Baby Lock Jazz ??
 

Last night I had planned to piece a practice block : however, my 4 year old Viking Emerald 118 remained silent as I pressed the foot pedal. Nada, zilch, no sound at all not a peep or a squeak . Went thru checklist: power cord attached, foot pedal attached. Checked electricity in power strip ( yup power is on). Clean bobbin area . Still nothing. Agggh, this is/was my workhorse machine.
I do have a Janome Horizon 12000 but frankly I only like using it for appliqué and embroidery - not piecing. It's a feel thing with piecing for me. My back up is a New Home 8000 ( end of life and no longer repairable) but it is a backup although computerized.
so here I ponder...should I even consider a new machine such as the Jazz? It has a 12 in throat and is not computerized ( nice) ...I plan to take my Emerald to the repair shop ( Plan A) . Plan B will be to explore a new machine. Has anyone tried out the Jazz? Thanks

It is being released this month so I doubt you will find that anyone has tried it yet unless they are a dealer and went to the convention about the new machines

I am a BabyLock fan. Love my Ellure. I had to look up this Jazz, and I am impressed. I will follow this string to see what others have to say about BabyLock.

I have two Babylock machines, Elizabeth and Crescendo. Love them both. I looked at the promotion of the Jazz but my Crescendo has a throat that is only 3/4 inch smaller than the Jazz. I would be interested in the Jazz but I can do a lot with the two I already have and my Gammil Classic Plus.
If electric power was ever a problem I couldn't use a generator for those but I have a Featherweight and another machine I could use.
All that to say, yes take a test drive on the Jazz and see what you think.I don't know what the price is and have not seen it advertised with a price.

I got an email from Babylock today about the Jazz. It looks like a great machine. I have a couple of Babylock machines myself and absolutely love them. I think Babylock makes a first class product and I would expect the Jazz to carry on their tradition of quality.

Could it be your foot pedal? Can you open it up and clean inside, you can also buy replacement foot pedals fairy cheaply.

If you can easily afford a new machine, then by all means go shopping. Is your Viking computerized? You should have heard something when turning it on. Good Luck on your decision. I dread the day when in the morning, I find my Bernina 1530 has died alone sometime during the night! :(

About the Babylock Jazz, I have heard that although the harp is 12 in. wide, it is not very high. I was interested in the fact that it's a mechanical machine and the 12 inches to the right of the needle is great. However harp height is important to me.

You might want to consider the Juki TL2010Q. I've had mine for 2 years. The harp is 9 in. wide x 6 in. high. It's a great, reliable machine.

Of course, we all want more harp space at a reasonable cost, that's why the Jazz is of interest. I'm looking forward to seeing more information.

Hopefully, by now, you may have resolved your problem. Keep us posted.

I just looked at the specs and downloaded the owner's manual. It looks like it does NOT have a needle down feature. That would be a turnoff for me. I have two vintage machines that don't have needle down, and though they do a great job at FMQ, I find that I really enjoy having that feature on my main quilter, the PQ1500s.

I'm not sure what advantage the Jazz would have over the PQ1500s, or the similar machines made by Juki and Janome. It does have an extra 3" to the right of the needle, but it doesn't look like it has as much vertical height, so it may be a wash in terms of actual quilting room.

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I agree with Rob. That 12" throat width isn't going to be any advantage if you can't get the quilt under the low arm.

Cari

Couldn't agree more, Rob. Wouldn't it be wonderful if either Brother or Juki would come up with a mechanical machine, with all the features of the Brother PQ1500 or the Juki TL2010Q, but with a wider harp (of course all the time keeping the same harp height)? Juki has the TL2200QVP with a 18 x 10 harp, but it's so expensive. Something in between a 9 x 6 harp and a 18 x 10 harp would seem to make so much sense ...

I received the email also and I own Babylock machines and wouldn't want any other. I own the Imagine serger, Spirit, Melody and Audrey which is no longer available (great travel machine!). I was looking into upgrading my Melody when the Jazz came out and though I like the 12" throat space I agree with all here who stated that the height of the harp is low. I'm also spoiled...my machines are self thread, needle up/down and I like to look at what stitch and the measurement of the width of the stitch is when I'm sewing. Now I did call my Babylock dealer and found out that the price is $799 however the walking foot and other accessories for this machine are optional, another cost. Though I'm sure it will benefit a lot of quilters who are interested especially with the cost of the Jazz but I am now I'm looking at the Crescendo which is only 1/2" less harp than the Jazz or the Aria. Not looking to purchase now but its a thought.

I looked at the promo for the Jazz, the wider throat looks good but the height is the same which is a no for my vote. I'm a Juki 2010 gal and absolutely love it. I wonder with the wider but shorter throat of the Jazz if it is basically the same thing as my Juki. But the Jazz does have some basic stitches which is a nice feature. Give it a test drive and let us know how it drives.

Nope :( not he foot pedal. I wished it was that simple. Will drop it off to repair shop on Saturday. Thank-you for the suggestion .

i want to thank people for the comments and additional info found. The only feature so far that is a deal breaker for me is a needle threader..provided that the "feel" of the machine while sewing is good for me. The height, although it's low, I'm sure I can work with it..heck, I quilted a king size quilt on the Emerald 118 and that has a regular sewing machine throat and harp . Lol I will keep you all posted with a review once I find the Jazz to test drive...

I have the Esante made by Babylock,the foot pedal has a little spring that came off and I had no power. I took it to the dealer and that was the problem. He said that was a first.

Although this post is months old I would like to know if any of you have some more advice about thee Jazz or other light weight machine.

Baby Lock Jazz
 

Very frustrated with my new Baby Lock Jazz purchased on March 8, 2017. The appeal of the Jazz was that it was for quilters and it had that lovely deck , wide throat and great lighting that my present machines did not have. I am an experienced quilter and am presently working on the “Quilter’s Patch by Edyta Sitar”. My biggest frustration is that it does not like to go over any bulk. I am working on some pinwheels and you really have to fight to get it to go through the layers when joining them together. I do use a quilters Awl. A few times now the thread has broken when trying to do this and you better have a screwdriver handy. The thread gets caught up in the take-up lever inside and the only way to open the face plate is with a screwdriver from the back. I had to do this 4 times within the first 2 weeks. I took it back to the store after week one and he gave me other needles to try as the tension looked good with the samples I took in. I took it back after week two and he told me to try to reposition the needle. I am now closing in on week three and the frustration continues. I was really hoping this would be the work horse I was looking for. Right now I am not even enjoying my new machine, for the price I expected more.

That sounds so frustrating. I hope you keep taking it back to the dealer until you are entirely satisfied. Keep us posted. And good luck to you.

sorry svan you are having trouble with the jazz i wasn't impressed when it first came out the wider throat space wouldn't do me any good as the height is the same, i watch a jenny doan tutorial and she was sewing on one and boy was it ever noisy. i would take it back and get a refund being you already had it there twice in only 3 weeks i know what you mean about joining pinwheels my BL ellure dose the same thing hope you get it resloved.

I've been looking at this machine, too, so am interested in more discussion.

Are you piecing or quilting?

Rob

Piecing at the moment.

How frustrating, svan. I have two Baby Locks and love them both. I wonder if you got a lemon (which happens sometimes) or if it's the model design. It is a new model that just came out - maybe they did not work out all of the bugs yet. Hope your dealer will do right by you.

Does the presser foot have a pressure adjustment? That might help if you can adjust the pressure.

Rob

I will keep you posted. I sent an email to Baby Lock and they had someone look at the machine to make sure it was set up correctly. I have just picked it up but have not tried sewing yet. Sunday will be the test. At this point I wish I could take it back.

Svan----I completely understand your frustration with the difficulty of sewing over bulky seams with your bl. I have an ellure plus...have had for several years...thought it to be an upgrade to my dear Viking #1plus.......Not! Thank heavens my Viking is in working condition........it glides over those bulky seams without any problem, whereas the bl either skootches around it, making a crooked seam or just skips stitches over it......dealer twice......no answer...I did find that little black button on side of general foot that is supposed to auto adjust the pressure, but I don't use that foot when piecing! Now it's decided it's not going to be consistent with the blanket stitch.....I will be shopping soon, but I'm thinking all these new machines are basically the same....but I'm going to take a few pinwheels and a few of those orange peels with fused interfacing(MSQC)..........and the one that glides over the bulk and sews is the winner!

Excellent idea Geri

Baby Lock Jazz
 

I finally found some sewing time and nothing has changed. I am still very disappointed with my Jazz. I realize I am trying to piece with seams creating bulk but if you cannot do this task and you are a quilter then it becomes frustrating. For $1,500.00 plus tax I think there was a better option. I am now out of ideas.

That's so disappointing, Svan. What does your dealer have to say?

My dealer is wonderful. I went to talk to him today and I tried the Baby Lock Soprano which went through the bulk no problem. He is going to call Baby Lock today and see if I can pay the difference between the two machines. I like baby lock just disappointed in the Jazz. A lot more bang for your buck with the Soprano. I will keep you posted with what Baby Lock does.

That sounds a bit more hopeful. Looking forward to hearing from you.

My dealer ended up letting me pay the difference for a new machine. I ended up with the Baby Lock Soprano. Everything that the Jazz would not do the Soprano does perfectly without any problems. I now love my machine. My dealer had to take the loss and to my knowledge there was no help from Baby Lock.

Good dealer. I'm glad it worked out for you.

Such good news!

it's a nice sewing machine but I find pricy for the 28 only stitches it offers. But it's mechanical which is great so you don't to replace computer boards which are also very pricy. It's your call to go out and try one, then you make up your own mind and of course Babylock are very nice quiet but pricy.

Mr Jean LaPalme

whenever you buy a sewing machine your dealer is the only one your gonna get help from so be careful whatever brand you buy. Buy in your region it's the best service you will and can get.

JDL

First, see what is wrong with your Viking...might be something easily fixed and save yourself some $$$$$. My Viking is over 10 yrs old and works perfect, while my bl ellure has been in the "shop" more times for "tweeks", than I care to think about....

I just got an email that The Jazz is now on sale for $699.00

The local Babylock dealer has been offering them at $699 since early this year. I just assumed that was the going rate. Still, for a quilting machine in that price range I'd rather spend my money on either a Brother PQ1500s ($500-$700 New on-line, $300-$450 used depending on condition) or the Juki machines that are similar to the PQ ($700-$1200 new depending on model).

Rob

Oh . The email said that was half price. Thanks for the info.