Rediscovered my Fender Jazz the other night

I recently posted how I have been converted to a true believer in active 5-string basses (my Modulus Quantum, to be specific). However, I played my Fender 60's reissue (MIJ) bass the other night and really enjoyed it! Hadn't touched it for a while. It felt and sounded outstanding. No pics, but it's Candy Apple Red with those nice shiny bridge and pickup covers. My Fenders aren't going anywhere! My faith is restored in those classic basses. Just thought I'd testify!

While I've never owned an active bass or five string, and probably never will, I too have rediscovered my 68 Jazz bass. It currently resides near my desk in the office along with my paisley Tele guitar. The Jazz sat in it's case for a long time in favor of my 62 P and my MIM p that until leaving my last band was my stage bass. That Jazz bass just feels and sounds magical to me now. She's black with matching headstock and the covers are on.
I feel ya brother!

sometimes you've gotta put them away to rediscover their magic. i do it all the time, i did play my ricky for over a year, then pulled it out before i was going to sell it... i had to ask myself what the hell my problem with that guitar was.

I play in varied enough environments where no bass, other than maybe a backup ever sits for very long. If it does, it probably doesn't need to be here anyway ... Guitars it's different for me. I can go months without touching an acoustic. I'm down to one and wondering why it's here ... I haven't touched my 335 (clone) in a year but that one is a keeper none the less. Should I ever have a jazz date, that one and a Godin Multiac ACS would be my carry ...

Or something like that.
I've been using my '71 Jazz, strung with TI flats (easy to play and just sounds sooo nice...), for home practice for a few months now. I recently took my ebmm Sterling out - and now I'm in love with the sound of the active electronics again.
I think it's maybe a matter of a different tone, rather than just one that seems "right" at the time.
Maybe we're all "polytonamous".

The Fenders have a certain mojo that feels like home. There nice to come back to after wandering away for a bit.

One thing I've noticed while playing the 5 string lately. It has a real flat fingerboard. i think the radius is about a quarter miles or so ... the radius on my Fenders is just enough that while singing, I can glance down and kinda check on where I'm at - On the 5 it's really hard to tell so I occaisionally end up a 4th up or 5th down inadvertantly then have to scramble back into position while remembering to sing and ... well it feels real awkward... I'm hanging onto this Lakland but if I were doing it again I think I would look for a 5 with a more traditionally radiused fingerboard. Hopefuly I will adjust to the 5 and to singing lead enough where I won't feel the need to check...

and yeah, vive la difference! in my best Maurice Chevalier impression ...(leetle gurls...) each one of my basses inspires me in one way or another. It isn't that I can't do the same thing on each, it's that when I'm playing them if I let the personality of the instrument shine through - I get a subtle difference in the way I approach the line. The monster funamental that the piezo bass has is a case in point. I just want to hammer the 1 with it and ease up a bit. In spite of it's extreme playability, I'm really inspired toward half note, BIG note lines with it. Same tune, my P and maybe it's a more swingin' country walk that feels right. The FenderBender's never do it the same way twice - unless I'm singing in which case they understand I need all the help I can get :mrgreen: nice to have an adaptable group of guys for a change. It does tend to keep us a little more on edge too ... Most of the bands I've been with would have gone nutz at this approach... What the heck, if people dance and tip the bar tenders - it's all good.

One thing I've noticed while playing the 5 string lately. It has a real flat fingerboard. i think the radius is about a quarter miles or so ... the radius on my Fenders is just enough that while singing, I can glance down and kinda check on where I'm at - On the 5 it's really hard to tell so I occaisionally end up a 4th up or 5th down inadvertantly then have to scramble back into position while remembering to sing and ... well it feels real awkward... I'm hanging onto this Lakland but if I were doing it again I think I would look for a 5 with a more traditionally radiused fingerboard. Hopefuly I will adjust to the 5 and to singing lead enough where I won't feel the need to check...

Dang . . . other than the word "Lakland," I could have written this. I just wrote a very, very similar statement (in another forum . . . sorry). My 5 has a 16 inch radius, and my Jazz has a 9 1/2 inch radius - night and day difference! Singing is easy with the Jazz, but can't utter a sound on the 5.

I rarely have to look at my fretboard on my Jazz, but on the 5 . . . I have to constantly look . . . it's not the B string addition, that came easy to me! It's the flat radius!

Doesn't your Lakland have a 10 inch or a compound 10-13 radius? If yours is that flat, I may change my mind about a Lakland 5 . . . was thinking about a 55-02 or Joe Osborn!

Maybe I'll test drive a Fender MIA Jazz or P 5 string instead.

Maybe I'll test drive a Fender MIA Jazz or P 5 string instead.

+1

Lakland 5's are nice basses but the 35" scale has always been awkward to me for the above mentioned reasons. The 34" scale is my preference in a five stringer, though many players really dig 35's.

BTW, the B string on my '08 American Standard Jazz V has as much volume as a Lakland 5'ers B, with a tad less tautness in it's tone of course, which I dig. Lakland 5 necks are a flatter radius compared to Fender 5 necks, which are a bit beefier.