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Fender Jazz Bass
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The Jazz Bass (or J Bass) was the second model of electric bass guitar created by Leo Fender. The bass is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange with less emphasis on the fundamental harmonic. Because of this, many bass players who want to be more "forward" in the mix (including smaller bands such as power trios) prefer the Jazz Bass.
t introduced in 1960 as the "Deluxe Model", it was marketed as a stablemate to the Jazzmaster guitar which was also marketed as a "Deluxe Model" in its own right; however, it was renamed the Jazz Bass as Fender felt that its redesigned neck - narrower and more rounded than that of the Precision Bass - would appeal more to jazz musicians.
The Jazz Bass has two single coil pickups with two pole pieces per string.
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The Jazz Bass (or J Bass) was the second model of electric bass guitar created by Leo Fender. The bass is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange with less emphasis on the fundamental harmonic. Because of this, many bass players who want to be more "forward" in the mix (including smaller bands such as power trios) prefer the Jazz Bass.
History
First introduced in 1960 as the "Deluxe Model", it was marketed as a stablemate to the Jazzmaster guitar which was also marketed as a "Deluxe Model" in its own right; however, it was renamed the Jazz Bass as Fender felt that its redesigned neck - narrower and more rounded than that of the Precision Bass - would appeal more to jazz musicians.
The Jazz Bass has two single coil pickups with two pole pieces per string. This gave the bass a stronger midrange sound to compete with the Rickenbacker bass, which had been introduced in 1957 and which was famously "bright." As well as having a slightly different, less symmetrical and more contoured body shape (known in Fender advertising as the "Offset Waist Contour" body), the Jazz Bass neck is noticeably narrower at the nut than that of the Fender Precision Bass. While the Precision Bass was originally styled similarly to the Telecaster guitar (and, after 1957, the Stratocaster), the Jazz Bass' styling was inspired more by the Jazzmaster guitar, with which the Jazz shared its offset body and sculpted edges that differentiate it from other slab-style guitar bodies.
The original intention was to encourage upright-bass players to switch to electric bass guitar. The original Jazz Bass had two stacked knob pots with volume and tone control for each pickup. Original instruments with this stacked configuration are highly valued in today's vintage guitar market. Around 1961 it received three control knobs: two controlling the volume of each pickup and one the overall tone. Despite this new feature, many stack knob models were made until about 1962.
A number of cosmetic changes were made to the instrument when CBS purchased the Fender companies in 1965. During 1965/66 the Jazz Bass received bound rosewood fingerboards with pearloid dot position inlays (which replaced the older "clay"-style of the early '60s) and oval-shaped tuning machines. Block-shaped fingerboard inlays and an optional maple fingerboard were introduced after 1966/67. Fender switched to the 3-bolt neck fixing in the mid-'70s before reverting to the normal 4-bolt neck fixing and dot-shaped fretboard markers in 1983. White pickup covers and a pickguard/control plate were introduced the same year.
Jazz Basses produced between 1989 and 1992 featured a larger body shape, a 'curved' neck plate set into a chamfered pocket for greater sustain and a 22-fret neck, similar to that of a Precision Bass Plus, with a standard vintage-style top-load bridge, two separate volumes and a master TBX tone circuit. Usually known as Boner models, they have been discontinued in 1993 and can't be confused with the Fender Jazz Bass Plus, which has the same 22-fret neck design, but utilizes a different body styling, Lace Sensor pickups, Schaller fine-tuner bridge and Phil Kubicki-designed active electronics.
A fourth push button control is available on American-made Jazz Basses produced between mid-2003 until 2008. Known as the "S-1 Switch", this feature allows the pickups to operate in standard, parallel wiring, or alternatively in series wiring when the switch is depressed. While in series, both pickups function as a single unit with one volume control, giving the Jazz Bass a sound more similar to the Precision Bass. The two pickups are built to be opposite from each other in both magnetic polarity and electrical phase, so that when heard together, hum is cancelled -- the humbucking effect. The Highway One Jazz Bass is a moderately priced American-made bass introduced in 2003, featuring a Leo Quan BadAss II bridge with grooved saddles, Posiflex graphite neck support rods, '70s styling and a Greasebucket tone circuit since 2006.
In 2008, the American Series models were replaced by a new American Standard line which greatly differs from the first-generation American Standard Series basses introduced in 1994. The 2008 American Series now has a rolled edge neck with highly detailed nut and fret work, as well as the familiar rounded body shape with the vintage body radius. The S-1 switching system has been discontinued in favor of new features such as a new high-mass vintage bridge, Hipshot lightweight vintage-style tuning machines, a richer and deeper neck tint, glossed maple or rosewood fingerboard and satin back for smooth playability. The new American Standard Jazz Basses had a thinner finish undercoat that lets the body breathe and improves resonance.
Although the original Jazz Bass is made by Fender, 'boutique' bass manufacturers such as Sadowsky produce bass guitars that incorporate many of the same features and some of the design sensibilities of the Fender Jazz Bass.
Design Features
Some "Deluxe" Jazz Bass models feature an active pre-amp (usually with three bands of equalization) in place of a single passive tone control, these basses have three separate equalizer controls: bass and treble responses are controlled by the base and top of a stacked double pot, while midrange is controlled by a second knob. They came with 22 frets, abalone dot position inlays and an 18-volt power supply on some models. Known as Jazz Bass Deluxe since 1995, they have been renamed American Deluxe Jazz Bass as of 1998.
The American Deluxe Jazz Bass features two Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Jazz Bass pickups, designed by pickup designer Bill Lawrence. Its body has been downsized to accommodate the 22-fret neck with the redesigned 9-hole pickguard differing slightly from the traditional 10-hole design found on a standard Jazz Bass.
Models produced before 2004 were available with special-design Jazz Bass single-coils (designed by John Suhr) featuring a single pole-piece per string (1995-1999) and dual-coil Ceramic Noiseless Jazz Bass pickups (2000-2003). Fretless and 5-string versions are also available.
Other refinements include a strings-through-body/top-load bridge, Posiflex graphite neck support rods, rolled fingerboard edges, highly detailed nut and fret work. Five-string versions are presented with a 4+1 tuner arrangement and two Hipshot string trees since 2002 (from 1995 to 2001 the tuners were arranged in a straight line on one side). An asymmetrical 5-bolt neck plate and a smooth contoured heel that allows much easier access to the upper registers replaced the previous 4-bolt neck fixing found on the American Deluxe models manufactured during the late '90s. Bound fingerboards with pearloid block inlays were added with the introduction of the American Deluxe Jazz Bass FMT & QMT in late 2001, featuring flamed or quilted maple tops and gold-plated hardware. Fender discontinued the FMT and QMT Jazz Bass models in 2007.
The Mexican Deluxe Active Jazz Bass combines many of the features of the American Deluxe models with a traditional Standard Jazz Bass body, vintage-style hardware and a 20-fret rosewood (4-string) or pao ferro (5-string) fingerboard. It also sports a 3-band active circuit powered by two dual-coil ceramic Noiseless Jazz Bass pickups and a 9V supply.
The Custom Classic model is made at the Fender Custom Shop. This Custom Shop Jazz Bass blends an American Deluxe model with a classic 1960's-era vintage re-issue. Features include an oversized select alder or premium ash body, a modern 34"-scale C-shape maple neck with an unbound rosewood, pau ferro or maple fingerboard featuring triangular pearloid block inlays and 21 medium-jumbo frets. Available in 4 and 5-string versions, all Custom Classic Jazz Basses came with a pair of custom-wound dual-coil Noiseless Jazz Bass pickups, a 3-band active preamp, 5-bolt neck plate, 18V power supply and a Deluxe string-through-body/top-load bridge with milled nickel-plated brass saddles. Models manufactured prior to 2003 were identical to the mid-1990s American Deluxe basses in appearance, excepting the 22-fret bound maple neck featuring a rosewood fretboard and white block inlays. Discontinued in 2009.
The Jazz Bass has a bright sound, with more high end than the Precision Bass. This makes it ideal for slap playing as well as finger-style players. This bright sound is due to the fact that there are two pickups at different points in the string's length. The bridge pickup gives a tone with more treble, while the neck pickup will yield a rounder sound. The ability to blend the volume of both pickups allows for a wider variety of tones than the Precision Bass can produce. Pickups are RWRP (reverse wound, reverse polarity) from one another, so all hum will be canceled when both pickups are at full volume.
Having both pickups at full volume produces the classic scooped, out of phase "growling" sound which many players, -such as Marcus Miller and Will Lee use for slap bass playing. This sound is the product of certain frequencies from both pickups being out of phase and cancelling each other, leaving a "scoop" on the midrange. This is similar to what happens on some guitars when you blend the sounds from 2 different pickups, such as the Fender Stratocaster. Perhaps this is why in recent years it has become quite popular to add a midrange boost on Jazz Bass-type instruments.
Notable Jazz Bass players
24-Fret Jazz Bass
In July 2005, Fender introduced its first 24-fret bass since the Fender Performer Bass, the Fender Jazz Bass 24 . The Jazz Bass 24 features a sleek alder body, a 34”-scale length, modern “C” shaped maple neck with a 2-octave rosewood fingerboard, abalone dot inlays, 24 medium-jumbo frets, Hipshot licensed tuners, Fender/Gotoh High Mass top-loading bridge, two custom-wound Basslines pickups, a passive/active push/pull volume knob and a 3-band active EQ with a "slap" mid-scoop switch. It is currently available in the Fender pricelist as part of the Deluxe Series line, with Cherry Sunburst (discontinued as of 2007) and Tobacco Sunburst finishes over a quilted maple top and chrome-plated hardware. The 5-string version has been introduced in 2007.
As of 2008, Fender offers both the 4 and 5-string versions of the 24-fret Jazz Bass in a stealthy Flat Black finish, with matching headstocks and hardware.
Fender Jaguar Bass
In 2005, Fender introduced the Fender Jaguar Bass, as of 2008 available in Hot Rod Red, Olympic White, Sunburst and Black finishes, with a 3-ply white or tortoise pickguard. This is a variation on the traditional Jazz Bass design - differences being that it has only one master volume and tone, but additional on/off switches for pickup selection, series/parallel switching, and a 2-band active preamp with bypass switch.
The Jaguar bass retains the slim Jazz neck, bi-pole pickups, Jazzmaster/Jaguar body design and the trademark Jazz Bass growl.
As of 2008, the Jaguar bass guitar comes in Olympic White and 3-Colour Sunburst finishes, together with a 4-ply brown tortoise shell pickguard. These colours were previously available only for the Japanese domestic market.
See also
Literature
- Peter Bertges: The Fender Reference; Bomots, Saarbrücken 2007, ISBN 978-3-939316-38-1
External links
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