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NBD - my first ever proper Jazz Bass!


bassbiscuits
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New bass...

I've been playing bass for 28 years (yikes...!) somehow, but I've always ended up with a P bass (or at least a P Bass-alike) mainly just down to what was available/affordable secondhand, rather than for any technical reason.

Though I love Ps, there's been a jazz bass shaped hole in my life - until now!

Here's the new arrival - a 1999 USA Jazz in natural ash with white scratch plate. Not sure if they were called American Series/American Standard/Standard at this time, but I haven't seen many like this outside of the more recent 1975 reissues. It came with a Badass II fitted, which is a shame as i love the thru body thing, but no big deal.

I love these late 1990s Fenders - despite the neck varnish cracking on all the ones I've played, I really like them - seems Fender did a really nice 'back to basics' job at the time, just doing a few models and doing them well. Sure, there's not a lightweight ergonomic machine head or Custom Shop pickup in sight, but they sound fat and full and thumping to me, as well as being nicely worn in 15 years later.

Our local luthier gave it a bit of a set up and a tweak and i got it back on the weekend - since when I've been surgically attached to it.

I plumped for the black p/guard in the end after a straw poll of friends reckoned: 'white looks more country, but black looks more rock.' Ha ha!

Should get a chance to gig it in a few weeks - through a Littlemark III and a Schroeder 1210 cab. There's every chance it will sound righteous....

Good old Fender :)

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Cheers folks - yes it's a great looking bass, and a nice change from the usual sunbursts too.

Have spent the last week doing little set-up tweaks to the action here and there and getting used to it, and now it plays exactly as I want. Really pleased so far.

I've changed the pick guard back to white too - black was a bit too obvious for me, but I'm liking Machinehead's suggestion of a tort plate. You got a picture of yours Machinehead - be great to see how it looks with the tort?

I've put a shout out on the "items wanted" section for a tort or pearl white (my other fave) scratch plate, so lets see if anything comes up... just can't wait to gig it now!

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If you want to keep the string thru option then have a look around for a badass III, these allow both conventional and string-thru arrangement whilst also providing the heavier bridge. I have one on mine though I'm not sure if they may be discontinued now?

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Yeah I don't know why they changed the bridge - I love the string thru function on the bridges that came standard on these originally.

Ill keep an eye out for an original replacement - I wonder if the current hi-mass ones have same screw pattern?

But the badass sounds fine in the meantime - no massive rush to replace it.

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I'm kinda similar, 30 years or so, starting on a Westone Thunder, Fender P, various Rays. Having had a Berger XL2 as my only squeeze for a few months, got used to a narrower string spacing and dual pickup config. Just picked up my first Jazz fretless and loving it so far. Looks better than a P as well IMHO.

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Ah Westone Thunders - they were cool.I had two Thunder 1As at one point, and a white Westone Spectrum, but sold them for a Charvel P bass-alike with a pointy head. It was the early 90s - all my friends were doing it and it seemed like a good idea etc etc...

I love P basses, but Jazzes do look cooler I agree! It's the extra knob and shiny metalwork which does it for me. Also love that extra right hand playing position you get on the bottom pickup - essential for Ian Dury-tastic stuff...

I'm off to look longingly at it a bit more.... (sigh)

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