The Best Jazz Basses for Every BudgetBuying Guide

Along with Fender’s Precision (or P) basses, the Jazz bass is one of the most popular electric instruments for low-end thump and punch. Rush frontman Geddy Lee, former Metallica bassist Jason Newstead, Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood, Verdine White of Earth Wind & Fire, and the late great Jaco Pastorius are just a few examples of bass players associated with Fender’s second electric bass model.

Since 1960, the Fender Jazz bass (originally called Deluxe) has featured a tapered neck, contoured offset body, and twin single coil pickups. The Fender Jazz basses are perfect for musicians who need to cut through a busy mix with more midrange, want a more versatile sound, or plan to add effects such as fuzz or chorus.

As with all of Fender’s iconic designs, many other builders have put their spin on the Jazz bass, and a plethora of options are available at every price range. Within this buying guide, we’ll recommend Jazz basses for every budget, focusing mainly on passive 4-string models from Fender and Squire.

The Classic Vibe line from Squire has been respected for years as a great value for guitarists on a budget, and their bass entries are no exception. Fender’s Asian-manufactured label offers a '60s-style Jazz bass with Indian laurel fretboard and the 70s Classic Vibe with a maple fretboard.

For bassist looking for a more contemporary take, Squire offers the Contemporary Jazz with a slimmer neck, Active Jazz with powered EQ, and HH humbucking models. A fretless model is also available.

Appropriately, the Leo Fender co-founded G&L also offers an excellent bass for the money, the JB Tribute. The Tribute version fits roughly between Squires vintage to contemporary design, keeping many of the recognizable elements of Jazz bass while updating a few specs. The JB-2 is an updated take on the Jazz design.

Bassists who want a Fender logo on their headstock have many options to choose from. The next category of Jazz basses includes some of the best values on the market. The Player Jazz bass offers several combinations of finish and fretboard with updated takes on classic Jazz bass hardware and specs. This model epitomizes the bang for your buck musicians have learned to expect from Mexican Fenders. It’s also available in 5-string, fretless, and left-handed versions.

For those interested in vintage style and design, the Vintera line includes both a 60s and 70s variation of the classic Fender bass. Both feature 7.25” radius necks and retro-wound pickups.

The Geddy Lee Jazz bass, with cool black block inlays on a maple fretboard and American-made pickups, is a standout among sub-$1,000 Fender basses.

Fortunately, Jazz bass fans don’t have to break to bank to bring home an American-made instrument. The American Performer Jazz bass is tricked out with several subtle refinements that contemporary Fenders are prized for.

Next up, we have the Professional II models, which represents the evolution of decades of bass design in a proven and stylish form factor. The Professional II Jazz basses have a sculpted neck heel, a graphite-reinforced neck, and a vintage-inspired bridge that also allows for through-body stringing. Fretless, left-handing, and 5-string versions are available.

For those for whom only the best will do, there’s always the Fender Custom Shop and Mod Shop. However, a handful of current Fender SKUs may satisfy the pickiest bassists. On the vintage end of the spectrum, there are the American Original ‘60s and Original ‘70s Jazz basses, which replicate designs from their respective eras, down to pickup windings and the included hard cases.

Bassists playing aggressive or more technical music may be interested in the American Ultra. It features active electronics, a compound radius fretboard, and noiseless pickups. It’s also available as a 5-string model.

Musicians with truly discerning taste, or who want some twist on the classic Jazz that Fender doesn’t offer, may look to boutique builders. For example, bassists praise the Sadowsky J/J for its high fidelity tone.