Fender 1961 Closet Classic Custom Shop Jazz Bass
 

Hi from Italy,
after 6 months of testing in the shop I've ended to buy a Fender 1961 Closet Classic Custom Shop Jazz Bass.
Besides the fact that 1961 is my birth year (I cannot buy a REAL 1961, ok?) the bass looks very gorgeous, to me. the shop had 3 of these basses, 2 black and 1 white, luckily the shop had sold in these months the blackies...so I grabbed the white.
The bass sounds very very fine, I've a 64 jazz bass custom shop but with Pyramid flats so comparing the two is a bit stupid, but it seems that the 61 sounds better. The 61 has the older vol tone vol tone circuit, they call it stack knobs, not the usual vol vol tone, and I think that the older circuit is way better and more versatile. So a sound that I like so much with the 61 is pickups volume full open, bridge pu tone mid closed, neck pu tone full open, so I have a full robust tone, airy, but not so zingish.
With the usual circuit vol vol tone I cannot obtain a sound like this, maybe a true jazz sound, with more mids, but different. with the stack knobs circuit it seems that I have more nuances, for sure is not so easy to dial in as the the newer circuit, but I'm wondering why in 50 years the 99% of bass players have chosen the vol vol tone?
By the way the finish of the bass is stellar, my bass is a closet classic, so it has the distressed nitro, and, most important, the back of the neck is somewhat satin, but not definitely satin, is something that I hope to turn into a vintage look. Surely, way different from the lacquer finish of the 64.
sorry for my english, good sounds to everyone!
Ciao
Roberto

Congrats on your new bass would love to see some pictures.

Probably because the tone knobs are not truly independent. They actually effect one another, most noticeably if both pups are on full volume. The stack knobs typically have a darker less defined tone than the VVT. Its apples and oranges though, whatever youre going for.

What he said.

...very sad story...yesterday I returned the bass not only because it was lacking the hardware (bridge ashtray, thumbrest, and so on) but very important I discovered it had a wrong certificate of authenticity, it was referred to another 1961 jazz custom shop sold by the shop in december. The shop in this month was very slow to find the other buyer to exchange the certificates. This thing was making me crazy so yesterday I returned the bass to the shop. It wasn't an easy thing, the bass was beautiful sounding and looking and the price tag was reasonable low but something was wrong in this story. The shop owner while admitting the error, surprisingly was trying to minimize, he was trying also to obtain a duplicate of the certificate from fender USA but no, it's impossible. The other buyer seems to have disappeared, so after a month or so I've quitted. I was afraid tha I was never be able to get the correct certificate, so the value of my bass could lower...very very sad story.
Ciao
Roberto