The Fender Jazz Bass was launched in 1960 as a bass companion to the Jazzmaster guitar, as Fender thought the neck design would appeal more to jazz musicians- the neck is quite thick but with a narrow fingerboard. The Jazz was launched in 1960 as the Deluxe Model. Its original intention was to persuade jazz bassists who used double bass to switch to bass guitar.

It has a Strat-style headstock where the Precision Bass has a Telecaster-style one, a Strat-shape scratchplate, and, as previously mentioned, a Jazzmaster-meets-Strat body shape. The Jazz Bass has 20 frets as opposed to the 21 or 22 that most basses have. This tonal range means the Jazz is ideal for power trios and smaller bands which need a prominent bass sound.The Jazz Bass is a very widely emulated design due to its practical design and versatility. Currently there are eight lines of Jazz Basses available- the Standard Series, American Deluxe Series, American Standard Series, American Vintage Series, Highway One Series, Classic Series, Custom Classic Series and Deluxe Series, all with several colours available.

By Mark Flys

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