Fenders Standard J Bass Returns!

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 Zeppelins John Paul Jones, Sly and the Family Stones Larry Graham, and Weather Reports 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 instruments tone pot fully open, the Jazz Bass produces a wide-range, hum-canceling signal with blooming bottom, sparkling highs, and slightly scooped mids. Its 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.

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

Specs

• Number of Strings: 4
• Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
• Body Shape: Standard Jazz Bass
• Body Material: Poplar
• Body Finish: Gloss Polyurethane
• Color: Olympic White
• Neck Material: Maple
• Neck Shape: Modern C
• Neck Joint: Bolt-on
• Radius: 9.5″
• Fingerboard Material: Indian Laurel
• Fingerboard Inlay: Dots
• Number of Frets: 20, Medium Jumbo
• Scale Length: 34″
• Nut Width: 1.5″
• Nut Material: Micarta
• Bridge/Tailpiece: Standard Top-Load with Satin Chrome Steel Barrel Saddles
• Tuners: Fender Standard Open-Gear
• Middle Pickup: Fender Standard Jazz Single-coil
• Bridge Pickup: Fender Standard Jazz Single-coil
• Controls: 2 x volume, 1 x tone
• Strings: Nickel Plated Steel, .045-.105
• Case/Gig Bag: Sold Separately