best jazz bass i've seen in years

I totally admit that I have a thing for '70s Fender guitars. It's the reason I own a Squier Affinity Stratocaster. While technically a late-'60s headstock design, people associate the big CBS headstock with the '70s, as do I.

The '70s style does extend to the electric bass, and oh, does Squier absolutely nail one just right:

...the Squier Classic Vibe '70s Jazz Bass.

Yes, Squier also does a '70s Precision Bass, but it's the Jazz that gets my attention.

It's that headstock with that font that puts a smile on my dial.

When somebody gets a shape and font just right, I get all sorts of happy. The Squier CV '70s J is the bass that does it for me.

You've got the big 'ol oversize clover tuning keys, big circular string retainer, and the all important playful-yet-classy JAZZ BASS font.

Yeah, I know, I'm gushing over a font. But it's a damned good font. It's serif, but leans, curves and swoops, and seeing the double-z in JAZZ... there's just something about it that's just great. So great that my eye trains on that first and always before even seeing the brand name. And it works so well with a natural finish.

Everything about the CV '70s J is awesome. It comes in Sunburst, Black and Natural. The Natural finish is best because it has that very-'70s "looks like a coffee table" appearance to it. Usually that's bad, but not here. It works.

Does Fender make a J like this?

Yes. There's the Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass. Two models. One USA version and one not. Hope you like black, because that's the only color it comes in...

...and that's it. If you want that headstock with that font in a J bass with a Fender logo on it, the Geddy Lee model is all that's available.

I'm honestly surprised Fender doesn't have a Vintera II '70s Jazz bass. There's a Fender '70s Telecaster Bass in Vintera II flavor, but no Jazz. Fender is missing the boat on this one.

Squier, for the moment, is doing a better '70s J. True, the Geddy J has a more beefy bridge on it. But the Squier just looks better. The neck has a deeper tint and 3 color choices instead of just one.

The Squier just looks the part. And because it's a Classic Vibe model, that's top of the line in the Squier lineup. Glad to see a proper '70s J represented there, because it looks fantastic.

Published 2024 Aug 20