Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass

ricnbacker · Post by **ricnbacker** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 9:57 am

Anyone ever play one of these?
I had one for 2 weeks and I must say next to my Ric it is one sweet neck.
this has got to be one of the best bass guitars Fender has produced in recent times....

squirefan01 · Post by **squirefan01** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 1:49 pm

I have heard great things about these. Seems like a great Fender 4-string choice. It has the Badass II bridge on it, which Fender is using in alot of its Artist Series basses these days.

jps · Post by **jps** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 2:49 pm

I have played one a couple times at my local GC, very nice neck. It plays almost as nice as my '97 California Precision Special, which has TI Jazz Rounds on it.

I added the BA II bridge, Hipshot Ultralite tuners (of course!), and Seymour Duncan Vintage P and Classic Stack bridge J pickups, and vintage knobs.

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 5:19 pm

Any A-necked Jazz Bass will feel pretty good. The one I have has an A-neck, it feels great...hard to put down. They won't make a Geddy bass left-handed. I will reserve my further comments about Fender for private conversation.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 5:26 pm

IMHO the old ones sound and play much better.

shinynewtoy · Post by **shinynewtoy** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 6:16 pm

LOVE mine. Not as much as the 4001, but I'm damn glad I got it. Plays like a dream, versatile, love the look. Killer bass.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 6:57 pm

I have played quite a few of the Geddy Lee jazz basses ... every single one of them was a real disappointment ... the American made jazz basses are a lot better ...

I love the look of the Geddy bass but I have never found one that was a player ...

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 2:16 am

Loved the ones I've played. Wish they came in another finish!

incubus2432 · Post by **incubus2432** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 4:18 am

I played a few at my local GCs and liked every one and that is odd since I typically dislike Fenders.

BTW.....it's not like I'm a Geddy fan either so I'm not clouded by wanting to like it.

gray · Post by **gray** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:57 am

I thought the Geddy Jazz bass felt a little funny. I'm so used to my Ricks that it just felt weird in my hands. However, I played an American Deluxe Jazz bass that was really nice. It was very lightweight, had the active/passive sweep and the best Jazz bass neck I've ever played. Too expensive for me, but nevertheless a great bass.
I would like to play a Geddy that had a better setup, just out of curiosity. The one I played had a super-slim neck, but the strings felt like they were a mile away. Maybe that was the problem. Also, I'm not crazy about the painted-on blocks.

jeff_ulmer · Post by **jeff_ulmer** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 8:00 am

I've had no issues with my GL, it plays and sounds great. I was a little worried about neck stability, but that hasn't been a problem. I did return the first one (under warranty, absolutely no problems with that) I got due to a warped neck, but the replacement has been perfect.

ricnbacker · Post by **ricnbacker** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 5:24 pm

Brian, I am no Geddy lee or Rush fan either, I like a few songs but thats a long way from being a fan. I also never ever Played a J bass till a month ago when this Geddy was hanging there. I was real turned on my the Neck. super slim amd your fingers seem to float over the fretboard.

Jeff, I played 3 of them and 1 used all were top notch....

Robert, the strings on the ones I tried all were as low on the board as my Ric....

John, the black is boring on that bass.

I too thought for an 800 dollar bass they should have had real inlays.

I had the GL for 2 weeks, felt great and sounded OK but it didnt tickle me the way my Ric does.
It has to be one the best Fenders I have played in a very long time.but I didnt really feel it was necessary to have.
So I took it back and then ordered this very inexpensive SX Jazz bass 1975 copy. I have to tell you, it is not as good as the GL, I would be stupid to say that but for 160 bucks it is a great J bass. sounds as good as the GL and the neck is really nice. it is also much better built Bass than the MIM Fenders...
all I need to do is put a Gotoh or a BAII bridge on it and this thing will be unbeatable for the price....

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x292/ricnbacker/musical%20stuff/SXJazzbass006.jpg?t=1188357427

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 5:54 pm

I bought a used SX jb57 to do a Mel Schacher thang to it. It should get here Friday. I've read a lot of good things about SX. Ronn Roberts has a few, I believe....

shinynewtoy · Post by **shinynewtoy** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 6:19 pm

JB... get one and send it to Dale or PW!!! Find a beater... they're out there.

I'd like mine even better if it wasn't black, but A. It matches my 4001 and B. it plays and sounds so good I don't give a deuce.

jakeox · Post by **jakeox** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 4:51 am

If you like the Geddy Lee but don't like the color choices, you could do what I'm doing: grab a Geddy Lee neck, and stick it on another body. In my case, I'm having Warmoth build a flame maple top over regular maple J-bass body, finished with their Tigers Eye dye. Not only do you get more finish choices, but you get wood choices too. Mine's going to look nothing like most other Geddys except for the neck.