Japanese Fender JAGUAR BASS - what do you think?

CK9 · 18th March 2009

I played one today and it felt great. It seemed to have a Fender Jazz Bass-style neck.

I didn't get to hear it through an amp though, have any of you heard one? They're active as well as passive. Lots of switches!

I'm interested in any thoughts you guys have about them.

CK9 · 23rd March 2009

Should I move this to another thread or do you guys think that no one would have played one of these things?

DntBelievtheHype · 23rd March 2009

If you do a google search on 'fender jaguar noise issue' or something along those lines, you'll find that in active mode, they are quiet noisy with a loud hum, and prone to noise in passive mode as well, albeit not as badly.

I lent my bass to a friend in the studio this week and took a jag that was there home with me for the day... big mistake! I had read about the noise issues in the past but it had slipped my mind. At the studio with the bass unplugged it look pretty and had a slim fast neck (despite the finish..) and I figured it would be fun to tweak the knobs for a few days..

Sure enough it hum'd and buzzed like crazy, had static pops with fingers touched the strings lightly, and still had an audible hum even with strings and pickups were covered. In passive mode it was relatively quiet but could obviously benefit from shielding. Being the owner of both passive and active usa fenders, I would recommend passing on the Jaguar and getting a standard usa made fender in about the same price range- even less for a Hwy1 model. I've personally experienced issues with their active deluxe models and read about plenty of other stories, leading me to think the best option is a passive american fender (assuming you want fender) and and eq pedal. The build quality and feel of a usa jazz or p is far above that of a jaguar in my opinion, and the last time i checked (this may be outdated) the jag's were about 900 new and the standard jazz's at about 950 or so. The HWY1 models are even a bit cheaper in the 700 range give or take a hundred bucks. This is all assuming you were looking to buy new of course-- There's something to be said for being able to try out the bass you buy it, but you can get great deals used online if you do your homework and know what you want (electronics, scale length, neck style/nut width etc)..

If you're still pumped on the Jag make sure you plug it in first and play it for a while!

CK9 · 24th March 2009

Thanks thats great info!

Its funny you mentioned the neck was fast "despite the finish" When I first saw the back of the neck I had low expectations but it played well.

18th March 2009	#1
CK9 Gear Head Joined: Feb 2008 Posts: 67 Thread Starter	Japanese Fender JAGUAR BASS - what do you think? I played one today and it felt great. It seemed to have a Fender Jazz Bass-style neck. I didn't get to hear it through an amp though, have any of you heard one? They're active as well as passive. Lots of switches! I'm interested in any thoughts you guys have about them.

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23rd March 2009	#2
CK9 Gear Head Joined: Feb 2008 Posts: 67 Thread Starter	Should I move this to another thread or do you guys think that no one would have played one of these things?

23rd March 2009	#3
DntBelievtheHype Gear maniac Joined: Mar 2009 Posts: 156	If you do a google search on 'fender jaguar noise issue' or something along those lines, you'll find that in active mode, they are quiet noisy with a loud hum, and prone to noise in passive mode as well, albeit not as badly. I lent my bass to a friend in the studio this week and took a jag that was there home with me for the day... big mistake! I had read about the noise issues in the past but it had slipped my mind. At the studio with the bass unplugged it look pretty and had a slim fast neck (despite the finish..) and I figured it would be fun to tweak the knobs for a few days.. Sure enough it hum'd and buzzed like crazy, had static pops with fingers touched the strings lightly, and still had an audible hum even with strings and pickups were covered. In passive mode it was relatively quiet but could obviously benefit from shielding. Being the owner of both passive and active usa fenders, I would recommend passing on the Jaguar and getting a standard usa made fender in about the same price range- even less for a Hwy1 model. I've personally experienced issues with their active deluxe models and read about plenty of other stories, leading me to think the best option is a passive american fender (assuming you want fender) and and eq pedal. The build quality and feel of a usa jazz or p is far above that of a jaguar in my opinion, and the last time i checked (this may be outdated) the jag's were about 900 new and the standard jazz's at about 950 or so. The HWY1 models are even a bit cheaper in the 700 range give or take a hundred bucks. This is all assuming you were looking to buy new of course-- There's something to be said for being able to try out the bass you buy it, but you can get great deals used online if you do your homework and know what you want (electronics, scale length, neck style/nut width etc).. If you're still pumped on the Jag make sure you plug it in first and play it for a while!

24th March 2009	#4
CK9 Gear Head Joined: Feb 2008 Posts: 67 Thread Starter	Thanks thats great info! Its funny you mentioned the neck was fast "despite the finish" When I first saw the back of the neck I had low expectations but it played well.