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Jazz Bass 'Cumbersome' and 'A Blast From The Past'


bremen
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"[The Jazz] bass is a bit of a beast, generally much larger and heavier than the modern day designs it harks back to a time when men were men but is therefore quite cumbersome for a petite and portly curvaceous being such as I, and my first thought was how much more diminutive and ergonomic today’s bass guitars are."

[url="http://www.nevadamusic.co.uk/Bass_Guitars/Bass_Guitars/Bass_Guitars/p6061.aspx"]http://www.nevadamusic.co.uk/Bass_Guitars/...tars/p6061.aspx[/url]

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You what?

I mean yes, compared to some designs like some of the Yamahas and Ibbys the Jazz is a bit chunky, but overall "Whut?" is all I can say there.

Herculean neck?

Mine isn't! Infact it's pretty damn slim! And it's not long or anything, usual 34" scale.

Perhaps 'Gig Stig' plays that smaller overstrung bass. You know, a guitar.

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[quote name='Dr.Dave' post='410948' date='Feb 16 2009, 12:20 PM']Maybe we just read it differently.[/quote]

Maybe.

I just wondered where he'd been the last few years when he wrote:

'Well, here’s a blast from the past – I haven’t seen this type of 1970’s style bass for many years and back in the 70’s they were usually accompanied by a pair of wicked side burns, a pair of ludicrously wide Birmingham bags (trousers to those who weren’t around back then) and completed by some 4 inch platform shoes that caused the owner to totter around like Frankenstein.'

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[quote]...soft maple wood finish...particular emphasis on the low mid-range spectrum.[/quote]Hmm, thats not maple is it? I thought they didn't use maple for bodies. If they did, it would hardly be called soft. And it would certainly not give emphasis on the low-mid range tones.
And of course the jazz is famous for the narrow neck and close string spacing at the nut. D'oh.

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[quote name='Al Heeley' post='411012' date='Feb 16 2009, 01:06 PM']Hmm, thats not maple is it? I thought they didn't use maple for bodies. If they did, it would hardly be called soft. And it would certainly not give emphasis on the low-mid range tones.
And of course the jazz is famous for the narrow neck and close string spacing at the nut. D'oh.[/quote]
They are maple bodied strangely enough.

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[quote name='bremen' post='411000' date='Feb 16 2009, 12:59 PM']Maybe.

I just wondered where he'd been the last few years when he wrote:

'Well, here’s a blast from the past – I haven’t seen this type of 1970’s style bass for many years and back in the 70’s they were usually accompanied by a pair of wicked side burns, a pair of ludicrously wide Birmingham bags (trousers to those who weren’t around back then) and completed by some 4 inch platform shoes that caused the owner to totter around like Frankenstein.'[/quote]

I've always had a soft spot for Jazz basses and probably because the first ones I saw were big , cumbersome looking things with block markers played by blokes on telly wearing platforms , flappy trousers and big sideburns.

I think he's just making the point that this Jazz is styled on the Jazz of a particular era in a reasonably light hearted way in order to flog a few to those who might like a 70s retro vibe - which I presume is his job.

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I realised a few months ago that, of the couple of students I teach, most of the "bad posture" points go to owners of smaller, more "ergonomic" basses? Those with more traditional P and J basses actually have to work that bit harder and seem to get in better habits quicker!

Now, I'm not a "fender was right" believer in general - neck heavy basses are a pain, so are over-heavy ones.....I like headless...but I was surprised by my own observation.

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[quote name='Dr.Dave' post='411036' date='Feb 16 2009, 01:24 PM']I think he's just making the point that this Jazz is styled on the Jazz of a particular era in a reasonably light hearted way in order to flog a few to those who might like a 70s retro vibe - which I presume is his job.[/quote]

Fair enough. I've never seen Jazz basses as 70s retro though, no more associated with the 70s than any other decade between 60s and 00s.

Hope I haven't started yet another interminable Fender vs Warwick thread!

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Heh, Nevada music.

I find that quote quite amusing seeing the range of basses they have in stock last time I went, seeing as (as per usual) roughly 75% of the stock were Fenders or Squiers of some description. I'm tempted to nip in to see if the situation has changed.

Poncy Southerners.

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[quote name='RayFW' post='411024' date='Feb 16 2009, 01:13 PM']They are maple bodied strangely enough.[/quote]
Quite so.. [url="http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0326702521"]http://www.squierguitars.com/products/sear...rtno=0326702521[/url]
It looks nothing like any maple I ever saw, at least in the picture. I wonder if 'Soft Maple' is anything like 'Chinese Ebony' which looks and sounds rather like Rosewood on any guitars I've seen claiming to be made of such wood?
The fretless version says Agathis body.

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I like this quote -"This bass model has been praised by many of today’s leading bassists and has therefore become resurgent in its quest to re-establish itself within a highly competitive market". To re-establish itself? when was it "unestablished"?! Im pretty sure that the jazz bass remians the most popular type of bass to date.

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It's the 'Herculean neck' thing that tickles me. If he thinks a Jazz neck is chunky, just how slim does he like them?? ;)

[quote name='Buzz (from Near Coventry/Or in Pompey)' post='411364' date='Feb 16 2009, 07:07 PM']Poncy Southerners.[/quote]
Gittish part Midlander/Southerners :P

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'Soft Maple' refers to certain species of Maple that don't happen to be as hard as 'Rock Maple', which is usually found on guitar necks etc. It will still give you brain damage if you were hit around the head with the aforementioned J bass.

I had a Jazz just like the one in the picture (it was my first bass), but it sported a 'parana pine' body, which was quite a rarity for a cheapo copy at the time 'cos most cheapo copies were plywood bodied. Cost me fifty quid including a case. It looked well cool with the block inlays - like I'd actually paid big bucks for it.

I had a Tokai lined fretless Jazz after that and a 62(?) Fender Japan J. They were all pretty good sounding but I never got on with the shape - they all seemed too big and I don't understand why so many people put up with them now when they can get just as varied a tone but with less bulk.

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[quote name='henry norton' post='411458' date='Feb 16 2009, 08:23 PM']'Soft Maple' refers to certain species of Maple that don't happen to be as hard as 'Rock Maple', which is usually found on guitar necks etc. It will still give you brain damage if you were hit around the head with the aforementioned J bass.[/quote]
Thanks for that Henry; always good to learn new things. I've dug around a little now and found a useful info site on hardwoods:
[url="http://www.hardwoodinfo.com/species_guide/display_species.asp?species=softmaple"]http://www.hardwoodinfo.com/species_guide/...ecies=softmaple[/url]
which confirms Soft Maple to even be an Acer.
Trouble is , now I want a go on one! ;)

I rather like Jazz basses. I find them somehow more of an interesting icon then the Strat. No idea why. Maybe I was just born to love bass!

HUGH

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[quote]Well, here’s a blast from the past – I haven’t seen this type of 1970’s style bass for many years and back in the 70’s they were usually accompanied by a pair of wicked side burns, a pair of ludicrously wide Birmingham bags (trousers to those who weren’t around back then) and completed by some 4 inch platform shoes that caused the owner to totter around like Frankenstein.[/quote]

Christ, what kind of spanners run this store? I think a chimp could have given me a more accurate and detailed description, with about half the bulls**t. There's generally a reason why I don't value the views of such shortsightedness -_-

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LOL! He's obviously never played an ash bodied Yamaha TRB-6 II for a couple of hours straight through!

Yes, the jazz is a big bodied bass, but that's all part of the appeal. A good jazz sounds like nothing else! As for the necks being "Herculean", I think the writer is confused with the baseball bat style Precision necks of old.

Edited by OutToPlayJazz
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