Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass

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zZounds Gear Experts Say...

Basswood body. Black hardware. Precision and Jazz pickups.

Overview

And now for something completely different! Cutting-edge bass players looking for a high performance and lightweight bass with a strikingly different appearance will flip over the Aerodyne Jazz Bass! This special edition bass features a bound Basswood body with a unique 39 in. radius carved top, a 20-fret Maple neck with a Rosewood fingerboard and matching painted headstock. It's loaded with a Precision/Jazz pickup combination and features Black Chrome hardware.

The Fender(R) Deluxe series caters to the non-traditionalist looking for something a little more left-of-center. These guitars are set up to be played hard and achieve the extreme tones you want. All Deluxe Series guitars/basses are backed by their limited Lifetime Warranty.

Specs

Series: Limited Edition Series

Colors: (506) Black, (Polyurethane Finish)

Body: Basswood (Carved Top)

Neck: Maple, "C" Shape, (Satin Polyurethane Finish)

Machine heads: Standard

Fingerboard: Rosewood (Stained), 7.25 in. Radius (184 mm)

No. of Frets: 20 Medium Jumbo

Pickups: 1 Split Single-Coil Precision Pickup (Mid), 1 Single-Coil Jazz Pickup (Bridge)

Controls: Volume, Volume, Tone

Bridge: Standard 4-Saddle

Pickup Switching: None

Hardware: Black Chrome

Strings: Super 7250ML, #073-7250-005, (.045, .065, .080, .100)

Case: None

Pickguard: None

Scale Length: 34 in. (864 mm)

Width at Nut: 1.500 in. (38mm)

Unique Features: Carved 39" Radius Top, Cream Binding on Top of Body, Black Chrome Hardware, Chrome Skirted Control Knobs, Rear Mounted Controls, Side Dot Position Inlays Only, Matching Painted Headstock, Silver Silkscreened Logo

Accessories: None

Documents and Manuals

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 800-488-1818

Reviews

(51 ratings)

Submitted May 20, 2003 by a customer from speakeasy,net

"Don't think - buy it now! Best bass Fender makes."

Overall:

(see rating details)

This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.

See above - what more can I add?

Sound
I was looking for a replacement for my Ibanez SR500. The Ibanez had served me well for 5 years, however I have been playing more fretless and the narrow neck was feeling awkward. I brought the Ibanez into a local music store to A-B it against the Aerodyne and the results were astounding. Although the Ibanez has active EQ and dual humbuckers, even boosting the lows couldn't compare to the sheer, raw BASS of the Fender (with passive electronics). Even unplugged, the sound was low, crisp, piano-like. Even more so plugged in. The P-bass neck pickup is dark & powerfull. The J-bass bridge pickup is brighter with a trademark Fender jazz sound. Together, any Musicman would be reduced to tears. If anything, the stock strings are a little to bright for me (even with the tone turned down 80%), so I switched to DR Marcus Millers, and can't imagine playing anything else.

Features
The pickups and tuners are stock Fender, just what you would expect. The fit & finish are perfect. It comes with a Fender gig bag, which I feel is easier to transport than a hardshell, but I'm also lugging around two basses and an acoustic guitar. The volume & tone pots have a smooth, solid feel.

Quality
I can find not a single blemish, poorly fitted fret or speck of dust in the finish. I would have no problem giging with this without a backup ('cept the fretless)

Value… read more
With American standard Jazz basses going for ~$1000, this is an amazing value. Although made in Japan, I would put this up against any American-made Fender. Besides, none of the American models LOOK THIS GOOD.

Manufacturer Support
Never had to deal with them, so '10' so as not to lower the score.

The Wow Factor
Look at it! The finish is a shiny black poly, the thin ivory binding visible from the front creates a dramatic edge. The dark rosewood fretboard with no inlayed dots, along with the matching headstock keeps with the contemporary stying. The black chrome hardware is a perfect compliment. Even if it sounded like crap, it would still be the most 'high-class'-looking bass on the market.

Musical Style:
Folk, Jazz, Pop/Rock

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