The satin-urethane finish on the back of the neck equates to lightning fast play, and embedded in the comfy neck are two “Posiflex” graphite rods for reinforcement to combat environmental fluctuations. On PremierGuitar.com, "Sponsored Content" refers to articles, videos, or audio recordings that are produced or curated by an advertiser but that, Skin-Melting Bass Grind via Mini-Format Monster, If This Stomp Doesn’t Get Your Booty Shaking, You're Probably Dead, Fender American Professional Stratocaster Review, Fender American Elite Precision Bass Review, Fender Announces the American Performer Series and the Flea Jazz Bass Active, Fender American Standard Jaguar Bass Review, 1. It will quickly tempt you to break the rules (Remember that one about less is more? Clip 1 - Bridge and neck pickups dimed. With this setup, I was able to really hear this bass do what it does, and it only reinforced what I heard through the Eden combo’s speakers: fantastic sounds that sang with purpose. How do you better a rock-solid design with such worldwide acclaim and still show enough restraint to maintain historic integrity by not trying to reinvent the wheel? So, simply said, this bass has remarkable playability. Flying with an instrument is always a spin of the wheel, but I would have no problem trusting this solid, molded case if my usual flight case was not available. This article was originally published in issue #43, To read the article in its entirety, view the digital magazine, Our website uses Cookies - by using this site or closing this message you’re agreeing to our Terms & Conditions, Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy. So I’m guessing that working in the R&D department at Fender must be a challenging endeavor as time passes and technology improves. Steve Cook started as a touring bass player when printed maps were the only way to get there. The fluted-shaft tuners aren’t something I would normally think too much about. It’s kind of hard to beat that simplicity. */, Copyright ©2020. Pros: Hooked: Kenny Wayne Shepherd on Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", 4. It’s super comfortable to play and the rosewood fretboard bears 21 perfectly installed medium jumbo frets. Regarding the neck itself, the finish is satin and smooth around the back and there’s a very cool glossy urethane finish on the front of the headstock that makes it shine under stage lights. Inside, Fender supply a nice stash of case candy including a lead, tools and a leather strap. To get a taste for its amplified sounds, I plugged the Jazz into an Eden CXC210 combo, set the amp’s EQ flat, and dimed the tone knob and both volume knobs on the bass. I spent some time playing the bass unplugged at first, and the modern feel to this Jazz was immediately apparent. Brand-new from Fender USA we have the rather superb American Elite Jazz Bass, soon to be covered in my paw prints! The American Elite Precision 4-String is one that will work hard for you everyday and will not […] fender.com. His extensive studio and touring credits run the gamut from rock to jazz to country. The finish is a gloss polyurethane coating which is hard wearing and good for the road. The slim, C-shaped maple neck is super thin, which will help bolster its appeal to both younger players and those who appreciate the conservation of motion. Jazz Hands I can tell you I played the bass for a very long time and touch-up tuning was minimum, so maybe they are onto something here. This page contains information, pictures, videos, user generated reviews, automatically generated review and videos about Fender American Elite Jazz Bass but we do not warrant the quality, accuracy or completeness of any information on our web site. Say hello to the American Professional Jazz bass, one of several popular body designs introduced in a line of instruments to replace Fender’s American Standard Series. The price tag will be pushing the high side for many, but if you only buy one bass every 50 years, well, maybe this one could be it. Fender American Professional Jazz Bass I'd like to bring it down slightly for more of a brisk playing style. It is difficult to say how all these different parts compare individually to older-model counterparts, but when working in tandem with each other like they do on the American Professional Jazz, this component set impressed. Generally, the dimed setting on a Jazz bass is a bit too snappy for my liking, so I rolled the tone back to about 75 percent, which allowed the bass to retain character and give me the articulation I like. Clip 2 - Neck pickup soloed and dimed. The models all feature a maple neck that has a “compound” back shape that is described as a “modern C to D” carve. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. Tone dial at 75 percent. I can’t help but think that the bass would sound even better if it made better contact with the neck. Bass designs have advanced a lot in recent years and this does carry a bit of a premium price tag. Outfitting the bass with a bone nut is something I like because, to me, bone provides a better overall tone than plastic or graphite options. For electronics, the American Professional Jazz is outfitted with a pair of V-Mod Jazz bass pickups—a clever single-coil design from longtime Fender builder Michael Bump that utilizes a blend of alnico 2 magnets (on the bass side) and alnico 5 magnets (on the treble side). Simply a fine instrument overall. PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo: The PG Review, 3.