Fender Player Jaguar Bass - Tidepool with Maple Fingerboard Review

Everything I Hoped For

This bass was spectacular right out of the package. I only made a small tweak to the action, but other than that, it was amazing. Best of both worlds of the Precision and Jazz basses. Sounds even across the board.

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Another great addition to the inventory

Had been thinking about getting an active bass, and was looking at Scehters when this one came up, not active but then I've never had a P/J configuration either. Corresponded with Nick G to work on a "loyal/returning/you have to be kidding me" customer deal and placed the order. Bass arrived a couple of days later with that blasted don't open me for 24 hours sticker on it, again,… read more and after dutifully waiting the prescribed period I opened it up, tuned it up and gave it about an hour test run. Initial, and on going verdict is its a great addition to the inventory. The P/J set up is way versatile and has some tones, sounds and I don't know a "sonic signature" that's different then either a P or a J. The neck feel different too, not because its maple and not because it slots in someplace between my J and P for width. Also not because the neck feels thicker then the J, will put a micrometer to everything the next time I go thru string changes and see if it actually is. It just feels different, good but different. Pickups are Player series good, nice and bright when the tone is dialed up but "thumpy" when rolled off and the factory strings dont even suck. I'd have to be much better then I probably ever will be to need an upgrade on the any of the electronics. One weird thing about this one is the Jaguar body style isn't as comfortable for me to play in a seated, feet flat on the floor, thighs parallel to the, good posture playing position. Standing, no difference from its colleagues but not so sitting. I cant see the Jaguar replacing either the P or the J, its not meant to, but its different enough to make it a good addition. Oh yeah and the fact that the tidewater and maple combo is super sharp looking doesn't hurt one little bit. After all is said and done about the guitar you have to add in Sweetwater's out of bounds customer service standards. Insanely good, really just nuts. The follow-up contact and sending the hi-res images set a new level of taking care of business. Attention Sweetwater, get the folks responsible for your customer service program to copywrite it or whatever then start offering classes to other service sectors.

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Great Quality, Great Tone, Great Price

Other than this bass, I own an Ibanez Soundgear SR300, which was the bass I learned on. While that bass is half the price (and now replaced by the SR300E), it is a very nice bass for its price point. But compared to the Fender Player Series Jaguar bass, there really is no comparison. I've read some good and bad reviews on the Fender made in Mexico guitars, but the reviews on the… read more Player series seem to be good, and when I tried this bass, the reviews rang true. I chose this bass because I couldn't decide between a Precision bass or Jazz bass. I wanted both tones available to me, with the neck of the jazz bass. Enter the Jaguar, which is equipped with a set of vintage voiced PJ pickups, and a Jazz bass neck. The bass has a beautiful tidepool blue finish, a very smooth & playable satin neck without noticeable fret edges (probably not compared to the MiA Professional Series), and the guitar sounds fantastic- deep bottom end with nice bright top end. When I roll the tone knob down, I was surprised at how great the note articulation still sounded, since usually on cheaper instruments, the tone turns to mud. Bert did a terrific job with the setup and installation of the bone nut (holds tune nicely), and the guitar sustains exceptionally compared to the SR300. Finally, the instrument balances well, without any noticeable neckdive that other Jaguars and Fenders may have. I couldn't be happier with my choice! Thanks to Ted for the great customer service as well!

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Been Playing A Year Now With This Bass

I'm really happy I chose this bass. It sounds great and is easy to play - in particular, the neck seems a bit thinner and smoother than some other Fender basses I've tried out in my local music store (which helps me as I've got smaller than average hands). I've been playing over a year including with a band (indie rock/punk leaning) and while I want to upgrade my rig, get a nice… read more pre-amp DI box, etc., I have no urge to upgrade my bass - this one works great for me. I didn't have an unlimited budget when shopping for basses last year, but also didn't want to get the cheapest one out there, so the pricing on this one was right for me. I can't tell you if you should get the Jaguar over a Jazz or P-Bass, but I can tell you I'm really satisfied with this one.

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Sweet Bass

This is just a really nice instrument at a really reasonable price. I love the color and the finish in general is really nice. The P/J pickup layout is really versatile and the Jaguar body shape gives it a distinct look. Plays really great right out of the box. I was looking for a not too expensive bass to add to the arsenal and this one fit the bill. Thanks to Trevor and the… read more guys at Sweetwater for the great customer service and good advice, as alway.

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