Model Year: 2006
Price: $620.00 (new)
Where Obtained: GC

MIM, 20 frets, alder body, map

Here's where the problem was.

The bass sounded great, thats

Heavy and solid! I had to shim

Model Year: 2002
Price: $429.99 (new)
Where Obtained: Guitar Center

This bass was made in Mexico. It has an alder body and a maple neck. 20 medium jumbo frets. Vintage noiseless jazz bass pickups. It also has a master volume pan and 3 band active eq. And of course five strings.

I love the action on this bass. The neck is smooth and you can go as slow as you want or as fast. I have not compared this to the American Jazz as of yet. But if what I see is any indication, good stuff.

I use this with an Ampeg SVT amp. I play gospel mostly, practice with Jazz & a little R&B. It is suited for other styles of music too...I have been experimenting. Since I am really picky about sound quality, Ibanez, Yamaha, and a few others don't compare. But that is just me. I won't tell you that I have tried every bass out there, because I haven't. I am not considering using any mods at this time, I don't have much interest in them. The noise ratio you can control from the body(hiss). It is good in either situation, studio or live.

This is a very reliable bass. I just had the truss rod adjusted recently. I have had this particular bass for almost three years. The only thing I have relaced to date are the strings and the battery.

Model Year: 1996
Where Obtained: Swee Lee, Singapore

My deluxe V is US made with maple body, an its personal feature still the same from the time I bought it..which means that the instrument display standard fabrique-type. The axe has red-sunburst finish and s/s/h pickup configuration. When gigging, I refer to string-tru body wiring style for a better ressonance.

I have some difficulties with flaws, especially when I play with my thumb, but the sound just really good. The neck was so big so that my hands can easily explore the fretboard...but sometimes my hands can't handle due to the size of my hands (it is so tiny..).

When playing, I usually uses a half-stack version of Trace-Elliot GP7SM or Peavey TNT115. it produce "standard tune" for any style of music or any occasion with special characterisics on its warm sound. I can play wide range of music--from progressive rock to a jazzy style, then goes o reggae, r&b, etc. So..it is better than any bass I'd play before.

I put my self-reliance upon this instrument while I was playing.

Model Year: 2000
Price: $520.00 (new)
Where Obtained: Guitar Center

Now that I've had my bass for a few months, I can give my take on it to help other ActiveBass members out there. Here are the main features:

• Made in Mexico
• Maple Bolt-On Neck (4 bolts), Pau Ferro Fingerboard
• Poplar body (I think; this bass is also available in alder)
• 20 frets
• 5 strings (B, E, A, D, G)
• Controls: 1 master volume, pickup blend dial to blend between the neck and bridge pickups, and low, mid, and high boost/cut dials (part of active preamp)
• 2 U.S. Deluxe Jazz Bass Pickups, one neck, one bridge
• Active electronics with 9V, 3-band active preamp
• Candy Apple Red finish (kind of metallic)
• Jazz bass body style (offset)
• Regular Fender bridge (no string through body)
• Gotoh lightweight butterfly tuners
  
  I'd say that overall the bass has very nice features. The tuners are not those huge elephant ear kind, the active preamp and blend control give a nice amount of sound tailoring right on the bass, and the bass feels comfortable overall. The only things that could make this bass any better (while staying in this price range) are an active/passive switch and a battery compartment that doesn't need to be unscrewed. Neck-through would be nice too for a small price increase. Overall, the bass gives a very nice amount of useful features for a 5-string in this price range, without being overly complex for a beginner/intermediate player

The overall playability on this bass is very good. The neck feels very smooth when playing, and has a nice string separation that was relatively easy for me to get used to in the transition from a 4-string. The bass seems to buzz a lot when I am not plugged in, but it is fine when I am plugged in (my bass teacher set it up for me, and he says it isn't a problem.) He has it set for nice, low action that makes it very easy to play. Compared to the other basses I tried out when I bought it (a Yamaha 5-string and an Ibanez SR405) it had a much more "solid" feel, probably due to the much larger body. The feel is good without being too heavy, but it makes it seem like you are playing something that is well built rather than flimsy.

With Mexican as opposed to American construction, you need to expect some flaws, but the flaws on mine do not really affect the playability. The nut is not centered perfectly in the neck, which makes the G-string pretty close to the edge of the fingerboard, especially near the first fret. This is the most major problem, and sometimes my finger slips off the board and the string buzzes, but it rarely effects the playing. The only other real flaw is that the builders didn't center the pickguard so it is perfectly flush with the control plate, but that doesn't effect playing at all.

The sound quality of the bass is good, even coming out of my ancient Harmony tube amp with a 15" Jensen speaker. It has a nice warm sound that sounds full, but I noticed that the B string feels floppy (It buzzes a lot too as a result.) This can probably be alleviated by raising the action a bit, but I haven't tried it yet. I use the bass to play a variety of styles of music (mostly whatever I feel like playing) and I think it is pretty much well suited to everything. The bass is rarely noisy because of the active electronics, but the low B can sound muddy because of its reduced tension. Also, there is some buzzing but that is most likely a setup problem - it doesn't come through nearly as much through the amp as it does unplugged.

I haven't had the bass long, and I have yet to play a live gig, so I can't really give an opinion on stability during live playing or climate changes, but it is a solid bass. After having my teacher set up the bass, I haven't had to readjust it at all (I did raise the action a little, but that wasn't necessary.) Everything is holding up well, and the hardware appears to be holding up well.

Model Year: 2000
Price: $519.00 (new)
Where Obtained: Guitar Center

This jazz bass was made in mexico, it has a poplar body and pao ferro fretboard. I bought it in sunburst and the deluxe comes standard with the tortoise shell pickguard. It's gorgeous. It's got active electronics with volume, bridge-neck pickup sweep, bass boost/cut and treble boost/cut, and a midrange boost/cut. The bass and treble boost/cut knobs are stacked. It has the standard j-style pickups from the factory and the CRAPOLA bridge that comes with all NON string through body fenders (I'm gonna put a badass v on it). The tuners are smaller than the usual elephant ear fender bass tuners.. I like them MUCH better. It's your traditional jazz bass body style, it's not as heavy as you'd think, although it is slightly heavier than the american deluxe jazz v. I give it four ONLY because I hate the bridge.

I got this from the factory, it had NOT been on the GC floor and they hadn't done anything to it. So I had to relax the truss rod a little to get rid of the buzzing low B, no big deal. The neck is nice, the action can be low without buzzing. I love the amount of control I have over the sound with the active electronics. It's easier to play than any bass I've had before (which really doesn't say a LOT as I've only had two and one of them a SQUIRE P bass.. hrk!) No flaws, this was unscratched, unsmudged even. It hadn't been on the floor yet, as I said, so it was pristine. I special ordered it. I get my preferred action, since I play generally with a pick, I can play low action and with a minor truss rod adjustment I was where I wanted to be, no buzz. I'm incredibly happy with this bass's playability. Having a hard time adjusting to that low b being there, but that's MY problem.

I'm playing through a fender 25watt BXR which you'd THINK wouldn't handle the low b, but it does. I also play through a vintage bassman 500 watt amp, sounds great. My band is pop/soul/rock/reggae, etc.. we're really influenced by Phish and we play some of their stuff too. The range of different sounds I can squeeze out of the active electronics is a true joy. I get everything from asleep on the table blues jazz vrooom mellow sound to balls to the wall punchy attack for the rock and funk. I'm not a good slapper, but the little I can do sounds great with the bridge up and midrange boost full blast. The sound on this bass blows away everything I've every owned, again, not saying much there. I'm GOING to drop a leo quan badass v on it, cause I cant stand the CRAPOLA fender bridge that it came with. No noise that I don't want. I've played it direct into my four track and it's clear as a bell and playing live with it I can boost myself when I need it. The sound is great. Who said mexian fenders suck?

I am fully confident in this bass live, as far as me getting used to the low b.. well that takes time. I adjusted the truss rod first thing to cut out the b string buzz. Minor. The intonation, surprisingly was spot on from the factory. hmm. Way to go juan! It came with regular strap knobs, I threw some schaller strap locks on it. Two reasons, I like the security of knowing it's not going to take a nosedive and the feel of the locking in is groovy - KA CHUNK! I do my best to keep my instruments stored away from all windows, heaters, etc. Haven't noticed any changes because of climate.

Price: $459.00 (new)
Where Obtained: Guitar Center - Paramus, NJ

I'm pleased with the quality of the Mexican Fender plant, although it seems that the level of quality ranges from pretty good to very good. I looked at and played four identical guitars before selecting the one that was strongest. The guitar I chose was not my first choice of color, but still has that great "10 foot deep" finish that Fender is known for. I would have preferred black, but the Candy Apple Red is starting to grow on me. Besides the desire to add 5-string into my collection, I liked the quality of hardware Fender chose for the Active-V. The Gotoh tuners have a smaller overall gear ratio and a smaller diameter winding post, making tuning a little easier than the standard "open gear" tuners used on the rest of the Fender Jazz line-up. The bridge is a heavier guage than used on the four-string, but still seems a little flimsey in it's design. It's getting replace with a nice new Schaller unit. A highlight worth mentioning for this bass is the nicety incorporated into Fender's choice of potentiometers. I absolutly love the fact that every pot has a center detent. You know exactly where your control is even if an adjustment is required during a peice.

The Pao Ferro fretboard is broad on the five-string, but still easy to navigate. The maple neck needed a little TLC to get it right but tonal quality is great as a result. String spacing is good, and the neck-side pickup is in a perfect spot for a forward thumb rest. I've been able to get the action to Fender spec's, although I'd be more comfortable a little closer to the fretboard. It will take some work to get there without inducing the dreaded buzz.

The American pickups & electronics provide a great diversity of sound and just as claimed, are dead quiet. You can pot-up in the board with zero noise. I've played this bass into my Ampeg BA115 practice combo with some great warm tones and it's still happy to growl when the mids and some gain are added.

The poplar body gets a bit heavy after an hour or so, but a wide strap has helped. Otherwise, this is going to be a fun bass to take to the stage. The stock strap-hangers suck as expected, so a set of Schaller strap-locks was requisite.

Model Year: 1999
Price: $580.00 (new)
Where Obtained: Musician's Friend

Made in Mexico. Neck is 3 piece bolt on maple neck with walnut skunk stripe, Gotoh tuners and a pao ferro fretboard, 34 scale, 20 frets. Body Type is Jazz Bass body style made of poplar wood. Red shell pickguard & chrome steel knob plate. Finish is a high gloss black lacquer. Pickup(s), 2 Fender U.S. Deluxe active J bass pickups, takes one 9 volt battery. Controls; one volume, pickup blend, concentric treble and bass, and midrange. Came with a Fender standard bridge.

I had heard a lot of not so nice things about Mexican Fenders but none of them were apparent in this axe. In fact, I was not able to tell the difference in sound and playability between this one and the American version, which costs twice as much or more. I assume this is because the electric components are made in the US then sent to Mexico for final assembly which brings down the price considerably. Can't argue with that. I bought this guitar because I wanted a 5 string but I wasnt sure about how useful a 5 would be to me, so I didnt want to spend a lot of money. I looked at a few and decided on this one being a die hard Fender man. What attracted me first was the price but after playing it I was sold on the overall quality. The setup is nice and the electronics are highly adaptable to most playing situations. The neck is quite nice. The pao ferro fingerboard is warm sounding just like its cousin rosewood. The frets are nice and even and the intonations easy to adjust, especially with the installed Badass II bridge. This axe has a coat of black lacquer with the tortoise shell pick guard. The paint job is gorgeous. As I said, I have always been a Fender man and this axe has done nothing to change my mind. Overall this is a super guitar. The addition of the Badass II bridge took me over the top. I love this guitar, the sound is great and flexible, it is easy to play, it is comfortable, and it looks great. I would definitely buy another right away if lost or stolen.

This bass has everything you could ask for in a bass -warm, thunderous bottom sound for basement dwelling but it also has a great midrange, ballsy attack. The sounds are crisp and clean with great sustain. The axe comes with a Fender Vintage Style, bass bridge with string spacing at 11/16" but I replaced it with a Leo Quan Badass II which improved the sustain and overall sound noticeably. I did this because I had read some good things about this bridge and I had had some difficulty adjusting the intonation on the B string. So, out of curiosity I changed over and am glad I did. I use a Park 25 watt practice amp and an Ampeg SVY III big rig and this bass sounds great with both. I am spoiled by the active electronics.

A Fender is a Fender and yes they're tough and this bass is no different than other Fenders I've had. It stays in tune and seems to be very stable and I have been playing this axe for nearly two years. The hardware, knobs, chrome, paint, strap pegs, tuners are in excellent condition with no apparent deterioration.

Model Year: 1997
Price: $850.00 (new)
Where Obtained: Massey Music Joplin, Mo

My Jazz V is an American Deluxe model: Neck: maple, graphite reinforced, pao ferro fretboard 22 jumbo frets Strings: 5 Controls: active, stacked treble on bass, mid-range pot neck-bridge pick-up blend control Pick-up: jazz active humbuckers Finish: antique sunburst (beautiful!)

The action on this bass is excellent. The neck is wide, but easy to get around on. There are no flaws on this instrument. The fit and finish are excellent! much better than the "new" American basses. This is a very physical bass. Somewhat demanding, but once I bonded with it, I've really enjoyed playing it. Other basses I've owned felt like toys compared to my Jazz.

I currently use a Peaey Session bass 225watt head and an Alesis compressor with two 10"s and an 18"Black Widow bottom. I play a lot of post-modern blues, rock, and Christian music. The sound of this bass is simply whatever you want it to be. The tone is full, rich with great bottom. Pick tone is wonderful! This bass is dead-quiet. By the way, the direct recorded sound is fantastic! I will never modify this bass.

My Jazz can be played morning, noon, and night. I've never had a problem with it. I've adjusted the truss-rod twice in three years. The intonation is still right-on! I've played this bass steadily since I aquired it. I've encountered no problems with it.