“Player Series, The Next Generation” Bassic Review – The Fender Player Plus series Jazz Bass® V

Details

This review bass has an alder body with a gloss polyester finish over a classic three-tone sunburst. As far as color options go, pretty standard for a Jazz Bass®. The Player Plus series has some nice finish options here, however, such as the fairly radical Tequila Sunrise. Go check them out! The hardware is straightforward chrome, except for the Hi-Mass bridge, which is based on the same upgraded bridge that goes on Ultra models. Otherwise, the tuners are standard chrome clover leaf, the strap buttons are of the typical conical fare, and the knobs are classic black plastic J-bass style. The neck heel plate is chrome over a standard 4-bolt attachment, and the neck heel is not contoured on this model. The neck shape is a “modern C,” 34” scale, with a 12” fingerboard radius. It incorporates medium jumbo frets, white pearl dot inlays, and a 1.875” wide synthetic bone nut. The preamp configuration is master volume, pan (blend), bass/treble stack (boost and cut), midrange (boost/cut), and an active/passive mini-toggle switch. The pickups are their own Player Plus Noiseless™.

Fit and finish

All the hardware works smoothly and reliably, and the bass takes a great setup (the fret level is really quite good for this price range). The fingerboard has nicely rolled edges, and the fret ends are also nicely finished – more so than I’ve seen on many other instruments at this price point. The neck fit is surprisingly tight on this bass, also comparable to much higher end models. I can find no flaws at all in the finish or fitment of the pieces parts, and the wood selections seem particularly nice.

On the gig

This bass weighs in at 10.8 pounds, which makes it on the heavy side, even for a 5-string bass (at least by my standards). Based on what I’ve seen online for this model, 10+ pounds is pretty typical for this model. However, keep in mind, lightweight body blanks of alder and ash these days are in short supply, so are often reserved for higher-end instruments which can bear the generally higher cost of those materials. That said, the bass has the familiar classic Fender contoured body shape, and the newer neck profile is very comfortable to play; it feels “fast” to me. The noiseless pickups sound really good to my ear, very even across the strings, with a good dynamic range and breadth of tone. Also, the preamp – which they say is newly voiced for this model – sounds pretty comparable to the Elite and Ultra series preamp to me. I consider that a compliment. I’m very happy with the overall sound and tonal versatility of this instrument from a J-bass standpoint (which is my home base, btw). I had no trouble dialing in all the traditional and modern Jazz Bass tones I love most. I play my Elite Jazz V regularly, and honestly, even though the Elite is clearly a finer instrument, this bass definitely holds its own, and at around half the price! I’d say the only niggle I have for this bass other than its weight is that it doesn’t have any tone control in passive mode. I do miss that.

The Bottom Line