Marc S Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) For sale is this MIJ Fender Jazz, in an unusual colour and finish. EDIT: I have been told (see thread below) that this finish is called "Photoflame" Serial number dates it as 1994 or 95 and the build quality / component quality is what you'd expect from a Japan made instrument from the 80's & 90's In the interests of complete honesty - the condition of the finish is not great. Lovely colour though it is, there's some unusual damage to the Poly surface. The previous owner said it had been like that when he picked it up, and the guy before him didn't know how it had happened either. So if you're looking for a mint, pristine bass - this is not for you! I've tried to capture how the scratches look - but it's quite hard to show, as there are lots of other reflections of background objects etc. Both front & back of the body have quite a few "scratches" on the surface - or my own thoughts were that this bass may well have been in the cargo hold of an aeroplane, as to my eye - it could be that the surface has shrunk & cracked. There is also an area on the back which had fairly extensive "buckle rash" - and I covered this with model makers paint. I must have been thinking about trying to protect the bare wood underneath.... I acquired this bass, simply because I have a real liking for Japan Fenders and as soon as I picked it up, It just felt lovely to play. The neck is wonderful and just feels great - Oddly enough, it has a few minor dings but not the same extent of damage as the body, and nothing that affects playability in any way. I acquired it at a time when I lacked a fretted Jazz, and had GAS for one. Since I got this bass, I've more recently acquired a favourite Roadworn Jazz and I've decided that's my keeper. I initially had thoughts of sanding this bass down and refinishing it, or getting a replacement body, but after a while, the scratches bothered me less. Since being made aware that I'm going to be made redundant in the near future - I have decided to just keep my Roadworn, and don't have the appetite for doing a complete refin now anyway. It really is a lovely player, and if you're not bothered about the scratches & dings, or you fancy a refin project - then this is an inexpensive MIJ Fender. I can let you have a choice of case with it; either a Fender Red Badge Shaped Hard case (which is a bit tatty) or an old Brown Tolex covered Fender G&L fur-lined Hard case, which is a bit "Roadworn", alternatively, I've got a padded Fender Gigbag, if you prefer. Including a case, I hope this is a fair price? The bass is located just to the North of Cardiff. Note: I will not ship this bass, as I'd much rather that you tried it and are happy with the condition, and know exactly what you're buying. I'm happy to travel a little way to meet half way (I've got a Roland Battery amp so you can hear it). Absolutely no trades at all, unless you have a 5 string Wingbass (with cash your way). I can't own any more basses, as I'll be jobless in the near future. Edited April 23, 2019 by Marc S 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky 4000 Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Fender's "Foto Flame" finish. 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassfan Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 That’s a nice finish Marc, never seen one like that before... 👍🏻 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWes Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 I had a Fender Japan Precision of the same era with 'Foto Flame' finish. The finish on that had cracked all over in the same way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soledad Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 If that flame is in the wood it's amazing!! And I assume it is. I've seen that odd crazing on MIJs before - it's not wood movement because it doesn't follow the grain flow, but it does seem like the finish kind of moved on top of the wood. Don't know, just a guess. Could maybe be related to the rather thick finishes the MIJ basses seemed to have. Fine bass at a v good price I reckon. Not for me but v tasty indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tradfusion Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Very unusual finish... really cool though ☺️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Soledad said: If that flame is in the wood it's amazing!! And I assume it is. I've seen that odd crazing on MIJs before - it's not wood movement because it doesn't follow the grain flow, but it does seem like the finish kind of moved on top of the wood. Don't know, just a guess. Could maybe be related to the rather thick finishes the MIJ basses seemed to have. Fine bass at a v good price I reckon. Not for me but v tasty indeed. Its called photo flame for a reason. Its not in the wood. They spray a flame to look like flame maple on a veneer .Regardless they are still fantastic MIJ Jazz basses from this era and worth what he's asking for. they are quite rare especially in this colour. Edited March 29, 2019 by bubinga5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soledad Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 10 hours ago, bubinga5 said: Its called photo flame for a reason. sorry, should have spotted that. Never come across that finish. From the back it looks like it has a base 'undercoat' of black then the shading goes over the top as a film? Nice bass nonetheless - very fair price for a MIJ Jazz. I really like the dot marker necks too! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurroundedByManatees Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 (edited) 10 hours ago, bubinga5 said: Its called photo flame for a reason. Its not in the wood. They spray a flame to look like flame maple on a veneer .Regardless they are still fantastic MIJ Jazz basses from this era and worth what he's asking for. they are quite rare especially in this colour. From what I've read it's actually a thin foil that has been wrapped around the body to have it flamed. After that, the lacquer got applied. I owned 2 of these basses. One had a lot of cracks in the finish, which is pretty common for this range. Edited March 30, 2019 by SurroundedByManatees 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share Posted March 30, 2019 (edited) 12 hours ago, bubinga5 said: Its called photo flame for a reason. Its not in the wood. They spray a flame to look like flame maple on a veneer .Regardless they are still fantastic MIJ Jazz basses from this era and worth what he's asking for. they are quite rare especially in this colour. Thanks for that info. I'd heard the term "photo flame" before, but it was referring to one that was red / orange - so I stupidly thought it referred to the colour. Lol. Anyhow, interesting to hear that others have experienced similar cracking. I'm a huge fan of Japan Fenders. I've got a similar 62RI Jazz, different finish / colour, which is fretless - and it's such a lovely bass. In all honesty, if I hadn't got myself the Roadworn Jazz, I'd be keeping this bass. But I don't play it - the RW is the one that gets played every time.... I like them both, probably as much as each other. If it wasn't for looming redundancy - I'd probably still be trying to justify keeping them both Cheers for all your helpful comments Edited March 30, 2019 by Marc S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblueplanet Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 That’s a great price for a mij jazz. I have owned 3 before switching to smaller scale length basses. 😎 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Nice bass. Fender Japan used the 'foto flame' thing on quite a few models. More info here - http://xhefriguitars.com/page7.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share Posted March 30, 2019 Cheers for that link casapete. The more I look at this bass, the more I feel it's a shame about the cracking / crazing.... It's honesty such a nice player, and lightweight too. Very light for a jazz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffo Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 (edited) Nice jazz dude, have a bumpo my good man. Edited March 30, 2019 by fluffo Error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted March 31, 2019 Author Share Posted March 31, 2019 Wow @Meddle - that's some serious finish issues. Now my Jazz doesn't look so bad.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1946 Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 My PJ Lyte is exactly the same, also has a maple board. Great basses, especially that Jazz. GLWTS 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soledad Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 2 minutes ago, tom1946 said: My PJ Lyte is exactly the same Look fab when they are like yours. Wonder about longer-term laquer stability though. So many of these have weird cracks in random directions in the laquer. And btw - are you the guy with the Noel Redding MIJ Jazz - and if so just how many basses you got ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1946 Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 I am, and I have quite a few. Fender Performer from the 80's, a mint Pink Paisley 50's bass, 2 brand new Antigua P and J basses, the Noel Jazz and others, a sandblasted P bass 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 2 hours ago, tom1946 said: My PJ Lyte is exactly the same, also has a maple board Wow - never seen a P-Lyte with a maple board before, and I've had a fair few! Is it an original MIJ do you know Tom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted April 2, 2019 Author Share Posted April 2, 2019 @tom1946 -wow, that's a lovely PJ Lyte. Really like the colour, together with a lighter weight bass BTW. Are there any issues anywhere on the finish of your bass? Can't see any on the front, and just wondered if there were any cracks on the back or edges? PS. Do you know what year it is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soledad Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 (edited) That P-lite is fab, probably mint too - I get the impression Tom does mint ! Edited April 2, 2019 by Soledad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1946 Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 Yeah I do like mint, I had Jon Shuker strip the original rosewood board and fit a new maple one, it's just an eyesight thing but it does look and play well, early 90's I think, no issues at all I don't play it much because I got my Stingray back. I changed the P pickup to an SPB-1 because the original was too quiet for me, also removed the active loom and John (KiOgon) made me a new passive jobbie. Sounds great now. (Sorry to the OP for the thread hijack) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigguy2017 Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 My wee bro's Fender Strat with similar photo finish also split and cracked all over. He took a heat gun to it and stripped it back to (scorched!) wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted April 4, 2019 Author Share Posted April 4, 2019 (edited) I wouldn't want a scorched finish myself - but each to their own, of course. As I mentioned, I did think about stripping it back and doing a refin - but don't have the appetite for that now. I'm too lazy tbh But this could be a nice refin project for someone.... or just leave it be, as it's a rather nice colour Edited April 4, 2019 by Marc S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigJim Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 And you didn’t offer this why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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