Fender AV 75 vs. Nash JB-72

Scott McArron · #1 11-16-2010, 06:24 PM

Before I pull the trigger on anything I want to get some more input from some of you guys out there with experience with these basses.

I've got a very specific bass in mind that I want. I want a bass as close to 70's Fender jazz bass as I can get, but with a red finish (CAR or fiesta?). The choices I've narrowed it down to are these two basses:

- Fender American Vintage 75 refinished with (fiesta or CAR) red nitro with Nordstrand single coils.

- Nash JB-72 in a similar config.

Both will cost me around 2200 bucks after finishing and all that. I don't care whether the bass is relic'd or not. What are your guys' experience with these and which one would you pick? Is the Nash above and beyond the Fender? Or are they both just gonna get me to the same place with different names on the headstock? Are the necks similar in feel, minus the obvious difference between the 7.25" Fender board and the 10" Nash board?

I already have experience with the Fender, I own one. The tone and feel are great. Unfortunately, the binding on the neck is a very off-white (I find it ugly), which I didn't know when I purchased it off of Ebay (I didn't even know they made some of these models with this kind of binding so I didn't think to look close) and it won't match well with the red finish I want. I have no experience with Nash basses. Basically, which would you pick and why?

Volume4 · #2 11-16-2010, 06:49 PM

I would contact the Fender Custom shop for a quote first.

Or I would get the Fender 75 and refinish it.

It's a safer bet, since you already own one and obviously like it quite a bit. So the chances you'll own both for the long haul are good.

The Nash neck I think could be considerably different, besides the radius..

Once you refinish the 75....as awesome as it will be without doubt.... or buy a new Nash.....your stock 75 is still going to be your most valuable of the 3...so you might as well go with something you know you like.

Greg75 · #3 11-16-2010, 06:51 PM

Having owned a Nash PB-58 and a Fender AV '62 Precision, I'd go for the Fender. Both played great and looked fantastic. But, the point of the Nash to me was the relic job. Without that or the terrific Jason Lollar pickups that came with the Nash, I think the overall quality of the Fender neck, finish and general attention to detail was better.

Of course, if you were to allow for more options in your range, I definitely recommend contacting Ben Lindsey (no affiliation; just a happy customer) at madisonsmusicstore@yahoo.com and having him build one to your exact specifications. Ben's paint and finish work is nothing short of perfect, whether new or relic, and the hardware and woods he uses are top-notch. If you do a search on his name and Jazz, you can take a look at the bass he made for me.

tdizzle · #4 11-16-2010, 07:35 PM

I recently played a Nash against a couple of Rowdworns Jazz Basses. The pickups in the Nash were fantastic, and beat out the Fender's, but that neck was super chunky, no to mention the flat fingerboard. It sounded great, but I couldn't get into the feel at all.

basswave · #5 11-16-2010, 07:50 PM

Hi Scott...

I built (or have had built) a ton of J basses (all of my J now have Nordstands now).

Personally I prefer building and If I where I would just do the following.

- Order a Warmoth ash body and pay the 25 or 50 fee for the custom pickup route and get the route .25 closer to the bridge in the bridge pickup. (suggest the northern hard ash if you want more of the real deal) but you have to ask for it.

-Pick up a Allparts neck with blocks and binding they are supper good and are finished they really feel like a 70's neck. (I have 2 of them on basses now)

-Then get the parts you want, Nordstrand, ect...

You will save a ton of $ and get exactly what you want.

Good luck.

You will save

Scott McArron · #6 11-16-2010, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basswave

Hi Scott...

I built (or have had built) a ton of J basses (all of my J now have Nordstands now).

Personally I prefer building and If I where I would just do the following.

- Order a Warmoth ash body and pay the 25 or 50 fee for the custom pickup route and get the route .25 closer to the bridge in the bridge pickup. (suggest the northern hard ash if you want more of the real deal) but you have to ask for it.

-Pick up a Allparts neck with blocks and binding they are supper good and are finished they really feel like a 70's neck. (I have 2 of them on basses now)

-Then get the parts you want, Nordstrand, ect...

You will save a ton of $ and get exactly what you want.

Good luck.

You will save

I imagine I could save a ton, but I have no woodworking experience at all! Wouldn't have a clue as to how to get the neck pocket tight or what else I might need to do to get it put together.

basswave · #7 11-16-2010, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott McArron

I imagine I could save a ton, but I have no woodworking experience at all! Wouldn't have a clue as to how to get the neck pocket tight or what else I might need to do to get it put together.

No no..Dude...Screw that, this sounds like a killer bass, I would get a professional luither to put it together and do all the fine touches that us lamens over look but that Sadowsky's Nordstrands, Lull's ect, don't over look.

The 2.5" neckpocket lines up perfect on those parts (just standard 4 string stuff).

To me 4 are easy, its when 5s come into play that I would and have order a Nordy, ect.

You can get a killer 4 style J bass for the fraction of the cost.
If you where on this coast I would say check out what I have my luither has done. I put it up against anybody. (To be honest any good one should do the same).

Scott McArron · #8 11-16-2010, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basswave

No no..Dude...Screw that, this sounds like a killer bass, I would get a professional luither to put it together and do all the fine touches that us lamens over look but that Sadowsky's Nordstrands, Lull's ect, don't over look.

The 2.5" neckpocket lines up perfect on those parts (just standard 4 string stuff).

To me 4 are easy, its when 5s come into play that I would and have order a Nordy, ect.

You can get a killer 4 style J bass for the fraction of the cost.
If you where on this coast I would say check out what I have my luither has done. I put it up against anybody. (To be honest any good one should do the same).

Well, Mike Lull and I are on a first name basis with all the work I've had done there over the years. Sounds like a good idea to me. I gotta find out some more details about prices for woods and labor, etc. Hmmm...

**nostatic** · #9 11-16-2010, 08:51 PM

Might be cheaper in the long run to just have Mike build you a Mike Lull. You might save money on a parts bass, but you'll spend on labor and have much less resale value for when gas hits.

Scott McArron · #10 11-16-2010, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nostatic

Might be cheaper in the long run to just have Mike build you a Mike Lull. You might save money on a parts bass, but you'll spend on labor and have much less resale value for when gas hits.

I've owned and played many of Mike's basses. All of them have been fantastic! But that's not what I'm looking for. I want something that really gets the 70's Fender vibe, both tonally and in aesthetics.

The main thing about Lulls I just can't handle is the headstock. It is so ugly to me. Kills the vintage-vibe, IMO. Also, I've already priced out a Lull with the specs I want. Closer to the $3k mark and it's not really what I'm looking for, so that takes Lulls of the table.

Sadowskys are amazing. I would want a UV70 if I got one, but then I'd still want to refinish it in a red nitro of some type, so the cost of that takes it off the table as well.

These are just some of the reasons I've narrowed down my search to the two basses posted above. If there are other luthiers out there who can build a bass to my specs at or near the 2k price range or less, I'm certainly open to suggestions.

muzikman7 · #11 11-16-2010, 11:15 PM

Maybe these guys have what your looking for. http://translate.google.co.jp/transl...2Fshibuya%2Fc1

Scott McArron · #12 11-16-2010, 11:33 PM

Priced out a Warmoth/All Parts build. Here's what I came up with:

Body - 330
Nitro finish - 400 (Apparently they don't do nitro finishes, so this would be through Mike Lull)
Neck - 420
Pickups - 200
Tuners/Elec. - 115

Total in parts = $1465
Labor = ?? More than I want to pay.

Looks like it's back to the Fender or Nash. I'm leaning towards the Fender at the moment just because I don't care about the relicing of the Nash basses.

Scott McArron · #13 11-16-2010, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muzikman7

Maybe these guys have what your looking for. http://translate.google.co.jp/transl...2Fshibuya%2Fc1

I've been on these guys' site before. Lots of good stuff! The Fender 75 reissues they sell however have 60's pickup spacing, so I'm not terribly interested in those. Doesn't look like their stocking quite what I'm looking for at the moment, but I'll keep checking back in case. Thanks!

maxbass · #14 11-17-2010, 03:14 AM

I'd buy an AV75
It's a killer jazz, and the Fender logo on the headstock makes you play better

Scott McArron · #15 11-17-2010, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxbass

...and the Fender logo on the headstock makes you play better

Haha! That cracks me up!

BassMorpheus · #16 11-17-2010, 03:37 AM

Choosey Mothers, Choose _______ !

Hey, you are going to pay for "customization" of an instrument.

Every luthier, like e car maker, has a base model! The time and, for you and I, the money is in the extras or details. I feel you on this and good luck!

Pete

basswave · #17 11-17-2010, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott McArron

Priced out a Warmoth/All Parts build. Here's what I came up with:

Body - 330
Nitro finish - 400 (Apparently they don't do nitro finishes, so this would be through Mike Lull)
Neck - 420
Pickups - 200
Tuners/Elec. - 115

Total in parts = $1465
Labor = ?? More than I want to pay.

Interesting...Thats a little more then I expected.
Brian at bestbassgear.com can get allparts neck a lot less that that (just a FYI) He does not list it on his site but you can call him and order it. (Super cool guy to boot).

I usually build mine for about 1K give a take 100-200.

Labor to have to finished (not just put together) but actually set up correctly (finished the fret edges, ect) would be anywhere from about $200 and up a little.

basswave · #18 11-17-2010, 06:22 AM

I know what you mean about head stocks and having one you can deal with.

For that reason alone I could never own a Alleva Coppolo.
(The headstock reminds me of a crude canoe paddle).

Sorry to the AC fans no offense.

But have you checked out Nino's stuff?

He commonly does the 70's position and has a traditional full size J. Nordstrands are already stock in his instruments and I find his headstock shape aesthetically pleasing and not really radical at all.

His Finish work is right up there and I actually prefer his builds to Sadowsky.

Its puts the price back in that range you where thinking off initially but I bet you would get what you are looking for.

The guy who does the inlay work is top notch as well.

http://www.valentibasses.com/models.html

I just picked up one of His new 24 fret models and they I'm quite impressed (so is the R&B artist I'm playing for).

Just another $.02

Caca de Kick · #19 11-18-2010, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott McArron

I've got a very specific bass in mind that I want. I want a bass as close to 70's Fender jazz bass as I can get, but with a red finish (CAR or fiesta?). The choices I've narrowed it down to are these two basses:

- Fender American Vintage 75 refinished with (fiesta or CAR) red nitro with Nordstrand single coils.

You know...back in 2002 Fender made a limited edition run of the 75RI in candy apple red with matching headstock. They called it the FSR 70's RI Jazz (in 4 different finishes), and had alder bodies. These FSR basses sound incredible, the stock pickups are awesome, I had a blue one.
Red ones pop up from time to time, I would look for one of those.

**ShoeManiac** · #20 11-18-2010, 12:18 PM

I used to own the Fender AV 75 Jazz bass, I currently have a '73 vintage Fender Jazz (maple board), and I was also fortunate enough to have a friend lend me his Nash JB-63 for an extended period of time. And at some point in the near future I'll be getting a Nash JB-63 of my own. So I've got a little experience with Jazz basses. That being said I'm more of a fan of 60's Jazz basses than the 70's ones.

To be honest, I really liked the Nash considerably more than either of my Fenders. The neck felt incredibly good AND fast. The 70's Jazzes have felt a little thin IMHO. And the Lollar pickups were amazing. The output was pretty hot, but very tonally versatile. And IMHO if you want the bass in candy apple red, I think you'll be incredibly pleased with Bill Nash's finish work.