Fender Classic Series J's and P's

[Jigster]

Anyone got any opinions on this range? I get lost tbh about what series is what? There's a truckload of the Classic Series for sale at Coda-Music -

[Cat Burrito]

I used to rave about these on the old Bassworld forum 6yrs ago. I think they are generally amazing. Watch out for the vintage spec on the necks etc but if you like that sort of thing (I do, some don't) then you can't go too far wrong

[Jigster]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='967043' date='Sep 24 2010, 07:17 PM']I used to rave about these on the old Bassworld forum 6yrs ago. I think they are generally amazing. Watch out for the vintage spec on the necks etc but if you like that sort of thing (I do, some don't) then you can't go too far wrong[/quote]


how do you mean re. the spec?

[Cat Burrito]

It totally depends on the model but slightly different neck profiles etc. You can get an idea from the Fender website but the best way of course is to play them. For example a 51RI P-bass has a neck like a bassball bat where as the 57 neck is slightly wider and more flattened. I find with a neck profile if you play a bass regularly you tend to get used to that profile anyway.

[Jigster]

got you - yes I'd agree with that. Until recently, I thought I preferred a P neck, but I think that's because I started playing originally a P - But I have taken to Jazz basses suddenly, really enjoying their necks - altho the Nash I have has a pretty thick neck, not unlike a P!

[Jigster]

oh yeah sorry, is the Classic series US or MIM?

[Cat Burrito]

MIM....& I do appear to be the only biting on this thread?! The quality is as big a jump from MIM standard to MIM Classic IMHO as that of Squier Standard and Squier VM

[AndyTravis]

I've got the MIM 60's Jazz and 50's PBass.

Both ace, not to be sniffed at.

[iconic]

is it me, or are these Coda prices a tad on dear side?

[Lozz196]

I`ve had the 70s Jazz, and the 50s P, and both were amazing quality. The Jazz was the only Jazz I`ve ever had, so no real comparisons, but the 50s P - well probably the only real difference from my US P-Basses, aside from neck size, was no string-thru-body. The rest of it, in terms of quality, playability, and tone, no real difference at all.

As Burrito says, an amazing jump from MIM Standard to these guys. I`d thoroughly recommend them to anyone.

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='Lozz196' post='967344' date='Sep 25 2010, 09:32 AM']I`ve had the 70s Jazz, and the 50s P, and both were amazing quality. The Jazz was the only Jazz I`ve ever had, so no real comparisons, but the 50s P - well probably the only real difference from my US P-Basses, aside from neck size, was no string-thru-body. The rest of it, in terms of quality, playability, and tone, no real difference at all.

As Burrito says, an amazing jump from MIM Standard to these guys. I`d thoroughly recommend them to anyone.[/quote]

I have a Classic 70s. Bought secondhand with a bodged non-fitting scratchplate, so hard to comment on certain aspects of the set-up. But IMO it's very good, the only things that I noticed were first that up close the finishing around the nut was not as tidy as it should be (though the neck is otherwise lovely and feels very nice to play), and the neck pocket is not as tight as my CIJ Jap 75, however it's nothing dreadful either. There was also a pointless body route underneath the pickguard which would be a bit annoying if you fancied playing without a guard, however I stripped off the polyester finish and before respraying I filled this with Ronseal wood filler! I believe that the American jazzes at the moment also have this routing hole, and davebass5 (I think) posted a pic of one with really dreadfully over-sized routing around the neck pup so the Highway and Classic series instruments actually appear to be better in this respect.

The pickups (Standard Vintage Alnico) sound very good indeed to my ears, much more lively and generally better than the rather dull-sounding supposedly American ones in the Jap 75RI. So much so that they now reside in that bass while the Classic 70s undergoes my apparently never-ending attempt at a refinish, but while it was all in one piece it had a lovely open, grinding growl to it. I can't decide whether I should get an extra set of the Standard Vintage or whether to try US 75 pickups, which thanks to basschat I discover are available separately. The frets, though supposedly 'vintage', are actually quite different in profile to those on the Jap 75RI (which are tiny and smoothly rounded) and I prefer them as I think they impart a bit more growl to the tone but are still a bit less mahoosive than medium jumbos which I find a bit awkward in comparison.

Oh yes, it's also pretty lightweight with no neck dive, I think the tuners help here - they're MIM steel ones as far as I can tell and weigh a lot less than the (brass?) Jap ones, so technically they're probably less desirable but I think they're a boon. Having a bullet truss is very convenient too.

Finally, A/Bing the 75RI with the Classic 70s, I can hear a real difference in the character of the sound with the two pickups on full, which I attribute to the 70s spacing (v the bizarrely 60s spacing on the Jap 75RIs!) rather than the diferent body woods (ash v alder). I say this because blending the pickups in and out I can hear a different set of frequencies cancelling/reinforcing. The 70s spacing sounds both deeper and crisper, maybe less warm but definitely not 'lifeless' or boring. I like it.

[Rosh]

I actually bought this bass fromn Lozz and it's an incredible player, if that's your thing And he's right:

[quote name='Lozz196' post='967344' date='Sep 25 2010, 09:32 AM']The 50s P - well probably the only real difference from my US P-Basses, aside from neck size, was no string-thru-body. The rest of it, in terms of quality, playability, and tone, no real difference at all.

As Burrito says, an amazing jump from MIM Standard to these guys. I`d thoroughly recommend them to anyone.[/quote]

[Jigster]

cheers guys, keep it coming -

LawrenceH - how did you find the neck on the J - I read one review that it's described as a slim neck but is actually quite thick??

[skej21]

I got the '57 Classic Series P Bass. Put some flats on it and it rocks the hell out of everything.

Just incredible (so much so that it converted my friend who know wants one, despite the fact that he HATES P basses and flats )


Seriously... just buy one. 99% likely that you won't regret it, and if you do, you'll soon shift it because they are GREAT basses!

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='Jigster' post='967965' date='Sep 25 2010, 08:57 PM']cheers guys, keep it coming -

LawrenceH - how did you find the neck on the J - I read one review that it's described as a slim neck but is actually quite thick??[/quote]

To me it seems small and fast, but I don't have any modern Jazzers to compare it to directly. I certainly didn't have a problem with it despite coming from an Ibanez SR500 with those ultra-slim super-fast necks. In fact the profile is very comfortable for me and the finishing (although cosmetically not great at the nut) is otherwise very good and ergonomic (no sharp fret ends on a bound fingerboard!). My hands aren't huge either. I did used to play a couple of American jazzes that other people owned at a jam night, one standard, one deluxe, and I find the Classic 70s easier to play than I remember them being. The perceived difference may be down to the fret size/profile and set-up as much as anything else though. I guess the shape of the profile is quite rounded so it might seem a bit chunkier than some since it stays fatter closer to the edges, but the maximum front-to-back differences doesn't seem all that great, I certainly can't imagine it being much thinner on a non-laminate without having stability issues.
IMO the narrow string spacing of a jazz means thickness of the neck is anyway far less of an issue than on a P or a 5+ string unless you have very small hands indeed. Hope that helps!

Edited September 25, 2010 by LawrenceH

[p58]

can someone compare quality/sound between MIM classic series nad CIJ series?

[Musicman20]

Didnt dave_bass get a 70s Classic Jazz? Check with him, I think he returned it but thats the lottery of Fender.

[Lozz196]

I`ve currently got MIA Precisions, and in the past had both a CIJ 51 Reissue P-Bass, and the MIM Classic 50s P-Bass.

In terms of quality, all 3 are roughly the same, only difference being thru-body stringing missing on the Classic.

Can`t compare the 51 in terms of sound, as its a single coil pickup, but the Classic and MIAs are very alike, prob due to them having the same model of pickup - yes, Classics get MIA pickups.

In terms of playability, the Classic again is very comparable to both MIA and CIJ.

Aside from the difference in width of the necks, I don`t think anyone playing blindfolded could tell much difference between them all.

[Musicman20]

[quote name='Lozz196' post='970560' date='Sep 28 2010, 12:28 PM']Can`t compare the 51 in terms of sound, as its a single coil pickup, but the Classic and MIAs are very alike, prob due to them having the same model of pickup - yes, Classics get MIA pickups.[/quote]

Hi

Not doubting they both sound similar, but I checked into the pickups on the Classics and Roadworn (same basses basically, but the RW is nitro and has more attention during manufacture) and they are indeed MIM pickups. I double checked with Fender UK and USA, and they said there had been confusion, but they are not the American pickups, they are MIM.

[HMX]

I have a Classic 70s Jazz bass and love it. Real nice playing and good looking bass. I had an issue with the neck being warped after I bought it, but I managed to send it back to Fender and had a new one put on (for free). The sound is really great.

[machinehead]

I have a classic 70s jazz and a US vintage 75 reissue. The US costs around 3 times the MIM and in all honesty, it's hard to see or hear why.

They are both really great basses. I bought the US because it has the harder to find rosewood board and I love the looks as well as the sound.

The quality of the MIM classic 70s is excellent. The neck is slightly deeper than my US 75 (barely noticeable though) but it's still slim and feels natural and easy to play. The sound is deep and rich. Using the volumes gives a deep rocky sound on the neck pup, a sweet sound on both pups full, which I tend to use for ballads and softer stuff. Bridge pup is burpy. All typical jazz.

I really don't understand the fixation some seem to have over pick ups and basses being MIM or MIA. It's mainly a marketing tool IMO.

I bought mine used and it still has the TI flats it came with so I will be trying rounds soon. I imagine that will give more growl.

All in all, highly recommended and given the neck blocks and binding, the general high quality, a total bargain.

The usual caveat : always try before you buy. (Although, in this case, I bought without trying)

Frank

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='970609' date='Sep 28 2010, 01:09 PM']Hi

Not doubting they both sound similar, but I checked into the pickups on the Classics and Roadworn (same basses basically, but the RW is nitro and has more attention during manufacture) and they are indeed MIM pickups. I double checked with Fender UK and USA, and they said there had been confusion, but they are not the American pickups, they are MIM.[/quote]
That is a surprise, as on a different thread on here, there was an e-mail from a guy from Fender stating they were the US Pickups.

[Musicman20]

[quote name='Lozz196' post='971358' date='Sep 29 2010, 07:46 AM']That is a surprise, as on a different thread on here, there was an e-mail from a guy from Fender stating they were the US Pickups.[/quote]

Thats what I thought. I showed the guys the thread in the email I sent, and they said there had been a mistake. God knows how they made that mistake, but there we go! I even double checked with the USA Fender rep, and yet again he said 'they are MIM'. Dont let that detract anyone from buying one, because the Classic prices arent bad. However, I would have thought they would have stuck USA pups in the Roadworn.

Edited September 29, 2010 by Musicman20

[Grand Wazoo]

I knew that all along but was being too polite to contradict you Gareth.

In fact the only basses fitted with USA Pickups are those with the logo's "Crafted in Japan" or "Made in Japan"

Edited September 29, 2010 by Grand Wazoo

[Musicman20]

Classic:

Middle Pickup: Vintage Precision Bass® Split Single-Coil Pickup

Roadworn:

Middle Pickup: Vintage Precision Bass® Split Single-Coil Pickup

American Standard:

Middle Pickup: American Standard Precision Bass® Alnico V Split Single-Coil Pickup