used bass. It has 2 vintage style Semour Duncan Jazz Bass pickups, this bass is from 1987 so that is why it still has the Semour Duncan's on it, but they sound great. It features a 3 band EQ to keep you in control of you highs and lows. Maple neck, rosewood fretboard, great solid alder body, black finish, chromo bridge, chrome nob set plate, and Fender tuners. This bass is great. If you aren't a fan of Fender, you should be. This bass is rare to find, but i think musiciansfriend.com has a few of them. So see what they have to say, but in my opinion i am gonna stick with Fender. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

actually it is my second Overland bass first one i got in a trade for my tube farfisa guitar combo, played it for a 2 years and trade for Yamaha GW33 processor/super item!/ after 2 months my friend also guitar player sell another Overland/this time looks like new/ for only 50 euro!!! super deal. it is very good bass i think it is made in POLAND. i compared it to my bass player Fender Highway precy and it is near as good as Fender. comparing the qality and the price of the two basses - if you are on budget it is far smarter to by the overland/or as in my case - i m guiatarist/ Fender is absolut winner but the price - 750 euro - wow- not for me this is fine bass for rehalsals home practise i think i wouldnt make records with it only demos well and solid made nice quality if i bought this one for a second time - it is a good bass This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this bass at Long and McQuade, a music store, for about $650 canadian. This is a pretty good bass. The tone is good, but it sounds kind of thuddy like un upright bass, but if you turn the treble/bass nob, it sounds a lot better. I usually play with a pick, cause I'm a big fan of Chris Squire, and sure it's not a Rickenbacker but it works for me. Like I said before if you turn up the bassiness its kind of thuddy, other than that it's a really nice bass. Very good. Pretty nice bass, but if you're looking for better quality bass for a bit more money GET RICKENBACK! THE TONE IS AWSEMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Jaco Bass is a serious collectable piece and I didn't have plans to purchase a fretless model - 'cos it's too priceful to pick one from a local music store! Good fretless bass - the Jaco Pastorius Model is in fact a sunburst 1962 Jazz Bass with a 20-fret lined rosewood fingerboard, finished with a clear-coated epoxy gloss and three knurled flat-top chrome knobs. The pickguard is not present on the body, but Fender offers also an optional pickguard in a beautiful 4-ply brown tortoiseshell finish for giving to the Jaco Bass the look and feel of that Custom Shop 1964 Jazz Bass Re-Issue. I disliked the fact that the fretted Jaco Pastorius Jazz is available only with a rosewood fingerboard, as Jaco himself appears briefly with a maple-cap neck model on some photos. For that reason, Fender could also offer the fretted Jaco Pastorius model with an optional separate laminated maple fingerboard with black dot markers. Absolutely perfect, this is the finest attention to detail I've ever seen on a Fender. While this is a production bass it is very limited and quite close to a custom shop job in terms of hand-work and detail. Gorgeous! Jaco Pastorius was a beacon for generations of aspiring bass players, bridging the gaps between R&B, rock, jazz, classical and Caribbean music. He changed the musical world with his uncanny gift and visionary approach to the instrument, and he did it with one fundamental tool - a Fender Jazz Bass. No comments about the Custom Shop Relic model, of course: a tribute to the great Jazz Bass master! This is a faithful re-creation of Jaco’s famous “distressed” bass and is a result of meticulous research done in cooperation with his technician. Jaco’s J Bass features a select alder body, special shaped maple neck, epoxy coated fretless rosewood fingerboard and knurled chrome P Bass control knobs. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

$325 US at Guitar Center, Albany NY USA, without bag, strap, or etc. I was just looking for some cables but I got this instead. They didn't have the cables. It's a 30" Fender base with the easy to play friendly feeling fender neck, not too slim not too thick. These are also very easy to hot rod, and their value as "vintage Fender" is so minimal that hotrodding is fiscally painless. I enjoy its simplicity, it emanates an "anti-gearhead" vibe . Output is modest, bottom is far from huge . Access to the few high frets is not great. Unlike most 30" basses, it doesn't fit in most guitar-sized bags or cases. Output jack on the pickguard is the best way to avoid damage to the pickguard . It's 30 yrs old. Pots work cleanly, stays in tune, neck is good, few tiny hints of finish checking. Bridge not so shiny any more, 3-ply pickguard holding up well, an overall very durable ax. Rosewood fretboard on maple neck with rod access at the body. Four bolt joint with plate. Opaque finish over Mystery Forest Product body, about medium weight for its size. Big-eared old-style Fender tuners with fat pegs. Stamped bridge with two adjustable saddles . Two control knobs, neither of which has much effect . The essense of this ax is its simplicity and its easy-playing 30" scale. It's for rather bassic bassmanship. Don't play it to show off. Play it to discipline your work on bassics. Tone is classic but not huge, so enhancement may be needed for most performance situations. I also play an MIJ Mustang re-issue, essentially very similar but a bit better than these old Musicmasters. However the Musicmaster is cheaper to buy and has more "character". I also play a hotrodded Musicmaster and I highly recommend that route as well. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Bought used in 2002 with hardshell case for $300. made in Mexico. Love the neck and you can really move with this bass Bridge was pretty weak. Replaced with a badass II bridge. Made a huge difference. Pickups are pretty weak too. Descent for amount paid. Not top of the line but holds up well. Perfect bass for anyone without a huge cash flow. For a professional player you would definetly want to upgrade everything possible, (pickups, bridge, etc.) This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I paid $630 for this bass and bought it online. I have been playing bass for about 1 year and only seriously started practing the last 6 months since I joined a band. I had a ESP bass and I liked alot but the wireing somehow went bad. A friend fixed it for me but after a couple of weeks I had the same problem (a strange rattle for a while and then it would stop making a sound at all). I had bought my neice a fender squire bass along time ago and she never used it. so I borrowed that and the guys in my bad said the squire bass sounded great. I missed the feel of my ESP bass but the sound was good on the squire. So I decided to upgrade to better Fender bass. I chose the Fender Aerodyne bass because it seemed to have the smallest neck radius and it was light weight. I thought that this would help me with my left hand. During fast parts of songs like Tom Sawyer by Rush my left hand/arm was reaching the failure point and I couldn't play until the song went back to a less intense part. I know that more practice is the best cure for this but I thought since I am buying a new bass anyways I might see if a smaller neck raidus helps. Also, the light weightness of the bass would prevent my neck and back from getting a little sore the next day after practice. The weight of the bass is light and I can play all night without getting a sore neck or back. I like the placement of the input jack on the body of the bass. With my old ESP bass the guitar cable would always hit the floor and bend at the head of the cable when sitting in a stand. This doesn't happen when the input is on the body under the volume and tone controls. Also, I like the placement of the tuning machines. I just like having them on one side of the neck instead of having some one side and the rest on the other. I guess the most important thing is the sound. So far I like the sound I am getting out of this bass. When my band recorded some of our stuff during practice I was very happy with the sound of the bass on the recording. It sounded very good. When I first got the bass in the mail I was a little suprised by the look compared to what I had seen on the web. I thought it was solid black but around the edge of the body there is a very thick and noticable wood/white color strip. It changes the look alot in my opinion. It looks kind of like white wall tires. At first I was unhappy and when I called Fender they said it should be solid black. But the person I talked to on the phone didn't know what they were talking about. I mailed their customer service department and some guy from Fender called me and told me that the wite stripe is supposed to be there and that you can't see it in the pictures on the web since they were taken using a white background. The fender guy said they were not going to get new photos for their web site. I had a few other questions/complaints but the Fender guy seemed pretty hostile and I was busy at work so I tried to get off the phone with him as soon as possible. Anyways, the guys in my band like the look of the bass and I am starting to come around. I guess the strip gives it a sort of classy look and it would fit in being played in jazz band as well as a rock band. My ESP bass was solid black and I loved the way it looked. But when I am playing all I really care about is a great sound. I am still playing around with the volume controls on the Aeroydyne. Right now I am turning the middle volume control all the way up (I think this gives the bottom jazz pickup the most control/volume). I am turning the top volume control all the way down. I seem to get alot of fret rattle and harmonics when I turn this control up. I think this control affects the percision pickups but even when I have it down to zero I think the percision pickups are still contributing to the sound. So its kind of confusing. Since there is not a manual for this bass I can't read about exactly how the volume controls are supposed to affect the sound of the different pickups. It almost seems like each volume control affects both pickups. Note, I can probably fix the fret rattle by adjusting the action but but for now I like the feel of the strings and I don't want to change anything. On the back of the bass there is a small cover that you can unscrew to get access to the wiring of the controls. When I got the bass the cover looked like a piece of cardboard. It stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the high gloss black color of the body. Later when I took off this cover to see what was inside I found that the other side of the cover was plastic and had the high gloss black color. So the cover had been screwed on backwards. The Fender Customer rep seemed angry when I mentioned this to him and he stated that they do not come out of the factory like that. He said my bass must have been used and someone else screwed the cover on backwards. It wasn't a big deal to me since I could just screw it back on the correct way. But when you spend alot of money on something you want the little things/details to impress you. You don't want to find minor flaws like this. Which brings me to the pickups. One of the pickups was tightened down alot on one side and barley screwed in at all on the other. One of the swrews looked in danger of falling off. All the pickups seemed to be very loose. The guy from Fender said it was supposed to be like that and that it made the pickups fit the contour of the bass. I had no idea what he was talking about. I have read about how the hight of the pickup can affect the sound of the bass but I haven't heard that you would want to have one edge of the pickup very high and close to the strings while the other edge is screwed down tightly. I may be wrong since I am not an expert. But I went ahead and tightened the screws a little and tried to adjust the pickups to be alittle bit more even. I am getting a good sound out of this bass and I like the fact that it is so light weight. Because of this I am keeping the bass and am happy with it over all. My experience dealing with Fender customer support was not good. But when I am jamming with my band I am not thinking about that. I thought my old esp bass looked better but stoped working and my new Aerodyne bass is serving me well. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this bass from a local music shop as part of a trade in on some old gear that i no longer used, for which the allowed me £120, so it was a straight swap. I'm used to playing more expensive instruments but I was very impressed with the overall playability of this bass. It feels more expensive than it actually is. Compared to other basses I have played, it is a little on the heavy side, and i found the action a little bit high, but that's really down to personal preference and its easy enough to correct. Considering the ultra-low price tag i was expecting flaws in the finish and constuction of the bass but i really cannot find anything wrong with it. It is very robust and well made, i have dropped it on a couple of occasions and not even so much as scratched it. A very good instrument for a very low price, good for beginners and people who have been playing for longer. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought the jazz in mind of a good starting bass, but now i cannot sell it, as i am too attached to the hunk o wood. I bought it in Wardbraught music mall in madison, and got ripped off by paying 450 for it. But i would pay the same price for such a high quality instrument Fender basses have been known to produce sturdy, reliable instruments. Mine was no exception, with the heavy paint and solid construction. The quality this bass is at is definately above that of an american jazz bass. the neck wood is too soft for me. it dings somewhat easily The paint was in a heavy black coat. pickups were in very sturdy, can't budge em I have only played an all-original 62 jazz bass that competes with this quality. I have played well over 120 different american jazz basses, but this beats them all, hands down. I couldn't have asked for a better bass. Bravo! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com