Fender Standard Jazz Bass Review

9.7

For the price, I wouldn’t think twice about telling anyone I know to feel comfortable buying this bass.  It’s affordable enough to take on the road and not lose sleep over where and tear unlike the Fodera’s of the world.  It’s solid as a rock and can take some abuse. It has great action, tone and feel and it’s appropriate for any level player.

$349.99
Last Amazon price update was: March 25, 2024 9:14 pm
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On the search for the best bass guitars, I looked long and hard to find the Fender Standard Jazz Bass that wasn’t jacked up in price.  Seems like it should have been an easier task, but when you are looking for the best guitars or specifically a Fender Jazz Bass, there are so many options.  Many of the classic ones costing thousands of dollars. Many are very well worth it. However, the Fender Standard Jazz Bass is the most affordable way to get a professional level instrument that has the look, sound and feel that you would expect out of a bass guitar that costs several thousands of dollars.

FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

Does it come ready to play?

This bass comes prestrung in the factory box.  With the exception of needing to tune the bass, this instrument comes ready to play!

Does the bass include a case or bag?

It does not specify that it comes with a gig bag, though I do know a couple people that received them and didn’t know they were gonna get them.  

For a beginner it’s nice to save money if you are not sure if you are sticking with an instrument, and for that i’d say the squire model is similar enough and cheap enough to go in that direction.  However, if you think there is a chance you will be sticking with the instrument for a long time and you want something that you can grow with and not feel holds you back as you get better, i would urge you to strongly consider this bass.  It is not that much more expensive than the squire and if you played both back to back in a music store, you can feel the difference in quality without having to know much about the instrument. While there are high end basses that I would suggest over this for professionals, I would say even a professional could stand to own this bass to travel with and practice with.  It’s a great instrument.


 

9.7 Expert Score

Fender Standard Jazz Bass

I bought my 1995 Fender Jazz American Standard in Tulsa OK in 1995.  I remember it like it was yesterday – it called to me from where it hung on the wall like Excalibur calling to Arthur.  I sat in the store and played it for an hour without ever plugging it in – the tone of it was loud & full even unamplified.  And the wood under my fingers, the roundness and depth of the neck as I gripped it – everything about it just felt like a match.  Since that day 25 years ago I have played this bass at every live show, and every recording session, never once feeling the need to play something else.  It can sound like almost any style or era, depending on how and where it’s touched.  It is nothing short of magic perfection.

 

In those 25 years it has been dropped, kicked, fallen off of guitar stands & tables, fallen out of vans and trailers, sat in the direct sun, had drinks spilled on it, been tossed 10 feet by baggage handlers, gone to 35,000 ft and back a thousand times at least, all without so much as going out of tune.  The last time it needed maintenance was in 2002 when it received a fret job.  In the meantime it has done over 200 shows a year.  I’d say that’s pretty dang durable.  

 

When I pick it up, a part of me revels in the tradition of J-bass players that I admire – John Paul Jones, Aston “Family Man” Barrett, Billy Cox, & Jaco Pastorius, to name just a few.

Sound
10
Price
9.4
Look
9.8
PROS
  • Action is amazing
  • Reduced hum with shielded body cavities
  • Comfortable neck
  • Great tone
CONS
  • Some people don’t like that it’s mexican and not the american model