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Post subject: Looking for a Fender Jazz Bass
Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 6:02 pm
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Hi Guys,

I'm new at buying a bass although I've had experiences in playing one. I play everything but mainly Jazz (standards). How do I look for a good quality/sounding Fender Jazz Bass, which to choose and I'm also looking for one that's not too expensive.

I'm also looking for a little jazz bass amp to go with it. I need to know a good one with a reasonable price.


Any suggestions will be very much appreciated.


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 6:58 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2009 6:30 pm
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Location: Canada
Alright, heres My words

So I encountered the same thing. You could go American, Mexican Or Japanese, and you said you just wanted the standard. Mexican usaly goes around $800, not too expensive, and their really nice. However, if your willing to put down the extra you could go American And pay around $1400. Now heres the thing, Me, personally, I got really sucked into it, and I Personally Though the American sounded better, felt better, etc. Visit your local guitar shop, and try out Mexican and American. You might not see too Big of a difference. One tip for trying them out, use the same amp, and set the amp clean. Also theres the Highway ones, Which are wooden, a different tone to it. If your interested, take a look at them too. If the American is too much for you, then I would probably recomend the Mexican, But First Go out and try some out. 8)

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My Baby, 2008 Standard American Jazz Bass


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:06 pm
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Thanks Jonesy, useful input i'll try them. Now how should I go about the amp? I would probably only need a small amp but I want a good quality jazz one. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!


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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 2:38 am
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Rock Star
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First I'm really looking forward to trying out the new Fender Bassman TV amps. They come in various sizes and powers. They are very jazzy looking. I've not seen one in person or heard one yet. I think the new TV series might be worth a look for a small amp. As to whether you can get a jazz tone out of them, I don't know, but they look great and have a thin looking profile.

Some brands that seems to be used by jazz bassists a lot are Polytone, Phil Jones and GK. All are pretty clean sounding. I'm listing them in the order of pricing from lowest to highest where I live in the USA.

GK does make some really big high power amps and monster cabs, but the GK amp I've seen jazz players use most is the tiny MB150 which is a very small light amp with a 12 inch speaker, but in spite of the size it sounds really good. I've heard of people putting them in a backpack and bicycling to the gig with their gig bag over one shoulder. If you are playing with a Piano, controlled drummer and a soft jazz box guitar into a small combo it would be more than adequate.

Polytone's various Brute and Mini-Brute amps have been used by many jazz guitar and bass players. People you've heard of maybe. Ray Brown, Dee Murray of the Elton John Band, Phil Upchurch, Carol Kaye George Benson and Joe Pass have all been Polytone people at one time or another. Polytone amps are very hard to find around here and you hardly ever see one. Polytone has recently revamped their bass amp line and have a new Bass model called Sonic. The Sonic comes in to versions. 140 watts with a 15 inch speaker in both. The Sonic II adds two horns. Polytone amps are built in California. If you can afford one and find one I'd definitely try one of those. I don't play jazz, but respect people who do.

Phil Jones bass amps have really been catching on with jazz and jazz fusion players of both electric and acoustic bass. The SUITCASE is a real nice little combo. It has 200 watts and a quartet of five inch speakers. The Suitcase is funny looking but everyone who has one loves them.

Another option would be the smaller MarkBass amps. Their combos can be set up to be very clean unless you crank the Vintage emulation knob. They are small light and the most powerful. Their price here would fall between the GK and Polytone.

I still see some jazz players using old Ampeg B-15's and B-12's with upright acoustic basses, but not so many as they used to be. Those two amps used to be uniformly the jazz bassists standard amp. The B-12 is perfectly adequate in a mostly acoustic jazz band. Sometimes used B-12's can be found used for much, much less than the B-15. If you stumble across one try it out.

As far as Jazz Basses go, don't overlook the ACTIVE Jazz Bass.


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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 9:01 am
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For the Jazz id go a Highway One great for the price.


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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 4:36 pm
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Can't give any better advice on the bass itself, but as far as the amp I'll say you should take a look at the Peavey Combo 115. Had mine for six years, and never once have I wished I bought something else. It's currently on Musician's Friend for $659, so a bit expensive, but a very high quality product. 300 watts, 1x15" speaker with a big port, and an output for another cab. Since you say you play mainly jazz, you should definitely check this one out. I am convinced that my pickup combination and this amp together (and mostly the amp) are the secret to the bare-wood thump that I get when i play with my university jazz ensemble. It's actually what inspired me to yank the frets. Good hunting.

P.S.- If you ever want a little more bite out of it, you can plug a cab with smaller speakers and a horn into the back of it. I did that once, in a specific setting where the room was eating all the treble.


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