Fender Jazz Bass (Mexican)

I received my 1998 lefty fender mexican jazz in midnite blue as a gift from my wife in 2000. Over the years i have played everything from a Tobias (gibson type and it sucked)..to an American hot-rod P-bass in sunburst...and even a 1973 Rickenbacker 4001 --lefty and that was a HARD piece of gear to find.....anyway..on the mexican here's what i did....added: strap-locks--A Leo Quan Badass Bass II Bridge..new aftermarket crushed pearl pickguard..black volume and tone knobs...EMG Active Jazz Pickups in bridge and neck positions powered by a 9V battery ..i also installed an EMG BXR (i believe) tone circuit in place of the standard passive tone..WOW!!! the best way to describe this instrument...A TRUE jazz bass ..think Rush Moving Pictures tone..growly and thick with a nice jazz bark when you dig in. I am a finger style player.using a pick rarely and only for short parts of songs...the bass tone circuit from EMG is incredible ..it scoops the mids and boosts bass and treble in the "sweet" spots...i am just astounded by how these hardware and electronic changes COMPLETELEY altered and improved the tone of the instrument...i have played american jazz basses that have suffered from anemic tone..it is an amalgamation of many factors...the choice and quality / age of the body and neck woods...the disposition of the tech building the thing..even innocuous things such as relative humidity during finishing to final setup to how the bass is cared for and treated throughout it's life ALL play a major role..you can get a squier jazz that is totally awesome as easily as you can get a highway one or american standard that sounds"ok"..play the instrument in your style ..in your tuning..and preferably with the same type of amplification..get a real idea of how it is going to sound and don't be afraid to ask them for a refund or exchange if it doesn't live up to expectations in the real world...i am a MONSTER fender fan (except their amps) sorry Ampeg has the market cornered on that...but Leo got it right he got it right in '51 with the "P" and then hit it out of the park in 1960 with the "J"...well, that's my opinion..and if you want a change of taste..try a Music man or G & L both inventions of the master Leo Fender himself... aesthetically not my favorites but their tones are nearly as good as the original

"real" electric basses FENDER Precision and FENDER Jazz also remember that a "fender" will always have better resale / trade-in value than some brand X ..not that you would want to get rid of it anyway..happy playing

If i was writing this review 7 years ago when i got my standard jazz bass the rating would be much higher. I agree with all the posative reviews on the page with regard to sound quality e.t.c and when i got mine it was a realy good value for money option at £360 new. However having just picked up a highway one jazz bass witch is only £100 more expsensive than the standard bass, it makes no sence to me to get a mexican made instrument for £580 when for £680 you get an american build instrument with a great sound and a badass II bridge out of the box. I dont want to give my standard bass a bad review because it has served me very well and i love it to bits, but at its current price point it just isnt worth it.

I bought this bass in 2008 when I was 15... since then, it's followed me all over the place for gigs, it's got a very warm souund, and looks fantastic.

Unlike the Mexican P-Bass, which I consider to be rubbish, the Jazz actually does stand up to it's American versoin, I can't notice much difference in sound; the Mexican version is much heavier, however. The sound is very bright, and it is very versatile... there is also a great deal of difference between the two volume controllers, one being very dull and low, and another being very trebely and bright... I use a mix of both, with the lower sound being more prominent, and the one with more trebel about half as loud for a great sound.

My other main bass is an Epiphone Ripper, which is a very large bass indeed... this bass is like a breath of fresh air after playing the Ripper... the neck is very slim and comfortable, and the pickups are in a good position; although they can become uncomfortable when played for a long period of time, as they are so thin.

Still learning my chops for over a year now (lefty) on a used Peavey Millenium 4 BXP that is essentially a Jazz-style bass and a joy to play, but sought a Fender J-Bass that provided a thicker, fuller sound. Found a used 2009 left-handed Mexican J-Bass with a front pick-up upgrade at a local Guitar Center priced for clearance ($300). Tuned it, played a few lines on it & found the sound I sought. Bought it along with a new set of Elixir strings, strap & strap locks (twice as heavy as the Millenium). The tone range (from crisp to muddy) is not as broad as I expected, but the full sound is there & the fretboard is slightly wider than the Millenium, which makes it easier to hit the notes.

Ive played fender since 1962, and the new bass guitar's from mexico have that feel, the neck's could be put togeather with a little more care, I am talking about the fret work. After you get a few of the bug's worked out youve got a life long friend. rock on my friend.

I have been playing bass for 35 yrs and have a 72 P bass. I wanted to try a jazz bass so while looking and trying fender american jazz bass I came apond a mexican jazz bass. It really felt good playing it and I really could not tell a differance between the american jazz an the mexican jazz sound wise. This bass is 12 yrs old and had the same hardware as an american jazz bass. It is a very clean sound and not at all like my 72 P Bass which has that old school sound. I am very happy with this bass and owning a vintage P Bass really doesn't want me to go out and spend huge money on a vintage Jazz Bass just to claim I own an american bass.

This is a 2004 stock mexican jazz w/Bill Lawrence Noisless pickup upgrade and Rotosound flats. I also own 2 american precision basses and a jap jazz and a Jaguar bass.My mexican jazz is my second choice after my 78 p bass when playing. I have played the mexican on different amps and i am happy with the sound. i have owned 2 american jazz basses a 73 and an 82. I have no problem with the way the mexican sounds and would recommend a pickup upgrade and action tweak to anyone thinking of buying a mexican.paid 200 in pawn shop + 200 upgrade, i am not complaining at all.

Robust sound. Fretboard is narrow enough for small hands. Fender Jazz Bass is Very easy to play different styles (slap, pop, even hammer on/off).

Played bass for 35 years. Owned many. Played many.

The Made-In-Mexico Jazz Bass is as good or better as any Jazz Bass that came from Fender in the 1970's. Probably only the pickups will need to be changed, but not critical.

I bought mine for $225 new and am quite happy. It pays to shop around and check out a few. Some will need to be setup, others are good to go right off the rack.

This is the best bass for me and was a great value. This one is a gem.

The Fender Jazz Bass is a good playing and sounding bass, if you bring the neck down it is an easy playing bass.