The Search for a New Bass - Part I

I need a new bass guitar. I've been playing a Dean Edge 09 for a few years now and it's time for an upgrade. Honestly, that bass is amazing for $99. I paid $120 and it is still a good deal at that price. It has a playable neck, it stays in tune really well, the action is decent, and it's super cheap. In fact, I think it would be hard to find a better starter bass at that price. I highly recommend it.

However, I have had my eye on Fender Jazz Basses for awhile now. Lots of bass players I admire play(ed) a Fender Jazz: Jaco Pastorious, Jannick Top, Marcus Miller, Victor Bailey, Larry Graham, and others. I love the character of the Jazz Bass, especially that bridge pickup. It has this biting sound that I love. Of course, an American-made Fender Jazz Bass is WAY out of my price range at this stage, so I've been looking into how I can get into a Fender Jazz Bass without having to save money for ten years.

My search began with my wife making me a jazz-bass birthday cake for my 30th birthday. It was awesome.





A few weeks ago, I went to Guitar Center to check out their line of Jazz Basses. Now, I'm no bass expert. I was just looking for the differences between the different types in terms of how they feel in my hands, the sound of the pickups, and very importantly--the neck. I want a thin neck. The neck on my Dean bass is narrow and thin, and that's what I'd like to stick with for my new bass.

I had the sales guy hand me a Standard Fender Jazz Bass (MIM or Made in Mexico), an American Deluxe (with active pickups), a Geddy Lee signature model, and a Squier Classic Vibe (checking out the cheap end of things). The American Deluxe was nice. Lots of tone options. The tone was pretty sweet. I was not a huge fan of the neck. It was thicker (not wider) than I expected. And it was MUCH thicker than the Geddy Lee, which had a razor-neck. I'm talking guitar-neck thin. The Geddy Lee was actually my favorite. The neck was fast and thin; the tone was nice; and it's $850 brand-new. The Squier was pretty lame, with sub-par pickups and a neck I didn't like much. It was no worse, in my opinion, than the Fender Standard, which I pretty much hated. It felt unplayable to me, mostly because of the neck--and the action, at least on that bass in the store, was pretty much garbage.

So I walked away from Guitar Center feeling really good about the Geddy Lee bass, but also thinking, "I'll be saving up for literally years to be able to afford this thing on my budget." Then, I came across the Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass. It's $280 at most places, which is a straight up steal if this bass is any good. And it is!

I read about 25 reviews on the instrument, generally saying that this thing is worth way more than they're charging for it. It has Duncan-designed pickups, a nice neck, decent action, and a great sound. Now, I don't like wasting my money. So I wanted to be sure this is a bass I'm going to really enjoy and want to play--so much so that I won't want to go back to my Dean--otherwise it's not worth buying in my opinion. Reviews were generally really great. In fact, I don't think I read a bad review of the bass. Then I watched every YouTube video I could find with someone playing this bass. I even found a video comparing the Squier to the Marcus Miller Jazz Bass. The Marcus Miller bass sounds nicer, but the difference is really subtle. And for around $1,000 LESS, the Squier wins for me at this stage of my life!

Then I went to a local music store (because the local Guitar Center did not have one) to go try it out. I LOVED it. It was so much nicer to play than the Fender Standard Jazz, and even though I still like the feel and sound of the Geddy Lee better, the Squier is over $500 cheaper than the Geddy Lee, so I can actually buy it. I don't have the money to buy it yet, but I'm saving. At this point, I'm pretty sure that's the bass I want. Now I just have to be patient.