could repair it. Simply put, this guitar is awesome. There is a reason why Fender guitars can stay in production for 40 years unchecked while other manufacturers constantly try new designs just to keep up. A dream to play, at first I was turned off by the thin Fender necks, and bought a chunky Yamaha, but if you really want speed, you\\\'ve got to have this one.

The price on the Mexican models is low, leaving room for upgrades at great prices. Not much to complain about, it is quite heavy, especially when compared to my other alder basses. The stock pickups, while sonically good, are apparently unshielded, and are extremely noisy, I mean even louder than some Samick and Korean axes.

Overall, I feel that there is really no reason to consider the higher end Mexican models, when their upgrades can be purchased aftermarket. I have tricked mine out, adding active EMG electronics, a badass bridge, Elixir strings, vintage tortoise pickguard, real Jazz bass knobs, all purchased at closeout for a total of less than $200. Buying a brand new bass and adding these features would result in a better guitar than the Mexican Active models at a fraction of their cost.

Although I am somewhat biased, after virtually stealing mine, even at full list price, the Jazz bass is an outstanding guitar, with and abundant aftermarket for future upgrades.

Construction	98%
(Minor orange peel in the finish detracts from the score)
Appearance	90%
(Cheap Strat knobs are a low rent feature)
Playability	100%
(Love that neck)
Sound	95%
(NOISY stock pickups, but sweet tone)
Value	100%
(Great stock, Phenomenal when modified)
Overall	98%
(Quite possibly the best bang for the buck)