Decent all around bass

In terms of sound the Jazz Bass Deluxe, has a rather centrist sound. No real character to speak of, but that's exactly what I was looking for. Granted, the Dimarzios don't help in getting to a vintage sound, but the stock pickups were even more bland. Stock or with the J's, the pickups are side-by-side dual coil, so it's not too noisy, and the onboard electronics are rather nice. This is a decent all-around bass. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to really complain about either.

The fit and finish on this bass is fine. I've barely tweaked, but I'm going to regular gauge strings and will set it up again. I have no complaints about this at all, except that they set the thing up with soft gauge Fender nickel-plates, contribute to a dull feel. The bridge pickup was dead when I bought it, that's why the Dimarzios went in.

In terms of reliability this bass seems solid, except for the bridge. It's stamped metal, and the set screws in the saddles don't have grooves, so you can easily wiggle the saddle around. Tuning machines are fine, the finish is solid, the strap buttons were better than OK.. One element that does bother me is that it's light.

Overall
Its a great starter bass, it's probably adequate for general club and studio use, but it's just shy of being a professional instrument. I like better than most by Squier, and the American Fenders when you consider how much they cost. But if you're doing home studio recording, it's worth a look as it's not too expensive, and generic enough to see broad use.