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Fender 2004 American Deluxe Jazz Bass Reviews  5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsThis bass was purchased at Russo's Guitar Center in Omaha, NE. I knew I wanted the American Deluxe Jazz Bass and was sweating blood while driving to the store and not knowing if the one I had in mind would be in stock. But lo and behold there it was, hanging on the wall in all its glory and calling my name. Regular price was $1,588.00 but got it for $999.00 due to the dealer having to make room for new stock. It's all in the timing, people! ;)
Made in U.S.A.! Guess that means I'm American. Depending on ones' gender, a Fender bass just feels like a member of the opposite sex in your arms! And those jazz bass contours simply light my fire! The active electronics/pickups and added controls not only give you that sweet, old-fashioned jazz bass sound but also allow you to get just about any tone you want without having to mess with the amp knobs. This is golden if your amp doesn't possess all that many controls.
The headstock is a tad smaller than the jazz basses of yesteryear and the machine heads aren't quite what I've gotten used to seeing from Fender. Gone are the days when Fender bolted those massive plates to the back of the headstock. Today's machines are rather small (hense the term 'lite') and almost look like machines you might find stuck to a cheap copy. Although the machines don't possess any slippage and the bass stays in tune (which is what really counts), the key shank housings are plastic. (My God! Even the machines on a Mexican made p-bass I also own are exclusively metal)! Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying all of this is bad. It just takes getting used to is all.
The finnish is rock hard and mirror smooth. The neck is sleek and fast and solidly fastened to the body with five screws. The string-thru body gives you excellent sustain. There are no dead frets. The factory-set intonation is as perfect as can be had. The contoured heel is very comfortable and makes fingering the uppper frets practically effortless. The warm amber body color and rosewood fretboard on my model create a color scheme I simply love. This bass is so easy and a joy to play on. The sound is only as good as your amp will allow and this probably rings true for any bass, but this bass still sounds great, even thru a crappy amp.
I am a hardnosed, hardcore, tough-bitten Fender grognard. Have been since I first started playing and always will be. Or maybe I'm just too "old school" for all the new bells and whistles that are out there and still view Fender as the backbone of the bass playing universe. All I can say is Fender is my bag, baby. But if you get the chance to own an American made Fender Jazz Bass then go for it. I can't see how you would be sorry.
Jeff rated this unit on 2004-12-30.
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