1996 MIM Fender Jazz Pick Guard Question

[808man]

does anyone know about this guard? im unable to find a replacement for it any place on the net. MIM fender jazz bass 1996. this one is wasted with paint and glue. some people do crazy thing to destroy and instrument. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

thanks

All in one pc w/ 14 holes.

[heliotropic]

Are sure its from a MIM? Some Squires from that era had a one piece pickguard/control plate. You could always just get separate parts, though you may need to make a couple extra holes for the mounting screws.

[808man]

yeah MIM no squire any place on it?
head stock photo


i know its prob a POJ but im gonna fix it up with some dec p/u's.

[heliotropic]

That is a Fender Squire Series Jazz. There were two different MIM lines in the 90s, the regular Standard series which had a regular Fender logo (light bluish color with a black outline), and the Squires Series which had a solid black logo and a "Squire Series" stamp at the top of the headstock. See if you can notice any sanding in the area similar to this picture:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...radsguitar.jpg

The wood should be comparable to regular MIM basses so if its in good shape after this amount of time then getting some decent pickups should turn it into a decent player. They cut costs in areas like the one piece pickguard and hardware, which you're replacing anyway.

[808man]

nope, no sanding at all. i saw the squire one's like your talking about while looking for the replacement P/G. kinda shocked me when i saw it. then i grabbed the neck and checked it out to make sure about the squire logo thats at the very end of the headstock. maybe they didnt put it on this bass? have no idea.

they guy i got it from had no idea also.
he also had no idea how to treat a (bass) lady. it had so much guck on the frets it wasnt funny.
ive got it all stripped down and have cleaned the neck and body. just need some parts to replace on it.

anyway, the neck is very nice and fast. i figure with a lil'luv and some $ i will have a nice jazz bass to play around with.

[throbgod13]

http://www.wdmusic.com/pickguard_jbc_300.html

you'll have to ask them to drill it for a mexican bass..

[808man]

Originally Posted by throbgod13

http://www.wdmusic.com/pickguard_jbc_300.html

you'll have to ask them to drill it for a mexican bass..

sweet! thanks for the help!!!!

[p-bass]

Originally Posted by heliotropic

That is a Fender Squire Series Jazz. There were two different MIM lines in the 90s, the regular Standard series which had a regular Fender logo (light bluish color with a black outline), and the Squires Series which had a solid black logo and a "Squire Series" stamp at the top of the headstock. See if you can notice any sanding in the area similar to this picture:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...radsguitar.jpg

The wood should be comparable to regular MIM basses so if its in good shape after this amount of time then getting some decent pickups should turn it into a decent player. They cut costs in areas like the one piece pickguard and hardware, which you're replacing anyway.

Nope..you got it wrong ! That is from the "Traditional" series of Fender Mexican Basses. They came with a black logo..one piece pickguard..no "Squire Series" on the head at all.

[808man]

07-11-2009, 07:22 PM
TC2112
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2009
Lee -
the Squier series basses were not Squiers. Fender loaded Fender quality bodies and necks with lower grade electronics from Japan and Mexico that they would have also used in squiers, thus the term "Squier series". They also put better electronics in these same "black logo" basses and put them out at a lower price point then the standard J bass. They were basically a step between Standards and Squiers, but both guitars came with Fender hang tags and Fender serial numbers and were considered in the MIM Fender line and not Squiers. here is the data from TDPRI

90’s Fender Mexico w/ Black Decal: A Mystery Uncovered
You might have heard of mexican made Fender guitars with a black headstock decal, sometimes associated with some mystery Squier Series made in Mexico. It’s true that there actually was a “Squier Series” that was made by Fender in Mexico and featured a black decal on the headstock, but not all mexican made Fender guitars with such a black label were part of that very “Squier Series”. Since there appears to be a lot of confusion and half-knowledge about these guitars out there, I decided to do some research on my own.

The black label was used by Fender Mexico for a limited time only between 1993 and 1998. It can be found exclusively on the rather short lived mexican “Traditional” and “Squier” series for the Telecaster, Stratocaster and Precision Bass. Usually, Squier is to Fender what Epiphone is to Gibson. In this very case, the use of the name “Squier” had nothing to do with the actual Squier brand, as the series was named “Squier Series”, but it was by all means a Fender series, not a Squier series. The keyword is “series”, not “Squier”. The regular mexican “Standard” series was available too at the time, but it already featured the same silver-ish logo that is still used for it today. However, between 1993 and 1998, both labels (the black AND the silver-ish one) were used for mexican made Fender guitars, but for (slightly) different guitars.

The guitars with the black label consisted mostly of overstock american made Fender necks and bodies. The parts were shipped to Mexico for assembly with mexican made pickups and far eastern hardware and electronics. The overall quality of these guitars turned out to be below the Squiers made in Japan and Korea, whose production came to an end around the time the mexican made guitars with the black label surfaced, yet above Squiers made in China and Indonesia, whose production had not yet begun at the time. The guitars ended up on the american and european market for just about as much as a guitar from the regular “Standard” series would cost at the time.

Some (not all!) of the guitars were sold for a few bucks less as they came with 1-ply pickguards and hardware of slightly lesser quality. Those guitars (and those only!) had an additional smaller “Squier Series” label on front of the headstock, right were the artist models have the artist’s signature. Though some owners probably sanded off their “Squier Series” label, it is not true that all guitars with a black label had a “Squier Series” label in the first place. Most guitars with the black label featured tuners and bridges of decent quality as well as 3-ply pickguards. These guitars did not have the additional “Squier Series” label and were called the “Traditional Series”, which was stated nowhere on the headstock but the guitars were listed, advertised and sold as such.

The “Traditional Series” can be considered the slightly better but the “Squier Series” sure is the more obscure. At the end of the day, there really is not that much difference between the two. The most significant difference can be found on the Telecaster. The Telecaster from the “Traditional Series” had the traditional through-body stringing, while the Telecasters from the “Squier Series” were Top Loaders with different bridges, saddles and no string holes in the back.

The guitars from that very “Squier Series” are official and genuine Fender guitars like any mexican made Fender guitar regardless, and if you have a mexican made Fender Telecaster, Stratocaster or Precision Bass with a black label and a serial number beginning with MN3, MN4, MN5, MN6, MN7 or MN8, you have a genuine Fender guitar – with or without a small “Squier Series” label.

[p-bass]

La De Da Da...It's a Fender Mexican Jazz Bass from The Tradtional Series.They are good Basses and on a par with the Fender Standard Line of the time. The thing I remember about them was limited finishes,only a couple colors. The Jazz Basses had an 80's style one piece pickguard. Throw some good pickups in that thing and you will have a good bass.

[walterw]

more to the point, one-piece pickguards suck! (it's the p-bass's only flaw.)

just get yourself a real jazz pickguard and a proper metal jazz control plate, and you'll be in business.

[808man]

just get yourself a real jazz pickguard and a proper metal jazz control plate, and you'll be in business.

yeah thats my plan! black 1 ply with a Chrome varitone control plate!
like to put a badassII on it also!!! may take me a few weeks to round up all the parts. but as soon as i get it done i will post some picks!

heres what it looked like before i stripped it down for cleaning.

[p-bass]

I would be more worried about the pups..those Mexican Basses had crappy puckups at that time. If you do replace them,you will have to cut the wood around the bridge pickup for a real Jazz pup to fit.

[808man]

Originally Posted by p-bass

If you do replace them,you will have to cut the wood around the bridge pickup for a real Jazz pup to fit.

damn, i was hope'n this would be easy..... do you know if the newer MIM pups are any good or better than the ones that are in this bass now (not usable BTW)? and will the newer MIM pups fit with no mods?

first project bass for me and dont want to get too over the top.

[p-bass]

Just a little cutting..no big deal. The newer MIM pups are better,but not great.The new MIM basses do have the longer bridge pickup. If you throw some new pickups,and new guard on your Traditional...you will have a good bass.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by p-bass

I would be more worried about the pups..those Mexican Basses had crappy puckups at that time. If you do replace them,you will have to cut the wood around the bridge pickup for a real Jazz pup to fit.

he's right, they were crappy, they didn't hum-cancel with each other, and they were the wrong size!

you'll want to get new pickups at the same time you get the new pickguard, because a new pickguard won't fit over that old pickup.

even the cheap new mex pickups are a big step up, and at least they're the right sizes (longer bridge, shorter neck).

also, you're not going to find a badass bridge right now, unfortunately. may i suggest a reissue fender with the threaded saddles, or a hipshot version with the correct 5 hole mounting? (you'll want the spacing that's wider than 19mm for jazz pickups.)

[808man]

its been a while and this has been done. turned out to be a nice player! i really like the neck. it was a fun job.

[Steveaux]

Nice rescue ... very nice, indeed.

[p-bass]

Nice job !