Santa's been already !! New bass :)

[Wonky2]

Seems that santa's come early this year for me...
As well as paying my £100 speeding fine he's been kind enough to get me a new bass !

Went in my local and played a new fender vintage seventies hot rod (jp)... Had to have it and did a quick deal on the am standard jazz I bought a few months ago.

It's got some wicked tone, stacks more then the am Stan but I need a couple of answers if anyone can help...

I can't find the serial number listed anywhere , I understand that the vintage reissue stuff has odd serial number sequence...
The number is :HR002481 Can any one tell me when this was made ?

Its brand new and has been brought over the pond by my local shop but the serial means nothing to me and I can't date it ???
Any help is welcomed.

Edited December 24, 2014 by Wonky2

[stingrayPete1977]

You know what they say about pics and it not happening?

[Wonky2]

I'll get a pick on once I've removed my fist from this turkys arris.

I had a quick look before, it's the seventies vintage hot rod, just need help with the serial number.... I know its brand new but I'd like to know if its been sat on the shelf somewhere in America for ages
Got it at a great price so just looking for the catch I guess ......

[Wonky2]

Crappy photo , I'll wait till the little wonkies have gone to bed and I've done my santa bit before I can get it out and have a good look at it....

Was surprised that this ore expensive model has a solid sunburst paint job and not translucent paint to show the grain like my cheaper american standard had....i guess its a vintage reissue thing...
I'll get a better pic on later
It deffo sounds better then the am Stan with the custom shop pick ups... They changed the tone of the bass too much. This has the standard alnico's and the jazz bridge pick up is probably closer to the bridge I guess helping with that 70's mid growl

Edited December 24, 2014 by Wonky2

[Lozz196]

Well I can`t find anything, but when I had a similar issue I e-mailed Fender themselves and they relied very quickly with full details.

[stingrayPete1977]

Thats really nice, well done santa! What you say about the pickups is interesting, I did not try a 4 string when I bought my am Std a few weeks ago but as mine is a 5 string it did not get the 60s custom shop pickups so I presume they are the same (but 5 string) version of what you have there then?

[Wonky2]

Yeah, the am Stan i had was four string and a 2014 model (came straight from fender depot in holland to my door;) )
The brand new models have the custom shop pups, I guess they see it as an upgrade, but personally it warmed the tone up too much for me and it lost its mid growl..... It was a great bass ,one i thought I'd stick with but I played this and was convinced straight away.

Fenders are a bit hit and miss and no two play alike side by side off the shelf... Maybe a good set up can get them close but i do believe they can be either fantastic or mediocre at best....

I never liked the horrid models, neither jazz nor precision ...like it couldn't make its mid up what it wanted to be... I played a few and didn't like them... But this one, BANG! Straight away that tone was killer.
Neck is also a different shape. This has a u shape where I had always gone for the c shape.
It was the neck and the tone range that sold this bass to me.

I was a little out off as the am Stan had translucent paint (3tsb) and you could see lovely grain... This alder bodied hot rod is 3tsb but a solid paint job with no wood grain to be seen.... As I say, guess that's a vintage thing.
It also had great sounding / feel strings as stock.... Round wounds.... I have played with flats for a good while now and love them but this tone is great i don't reckon ill change them just yet....

[stingrayPete1977]

Cool sounds like not getting the custom shops did me a favour then, being a 2013 am std mine also has a trans urethane finish. Fender can make a nice bass when they want to can't they

[Wonky2]

Only dislike is the neck finish.... My am stan had no or satin finish on the neck, this hot rods got a lacquer of some sort... It's not mega sticky like some I've played but it isn't as nice a feel as that dry satin finish...
Might remove it if possible , any one know best way to do this? Wet and dry? Some kind of chemical stripper?

[discreet]

[quote name='Wonky2' timestamp='1419497534' post='2640404']
Might remove it if possible , any one know best way to do this? Wet and dry? Some kind of chemical stripper?
[/quote]

Scotchbrite pad.

[stingrayPete1977]

1200 grit wet and dry, shape it around the neck and just do the playing area, you can bring it back to full gloss with a fine polish later if you sell it. I do like the satin on mine, I agree its less sticky than a full gloss and I've not needed to sand mine this time.