People throw the word "rare" around for practically anything these days, but this 1966 Fender Jazz Bass is the definition of RARE!
I acquired this bass about 6 months ago (during an uncontrollable session of GAS) from a vintage guitar dealer in LA. He had it on ebay and when the winner of the auction didn't come through with the money, he emailed me since I had been asking lots of questions before the auction ended. Since I was local, I drove down there and we took it apart and verified it and I made him a cash offer. I intended to keep it forever (and still may), but I'd like to see if anyone out there might want it as bad as I did, and would be willing to pay me what I'd sell it for. I've had some unexpected expenses come up since I bought it and I'm realizing that I don't necessarily
need to keep a bass of this caliber seeing as though I just play part time on weekends in a blues band now. And as you can see in my avatar pic, I still have a few other jazzes I can play.
In this recession, I've seen comparable rare custom color, all original '66 Jazzes going in the $12-15K range on ebay/online, and up in the $15-17K+ range in retail guitar shops - But I have seen
none in as nice of shape as this one! I'm asking
$11,500 OBO. This is arguably one of the rarest vintage Fender basses you can get, in one of the rarest of all the custom colors. So please, don't bother with half-value offers and the like. I really don't think there is a nicer example of a rare color, all original 66 out there, period.
Now on to the bass...
- Original Charcoal Frost Metallic finish w/ matching headstock!
- Early 1966 bound neck with pearl dot position markers (7MAR66A neck code)
- Original vintage-size/pre-CBS frets with no noticeable wear.
- I believe even the flatwound strings it came with (which are wrapped with light blue/green cloth on the ends) are actually the original strings! They will also be included (although the bass is currently strung with TI flats).
- Paddle tuners
- Original "raised" Fender decal is still in very nice condition (so many from this era peel off since they were applied over the finish).
- It has some of the sweetest maple flaming I've ever seen on the back of a bass neck! Not to mention, the grain on the rosewood fretboard is beautiful too!
- I'd rate this bass as a 9/10, excellent condition for a bass that's almost 47 years old.
- Everything is all original down to the last screw (yes, everything - thumbrest, pickguard, all hardware).
- Unbroken/untouched solder joints/cloth wiring.
- Pickups and pots all date to 1966.
- Serial #131XXX
- Paint stick mark in the neck pocket (white primer coat over yellow "fullerplast" sealer).
- Body and headstock are exactly the same shade of yellowish milkshake color under a black light.
- 100% legit - No issues. No Mods. No extra body routes or screw holes. No repairs.
- Original chrome "ashtray" bridge and P/U covers with the original screws.
- Original hard shell case is also in great condition (except for the Fender logo is missing part of the "r" and much of the chrome on the logo has flaked off).
- Bass weighs exactly 9 lbs. on a postal scale.
This bass has
not been played most of its life. It looks like it has about 5-10 years worth of playing wear on it - some finish wear on the back of the neck, a few minor dings and scratches here and there, and some sweet finish checking on the neck and body.. and NO buckle rash! Probably sat in its case since the '70s since it has a few reddish discolorations on the back of the body from case bleed. These areas are discolorations only, the texture is smooth like the rest of the body (and the pics really do make it look worse than it does in person).
The best part is, this bass plays and sounds fantastic! I have had many vintage Fenders and this one honestly feels better than any vintage bass I've ever had in my hands! The neck has no deadspots and it has very nice, low action and the best neck profile I've ever felt on a Jazz. Because of the vintage frets, it still has that pre-CBS feel to it, even with the bound neck.
The pics in the album link were taken by the dealer I bought it from. This bass is set up so nicely, I don't want to take it apart a 3rd time just for pics I already have. The dealer took it apart for these pics, I took it apart with him to authenticate it when I bought it, and I'd be willing to take it apart once more for someone who is serious with the cash in their hand at that time. But for now, these pics will have to suffice (not to mention they are better than what my phone camera can do). The bass is still in the exact same condition as when these pics were taken. I am also happy to take more specific pics for serious potential buyers upon request. And please see the pic of this bass next to my other Jazz Basses (it's also my avatar pic) to show that I am in fact the owner of this instrument. I've also been selling basses on ebay for several years with 100% perfect feedback and over 140 transactions (username: thebassclef).
Payment/Shipping:
I'd very much prefer to do a cash deal with someone in person, here in Southern CA. I really don't want to ship this bass for obvious reasons, but I will if you're willing to pay the actual shipping cost with full insurance.
NO international shipping. It's just not worth the risk for me. So if you want it and live overseas, then you'll have to buy a plane ticket, take a vacation, and meet me in person here in California. Sorry, but I don't want this thing getting damaged or held up in customs in another country.
In the event I ship the bass, I will accept Paypal.
At this time, I am not offering this bass for sale anywhere else. I wanted to see what my fellow TBers thought about it first and maybe give one of you a crack at it. No trades unless for another original vintage Fender bass (+ cash if applicable).
LINK TO COMPLETE PHOTO ALBUM 
