Fender Jazz Bass Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1962)
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Item # 8953
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Fender Jazz Bass Model Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1962), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 86213, Olympic White lacquer re- finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original blond tolex hard shell case.
This is a truly superb player's example of true pre-CBS Jazz bass, perfectly restored to excellent playing condition. The bass has had a thorough expert refinish to Olympic White by J. Black, former Fender Custom Shop Master Builder and one of the world's foremost experts on the restoration of old Fenders. Everything is done to the highest standard, and this is a beautiful-looking and fantastic-sounding bass.
The introduction of the Jazz Bass represented a major step for Fender, and for the electric bass in general. By 1959 the Precision Bass had been on the market for eight years or so, and Fender was seeing increasing competition in a market they had pretty much created. The Jazz Bass was designed as an upgrade model, the hot rod of the electric bass world. With the sleeker "offset" body adapted from the Jazzmaster and a much slimmer 1 1/2" nut width, it had a racier look and sleeker feel than the Precision. The two slimmer-cased, multi-pole pickups offered a wider range of sounds, with a sharper attack and more definition to the tone. While always a successful model, the Jazz Bass was rather more expensive than the Precision and in the pre-CBS period was built in smaller numbers.
This bass was built in mid-1962, several years before the CBS takeover at Fender. At 9.53 lbs., this is a medium/light weight for a 1960s Fender bass and extremely resonant. The slim tapered neck on this bass is marked 7 May 1962 A and has a very dark clay dot rosewood fingerboard with no binding. The headstock sports a perfect repro gold Fender logo decal and the original Kluson tuners. The alder body is finished in a beautifully recreated Olympic White lacquer finish with the original tortoise plastic pickguard.
This is a wonderful-playing and sounding true vintage custom color Jazz Bass offering somewhat more low/midrange emphasis to the tone compared to typical Jazz Basses from 1965 and beyond. While not a completely original instrument it is both looks and sounds wonderful at a fraction of the price of an all-original example.
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 had a complete restoration to the original specs by one of the world's best Fender master builder/restorers, J. Black. The finish is a beautifully recreated and lightly aged Olympic White on the body and headstock face; the back of the neck is the original finish somewhat worn down with some light overspray. The finish has a very light checking pattern and some small worn through spots in the edges of the neck heel and body.
The two pickups, pickup covers and leads and the tortoise celluloid pickguard are original to the bass; the wiring rig is a genuine complete Fender assembly from 1966. The control plate and knobs are original. Other original parts include the bridge and saddles and the early style grounding strip, the strap buttons, neck plate and screws, pickguard screws, tuners and string tree. The chrome covers and fingerrest and their associated screws are reissues. The bass has been neatly refretted with a new bone nut.
This bass comes in a correct era original white Tolex fender case, with some damage to the hinges but fairly clean and quite functional. It also includes a very informative letter and spec sheet from J. Black minutely detailing the full restoration. This bass is a real player's gem, one of the nicest playing and sounding Jazz Basses we have ever had. J. Black until recently used this bass as a template for baseline comparison -- "Inspiration and reference" -- for the Jazz Basses he was building, and rates the sound "in the top 10 of those I have worked on". We agree and rate it among the best we have ever heard, an effortless player with a really singing sound. Excellent Condition.
This is a truly superb player's example of true pre-CBS Jazz bass, perfectly restored to excellent playing condition. The bass has had a thorough expert refinish to Olympic White by J. Black, former Fender Custom Shop Master Builder and one of the world's foremost experts on the restoration of old Fenders. Everything is done to the highest standard, and this is a beautiful-looking and fantastic-sounding bass.
The introduction of the Jazz Bass represented a major step for Fender, and for the electric bass in general. By 1959 the Precision Bass had been on the market for eight years or so, and Fender was seeing increasing competition in a market they had pretty much created. The Jazz Bass was designed as an upgrade model, the hot rod of the electric bass world. With the sleeker "offset" body adapted from the Jazzmaster and a much slimmer 1 1/2" nut width, it had a racier look and sleeker feel than the Precision. The two slimmer-cased, multi-pole pickups offered a wider range of sounds, with a sharper attack and more definition to the tone. While always a successful model, the Jazz Bass was rather more expensive than the Precision and in the pre-CBS period was built in smaller numbers.
This bass was built in mid-1962, several years before the CBS takeover at Fender. At 9.53 lbs., this is a medium/light weight for a 1960s Fender bass and extremely resonant. The slim tapered neck on this bass is marked 7 May 1962 A and has a very dark clay dot rosewood fingerboard with no binding. The headstock sports a perfect repro gold Fender logo decal and the original Kluson tuners. The alder body is finished in a beautifully recreated Olympic White lacquer finish with the original tortoise plastic pickguard.
This is a wonderful-playing and sounding true vintage custom color Jazz Bass offering somewhat more low/midrange emphasis to the tone compared to typical Jazz Basses from 1965 and beyond. While not a completely original instrument it is both looks and sounds wonderful at a fraction of the price of an all-original example.
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 had a complete restoration to the original specs by one of the world's best Fender master builder/restorers, J. Black. The finish is a beautifully recreated and lightly aged Olympic White on the body and headstock face; the back of the neck is the original finish somewhat worn down with some light overspray. The finish has a very light checking pattern and some small worn through spots in the edges of the neck heel and body.
The two pickups, pickup covers and leads and the tortoise celluloid pickguard are original to the bass; the wiring rig is a genuine complete Fender assembly from 1966. The control plate and knobs are original. Other original parts include the bridge and saddles and the early style grounding strip, the strap buttons, neck plate and screws, pickguard screws, tuners and string tree. The chrome covers and fingerrest and their associated screws are reissues. The bass has been neatly refretted with a new bone nut.
This bass comes in a correct era original white Tolex fender case, with some damage to the hinges but fairly clean and quite functional. It also includes a very informative letter and spec sheet from J. Black minutely detailing the full restoration. This bass is a real player's gem, one of the nicest playing and sounding Jazz Basses we have ever had. J. Black until recently used this bass as a template for baseline comparison -- "Inspiration and reference" -- for the Jazz Basses he was building, and rates the sound "in the top 10 of those I have worked on". We agree and rate it among the best we have ever heard, an effortless player with a really singing sound. Excellent Condition.