Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass - Overview and Best Prices

Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass Review
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  • 3 Prices - New from $2,299.98 >
  • From Fender's 2024 American Ultra II series
  • Made in United States
  • 4 strings
  • 34"'' scale
  • 10" to 14" Fretboard Radius
  • Select Alder body
  • Quartersawn Maple neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Ultra II Noiseless Vintage Jazz Bass (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: (/)
  • 1 volume and 3 tone Dome knobs
  • 4-Saddle Adjustable HiMass (String-Through-Body or Top-Load) bridge
  • Bass Modern "D" Bolt-On neck
  • 21 Medium Jumbo frets
  • Fender "F" Light-Weight Vintage-Paddle Keys with Tapered Shafts tuners
  • Weight between 9.063lbs (4.1kgs) and 10.125lbs (4.6kgs)
  • Side-By-Side Comparison
Show Specs
Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass Specifications
Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass
General
Brand: Fender
Year: 2024
Configuration: SS
Strings: 4
Made in: United States
Series: American Ultra II
Colors: Black, Blue, Red, Burst
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Type: Solid Body
Body Material: Select Alder
Bridge: 4-Saddle Adjustable HiMass (String-Through-Body or Top-Load)
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On
Tuners: Fender "F" Light-Weight Vintage-Paddle Keys with Tapered Shafts
Fretboard: Ebony
Neck Material: Quartersawn Maple
Decoration: White Pearloid Dot 7mm
Scale Size: 34"
Shape: Bass Modern "D"
Frets: 21 Medium Jumbo
Fretboard Radius: 10" to 14"
Nut: Ivory Tusq
Nut Width: 38.1mm (1.5'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Ultra II Noiseless Vintage Jazz Bass (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup: Ultra II Noiseless Vintage Jazz Bass (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 0
Knobs: Dome
Pickup Mods: S-1 Switch
Volume Controls: 1
Tone Controls: 3
Hardware
Strap Lock: No
Hardware Color: Nickel

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 72
Sound 86
Build quality 85
Value for money 71
Overall Score 81
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Ivory Tusq Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • S-1 Switch Pickups
  • Luminescent Inlay
  • Active/Passive Preamp
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Retainer Bar
  • No Strap Lock

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $1500, which means that the Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass costs around 53% more than the competition. It might be due to it having additional features, but know that you can find cheaper similar alternatives. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 4 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in United States.

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User Reviews & Feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

Weight

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Tuning stability

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Neck speed (thickness)

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Neck access to high frets

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Neck profile shape

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Fret edges

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Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass's construction favors people with relatively small hands.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this bass—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass meets 4 out of our 6 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's a good bass to start with as a complete beginner. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale

Videos

NEW Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass | Demo and Overview with Jonny Goood
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How Lightweight is it?

We found that the Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass weighs between 9.063lbs (4.1kgs) and 10.125lbs (4.6kgs). This was recorded from some online retailers that publish the weight of the instruments they sell.

Playability

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass's 34" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass Scale Length Comparison
Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This is considered a long scale bass, and it's the most popular choice for several reasons. Even though it might be more difficult to play than short scale basses due to their increased string tension, their punchier low-end results in a clear and defined bass tone that can cut through in a mix, making them well-suited for genres like rock, metal, and funk.

Neck Profile

Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass Neck Profile
Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

It has a D type neck. It's similar to a C shape, and it's one of the most common shapes right now. It's a bit flatter and thinner, even though sometimes it has a bit more shoulders. It's a fast type of neck that is comfortable, and shredders love it.

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass Fretboard Compound Radius
Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass's Compound Fretboard Radius

The Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass has a compound fingerboard radius of 10" to 14".

A compound radius is the best you can get because you'll get the best of both worlds. It starts curved at the nut, but it flattens as you get closer to the body. This means that you'll get great comfortability for chords on the first few frets, but also a flatter fretboard for playing solos without problems on the higher frets.

Playability compared to main competitors

34'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.5'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
34'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.5'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
34'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.5'' Nut Width
12'' Fretboard Radius
34'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.5'' Nut Width
7.25'' Fretboard Radius
34'' Scale Length
U Neck Profile
1.5'' Nut Width
7.25'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass Nut Width
Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass Nut Width

The Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass has a nut width of 38.1mm (1.5''). This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 4-string bass. This is what most players find as a balanced width for both playing chords and single notes across different strings. If you have an "average" hand size, or you're not sure what nut width you'd like, this is a safe bet.

Frets

The Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass has 21 frets. Even though 24 frets has become really popular, there's still a good reason to get fewer frets; the pickup at the neck position will be further away from the bridge. This makes the neck pickup achieve a warmer tone. You might want this if you're playing Jazz or similar genres.

However, if you don't care about the warmer neck pickup, more frets will always be better. It's always nice to have the option to play higher notes if you want to.

It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.

Fret Size

Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass Fret Size Comparison
Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass's frets are Medium Jumbo size. These sit somewhere between a Jumbo and a Medium fret. They're not quite as tall as a full Jumbo, so you'll still feel the fretboard, but you won't feel it as much as with medium frets. This is a good size if you want to make it easy to press the strings but would also like a little bit of ''feedback'' to know when to stop pressing so the notes don't go out of pitch.

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 65
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 70
Playability 72

Tone

Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.

Wood

Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder Body
Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple Neck
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony Fretboard

Alder Body: This is a lightweight type of wood that was popularized by Fender. According to them, it's a wood that offers a balanced tone but that favors the upper midrange slightly.

Maple Neck: This is one of the most popular types of wood used in all kinds of guitars. It's heavy, strong and compact, which makes it great for necks. However, it's also used for fretboards, bodies and tops due to its light color, resistance and beautiful patterns. When it comes to tone, it highlights the mid and high frequencies.

Ebony Fretboard: This is one of the most expensive woods there is, which is why it's mostly used for fretboards. It is dense, heavy, highly resistant and comes in a really dark color that gives any guitar a classy touch. Tone wise, it helps the high side of the spectrum and provides good sustain.

Pickups

This bass comes with pickups from one of the top brands: Fender. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.

These are passive pickups, so you can expect a rounder sound and a moderade level of output.

Preamp

The preamp is an electronic circuit that serves as an intermediary between the bass's pickups and the amplifier. Its primary function is to boost and shape the bass's raw signal before it reaches the amplifier. This allows for greater control over the bass's tone, volume, and other sound characteristics. Preamps often include tone controls, equalization settings, and sometimes even onboard effects, enabling bassists to tailor their sound to their preferences and the musical context.

This bass has a Active/Passive preamp. This means it combines both passive and active electronics in one instrument. This versatile setup allows the player to switch between passive and active modes, providing a wide range of tonal options. In passive mode, the bass relies on traditional passive pickups and tone controls for a warm and organic sound. In active mode, the onboard preamp circuit is engaged, offering enhanced EQ shaping capabilities and sometimes a signal boost. This flexibility caters to a broader spectrum of musical styles and playing preferences, as it allows the bassist to switch between the classic, vintage tone of passive operation and the more versatile and finely tuned active mode, all within the same instrument.

The Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass's configuration is SS. This is the classic Telecaster configuration and it's used mainly for playing clean or with low-gain distortion. It doesn't give you as much versatility as a Strat SSS configuration, but you might like the cleaner look of a guitar body with fewer pickups.

More with the same pickups

21 Frets
Fixed Bridge
Ultra II Noiseless Vintage Jazz Bass Bridge Pickup
Ultra II Noiseless Vintage Jazz Bass Middle Pickup
21 Frets
Fixed Bridge
Ultra II Noiseless Vintage Jazz Bass Bridge Pickup
Ultra II Noiseless Vintage Precision Bass Middle Pickup
21 Frets
Fixed Bridge
Ultra II Noiseless Vintage Jazz Bass Bridge Pickup
Ultra II Noiseless Vintage Jazz Bass Middle Pickup

Versatility

It has a S-1 Switch option. This is a push knob that can do a lot of different modifications to the wiring of the pickups. It can connect pickups in series, parallel, split or add more pickups to the combination. It depends on the guitar model.

What music genre is it good for?

As a 4 strings, Solid Body bass with SS configuration and Passive pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Country or similar. However, you can use almost any bass for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.

Sound Score

Pickups 100
Sustain 65
Versatility 99
Tuning Stability 80
Sound 86

Build Quality

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass is made in United States. Guitars made in the USA have the reputation of being the best instruments you can get. This statement isn't as accurate as a few years ago, but you should still expect top-quality from a guitar made in this country.

Bridge

4-Saddle Adjustable HiMass (String-Through-Body or Top-Load): The advantage of fixed bridges is that they don't require any kind of set-up. This makes it extremely easy when changing strings because you don't need to adjust anything besides tuning the guitar. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. The disadvantage is the lack of versatility since you can't create the same vibrato effects as with tremolo bridges.

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your bass. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass has a Ivory Tusq nut. This material is made to look, feel and sound like Ivory. It's made of organic polymers and doesn't contain oil or animal products. This is probably the highest quality nut you can get, so you can expect good tune stability and more clear tones when playing open strings. Most people seem to agree that it looks nicer than any plastic and even some bone nuts.

Neck Joint

The neck joint is the part where the neck of the bass meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.

This bass has a Bolt-On neck joint. Even though this type of neck was looked down upon for a long time, nowadays bolt-on necks are well built and provide just as much sustain as any other join method. First of all, it's cheap to make because it consists of simply 4 bolts that attach the neck to the body. And you can travel with the guitar more easily, swap out the neck if you damage it, or upgrade to a more comfortable neck later on.

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 66
Features 95
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 85