Everyone knows the Fender Jazz bass but with the competition making some pretty good copies at a lower cost Fender had to do something to keep their instruments competitive. You no longer could just use the name Fender against the competition. [/FONT][/Fender updated their bass guitars in 2008 with the graphite truss rod, beefier pickups, larger bridge, strings going through the back, lighter tuners and a more modern C neck. No real change has been done since nor was it needed. In 2017 they are updating the bass guitars with a better case and some minor tweaks. Regarding higher end bass guitars Fender did not want to loose customers to Sadowsky and Lakland, so they came out with their Fender Elite basses which offer active electronics and newer pickups that most say sound better than the Deluxe it replaced.
I previously had a G&L bass and many have said Fender quality was not on par against G&L. With the improvements Fender made in 2008 I can say they are on par. Not only their bass guitars but their guitars as well. The American Standard instruments from Fender are of high quality. My 5 string Jazz low B string sounds full and strong. Neck is very easy to play on, it weighs 9.3 pounds which is lighter than my G&L 5 and the sound of the bass it what you expect. No dead spots and the neck connection is very solid. [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#606060][FONT=open_sansregular]This is a great passive bass guitar. If you want added flexibility, you can buy a Mesa Boogie Tone Burst pedal which does not change the sound of the bass but provides an active sound which means the tone is more forward, it reacts a little more to subtle touch and a little brighter with the EQ set at noon. Now you have an active and passive bass.
The American Standard Jazz and P bass are both quality instruments that will make you smile when you play them.