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Published on 12/31/11 at 08:35The Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass is a model from Fender that was meant to be a sort of classic and elegant take on the typical Standard Jazz Bass mixed with a Fender P Bass. The result is essentially a great bass that covers both the Precision Bass and the Jazz Bass tones quite well in an expertly crafted and high quality bass guitar. It is crafted in Japan and features a basswood body, a maple neck with rosewood fretboard, black hardware, nice cream binding, and a pair of Fender pickups (a P Bass pickup in the front coupled with a Jazz Bass pickup in the back. The controls are simple volumes with a master tone.
UTILIZATION
The design of this bass is pretty ergonomic I would say. It's reasonably light and forms to the body well. The basswood makes this possible by being a particularly lightweight wood to work with. The shape is nicely contoured and is no issue to play standing up or sitting down. The upper fret access is great on this bass, though there is only 20 of them as opposed to 22 or 24. Getting a good sound is quite easy. The basswood/maple construction offers a nice punchy and full sound that works well for funk, blues, rock, jazz, you name it. The P Bass pickup offers some nice and rich low end thump, whereas the J Bass pickup is brighter and clearer, great for more trebly sounds. You can even blend the two together for some awesome middle of the road tones.
SOUNDS
This bass has a great sound. I'm primarily a guitar player so when I do pick up a bass it's because I really like its playability and pure sound. This is definitely the case with the Aerodyne Jazz. Through my Fender 1x15 combo amp the tone is very thick and full sounding. The bass sounds clear and distinct on all positions of the fretboard, and the contrast between the thicker bass tones of the P bass pickup verses the clear and bright tones of the J bass pickup make this a very versatile instrument. Adding a bit of distortion to this bass made it sound really grungy and aggressive, very cool for rock styles where you can trade definition for a more rippin' tone. The only thing to watch is that you will get a bit of noise due to using the single coil pickups with distortion.
OVERALL OPINION
All in all I think the Fender Aerodyne Jazz is a great bass for anyone looking for a unique take on the standard Jazz or Precision Bass that's melded together in one cohesive and great sounding package. They're built to a very high quality standard and the tones are excellent. Not to mention the classy look as well. At $800 new these basses are a killer value for the money and definitely worth checking out.
UTILIZATION
The design of this bass is pretty ergonomic I would say. It's reasonably light and forms to the body well. The basswood makes this possible by being a particularly lightweight wood to work with. The shape is nicely contoured and is no issue to play standing up or sitting down. The upper fret access is great on this bass, though there is only 20 of them as opposed to 22 or 24. Getting a good sound is quite easy. The basswood/maple construction offers a nice punchy and full sound that works well for funk, blues, rock, jazz, you name it. The P Bass pickup offers some nice and rich low end thump, whereas the J Bass pickup is brighter and clearer, great for more trebly sounds. You can even blend the two together for some awesome middle of the road tones.
SOUNDS
This bass has a great sound. I'm primarily a guitar player so when I do pick up a bass it's because I really like its playability and pure sound. This is definitely the case with the Aerodyne Jazz. Through my Fender 1x15 combo amp the tone is very thick and full sounding. The bass sounds clear and distinct on all positions of the fretboard, and the contrast between the thicker bass tones of the P bass pickup verses the clear and bright tones of the J bass pickup make this a very versatile instrument. Adding a bit of distortion to this bass made it sound really grungy and aggressive, very cool for rock styles where you can trade definition for a more rippin' tone. The only thing to watch is that you will get a bit of noise due to using the single coil pickups with distortion.
OVERALL OPINION
All in all I think the Fender Aerodyne Jazz is a great bass for anyone looking for a unique take on the standard Jazz or Precision Bass that's melded together in one cohesive and great sounding package. They're built to a very high quality standard and the tones are excellent. Not to mention the classy look as well. At $800 new these basses are a killer value for the money and definitely worth checking out.