Fender Jazz Bass

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I can look at a Jazz Bass like i look at a
beautiful woman!

FENDER JAZZ BASS

The Fender Jazz Bass.
Collectibility Rating: 1960-1962: B+, 1962-1965: B-. First introduced in 1960, this model had a narrow nut (1.5") compared to the Precision Bass. The most valuable models are the first two years with concentric (stacked) volume and tone knobs and felt tipped string mutes. Leo Fender felt that they gave a more accurate acoustic string bass sound, which the jazz bass player ould prefer. The pickups were designed with two pole pieces per string. This produced a mellower tone and a less percussionized signal that was more forgiving on the less-than-efficient bass speakers of the 1950s and 1960s. Jazz Bass Peghead Decals: Jazz Bass, 1962 to 1967.

jaco with jazz bass
Jaco Pastorius a long time Fender Jazz Bass fan.

Inasmuch as the famoues Jazz Bass was conceived during the turning point of the fifties & sixties, it inherited the richness and experience of two decades. On the one hand, it benefited from a certain coarseness as well as the everlasting qualities of the Fender products, on the other hand, from numerous technological contributions of the space age. The different improvements with wich the Jazz Bass was endowed were the result of a logical sequence of consepts wich the Stratocaster, the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster had begun. These concepts announced the huge changes in the sixties.It can immediately be seen that the overall look is very "Fender like", especially the offset double cutaway, the bridge, the headstock form and the finishing. But it also has features that are all its own wich make this bass qiute different from the first Fender bass; the P.Bass. The body has a new assymetrical design known as the "offset waist body" in the same style inaugurated by the Jazzmaster wich gives it an aerodynamic line well adopted to the"conquest of space". Even though the Jazz Bass was coupled with the Jazzmaster, it was introduced at exactley the same time as the Jaguar. The neck is much more narrow at the nut and has a slight bulge which made bass players very happy as some of them never liked the flatness and width of the P.Bass. We finally find 2 distinct single coils pickups, each one with eight pole pieces. With the exeption of the `62 re-issue, the distinguishing feature of this firts version is the presence of the celebrated stack knobs and certain metal strings mutes. The Jazz Bass has had several happy years of existence and is still with us today even through there was no Elite version. It is re-edited in it`s 62 Vintage Series and its Standard Series and maintains good standing in the Fender catalouge after having undergone a few modifications.

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DATING:

100000 to 110000 = late 1965

110000 to 200000 = 1966

180000 to 210000 = 1967

210000 to 250000 = 1968

250000 to 280000 = 1969

280000 to 300000 = 1970

300000 to 330000 = 1971

330000 to 370000 = 1972

370000 to 520000 = 1973

500000 to 580000 = 1974

580000 to 690000 = 1975

690000 to 750000 = 1976

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Some Notes:

The First Jazz appeared in 1960

Stack Knobs was history in 1962/63

The Neck aquired a white binding from late 1965, early 1966

The round positions markers became rectangular late 1965, early 1966

The Kluson keys were replaced with Fender oval keys in 1966

F-Series (late 1965 to mid-1976)
Big script "F" on neckplate below serial number. Known as the CBS era.

Schaller Keys in 1976

The unsung truss rod appeared in 1971

Early Fenders have a "Spaghetti" logo .

From July 1964 it changed to a more modern looking

Mid 1968 until 1977 they had the black "CBS" logo.(The gold outline then appeared)

In mid-1983 the smaller silver logo appeared

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wiring

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The TimeMachine Basses from Custom Shop

Fender®’s Custom Shop Time MachineTM series comprises a number of models built to exacting specifications of their respective vintages, including: body contours and radii, neck shape, fingerboard radius, pickups, electronics and hardware. Original materials, tooling and production techniques are employed whereever possible.

Each model is available in three distinct finish packages:

NOS (New Old Stock): as if the guitar were bought new in its respective year and brought forward in time to the present day.
Closet Classic: as if the guitar was bought new in its respective year, played perhaps a dozen times a year and then carefully put away. Has a few small "dings", lightly checked finish, oxidized hardware, and aged plastic parts.
Relic: shows natural wear and tear of years of heavy use - nicks, scratches, worn finish, rusty hardware, and aged plastic parts.aged plastic parts.
64 NOS
64 NOS

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1960 models:

1960 Jbass specs:

Contoured Alder body with three color sunburst finish.

Slab Rosewood fingerboard.

Concentric (stack) volume and tone knobs.

Individual string mutes.

Tortoise grain celluloid three layer pickguard.

60 mutes
Early Stack Knobs J.Basses Were Fitted With
Individual String Mutes. `60 mod.

jaco 1960 jazz bass

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1961 models:

1961 Jbass specs:

Three knob electronics replaces concentric knobs, August 1961.

61 jazz

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1962 models:

1962 Jbass specs:

Veneer Rosewood fingerboard by August 1962.

62 vintage

jaco 62

from Arne Petter Ugelvik:

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1963 models:

1963 Jbass specs:

Mutes removed by mid 1963.

63 jazz

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1964 models:

1964 Jbass specs:

Pearl fingerboard dots replace "clay" dots, late 1964.

Tortoise plastic three layer pickguard replaces celluloid, late 1964. Note the tortoise part of the pickguard is still celluloid, but the underlying 3 W/B/W layers are no longer celluloid. This is easy to tell; the black layer is MUCH thinner, which can be seen on the beveled pickguard edge.

64 jazz