Fender Gold Foil Jazz - looks interesting

UnclePsychosis

Love the aesthetics of this but not sure I'd want a GF in a bass.



https://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_mh_gold_foil_jazz_bass_eb_snb.htm

£1200 

ICBM

Looks suspiciously like a Rick pickup casing... and the low E string doesn't pass over the pole area.

Funkfingers

Just another bandwagon. 

IMO, the important aspect of any "gold foil" pickup is the design eccentricity of its innards. Their appearance is secondary.

stickyfiddle

Seems like these pickups aren't really golf foils underneath, but generic minimums. Who'd have guessed that Fender would put a fancy cover on a generic pickup...?! [gets flashbacks to 20 years of MIJ Jazzmaster pickups and Mexican WRHBs]

But generally I just don't get the obsession with gold foils lately. 

DannyP

Given it's traditionally a 2 pickup instrument, not sure why they don't shove a conventional p/u in there too for versatility.

Musicman20

Bizarre concept. Why not use two 'gold foils'? Sounds like a generic but weak P bass in that video.

CE1

And £1200 for a Mexican Fender?

Whitecat

CE1 said:

And £1200 for a Mexican Fender?

Some Mexican models hit £1200 and more ages ago. Sadly it's where we're at.

(e.g. list price on the Jason Isbell signature Tele is over £1400 now)

Anyway, back to the bass... I wish they did a short scale of some description with this pickup. A Mustang bass perhaps... I think that would fit the vibe a little better.

ElectricXII

Fender changes cosmetics, reduces versatility and charges a huge premium. Who'd have thought it? 

fretmeister

Mex Fenders are now at very silly prices.

I'd rather have a Sandberg. Actually I'd pick a Sandberg over a US Fender as well. 

stickyfiddle

fretmeister said:

Mex Fenders are now at very silly prices.

I'd rather have a Sandberg. Actually I'd pick a Sandberg over a US Fender as well. 

I don't think I've ever seen their guitars in person but the basses look spectacular. I want this please!

https://configurator.sandberg-guitars.de/?code=CANT4-TM:D-N-4S-34-SA-VW-ALD-NOT-RWF-F-DTA-NOM-ANIH-CLT-2EQ+SSW-TP-X-RH

UnclePsychosis

£1200 is insane.

When I started playing a US Fender was £600. :-(

fretmeister

stickyfiddle said:

fretmeister said:

Mex Fenders are now at very silly prices.

I'd rather have a Sandberg. Actually I'd pick a Sandberg over a US Fender as well. 

I don't think I've ever seen their guitars in person but the basses look spectacular. I want this please!

https://configurator.sandberg-guitars.de/?code=CANT4-TM:D-N-4S-34-SA-VW-ALD-NOT-RWF-F-DTA-NOM-ANIH-CLT-2EQ+SSW-TP-X-RH

Very nice - apart from the tort, obviously!

I've got 2 Sandbergs with another on the way in about April.

I've had 2 others in the past that I moved on as they were too heavy. They were the original California series. The 2 I have are California II series and are a big improvement.

They are just fantastic. 

Their take on the Telecaster looks really nice. I've not seen one in person but I'd love to give it a try. They'll make it with the Superlight wood options too.

dazzajl

I kinda like this. I don’t think it’s worth that much and I’m not a fan of sticking any old pickup under a foil cover to jump on a bandwagon but it definitely has appeal. 

I suspect under the fancy frock there, it has a lot in common with the Squier 50s P bass. 

Keefy

dazzajl said:

... 

I suspect under the fancy frock there, it has a lot in common with the Squier 50s P bass. 

Pretty much this.

Like:
P pickup position and controls
Matching headstock

Don't like:
Single coil pickup (likely to hum)
Bound neck (personal taste)
Those knobs

I can't see Jazz Bass aficionados wanting one of these because they can't do that pickup-balance-jiggling malarkey.

ICBM

On the bright side, it looks like you could put a Rickenbacker bass neck pickup in there and have it sound good... or a HB1 humbucker and have it both sound good and not hum .

Funkfingers

Or a bass Filter'Tron or a Bartolini RIC replacement pickup or a Seymour Duncan Lemmy Kilminster signature pickup.

Keefy said:

I can't see Jazz Bass aficionados wanting one of these because they can't do that pickup-balance-jiggling malarkey.

Depends how one regards the Jazz Bass.

Is it a body outline?
Is it a narrow neck?
Is it about having two pickups?
Is it a specific sound palette?


Several Fender signature Jazz Bass models have featured non-JB electronics in the familiar chassis. Is the Mark Hoppus model a misshapen P Bass? Is the Active Flea model a misshapen Stingray/Modulus?

What would a Jazz Bass with two Oil City Overkill pickups sound like? 

JezWynd

ICBM said:

Looks suspiciously like a Rick pickup casing... and the low E string doesn't pass over the pole area.

The recent Supro range of gold foil basses suffered from the exact same flaw - output from E string was damped by the pickup being to narrow for the string spacing.Cosmetics over functionality.

fretmeister

https://youtu.be/SE9FZ2nhFYo

Not a good review!

UnclePsychosis

fretmeister said:

https://youtu.be/SE9FZ2nhFYo

Not a good review!

I really hate it when YouTubers give everything glowing reviews  :-D

Such a shame. I think it looks awesome and I like the tones (e string aside, obviously). Not quite sure how Fender have managed to let this out the building. 

Keefy

fretmeister said:

https://youtu.be/SE9FZ2nhFYo

Not a good review!

Oh dear!