Guest Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 (edited) Can't believe I've been playing nearly a quarter of a century and this is my first Fender! Mexican Jazz circa 2001. Kent Armstrongs and Badass II fitted already. [url="http://s1142.photobucket.com/user/nosnowking/media/20160830_0952151_zpsfxsrsz83.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1142.photobucket.com/user/nosnowking/media/20160830_0952331_zpshblxf6is.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1142.photobucket.com/user/nosnowking/media/20160830_0952411_zpstaoztafb.jpg.html"][/url] I've been after a Fender for years, but have struggled to find one that I'd be willing to part with cash for (in fact, the majority have been dog-rough and not worth half the asking price...new or used!!!) Picked up this Mexican Jazz on ebay, well used and gigged, which to me is a sign that most of the problems will have been ironed out by now. If the last owner is reading this, Hi, and sorry for taking sandpaper to your bass Gave it a setup this morning, including neck shim, trussrod tweak and cleanup. Scratchplate is a little warped...I did the heatgun and stack of books trick but it's still a little squiffy, although not enough to bother me that much. Took a sheet of wet&dry to the horrible gloss finish on the back of the neck...nice smooth matte feel to it now I've got a J-Retro preamp on order which will hopefully arrive this week. I've always had active basses and never really got on with the VVT controls on a Jazz so they've got to go. Sounds great, plays great...as a second bass that I'm going to gig and play a lot it's perfect! Edited August 30, 2016 by nosnowking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Lovely bass... Surely worth waiting all that time for? I think I should have bought my Jazz on day one... maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Nice ! Like the tort Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Nice bass. You can get a cheap replacement scratchplate on ebay for about 4 quid - from China They're pretty good quality, and fairly tough, properly laminated.... Yes, some Fenders can be bad, but get a good one, and you'll know it. I've got a few, and love them all - but have had some not so good ones too. My Roadworn Jazz and P basses are absolutely stunning. Glad you like yours - I like the VVT controls on my Jazz. I prefer simple controls on the bass TBH. I set them to roughly mid-way, and do EQ'ing on the amp, to suit the venue. Then I've got room for manouvre either way, at hand, on the bass... But each to their own - I had active basses and a few that had loads of control knobs. I found I was forever fiddling then Enjoy your fab looking new toy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 [quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1472566814' post='3122169'] Nice bass. You can get a cheap replacement scratchplate on ebay for about 4 quid - from China They're pretty good quality, and fairly tough, properly laminated.... Yes, some Fenders can be bad, but get a good one, and you'll know it. I've got a few, and love them all - but have had some not so good ones too. My Roadworn Jazz and P basses are absolutely stunning. Glad you like yours - I like the VVT controls on my Jazz. I prefer simple controls on the bass TBH. I set them to roughly mid-way, and do EQ'ing on the amp, to suit the venue. Then I've got room for manouvre either way, at hand, on the bass... But each to their own - I had active basses and a few that had loads of control knobs. I found I was forever fiddling then Enjoy your fab looking new toy [/quote] Thanks for the tip on the ebay scratchplates...I was a suspicious that they'd be a bit tacky and poor quality. I persevered with the VVT for all of about a day, lol. The pots were a little scratchy and they seemed to do nothing then surge in volume at the last 1/8 turn or so. I couldn't see myself adjusting on the fly at a gig with dodgy controls like that. Anyway, the preamp arrived today... [url="http://s1142.photobucket.com/user/nosnowking/media/20160901_154926_zpsrpj3jqor.jpg.html"][/url] The J Retro is very nice indeed. I bought the one with the preshape which does make the bass sound a bit hi-fi for my taste when flat, however a quick bump on the mid control and all that lovely bridge-pickup growl is back. I was a bit concerned that the sound would be too sterile, but the preamp is quite transparent and retains all the jazz bass goodness. Very happy Now i just need to get the frets dressed, there's a bit of wear causing some buzz here and there. Any recommendations for a good setup in Surrey anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 The headstock suggests it isn't a standard MIM... Looks like a 60s reissue to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.