I must confess that I have always had a Fender type bass in my arsenal.
Whether it was my 80’s jazz bass special or my customised Squire 4 string, fitted with a badass bridge, Emg preamp & pickups.
I’m also fortunate to be the owner of a Jazz V deluxe & an Elite V too.
There has been an upgrade path over the years, namely the improved pickups, the aforementioned musicman styled truss rod adjuster at the bottom of the neck, plus a little lighter in weight compared to my Deluxe.
I been looking into the Ultra II model & although I was disappointed to see that they’ve reverted back to the method of positioning of how you adjust truss rod, I do like the new high mass bridge, especially as it now gives the option to string through the body, or bridge. The S1 active \ passive switching has been brought back in, for those who remember the mid nineties series of Fenders & the new mid boost frequency between 325hz or 750hz is another new thing. Along with the
luminay side dots & tusq nut. So slight additions have been made.
I’m guessing just like any type of manufacturing, raw materials & labour charges are ever increasing