Identify 70s Fender Jazz Neck??

[sambecker1]

Hey folks, 

 

I am looking to buy a 70s Fender Jazz but the neck is confusing me - it seems 100% legit and the serial matches up but the truss rod adjustment and headstock patch (where truss rod adjustment usually is) seems more like on a Precision bass from the era rather than a Jazz bass - any help would be really appreciated!

 

All the best,

 

Sam

[MungoBass]

I’m confused too!  I’m no expert but would expect to see an S7 serial number with the bullet truss rod nut at the headstock end.  I believe this change was around late 74 early 75.  The tuners look correct with the little r after Fender.

 

Do you have any pictures of the underside or end of the heel?  Can you see any extra screw holes or just the three expected for an S7 Bass?  The inking was often very feint (illegible!) on many 70s Fenders but any date codes might help.

 

 I believe you are right to question this and hopefully some more knowledgeable BCers can add more!

 

 

[Reggaebass]

Edit, wrong year 

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by Reggaebass

[MungoBass]

5 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

It looks right to me, this is from the fender bass book, 

That’s a great book but every time I look at it I want another bass!  The picture is of a 72 which did indeed have the P style truss rod.  It did however change a couple of years later and the bass in question from the OP appears to be around 1977.

[Reggaebass]

8 minutes ago, MungoBass said:

It did however change a couple of years later and the bass in question from the OP appears to be around 1977.

Ah my mistake, wrong year, thanks MB 👍

[Burns-bass]

It’s missing the bullet truss rod end. It may be that this has been removed (or the neck is fake, hard to tell). But a later 70s neck would 100% have one - so find out why before you buy!

[Bigguy2017]

The walnut plug says early 70s or modern - later 70s were bullet style.

The Jazz Bass font is sans serif which was later 70s.

Neck colour looks too new and the Fender decal also looks too new.

Tuners look legit.

Serial number is USA 77 - 78 or Japan 94 - 95 / 2006 - 2008

Bass could be later MIJ and mistakenly dated to 70s due to serial number ambiguity?

Could also be a newer, replacement neck.

Is there a neck date stamp? Pot date codes?

[Sibob]

Yeah looks to be a bit all over the place. The decal is mid-late 70's, early 70's/late 60's had the model name in a larger font (as per the bass book picture above).

So if all things are legit (questionable at this point), it's a mid-late 70's neck with some muddled 'transition' features haha. Ie possible crossover with no bullet-truss but early logo. Fender were all over the place by that point, so it's possible.

 

The cynic in me would leave it alone unless the price was particularly excellent AND it was a great playing/sounding bass.

 

Si

Edited July 20, 2022 by Sibob

[Belka]

Does it have the three or four bolt neck attachment? I'd presume four given the lack of a bullet truss rod adjuster. Those tuners were used up until '75 and have not been reissued by any company. I'd guess that it's either a '74/'75 bass with a newer decal on the headstock, or perhaps more interesting, some kind of special order; perhaps a customer really didn't want a three bolt neck attachment back in '77 and Fender found an earlier neck for them. As other have said. a good look at the body, etc., would probably help 

[stu_g]

i saw that ad as its not far from me,the body may not be original as someone has cut a big access panel in front of it,and it has a square neckplate with a serial starting with 3 on it.

i thought the neck looked original but with the neckplate having a different serial and not knowing what happened with the body it looks like a bit of a mashup.