Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Fender Jazz - Mexican, US or Japanese?


Bidd
 Share

Recommended Posts

Right, my 21st is coming up and I'm after a decent bass guitar to replace my Washburn T14 Taurus (my first!)

Due to lack of car, and the fact that I don't live in a big city I've yet to go to a big shop (sound control etc) so I've only manage to try the very few basses in my local area, which is basically a Yammy BB414, Fender Jazz Mexican, Fender Jazz Aerodyne & a RockBass something

My question I want to ask, is to you veterans, is a US Jazz (around the 600-700 mark) worth the extra 300 quid over a Mexican Jazz. I wasn't that impressed by the Aerodyne but will it be worth the effort to try a few US Jazz's?

Also when trying basses although I've been playing for three years now I still don't actually know what to look for. I am in a blues/rock band at the moment (i think) but I also like to play pretty much any style with other students at Uni, so I'm looking for versatility.

Overall I'm useless, please help

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its definitely between Japanese and USA, i know a lot of people prefer the Japanese, but don't rule out the US ones, there are some really nice ones out there. I got a USA beauty!

Si

Edited by Sibob
Link to comment
Share on other sites

From experience, all Fenders are good guitars.... (sweeping statement alert!)

Nearly all Jap Fenders (with exception maybe of the P bassLyte :) ) are very well made and play nicley. US fenders are made from lovely wood but seem to be 'thrown together' so with a little time and patience can be awesome.
Mex Fenders are pretty good but fall into 3rd place behind the other 2 for those reasons alone. QC is pretty good in all 3 bases so you would struggle to buy cr4p. But.......

As to your 'is it worth it?' question. ANY article is only what you are prepared to pay for it. You can find a relatively cheap bass that is wonderful (see my Ibanez on this forum for example) to play and look at. And on the other extreme you can spend a lot of money on what is for you a lemon.

Its cost is no gaurentee of quality. May I suggest that you try a Highway One jazz and see what you reckon? They should be easy to find a shop that has one or can get one for you to try.

2nd hand is obvioulsy the way to go, but if at all possible dont buy anything you havent tried, (unless you know exactly what it is !)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try;

Geddy Lee MIJ Jazz.
Marcus Miller MIJ Jazz.
Squier 70's VMJ and put a BadAss and better strings on it (but hunt down a 2-piece bodied one!)
MIAs

There are some MIM gems out there, but they'll take some effort to find!

P.S. MIA= made in America, MIJ = Japan, MIM= Mexico.
You may also see CIJ or CII ("Crafted in" Japan or Indonesia respectively)

Be aware that there are some "nice looking" vintage-vibe Fenders out there. I happened on a lovely looking (new but vintage) Precision which bore "Fender" on the headstock and had no price on it in a shop. I couldn't find any place of manufacture on it, so I asked the salesperson if I could have a go...
He got it off the wall, but kept trying to grab it back from me.

Bottom line - Mexican ( I had to ask in the end) [size=5]£658[/size] !!! Caveat Emptor, methinks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheers for the quick advice everyone

I don't know much so what is BadAss, a type of pickup or bridge?

Also I always wondered on this site what MIM meant, cheers for the info. I did hear good things about the Jaguar and really want to try one out.

About buying second hand, I was a bit put off by the idea as I have a feeling that a brand new bass would be so much better (I don't know why). I have been looking on the For Sale section on here and will continue doing so. Also I may venture on ebay but I've heard from here that things tend to go pear shaped.

I was also looking on GAK.co.uk cos they seem pretty cheap (obviously P+P has to be accounted), and has anyone dealt with them and what do you think?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you have to try before you buy with Fenders. My current US Jazz is much better than my old Mex Jazz in pretty much every department.

I also have a Jap Precision which is fantastic - superb build quality, US pickups.

Having said all of that, one of the nicest Precision necks I've played was on my old Mexican Precision.

Unfortunately, I think Fenders do vary a lot on quality. The Jap models do seem to be consistnently good, but the Mex (and to a lesser extent US) models do seem to be a bit of a mix. But its too much of a generalisation to say all Mex Fenders are lesser quality. If you can find one with a good neck, you can upgrade pickups and electronics and have a great bass for a lot less than the US models.

Edited by simon1964
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Bidd' post='53245' date='Aug 31 2007, 11:44 AM']Cheers for the quick advice everyone

I don't know much so what is BadAss, a type of pickup or bridge?

Also I always wondered on this site what MIM meant, cheers for the info. I did hear good things about the Jaguar and really want to try one out.

About buying second hand, I was a bit put off by the idea as I have a feeling that a brand new bass would be so much better (I don't know why). I have been looking on the For Sale section on here and will continue doing so. Also I may venture on ebay but I've heard from here that things tend to go pear shaped.

I was also looking on GAK.co.uk cos they seem pretty cheap (obviously P+P has to be accounted), and has anyone dealt with them and what do you think?[/quote]

A Badass is a commonly fitted replacement bridge. It is much heavier and more solid than the standard Fender bridge and (arguably) improves sustain and tone. A few Fender signature models have them fitted as standard, eg the Mike Dirnt and Marcus Miller models.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Generally all things considered, Jap ones are much much better on average than the mex one's, QC seems much tighter and build quality much more consistant.

I'd generally look for Jap models, especially as you can get them for the same price or just a bit more for highstreet mex prices.


My Jap Aerodyne is a great bass, but equally, my Squire VMJ jazz (being a top of the line squire) is also a top bass even though it's a korean.


USA's are of course the defacto "best", but I'd be more inclined to shop around and get a [i]good[/i] one before splashing out that much money on one. I was left a bit unimpressed with the one I picked up in Soundcontrol this week (mainly as it was factory set up, so you could fit a bus under the strings near the bottom of the neck), still didn't sound fantasic though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...