Review – Fender Deluxe Active 4 String Jazz Bass

Fender, a household name among many bassists and guitarists, has just recently released the Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Bass,  available in 4 or 5 string models. The bass that was sent for this review is the Fender Deluxe Active 4 String Jazz Bass. I’ve got to the mention the color of the bass first off, as this is the first time I have reviewed a bass that I got just as many, and maybe even more compliments about the color. The color is what Fender calls a Surf Pearl, which has a green tint, and really stands out in giving the bass that classic look that Fender intended it to have. To even further highlight the appearance, a black 3 ply pickguard has been put in place.

This Fender is a true active/passive bass, and to confirm it is truly passive, I used is sans batteries. Having an active/passive configuration really opens up more true tonal possibilities, from the classic Motown vibe to the more modern sounds of today. There is a toggle switch to change the bass between active and passive. The pickups for the neck and bridge are Fender’s dual-coil ceramic noiseless pickups with nickel plated poles. The controls for the bass are volume, balance, a 3-band active EQ with boost and cut for bass, mids, and treble.

One of the other great features of the Fender Deluxe Active 4 String Jazz Bass is the Fender HiMass bridge. This bridge is solid,  practically allowing for no air space between the strings and the body. This design really helps to increase sustain and passes all the vibration from the strings to the body. The tuners are the standard Fender tuners with the open back and all the hardware is chrome.

The classic Fender jazz bass body shape is made of alder and the surf pearl finish is protected with a high gloss polyurethane. The one piece neck is “C” shape with a 12” radius. A one-piece neck offers greater stability especially when you are on the road and there are climate changes. The fingerboard is rosewood with 20 medium jumbo frets and white pearled dots. The nut is synthetic bone material. The Fender Deluxe Active 4 String Jazz Bass stock strings are Fender USA Nickel gauges .045 – .105.

While the bass arrived with a great setup from Fender, I always like to do some minor tweaks to my liking just like most everyone does. I found truss rod tweaking and string height adjustments to be a real breeze. Fender does include all of the tools you need to make and adjustments.

Fender has brought us a classic with a modern touch in the Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Bass series. This is a really solid bass to use for live performances and recording and I had a lot of fun doing both with this bass. I should mention that the Deluxe Active Jazz bass is not only available in 4 string, but 5 string as well, with different finishes and fingerboards to choose from. A deluxe gig bag is included with the bass with plenty of pocket room for sheet music, cables, strings, etc. Be sure to check out the Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Basses online and at your nearest Fender dealer.