Fender 50th Anniversary Jazz Bass

[OutToPlayJazz]

[b][size=6]F[/size][/b]or the 2010 50th birthday celebration of the Jazz bass, Fender wanted to create something different from just another reissue of a classic model, so the 50th Anniversary model combines elements from several eras of the instrument's history, making for a special bass not only for collectors, but for players, too.



Working from the top of the bass downwards, the tuners are from the current American Standard, lightweight Hipshots & the logo on the body colour headcap is the original "offset contour 60's logo." The neck is from the American Classic 62RI model with the "most comfortable shape ever", but incorporates the posiflex graphite rods as well as a modern bottom end hex wrench operated truss rod. The selected maple neck is also beautifully figured and lacquered with a gloss nitro finish. Fretwork is also excellent & the rosewood fingerboard is of excellent quality, the edges of the 'board being polished to match in with the gloss neck. The fingerboard also features pearloid block inlays which as flawlessly fitted flush to the wood. Another piece of excellent work.




The neck plate is a special commemorative anniversary edition, bearing the inscription, "50th Anniversary JAZZ BASS, since 1960" across the background of the "big F" & has the standard four-bolt fixing. The neck pocket join is as near perfect as a bolt on neck is going to get & detail finishing around this area is highly impressive with none of the over painting or jagged edges that are found so often on mass produced instruments.



The body is made from select alder & has through body stringing & the pickups are taken from the American Vintage series 75 reissue model. These pickups are a little noisier than the almost silent [with flush polepieces] models you get with the American Standard, but having owned a 75RI, they do produce the creamiest tone of all the stock Fender pickups.



The positioning of the rear pickup is one quarter inch further back than the standard model in the '70's position", giving the 50th Anniversary model a slightly harsher tone to the back pickup than you'll find on either an American Standard or a Road Worn when the rear pickup is solo'd. An interesting fact linked with the 70's positioning is that it was originally moved because the back pickup poked out from the pickup cover a little. The happy coincidence to this move was a much brighter and sharper sound which is still popular to this day.

The bridge is the vintage high-mass model first introduced on the American Standard at the beginning of 2008. This design caters for both base stringing & through body options and saddles are ribbed for greater accuracy in placing the strings between the pickup poles.

The nitro candy apple red finish is flawless and seems to have a lot of silver in the colour mix. It really is a striking paint job! The chrome pickup & bridge covers are a nice touch, but make playing in modern styles difficult. The "Marcus" pickup cover tends to make a good thumbrest if you can play with your right hand that far away from the strings, but does create an extra metallic shimmer within the sound when played fingerstyle. The "F" embossed bridge cover is huge and only leaves a gap of 2-3 inches between itself and the pickup cover, so playing fingerstyle back there with the covers on is a little on the tight side if you're blessed with big hands like me!



That leads to my only complaint about this bass - Fender are shipping these basses out with the chrome covers pre attached, whereas American Vintage models are supplied with them separately in the accessory kit, leaving the owner with the choice of whether or not to put them on. I personally prefer to play without the covers and it's unfortunate that on my example of the 50th, the bridge cover has left a couple of small indentations in the nitro finish. It's not a big deal, as the bass is going to be played, but it is mildly annoying on a bass at this price point.

Sound-wise, the bass is pure Jazz, but an interesting mix of the creamy 75RI sound, the growling graphite-rod equipped sound of the American Standard and a lot of additional rich tone, courtesy of the thin nitro finish. Well played examples of this bass are going to be seen as very "cool" by the relic fraternity in a few years, as the nitro finish will undoubtedly mark very easily. The aforementioned neck is indeed very comfortable to play and the nitro gloss isn't in any way sticky feeling like on some of the lesser models.

So, what do you get for your money? Well, as well as all of the aforementioned features, you get an embellished version of the American Vintage luxury Fender plaque'd hardshell case & the [b]CASE CANDY[/b] pack includes the same strap and cable pack as the AV series, bridge mutes of two varieties & a commemorative booklet of the history of the Jazz bass. There's also the usual T-shaped trussrod tool & various imperial sized hex wrenches.

All in all, this is an excellent celebratory version of the Jazz bass we all know and love. Great to play & great to look at, with a once in a lifetime combination of specs from different periods of the Jazz's history, making for quite an individual sounding bass to play. Looking at the bass from a potential buyer's point of view, it looks expensive, even for a limited edition, but when you start to look at the quality & the custom shop like attention to detail, you can almost forgive Fender's bass division a little monetary indulgence!

Highly recommended.

[bassmanady]

Thats one heck of a great looking bass...and thanks for the info,very interesting reading Rich

[Cat Burrito]

Great review - I take it you won't be selling it on in a few weeks?!

[molan]

Nice one Rich.

I have to say this is the first Fender I've had any serious interest in for some time.

I'd love to see that CAR finish in the flesh

[Clarky]

Very pretty bass, OTPJ, and interesting review. I like the CAR finish. I'm probably in the minority here but I think it would look even better with a 62RI tort s/p on it, a bit like the old Nash I used to own thats now in Stacker's hands (picture below).

[attachment=49872:Summer_2...tuff_232.JPG]

[OutToPlayJazz]

Hey Clarky,

Yes, agreed - I'm no fan of white scratch plates either, but I feel that this particular bass should be kept standard in terms of cosmetics. If I get fed up of the earthing of the 75RI pickups (the electrics in my house are about 100 years old!), I'll drop in some noise cancelling Nordstrands, but the sound this bass makes as stock is astounding as it is, anyway.

I was just looking at the Nash bass & thinking how much it looks like a Road Worn Fender!

[Clarky]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='838423' date='May 15 2010, 08:45 PM']Hey Clarky,

Yes, agreed - I'm no fan of white scratch plates either, but I feel that this particular bass should be kept standard in terms of cosmetics. If I get fed up of the earthing of the 75RI pickups (the electrics in my house are about 100 years old!), I'll drop in some noise cancelling Nordstrands, but the sound this bass makes as stock is astounding as it is, anyway.

I was just looking at the Nash bass & thinking how much it looks like a Road Worn Fender! [/quote]
The beauty of a Jazz s/p is you don't have to unscrew anything else, unlike the P-bass, if you want to swap - as you know. So you could easily fit a tort and keep the white s/p safe in the case and swap back should you ever decide to sell ... which of course you will not

[OutToPlayJazz]

[quote name='Clarky' post='838426' date='May 15 2010, 08:47 PM']The beauty of a Jazz s/p is you don't have to unscrew anything else, unlike the P-bass, if you want to swap - as you know. So you could easily fit a tort and keep the white s/p safe in the case and swap back should you ever decide to sell ... which of course you will not [/quote]

Quite true on the scratchguard, mate - I think this one's a keeper, actually. It's got a lot of character to it and is just that little bit better than every other Jazz I've had. The RoadWorn was an excellent player & I'd like another one of those as it's a very honest jazz which utterly nails the classic sound, but this 50th one is something else altogether. It has that extra dimension to the sound and amazing playability.

[AndyTravis]

For the one i had on order (and susequently cancelled, due to skint disease...) i'd planned to put a shell guard on.

[OutToPlayJazz]

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='838440' date='May 15 2010, 09:07 PM']For the one i had on order (and susequently cancelled, due to skint disease...) i'd planned to put a shell guard on.[/quote]

Sorry to hear about that, Andy - Hopefully another one will appear at the right time in the future.

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='838254' date='May 15 2010, 04:56 PM'][b][size=6]F[/size][/b]or the 2010 50th birthday celebration of the Jazz bass, Fender wanted to create something different from just another reissue of a classic model, so the 50th Anniversary model combines elements from several eras of the instrument's history, making for a special bass not only for collectors, but for players, too.

Working from the top of the bass downwards, the tuners are from the current American Standard, lightweight Hipshots & the logo on the body colour headcap is the original "offset contour 60's logo." The neck is from the American Classic 62RI model with the "most comfortable shape ever", but incorporates the posiflex graphite rods as well as a modern bottom end hex wrench operated truss rod. The selected maple neck is also beautifully figured and lacquered with a gloss nitro finish. Fretwork is also excellent & the rosewood fingerboard is of excellent quality, the edges of the 'board being polished to match in with the gloss neck. The fingerboard also features pearloid block inlays which as flawlessly fitted flush to the wood. Another piece of excellent work.

The neck plate is a special commemorative anniversary edition, bearing the inscription, "50th Anniversary JAZZ BASS, since 1960" across the background of the "big F" & has the standard four-bolt fixing. The neck pocket join is as near perfect as a bolt on neck is going to get & detail finishing around this area is highly impressive with none of the over painting or jagged edges that are found so often on mass produced instruments.

The body is made from select alder & has through body stringing & the pickups are taken from the American Vintage series 75 reissue model. These pickups are a little noisier than the almost silent [with flush polepieces] models you get with the American Standard, but having owned a 75RI, they do produce the creamiest tone of all the stock Fender pickups.

The positioning of the rear pickup is one quarter inch further back than the standard model in the '70's position", giving the 50th Anniversary model a slightly harsher tone to the back pickup than you'll find on either an American Standard or a Road Worn when the rear pickup is solo'd. An interesting fact linked with the 70's positioning is that it was originally moved because the back pickup poked out from the pickup cover a little. The happy coincidence to this move was a much brighter and sharper sound which is still popular to this day.

The bridge is the vintage high-mass model first introduced on the American Standard at the beginning of 2008. This design caters for both base stringing & through body options and saddles are ribbed for greater accuracy in placing the strings between the pickup poles.

The nitro candy apple red finish is flawless and seems to have a lot of silver in the colour mix. It really is a striking paint job! The chrome pickup & bridge covers are a nice touch, but make playing in modern styles difficult. The "Marcus" pickup cover tends to make a good thumbrest if you can play with your right hand that far away from the strings, but does create an extra metallic shimmer within the sound when played fingerstyle. The "F" embossed bridge cover is huge and only leaves a gap of 2-3 inches between itself and the pickup cover, so playing fingerstyle back there with the covers on is a little on the tight side if you're blessed with big hands like me!

That leads to my only complaint about this bass - Fender are shipping these basses out with the chrome covers pre attached, whereas American Vintage models are supplied with them separately in the accessory kit, leaving the owner with the choice of whether or not to put them on. I personally prefer to play without the covers and it's unfortunate that on my example of the 50th, the bridge cover has left a couple of small indentations in the nitro finish. It's not a big deal, as the bass is going to be played, but it is mildly annoying on a bass at this price point.

Sound-wise, the bass is pure Jazz, but an interesting mix of the creamy 75RI sound, the growling graphite-rod equipped sound of the American Standard and a lot of additional rich tone, courtesy of the thin nitro finish. Well played examples of this bass are going to be seen as very "cool" by the relic fraternity in a few years, as the nitro finish will undoubtedly mark very easily. The aforementioned neck is indeed very comfortable to play and the nitro gloss isn't in any way sticky feeling like on some of the lesser models.

So, what do you get for your money? Well, as well as all of the aforementioned features, you get an embellished version of the American Vintage luxury Fender plaque'd hardshell case & the [b]CASE CANDY[/b] pack includes the same strap and cable pack as the AV series, bridge mutes of two varieties & a commemorative booklet of the history of the Jazz bass. There's also the usual T-shaped trussrod tool & various imperial sized hex wrenches.

All in all, this is an excellent celebratory version of the Jazz bass we all know and love. Great to play & great to look at, with a once in a lifetime combination of specs from different periods of the Jazz's history, making for quite an individual sounding bass to play. Looking at the bass from a potential buyer's point of view, it looks expensive, even for a limited edition, but when you start to look at the quality & the custom shop like attention to detail, you can almost forgive Fender's bass division a little monetary indulgence!

Highly recommended.[/quote]


Very nice review Ritch, I know this thread is old, but I just stumbled on it by chance, this really looks like a bass that will become quite collectible, I love all the details and my only complaint is that to see a block inlayed neck without the customary binding is like looking at Dolly Parton with a flat chest, not something you'd expect.
But yes it is a very nice bass and one I never had the chance to try yet, as I haven't seen it anywhere yet.

[OutToPlayJazz]

Dodgy soundclip video with the bass plugged straight into the pc's mic socket - You don't realise until you do one of these how difficult it is to play when you can't hear yourself!

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='844935' date='May 22 2010, 10:53 AM']Dodgy soundclip video with the bass plugged straight into the pc's mic socket - You don't realise until you do one of these how difficult it is to play when you can't hear yourself!

[/quote]

That sound is wickedly 'j-bass in yer face'. Want one! Bank balance says...no

[Louisiana Boy]

Thanks for posting this very informative quote.
I hope to find a clean one soon.
They are getting harder and harder to find.



[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' timestamp='1273939009' post='838254']
[b][size=6]F[/size][/b]or the 2010 50th birthday celebration of the Jazz bass, Fender wanted to create something different from just another reissue of a classic model, so the 50th Anniversary model combines elements from several eras of the instrument's history, making for a special bass not only for collectors, but for players, too.



Working from the top of the bass downwards, the tuners are from the current American Standard, lightweight Hipshots & the logo on the body colour headcap is the original "offset contour 60's logo." The neck is from the American Classic 62RI model with the "most comfortable shape ever", but incorporates the posiflex graphite rods as well as a modern bottom end hex wrench operated truss rod. The selected maple neck is also beautifully figured and lacquered with a gloss nitro finish. Fretwork is also excellent & the rosewood fingerboard is of excellent quality, the edges of the 'board being polished to match in with the gloss neck. The fingerboard also features pearloid block inlays which as flawlessly fitted flush to the wood. Another piece of excellent work.




The neck plate is a special commemorative anniversary edition, bearing the inscription, "50th Anniversary JAZZ BASS, since 1960" across the background of the "big F" & has the standard four-bolt fixing. The neck pocket join is as near perfect as a bolt on neck is going to get & detail finishing around this area is highly impressive with none of the over painting or jagged edges that are found so often on mass produced instruments.



The body is made from select alder & has through body stringing & the pickups are taken from the American Vintage series 75 reissue model. These pickups are a little noisier than the almost silent [with flush polepieces] models you get with the American Standard, but having owned a 75RI, they do produce the creamiest tone of all the stock Fender pickups.



The positioning of the rear pickup is one quarter inch further back than the standard model in the '70's position", giving the 50th Anniversary model a slightly harsher tone to the back pickup than you'll find on either an American Standard or a Road Worn when the rear pickup is solo'd. An interesting fact linked with the 70's positioning is that it was originally moved because the back pickup poked out from the pickup cover a little. The happy coincidence to this move was a much brighter and sharper sound which is still popular to this day.

The bridge is the vintage high-mass model first introduced on the American Standard at the beginning of 2008. This design caters for both base stringing & through body options and saddles are ribbed for greater accuracy in placing the strings between the pickup poles.

The nitro candy apple red finish is flawless and seems to have a lot of silver in the colour mix. It really is a striking paint job! The chrome pickup & bridge covers are a nice touch, but make playing in modern styles difficult. The "Marcus" pickup cover tends to make a good thumbrest if you can play with your right hand that far away from the strings, but does create an extra metallic shimmer within the sound when played fingerstyle. The "F" embossed bridge cover is huge and only leaves a gap of 2-3 inches between itself and the pickup cover, so playing fingerstyle back there with the covers on is a little on the tight side if you're blessed with big hands like me!



That leads to my only complaint about this bass - Fender are shipping these basses out with the chrome covers pre attached, whereas American Vintage models are supplied with them separately in the accessory kit, leaving the owner with the choice of whether or not to put them on. I personally prefer to play without the covers and it's unfortunate that on my example of the 50th, the bridge cover has left a couple of small indentations in the nitro finish. It's not a big deal, as the bass is going to be played, but it is mildly annoying on a bass at this price point.

Sound-wise, the bass is pure Jazz, but an interesting mix of the creamy 75RI sound, the growling graphite-rod equipped sound of the American Standard and a lot of additional rich tone, courtesy of the thin nitro finish. Well played examples of this bass are going to be seen as very "cool" by the relic fraternity in a few years, as the nitro finish will undoubtedly mark very easily. The aforementioned neck is indeed very comfortable to play and the nitro gloss isn't in any way sticky feeling like on some of the lesser models.

So, what do you get for your money? Well, as well as all of the aforementioned features, you get an embellished version of the American Vintage luxury Fender plaque'd hardshell case & the [b]CASE CANDY[/b] pack includes the same strap and cable pack as the AV series, bridge mutes of two varieties & a commemorative booklet of the history of the Jazz bass. There's also the usual T-shaped trussrod tool & various imperial sized hex wrenches.

All in all, this is an excellent celebratory version of the Jazz bass we all know and love. Great to play & great to look at, with a once in a lifetime combination of specs from different periods of the Jazz's history, making for quite an individual sounding bass to play. Looking at the bass from a potential buyer's point of view, it looks expensive, even for a limited edition, but when you start to look at the quality & the custom shop like attention to detail, you can almost forgive Fender's bass division a little monetary indulgence!

Highly recommended.


[/quote]

[molan]

[quote name='Louisiana Boy' timestamp='1347924973' post='1806850']
Thanks for posting this very informative quote.
I hope to find a clean one soon.
They are getting harder and harder to find.
[/quote]

It's a shame you are so far away - I know of one good condition one for sale and another that's absolutely brand new, still has the little plastic bags over the tuners & cover on the scratchplate!

[Louisiana Boy]

[u]Hello[/u]
[u]I found one at Gearhounds.com[/u]
[u]I think they might have a couple more[/u]
[u]They just down the street from the Fender Factory[/u]
[u]Fender lists this bass at 2700 dollars[/u]
[u]I feel I got a real good deal at 1739 I think, that includes shipping[/u]
[u]Looking at it is a pleasure too[/u]
[u]Is so clean I don't want to play it yet[/u]
[u]The candy paint job looks almost flouresent when you look at it from a certain angle, so does the Lake Placid Blue color[/u]
[u]Thanks for meeting me here[/u]
[u]Louisiana Boy[/u]

[Alane2512]

Great bass ! I love that color and MH 🙃