Fender Standard Jazz Bass – Olympic White – Laurel Fingerboard The Fender Standard Jazz Bass is back and poised to take your bass playing higher! A performance- and value-packed instrument for a new generation of players, the Standard Jazz Bass is powered by updated ceramic single-coil pickups to deliver the iconic J Bass tone that rocked the music world when the model was first introduced in 1960. At the time, Fender felt that the instrument, with a thinner neck and greater tonal flexibility than the Precision, would appeal to jazz bassists — and indeed, it did. In addition, it caught the attention of rock, funk, and fusion bass wizards such as Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, Sly and the Family Stone’s Larry Graham, and Weather Report’s Jaco Pastorius, who famously removed the frets from his axe, and in the process created a new instrument category: the fretless Jazz Bass. As different as their music was, these musicians (and countless others) were drawn to the Jazz Bass for its fast, slender neck and the expanded tonal spectrum offered by its two single-coil pickups, which can be blended to taste using the individual volume controls. Impressive tonal versatility While preamp-equipped models of the Jazz Bass with active EQ may offer the ultimate tonal customization, the classic passive Jazz Bass provides a surprisingly broad sonic palette without having to deal with added complexity and dead-battery angst. With both pickups full up and the instrument’s tone pot fully open, the Jazz Bass produces a wide-range, hum-canceling signal with blooming bottom, sparkling highs, and slightly scooped mids. It’s this tonal richness that funk players exploited with the new playing techniques that emerged in the 1970s. On its own, each pickup brings something different to the tone party. While the bridge pickup delivers the aggressive Jazz Bass growl that can easily plow through a thick rock or fusion track, the neck pickup (which is actually positioned in the middle of the body) serves up a warm, rounded tone that can approximate an upright bass, making it ideal for sparser arrangements, ballads, and of course, small-ensemble jazz. Balance, comfort, and speed Radical when it was introduced, the offset waist of the Jazz Bass body moves left-side body mass toward the neck in a way that aligns with the angle at which most bassists hold their instrument when standing. When playing seated, most (right-handed) players rest the guitar on their right thigh, and the offset design, in this case, aligns the rear body contour with your torso, where it belongs. Another significant feature of the Jazz Bass is its neck shape. The nut on a 4-string Jazz Bass neck is 1.5 inches wide, whereas most other 4-strings on the market have a nut width of 1.625 inches or more. This detail makes a world of difference in playing feel, particularly when playing in the low register — the meat and potatoes range. Jazz Bass aficionados here like that the shorter distance between strings in the low register allows for greater dexterity and speed, as they don’t have to stretch as far to reach, say, a low G. This makes the Jazz Bass better suited to players with smaller hands. The Jazz Bass neck profile is also quite rounded, making it comfortable for a variety of fretting techniques, including thumb-over. Whatever your playing predilections, you can’t go wrong with a Fender Jazz Bass! Fender Standard Jazz Bass Features: 4-string electric bass guitar Comfortably contoured poplar body with gloss finish Bolt-on maple neck with Modern C profile and satin finish Maple or Indian laurel fingerboard (depending on body color) 2 Fender Standard ceramic single-coil J Bass pickups Per-pickup Volume controls, master Tone Standard top-load bridge with satin-chrome, steel-barrel saddles Learn more about Fender View more Fender at Marshall Music Why Buy From Marshall Music At Marshall Music, we’re all passionate and highly experienced musicians that love what we do. Family run and family owned for over 35 years, we stock a huge variety of the very best brands in the world of musical instruments, music technology, professional audio and accessories. At Marshall Music, you’ll get the right advice – exactly what you need to make the best possible purchasing decision. We’ll do all we can to make sure you get the right thing at the right price as efficiently as possible – leaving you with a smile on your face!
