MusicRadar Verdict
Overall, it's a spectacular job. If you like Jazz basses, you must try one.
Pros
- +
Everything - a Jazz bass for jazz bass players and everyone else.
Cons
- -
Nothing - any shortcomings were dealt with years ago!
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
Fender's never-ending quest to reinvent the wheel is a constant source of amazement. Case in point is this latest American-built Standard Jazz, which looks exactly as it should, but the devil is in the detail.
"Clean, vibrant and sonically versatile are all terms associated with the Fender Jazz"
Along with all the usual appointments is a tinted maple fingerboard with hand-rolled edges and a comfortable C neck profile, lightweight Fender tuners and a beautifully designed high- mass raised tail bridge with vintage saddles and added style.
This offers through-body stringing, but can also hide the ball ends if you prefer top- loading to avoid the sharp break angle on the strings that's created by feeding them through the body.
Sounds
Clean, vibrant and sonically versatile are all terms associated with the Fender Jazz, along with its sweet spots and delivery. If you're going to stick with two pickups and passive electronics, this is the benchmark.
So, what's different about the sound here? Well, nothing, except it's cleaner, more vibrant and even more sonically versatile - a Jazz Bass Plus might be a better name.
What's most appealing about this model is that Fender has made the best use of modern technology and design while retaining all the essential elements of what is a truly classic bass guitar.
“It's rare to encounter a song from the last 70 years that doesn’t involve it in some way”: Why reverb is one of the most reliable effects in a producer's arsenal
“All the albums I did with Metallica were recorded on 24-track analogue tape. There’s not a computer in sight”: How Flemming Rasmussen produced Metallica’s classic Master Of Puppets
“We could see John begin smiling. At the end of the first verse, he gave an exuberant thumbs-up and McCartney and Harrison began slapping each other on the back”: How one Beatles track spawned a recording technique revolution
