Fender Gold Foil Jazz - looks interesting

UnclePsychosis · January 2023

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 · January 2023

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

Funkfingers · January 2023

Just another bandwagon.

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

stickyfiddle · January 2023

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 · January 2023

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 · January 2023

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

CE1 · January 2023

And £1200 for a Mexican Fender?

Whitecat · January 2023

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 · January 2023

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

fretmeister · January 2023

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 · January 2023

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 · January 2023

£1200 is insane.

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

fretmeister · January 2023

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 · January 2023

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 · January 2023

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 · January 2023

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 · January 2023

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 · February 2023

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 · February 2023

https://youtu.be/SE9FZ2nhFYo

Not a good review!

UnclePsychosis · February 2023

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 · February 2023

fretmeister said:

https://youtu.be/SE9FZ2nhFYo

Not a good review!

Oh dear!

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Fender Gold Foil Jazz - looks interesting

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