Affinity Jazz Bass Review

The Affinity Jazz Bass is a value-priced version of the world famous Fender Jazz Bass. It has the look and tone that everyone knows and loves, all at an ultra-economical price. The Affinity Jazz Bass has a rosewood fingerboard, two single-coil vintage-style Jazz Bass pickups and a top-loaded bridge.

Features:	8
Sound:	8
Action:	7
Reliability:	8
Impression:	8
Overall rating:	7.8
Users rating:	8.7
Comments:	13

Reviewed by: unregistered, on february 20, 2007

Purchased from: Some pawn shop

Features: My bass was made in China, It has 21 frets, is made of Alder, with 3 control knobs (2 volumes for the pickups and one for master tone). The knobs are designed like the Fender jazz (plastic and black, not chrome). The pickups are just like any other jazz style bass, 2 of them parallel to each other. The pickups sound alright but I would advise getting new ones. I was a cheapo so I just bought the bass with no accessories. Over all it's got alright features. // 8

Sound: I play just about everything except for country (I hate Kenny Chessney). I play it through some no-name 50 watt amp which sounds pretty good to my suprise. The tone is nice but some times it doesnt't get as bass-ish low as I would want. The jazz sound is nice when played finger style. It makes the sounds a bit fatter and warm which I love. You can get a P-Bass-ish sound if the bridge volume is down but it has a bad habit of gaining a nasty buzzing sound which both of the pickups cancel out together. Aside from these flaws I still love it. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The action was fine, although I think someone adjusted it as I'm pretty sure the bass was preowned. I tightened the pickups a little because they were loose. The bridge can rattle at times for some reason unknown to me. Other than these things it's all good. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This bass should be used for home use or light gigs with your friends (you don't want to sound just "ok" when showing off). I think the finish is just like any other bass, shiney and good looking. One thing, just don't bump it against hard things, it has a tendancy to get small dents. // 8

Impression: The jazz bass is good for most styles and I love it. I wouldn't buy this bass again only because I want a Musicman Stingray but then again I'll never save up enough money for one of those. This bass can be anyother Fender bass with the right electronics and care for a fraction of the price. I would recommend this bass for someone who is looking for a cheap bass that wont break on them withing 1 year. // 8

Comments

[raihidara]

I got the 5-string version of this bass, and it's awesome. It won't put up a contest to a real Fender or Gibson bass, but it's better than average for the price.

[gm jack]

Mine has 20 frets, as does the one in the picture (dot would be on an odd number i.e. 19)

Agree this is a damn good bass to reliably start with. Also, as the affinity series have alder bodies, it has fairly high modding potential. New set of electronics and pickups. Could also replace the plastic nut it comes with, and get a badass II bridge. New neck if you really have the money and you will have a damn good bass.

It comes set up well, and the intonation is perfect as far as I can tell.

[shadow of deth]

i had one of these about 2 years ago it was a cool bass for the price and sounded good for alot of different music i wouldnt mind having a 5 string version of this the only thing i didnt like was the small scale

[Pourquoi?]

I've got this bass. Its a very good beginners one and I'd recommend it for anyone starting out - good for the price and pretty versatile.

[rhcpta]

i've got this bass too, it's sound is good, but it is really hard to play, so i'd recommend to buy another one.

[rsallstar13]

I bought this bass also and i love it. Its a great beginners bass and really cheap. I recommend this bass for any beginner bassist

[Bassman9992]

I own one of these and have been very satisfied with it. Personally i like the action on it. Great for someone just starting bass.

[SlapPopSlap]

possibly the best beginner bass for price and quality. I've had mine for 4 years, hasn't had any problems, looking to upgrade

[Symmetry4321]

I've got one and its fantastic, its the best bass i've ever owned and i have never had to pay for it

[Mjr. Elric]

I got the five string and I love It! It was my first bass and even though I've since got a new 1 I still play it for that J Bass sound. I have had very little problems with it although I don't like how easy it is to chip the paint (I have a deep scratch in it from the tuning knobs of a custom shop J Bass which was at least a decade old). Also it seems to come out of tune extremely easily and the low B seems to be loose to me even when it's in tune. but My favorite thing about this bass is the neck for some reason the neck is slimmer than most and it has really spoiled me for I can't play anything with a fat neck especially the baseball bat necks you find on a lot of Gibson/Epiphone basses

[ccam555]

Its a nice beginner, its the one i got but you should go with the VM 70's model as a starter unless you need a pack.

[fuel77]

Whats a good bass to start off with for beginners because im doin giutar and i wanna learn bass aswell send me a message on my account and tell me which is the best bass to start with

[redsoxbass]

I love this bass great for beginners