Fender Jazz Bass 60's or 70's?

[paulmcnamara]

I am the fortunate owner/player of a Fender Jazz 1962 re issue, which was made at the Fullerton factory in 1983. Fender aficionados will doubtless know that between 1982 and 1985 Fender brought out the old Pre CBS tools, techniques, and people to build reissues that would, to all intents and purposes, be pre CBS models all but in name (and perhaps age). One of the key ingredients was the Nitrocelulose lacquer, which has, over nearly 30 years, allowed the alder/ash bodies to age and change in sound, unlike those instruments made with the newer mass production tools and techniques.
All in all one ends up with a Pre CBS bass or guitar without the hefty 10K price tag and all the attendant worries of transporting to rehearsal and gigs.
And they do sound very close to pre CBS models. However folks in the USA seem to prize these instruments far more so than do their counterparts here in the UK. A quick scan of [url="http://www.fenderreissue.com/"]http://www.fenderreissue.com[/url] and [url="http://www.fenderreissue.com/fullerton/1983-fender-62-precision-bass-3399-sold"]http://www.fenderrei...-bass-3399-sold[/url] will confirm prices in the $5,000 area, whereas here they can be picked up for considerably less.
My own 62 re issue Jazz was purchased last year from Andy Baxter of Hackney, who specialises in vintage basses. He is top whack re prices but has a good selection, and has a bass finding service.
As you can see from the picture my 62 has seen good service. Its all natural ageing, no relicing here! It is one of the lightest basses I have played and feels as if I’ve been playing it for 30 years or more. It was not particularly well set up when I got it, I have since had a fret stone and set up and it plays like a dream. I use an Aguilar TH500 amp through 2 Aguilar SL 112 cabinets which, I feel, presents the many different aspects of a Jazz Bass from the deep lows to the crisp but rounded highs and the varying mid/middle ground.
After years of having an arsenal of basses I found in this 62 re issue all I ever wanted in a bass, especially the absence of a needed decision, as to which bass I should use. However, whilst my bass was in dry dock for its fretstone and set up I borrowed a 1976 Jazz bass from my brother, which he was no longer using. I had originally bought it for him secondhand back in the late 80’s. He suggested that I have it back as he didn’t expect to use it again, and felt that I would get some enjoyment out of it.
So I now have the use of this 76 Mocha/Rosewood Jazz bass, which in contrast to the 62 is one of the heaviest basses I have played; it has an ash body, but wow, does it sound good. Better than the 62? No, just different. Brighter, as do most 70’s Fender Jazzes due to the change of bridge pick up position in that later period; different because it is very much the CBS period of production, but a very worthy addition to my 62 and although I was happy for a year with just one bass, its good to have a back up, and a choice can be useful sometimes to ‘ring in the changes’.
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Edited June 24, 2012 by paulmcnamara

[mooz]

What a really nice aged RI ´62! Congratulations!

I´ll play a ´69 Jazz and a ´78 Jazz which couldn´t be different from each other, too. The ´69 is my warm bass and more versatile to much of the music I play. The ´78 is my fave-tool for rock or funk, because its bright and very tight with a deeper low end.