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Markbass JP Old White 4 CR MP
Warranty from the manufacturer: 12 months.
Description of Markbass JP Old White 4 CR MP
When you pick up a bass that actually makes you want to play, it’s crucial that somewhere inside the Markbass JP Old White 4 CR MP you instantly feel that sense of reliability, familiar ergonomics and, at the same time, a lively, expressive tone – without endless tweaking and menu diving.
This instrument is exactly that kind of beast. It’s a signature jazz four‑string created together with Jaco Pastorius Jr. as a tribute to the legendary style of his father. You get the familiar silhouette of a classic Jazz Bass, but with a modern approach to detail, stability and comfort. It delivers the traditional character that engineers and bandleaders are used to, but in a more predictable, player‑friendly form that fits today’s realities.
The alder body provides a clear, versatile tone with an even midrange and a pleasant attack. It’s the kind of foundation that naturally finds its place in almost any mix. The maple neck with pau ferro fingerboard holds tuning well, responds to the nuances of your right hand and doesn’t fall apart even under a more aggressive playing style. On the strap it feels light and balanced, with no neck‑dive, and easily gets you through long rehearsals and gigs.
The electronics are fully passive – no batteries, no hidden surprises – with two classic jazz‑style single‑coils and a familiar Volume / Volume / Tone layout. That means you always know where your sound is coming from and can get back to a favourite setting quickly, even if you’ve been twisting knobs all evening.
Why choose this model?
- Universal jazz‑style character that works for funk, rock, pop and home recording alike
- Comfortable neck with a 9.5" radius and a well‑thought‑out profile, making the bass equally pleasant for beginners and seasoned players
- Classic passive circuit that doesn’t need batteries and delivers a clear, easily controlled tone
- Lightweight, well‑balanced alder body, so your back and shoulders stay fresher through long sessions
- Vintage‑inspired look with a white body and black gloss headstock that really stands out on stage
Model overview
With this model the manufacturer clearly set out to build a proper working instrument that’s ready to earn its keep from day one – Markbass JP Old White 4 CR MP isn’t trying to be a collector’s piece. It’s an honest, straightforward tool for players who value a jazz bass for its versatility and control.
The body is made from alder, a long‑time standard for jazz‑style basses. Alder offers an even frequency response, a nicely pronounced midrange attack and a tidy low end. In a band mix this bass doesn’t swamp the drums or fight the guitars. It locks in with the rhythm, underlines the groove and rarely needs heavy EQ correction.
The bolt‑on maple neck gives you that familiar springy response and healthy sustain. The pau ferro fingerboard feels very close to rosewood, but with a slightly more defined attack. The frets are installed neatly with no sharp edges, and the neck profile is comfortable for both fingerstyle and slap. A 9.5" radius hits the sweet spot between vintage roundness and modern flatness, so chord work and fast lines are both easy to manage.
The nut width is around 38 mm – a classic jazz spec that even guitarists moving over to bass tend to adapt to quickly. If you’ve got smaller hands or you’re just getting started, this feels noticeably more comfortable than wider neck profiles.
The electronics are built around a pair of J‑style single‑coils. Each pickup has its own volume control plus a shared tone knob. In the bridge position you get a tighter, brighter sound with that characteristic note “spit”. It cuts through a mix nicely and works a treat for funk or modern rock. The neck pickup delivers a warm, full tone that blues and soul bassists gravitate towards. With both pickups open and the tone slightly rolled back, you land on that classic “studio” sound engineers love for its predictability.
The hardware comes in chrome, with open‑gear, classic‑style tuners. The bridge is solid and allows individual adjustment of intonation and string height. This lets you dial the instrument in precisely to your technique – whether you prefer an ultra‑low, forgiving setup for easy fingerstyle, or a bit more height for an assertive slap or pick attack.
Thanks to the finish and considered body lines, the bass looks vintage without being over the top. The aged white body shade looks great under stage lights and doesn’t visually blend into your outfit. The black gloss headstock adds a touch of rock attitude. It’s the kind of instrument that feels good just to pick up, even if you’re still learning and working out your favourite bass lines from tabs.
An important point: the passive circuit and tried‑and‑tested materials make this bass very reliable. No batteries to die halfway through a show. Minimal potential headaches on the road. You pull it out of the gig bag, plug into your amp and it sounds the way you expect, even after a long break or a sudden change in temperature.
Who is this model for?
If you’re just starting out, this bass is a very solid starting point. The brand is best known for its bass amps, and you can feel that same focus on sound here. Markbass JP Old White 4 CR MP helps you really hear how your right‑hand dynamics work, how the tone changes when you play closer to the neck or to the bridge. That’s extremely useful for developing both your ear and your technique.
Self‑taught players tend to like this instrument for how straightforward it is. Plug it into an audio interface or a combo, leave the EQ flat, and the sound is already in the pocket. There’s no need to wrestle with complex active tone stacks. Just play with the pickup balance and you quickly find the right character for a cover or your own material.
For hobbyists, versatility is key. With this bass you can comfortably record a part in a home studio, then take the very same instrument to rehearsal without dragging along a second bass for a different style. It easily fills the role of a true “workhorse” for rock covers, funk fans, soul lovers and even softer jazz settings.
Professionals and session players will appreciate how this bass sits in a mix. Sound engineers like instruments that don’t need drastic surgery. The passive jazz character plays nicely with pedalboards, compressors and amp sims. In the studio this kind of platform lets you shift the overall colour quickly – from a more vintage, gently rolled‑off top end to a sharper, modern snap from the bridge pickup.
For composers and producers, it’s important that the instrument doesn’t distract from the idea. You can track a demo in the bedroom, then walk into a professional studio with the same bass and it will behave predictably with completely different gear. That cuts down on surprises at the final production stage.
If you play in several bands and across different genres, this bass adapts easily. The low end stays solid enough to hold the groove, while the mids remain articulate even at higher volumes. In a live setting that makes the front‑of‑house engineer’s life much easier. They’ll find a balance faster and spend less time fighting your tone, focusing instead on enhancing the range that matters.
Specifications of Markbass JP Old White 4 CR MP
- Instrument type: electric bass, 4‑string
- Construction: bolt‑on neck
- Body: alder
- Body colour: Old White
- Body finish: gloss
- Neck: maple
- Fingerboard: pau ferro
- Fingerboard radius: 9.5"
- Number of frets: 20
- Fret type: medium jumbo
- Scale length: 34"
- Nut width: approx. 38 mm
- Nut material: synthetic bone
- Neck profile: Jazz‑style, comfortable modern oval
- Pickup configuration: 2 passive J‑type single‑coils
- Controls: neck pickup volume, bridge pickup volume, master tone
- Electronics type: passive
- Hardware: chrome
- Bridge: fixed, with individual intonation and height adjustment for each string
- Tuners: open‑gear, classic bass style
- Strings: 4, standard tuning E‑A‑D‑G
- Recommended usage: live performance, studio recording, home practice, rehearsals
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