During its 65-year history, the Fender Jazz Bass has been subject to various specification and design changes, some subtle and others not so subtle (MonoNeon High Visibility Orange, anyone?!).
You can get versions with extra pickups, five strings, active electronics and all sorts, so exactly what features should such a significant legacy of live and recorded music be celebrated with?
Bass players of the stature of Adrian Younge don’t tend to accept compromises. the producer is best known for his bass work with Jay-Z, alongside collaborations with some of the biggest hip-hop artists of all time, including Wu-Tang Clan, Common and Kendrick Lamar.
His recently launched limited-edition signature model is dressed in Journeyman Relic Aged Silver Sparkle lacquer, while the fretboard flashes a unique half-fretless design. The hardware has also been artificially aged.
“I wanted to create something that looked like it was made during the late-‘60s,” said Younge. “So imagine a ‘60s Jazz Bass that somebody has tried to keep looking brand-new, but they didn't do the greatest job. That's why it has cracks in the finish, rust on the hardware, and there’s a patina on the tuning pegs.
“If a bass looks dope, then it will probably sound amazing. As far as vintage shit is concerned, that idea’s been proven over and over.”
A major departure from Leo Fender’s original is with the half-fretless fingerboard, which is fretted up through the 9th fret, and fretless from there all the way to the 20th.
“It’s not that I particularly wanted a fretless sound, but I wanted to hear the sound of my fingers and some of those more acoustic accents that you can’t usually get with bass guitar. So you get this kind of classic flatwound punch.
“What’s really cool is that you don't even realize you're on the fretless part of the board. The transition is seamless. The whole bass is kind of fucked up like that, but for some reason it's kind of beautiful.”
Other features include a built-in fuzz and a square-wave tremolo that can be sped up and slowed down, accessible via switchable push-pull toggles on the master volume and tone knobs.
“Those effects are based on some of my own vintage effects. They modelled the fuzz on my Ace Tone Bass 9. There’s a song called Jenipapo Robe that shows you exactly what the onboard fuzz sounds like.”
It has a distinctive tone too, thanks to a Hand-Wound ‘62 Split Single-Coil Precision Bass pickup and a Curtis Novak BS-DS pickup.
“When you plug this thing in, it just sounds like it belongs on an old soul record. I’d go as far to say that if Leo Fender had released a Jazz Bass like this back in the ‘60s, it would have changed the entire history of popular music.”
You’re known for your collaborations with Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan, Common, and Kendrick Lamar. If you look back at all those sessions, is there a particular bassline that jumps out as being special?
“My basslines have been sampled by so many different hip-hop artists, but I think the most popular is from a Jay-Z song called Picasso Baby. They sampled a loop of my bassline for that track.”
When did you start sampling records? Was it before you took up the bass?
“It was around 1996. I wanted to be the next DJ Premier or Ali Shaheed Muhammad, but I soon realized that I had to learn how to actually play real instruments. So I put the sampler down and I bought a bass, a guitar, a piano, a drum kit, and I started learning how to play.”
What records had you been you sampling?
“Anything from 1968 to 1973. I found those records to be way more inspiring than any of the derivative music I was making.
“All of those records were recorded to analog tape, and that’s really what started my own journey into analogue recording. Everything I do now is dependent on tapping into that golden period.”
Do you think hip-hop will always be tied to those old records?
“Those records would never have survived without hip-hop. Hip-hop looked back and said, ‘We think this King Crimson psychedelic rock is dope, check out the drum break in this country song, and this jazz song.’ Hip-hop brought all of that music back and made it something brand-new.”
Do you have a favourite record?
“If you’re looking for a masterclass in bass playing then you should listen to the Superfly soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield. That came out in 1972 and changed the way that people play bass all around the world.
“Ennio Morricone also wrote some incredible basslines for those early ’70s soundtracks. They have a thump to them that’s reminiscent of the lines that Wu-Tang sampled. James Jamerson on What’s Going On is another one.”
How do you feel about digital technology reshaping the music industry?
“For me, the digital world doesn't exist. Digital software cannot capture the same frequencies as an analog studio. It just can’t do it. It can emulate it, but that’s all. So if someone really wants to embrace digital technology, they should just hook something up with MIDI. They shouldn’t even play bass.
“And it’s not that digital sucks; it’s just the kind of music that I make can’t be done without recording to tape with real instruments.”
Why do you think so many people are drawn to digital music technology?
“If you look at the timeframe from the late-‘60s to today, what has really guided music technology? Has it been based on how good something sounds? Or how much something costs to be produced?
“We’ve gone from tubes to transistors, and now we’re going from transistors to IC chips, or from hardware to computer software, and now to iPhone. It's all about what's going to sell and what people are willing to accept.
“Once the consumer base accepts the idea of a Pro Tools plugin, then why spend money on the real thing? I guess it's getting harder for people to understand that somebody is still willing to go the extra distance for their art.”
Are you the type of person who spends days going for that perfect tone?
“I just plug my bass into my amp, check my levels, and I'm ready to go! I've been doing this for 30 years, so I already have my sound, and I know what my chain is.
“Before I knew all this shit, I would stay for hours trying to figure out which mic to use and how best to fine-tune my tone.
“One of the goals with my signature bass is to help other people find that same kind of sound, so they don’t have to spend as much time tweaking things in the studio as I did.”
- For more information on the Limited Edition Masterbuilt Adrian Younge Jazz Bass, head to Fender Custom Shop.
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