Fender Jazz Bass The classic Fender entry model which should be credited for completely changing the music world. Goodbye upright bass in the studio. Hello solidbody electric!! And what this invention did to live music...? Imagine CREAM with Jack Bruce feeding back terribly on an old Kay standup!! Not quite! The following text is credited to the performer of these (great) bass audio clips, Michael Bean:
1962 Fender Jazz Bass, Olympic White finish. Restored to its original glory from a bad episode of 80’s fashion. At the time of purchase, the bass was refinished white, with pickguard removed and all holes filled in. The maple neck was from an 80’s P Bass. All hardware was gold. The whole appearance of the bass was similar to someone wearing gold chains and white patent-leather shoes. The restoration includes a rosewood fingerboard ’62 reproduction neck, original style chrome hardware, tortoise shell pickguard and Olympic White nitrocellulose laquer finish.
About the two single coil pickups:
The neck pickup has round, warm, meaty tone. When the strings are slapped, the tone has the classic Fender “gank” quality (similar to the P Bass). There is a lot of low-end, but with plenty of midrange.
The Bridge pickup is the quintessential “Jaco tone”, with pronounced midrange that will cut through any band, especially when the player really digs in. When the strings are slapped & popped, the tone will make you say “Thank You Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin”
The bass originally had string mutes under each string, next to the bridge (the holes are still visible) and a cover over the bridge and rear pickup, to reduce electrical noise.
There was also a cover over the neck pickup for the same reason. The owners historically, removed these because they can interfere with picking.
The thin neck is extremely comfortable to play, and the contoured body with the ”offset waist design” lets the bass hug right into your own body.
The J Bass is the blueprint for most dual-pickup basses, to present day; the “JBass” configuration refers to any bass with two pickups, two volume controls (one for each pickup), and a master tone control.
Sound: When both pickups are on at equal volume, the sound is round, yet punchy, providing beefy tone with definition. The high end is then a more crystalline tone when slapped.
Looks: Fender basses have never been called "beautiful," but this one comes close!
Desirability:
The prominence of Jaco Pastorius caused the price of these basses to go through the roof.
Pros n cons: The archetype for all electric basses.
Over all: A must-have for any serious lover of the low-end!
