[Paul J. is a dork]

I just bought a new bass not too long ago--a Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Bass. It is smooth. I was just wondering if anyone else has anything to say about this type of bass. I am still discovering the amazing qualities that it has. Peace kids.

[Jzak]

I have never been a Fender guitar/bass fan. I have found that their necks are too fat and action too high for my liking. But that’s just my opinion, and many of my friends play them. I started playing guitar on a Gibson, which had a flatter, wider neck. My current bass is a Peavy Ciruss V, which has a wide thin neck.

I do like the new Fender bass amps. I just purchased a Bassman 60 as a stage monitor amp and I love the sound from it.

[Brent]

Action on any bass or guitar has nothing to do with the brand...where it's set when it comes from the factory *can* be a brand thing, but that's completely adjustable, so not really anything to like or dislike. A Fender jazz will most likely be my next purchase, too. As for wheter or not is a 4 or 5 and active or passive I don't know yet, but that's what I've had my eye on lately. I've heard many good things about the Peavey Cirrus V on the alt.guitar.bass newsgroup, but have yet to play one. Right now I've got an Ibanez GSR200 that I really like, although the pickups are starting to show their cheapness IMO. I like the Ibanez necks...nice and thin and easy to play. As for the Fender amps...I played a few a couple months ago and didn't really care for them...but then again, I played Ampegs and SWR's that same visit, so that's like comparing apples to oranges if you ask most bass players I've met. I just got the new VOX T25 bass amp not long ago mainly for practice and maybe to mic it, but this thing's sweet. Only 25 watts to a 12 in. speaker, but it's so loud. At home I play it at 3 or below or else the parents get mad and when playing along with an electric and an acoustic I keep it around 5 or lower and it's plenty loud. Oh yeah, it's only $200 bucks new from Musician's Friend, too. Anywhoo, that's all I got for now. Later

Brent

[Jzak]

Brent,

I disagree with you on the action. I’ve seen many basses where the bridge setting is as low as it goes, and you can’t lower the neck action any further without back-bending the neck (buzzzzz 1st fret). On mid or higher cost basses this is typically not a problem.

If you test drive the Peavey Cirrus, make sure they have all the different wood versions for you to hear. The different combinations of woods they use make a big difference in the sound, and you need to try them all side be side.

Also, if you’re used to playing a four string, it might take some time adjusting to the extra string. String spacing is tighter, and the addition of the lower B might screw you up. (I did for me!) I was use to setting my neck position and licks from the low E string, so by instinct I kept coming in on the wrong string!

As for amps, I need a practice amp and wanted something smaller for stage monitoring. I was using a Traynor 150W with 2-15” cabinet. I liked the idea of a tilt back monitor amp, with a feed to the main sound system. The only two I found were the Fender and the Ampeq BA115. When I compared them side by side, the Fender won. The Ampeq did not sound very good, which surprised me. (It may have been an over-abused floor model.)

Anyways, these are just my opinions! Oh, one last thing, check a out through-neck basses. They are surprising better than a bolt on!

I nearly bought one of those myself. For the money ($500-600), it is a really nice instrument. Good tone, and the electronics work quite well in that you can dial in a wide range of sound. I did notice that, off-the-shelf, the Fenders did tend to have a higher action than others. However, this can be adjusted to taste.

I also looked at serveral Ibanez's, which I also liked, especially the BTB line with the 35" neck. Then I picked up a Warwick. I bought a Warwick, which is rather expensive, but I liked its sound the best.

Take care,
David.

[SoulBass]

I have to agree with Jzak (I seem to be doing this more and more often). I don't like fenders generally. And for many of the same reasons. I hate fender necks. But, to be fair, it's because I'm used to a totally different kind of neck. I play a Dean Edge 4LH now and it has the slimmest, thinnest neck I've ever found on a bass guitar. It's very fast. And I've never seen a fender with a 24 fret neck... and I really love and use all 24 of the frets on my Dean.

That said, I DO like the Made in Mexico Fender Jazz basses. I know, they are the "cheap, mexican made beginner's bass" of Fender, but I think they sound better than the American made ones. I may get me one sometime soon.

[greenstrat]

I have the 5-string version (I'm actually in the process of buying another one, my beloved bass was abducted by an alleged "brother" in Christ...but that's a whole other topic). I'm really a guitar player, but I loved the feel of the neck. For the price, you can't beat it: a well made Fender Jazz with active eq for way less than a grand. I have heard that the quality of Mexican made Fenders are not consistent, though, so be careful when choosing one. It would be nice to see Fender use a 35" scale for its 5-string basses, but the B-string still sounds pretty good. By the way, if anyone would like to contribute to my Jazz Bass replacement fund, please contact me at...just kidding.