Fender Jazz Bass 1963 with 1960 neck Formerly Owned by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1963/1960)
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Fender Jazz Bass 1963 with 1960 neck Formerly Owned by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco Model Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1963/1960), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 90095, sunburst lacquer finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This Jazz Bass is a super worn-in relic, a road warrior par excellence and simply one of the best sounding and feeling Fender basses we have ever encountered. It has a lot of stories to tell; we don't know the exact tale of its origins but can relate some of them at least. While the neck and body date to two slightly different eras, they appear to have been together for a very long time.
To begin with, the slab rosewood fingerboard, clay dot neck is a VERY early production Jazz bass piece, dated 9-60 in pencil on the heel. It is quite slim especially down by the nut, with an extremely sleek feel. There is a lot of long grain to the maple, and a knothole/grain flaw behind the 5th fret led a small grain fill repair in that spot. There is an ancient and faded pencil mark on the back of the heel that reads "SECOND - OK LEO" or possibly "OK GEO" (likely either Leo Fender or George Fullerton) that was lightly lacquered over. While we have seen many Fender oddities we have never seen this sort of notation before! The tuners and string tree appear original to the neck.
The body and hardware date to early-mid-'63, at least according to the apparently original set of pots included with but not currently mounted in the instrument. The neck cavity has the "paint stick" mark adopted around the end of 1962 but the stack-knob era surface mutes and ground strip are still in place back by the bridge. These two features only intersect for a short time; this combination confirms the body was made between late 1962 and early-mid '63 although it bears no date markings. The pickguard, pickups and most hardware are original to the body; the wiring rig is a boutique replacement. The serial number on the neckplate dates to late 1962 or early 1963.
While technically a "Mutt" this Jazz bass has an absolutely killer sound and vibe. It is possible the "second" mark indicates it has some backstory as a Fender employee or artist instrument, but of course that is unknowable many decades later. Whoever put it together and/or subsequent owners got a lifetime of use out of the instrument; it has natural wear virtually everywhere, one of the most beautiful "Real Relics" we have ever seen. A letter from a previous seller included in the case reads in part "this instrument is a living thing" and we have to agree; this bass has a life of its own.
Overall length is 46 1/2 in. (118.1 cm.), 14 in. (35.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 34 in. (864 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/2 in. (38 mm.).
This bass has wear virtually everywhere, as is evident from even the most casual look. It is likely a veteran of thousands of gigs. The neck finish is original heavily worn down to the wood over much of its length; the ancient grain fill is plainly visible but not an issue, as the bass has obviously been played for decades without it causing any problems.
The body finish is also completely original, and also worn down in epic style, as weathered as a deep-river canyon. The external hardware is all original including the pickguard, bridge, fingerrest and both coverplates, though the screws securing them and the control plate are period but not the original style. All hardware has wear commensurate with the use the instrument has seen.
The fabulous sounding original pickups are mated to later pots (undated, but probably 1970's or early '80s) with a Bill Lawrence Q-Filter installed. This is a low-resistance inductor that, compared to a traditional tone cap, preserves the low-end character especially of a pickup in the bridge position while evenly rolling off high-frequencies. There was a small amount of wood removed from the sides of the control cavity to fit this fairly large piece in but nothing visible on the outside. While we usually prefer to restore instruments to as original condition as possible, this setup sounds really excellent so we have left it in place on this player-friendly piece. There is also added shielding foil in pickup and control cavities. Three apparently original pots are included, dated to mid-1963 and still chained together in the stock combination, with the original shielding plate from the control cavity also present.
What else can we say about this bass? Is it a collector's piece? Probably not, but it has sound and character beyond most mortal basses, even other vintage Fenders. As a previous owner noted, "It’s a living thing". It lived for some time in the celebrated Wilco loft, now is ready to go back out in the world in a very battered later Fender HSC. Overall Very Good + Condition.
This Jazz Bass is a super worn-in relic, a road warrior par excellence and simply one of the best sounding and feeling Fender basses we have ever encountered. It has a lot of stories to tell; we don't know the exact tale of its origins but can relate some of them at least. While the neck and body date to two slightly different eras, they appear to have been together for a very long time.
To begin with, the slab rosewood fingerboard, clay dot neck is a VERY early production Jazz bass piece, dated 9-60 in pencil on the heel. It is quite slim especially down by the nut, with an extremely sleek feel. There is a lot of long grain to the maple, and a knothole/grain flaw behind the 5th fret led a small grain fill repair in that spot. There is an ancient and faded pencil mark on the back of the heel that reads "SECOND - OK LEO" or possibly "OK GEO" (likely either Leo Fender or George Fullerton) that was lightly lacquered over. While we have seen many Fender oddities we have never seen this sort of notation before! The tuners and string tree appear original to the neck.
The body and hardware date to early-mid-'63, at least according to the apparently original set of pots included with but not currently mounted in the instrument. The neck cavity has the "paint stick" mark adopted around the end of 1962 but the stack-knob era surface mutes and ground strip are still in place back by the bridge. These two features only intersect for a short time; this combination confirms the body was made between late 1962 and early-mid '63 although it bears no date markings. The pickguard, pickups and most hardware are original to the body; the wiring rig is a boutique replacement. The serial number on the neckplate dates to late 1962 or early 1963.
While technically a "Mutt" this Jazz bass has an absolutely killer sound and vibe. It is possible the "second" mark indicates it has some backstory as a Fender employee or artist instrument, but of course that is unknowable many decades later. Whoever put it together and/or subsequent owners got a lifetime of use out of the instrument; it has natural wear virtually everywhere, one of the most beautiful "Real Relics" we have ever seen. A letter from a previous seller included in the case reads in part "this instrument is a living thing" and we have to agree; this bass has a life of its own.
Overall length is 46 1/2 in. (118.1 cm.), 14 in. (35.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 34 in. (864 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/2 in. (38 mm.).
This bass has wear virtually everywhere, as is evident from even the most casual look. It is likely a veteran of thousands of gigs. The neck finish is original heavily worn down to the wood over much of its length; the ancient grain fill is plainly visible but not an issue, as the bass has obviously been played for decades without it causing any problems.
The body finish is also completely original, and also worn down in epic style, as weathered as a deep-river canyon. The external hardware is all original including the pickguard, bridge, fingerrest and both coverplates, though the screws securing them and the control plate are period but not the original style. All hardware has wear commensurate with the use the instrument has seen.
The fabulous sounding original pickups are mated to later pots (undated, but probably 1970's or early '80s) with a Bill Lawrence Q-Filter installed. This is a low-resistance inductor that, compared to a traditional tone cap, preserves the low-end character especially of a pickup in the bridge position while evenly rolling off high-frequencies. There was a small amount of wood removed from the sides of the control cavity to fit this fairly large piece in but nothing visible on the outside. While we usually prefer to restore instruments to as original condition as possible, this setup sounds really excellent so we have left it in place on this player-friendly piece. There is also added shielding foil in pickup and control cavities. Three apparently original pots are included, dated to mid-1963 and still chained together in the stock combination, with the original shielding plate from the control cavity also present.
What else can we say about this bass? Is it a collector's piece? Probably not, but it has sound and character beyond most mortal basses, even other vintage Fenders. As a previous owner noted, "It’s a living thing". It lived for some time in the celebrated Wilco loft, now is ready to go back out in the world in a very battered later Fender HSC. Overall Very Good + Condition.