Fender American Vintage '75 Jazz Bass

3TSB, maple/rosewood neck with pearl block markers, black scratchplate.

I have been playing bass for 20 years and play in a 4-piece rock band on the local circuit. Classic rock, prog, metal and some blues pretty much sums up my tastes.

This bass is made in Japan.

Bought off eBay in December 2007 for £305. A bit of a gamble as it had apparently been sitting around in a garage for a while and was the worse for it. A bit of a whim having seen RUSH live - considered the Geddy Lee model but this look so much nicer. I'm normally a Precision player but most of mine have Jazz necks and a couple have the J-pickup, so wanted this for variation.

As a good looking, retro bass, I think you'd be hard pushed to find anything nicer. The 70s stylings are authentic, it looks and feels right. I'm glad I opted for the sunburst/rosewood option over the Geddy Lee model - both are, in effect, Japanese 70s reissues, and if aesthetics are important, this wins hands down. Tonally, it is of course different to my P-basses, but I like the toppy feel of the bridge pickup which cuts through the bass rumble.

I have a real problem with the bridges that Fender continue to fit to most of their basses. I know this is a reissue, but, like all my others, it was immediately replaced with a BadAss II (that Geddy Lee thing again). Again, authenticity over practicality, the tuners have straight posts (I'm not a fan) and I have had my doubts about tuning stability - so they may have to go eventually. I'm not convinced the logo is correct for the period but I'm nit-picking really.

I immediately took this bass completely to pieces to overhaul. What was immediately apparent was the quality of every single part. It's a 2-piece body that weighs a ton but the resonance is amazing. I think it has USA pickups in the usual configuration and has a very high output for a passive bass. The bound neck is very slim with a gloss finish and pearl block markers, bullet truss rod and vintage tuners. The scratchplate (but not the body) is drilled for thumbrest and pickup cover. The neck is held on with a 3-screw plate with microtilt and the tuners are authentic to the period. It's as solid as you like and, although many parts were heavily corroded, the body hardly had a scratch on it thanks to the thick finish.

Having decided to get a Jazz, the options were £450+ for the Geddy Lee model or £305 for this one (plus £45 for a new bridge). Despite being in a sorry state when it arrived, the quality was obvious once the bass was stripped down and renovated.
It is what it is and, since my other basses are Precisions, I don't really have anything to compare it against for playability. However, it's loud, versatile and looks fantastic. I defy the purists to find reasons to favour the US models over this and it's streets ahead of any Mexican model I have ever seen. Fairly hard to come by, but worth the extra money for the build quality and finish.

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

I got my Jazz bass from the Academy of sound mail. It took me ages to find the illusive Candy apple red. I paid £199.99.

This is the best bass you can get under £200 other than the P-bass but i prefer the Jazz bass. It a fast action neck which makes playung it a dream. With the 1 master volume conrtol and 2 tone knobs its easy to set up. The finsh is beatiful Candy apple red with the mettalic finish and on top of it all The classic Of set waist :D

The only the thing you can moan about is the open gears on the tunners. But if you can push it aside BUY IT!!!

There was one little mark on the top but how long it took to find the colour i wasnt to fussed.
Other than fine

I adore the bass woud never part

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com