My Frankenbass: customized Mexi Jazz 5 Deluxe (bought used on eBay, but in excellent condition), and after some work and parts it's now way better than a brand new American Jazz 5 Deluxe, at half the price!
I did some of the work, Justin Kennedy (of J. Kennedy Guitars) did the rest. If you need luthier or repair work done, this is the guy! Good prices, great work, excellent service!
UPDATE: Finally "finished" the FrankenJazz... custom headstock paint StreetScenes and my own custom decals. New photo added to the top.
Justin Kennedy
StreetScenes
Isn't she a beaut?!
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] pre-amp. Installed by Justin.
Schaller 496 Bridge. LOVE IT! Anchors the strings very well... adds sustain and transfers the vibration to the body. You can FEEL your tone, just like a Warwick. (I installed this.)
Custom black pearl pickguard (installed by me - not that it was hard or anything, but I did have to do some filing to get it to fit right).
The original pickguard was a cheap-looking tortoise shell -- did not go with the red at all. Even if it did go well (would have looked decent with a cream, white, or sunburst finish), I would have replaced it for a nicer tortoise shell pickguard. Invalid Link Removed has a great selection, and their products are good quality.
The chrome-plated solid brass thumbrest was installed by Justin cuz I didn't trust myself to drill the pickguard without messing it up.
I added a thumbrest on my Warwick for the heck of it and now love having it, so I wanted one on my jazz. It immediately felt right when I first played the jazz after the install.
Justin took the finish off the back of the neck for me, but not all the way. It now has a satin finish and feels great! (Notice the difference in finish between the headstock and the neck.)
Justin also de-cheese grater-ed the fret ends. If you've had this issue, you understand. Thank you Ohio Valley humidity fluctuations!
LaBella "Original 1954 Vintage" Deep Talkin' Bass flats.
Just like Donald "Duck" Dunn and James Jamerson used. These are about a year and a half old. I've seen it said on TB that they don't get to their optimal sound until they're about 3 years old or older -- the ones on my Warwick are 4 years old and sound amazing!
These are very bright flats, with lots of deep character as well. Combined with the J-Retro pre, I can get about any tone I want, and I continue not to miss roundwounds at all. (My Warwick $$ can dial in a huge variety of sounds even with the flats on it.)
Also, Justin filed my nut slots down to bring the strings closer to the fretboard. Really needed it - intonation at the first fret was off. Nice quality control, Fender!
In some of the shots, the camera and the reflection (blue wall) make the bass look a little pinkish/purplish. But it's a very bright, deep red. Fender Mexico did a nice job on the paint/finish.
By the way, this is a HEAVY bass. And my addition of the heavy bridge, solid brass thumbrest, and all the chrome hardware on the John East, well, it doesn't add a ton of weight, but it sure doesn't make this beast any lighter.
But the tone is great and it feels wonderful against your body while playing it. It just feels like a really substantial piece of gear... a strong "force" to be reckoned with.
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So, there you have it. My FrankenJazz. I've probably got just under $1000 in it, after the parts and labor. If you don't count labor because you could do all that stuff yourself (I wasn't confident enough on the electronics and refinishing the neck/frets, but I might try it in the future), you're under $900.
$1800 is the street price for a new American made Fender Jazz 5 Deluxe, and I'm at half that for a bass with way better electronics and bridge, and it's been set up very well, and is now exactly how I want it.
Who needs an expensive, boutique Fender copy?!
Start searching eBay for your used Fender and build your own customized beast bass! 
I did some of the work, Justin Kennedy (of J. Kennedy Guitars) did the rest. If you need luthier or repair work done, this is the guy! Good prices, great work, excellent service!
UPDATE: Finally "finished" the FrankenJazz... custom headstock paint StreetScenes and my own custom decals. New photo added to the top.
Justin Kennedy
StreetScenes
Isn't she a beaut?!
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] pre-amp. Installed by Justin.
Schaller 496 Bridge. LOVE IT! Anchors the strings very well... adds sustain and transfers the vibration to the body. You can FEEL your tone, just like a Warwick. (I installed this.)
Custom black pearl pickguard (installed by me - not that it was hard or anything, but I did have to do some filing to get it to fit right).
The original pickguard was a cheap-looking tortoise shell -- did not go with the red at all. Even if it did go well (would have looked decent with a cream, white, or sunburst finish), I would have replaced it for a nicer tortoise shell pickguard. Invalid Link Removed has a great selection, and their products are good quality.
The chrome-plated solid brass thumbrest was installed by Justin cuz I didn't trust myself to drill the pickguard without messing it up.
I added a thumbrest on my Warwick for the heck of it and now love having it, so I wanted one on my jazz. It immediately felt right when I first played the jazz after the install.
Justin took the finish off the back of the neck for me, but not all the way. It now has a satin finish and feels great! (Notice the difference in finish between the headstock and the neck.)
Justin also de-cheese grater-ed the fret ends. If you've had this issue, you understand. Thank you Ohio Valley humidity fluctuations!
LaBella "Original 1954 Vintage" Deep Talkin' Bass flats.
Just like Donald "Duck" Dunn and James Jamerson used. These are about a year and a half old. I've seen it said on TB that they don't get to their optimal sound until they're about 3 years old or older -- the ones on my Warwick are 4 years old and sound amazing!
These are very bright flats, with lots of deep character as well. Combined with the J-Retro pre, I can get about any tone I want, and I continue not to miss roundwounds at all. (My Warwick $$ can dial in a huge variety of sounds even with the flats on it.)
Also, Justin filed my nut slots down to bring the strings closer to the fretboard. Really needed it - intonation at the first fret was off. Nice quality control, Fender!
In some of the shots, the camera and the reflection (blue wall) make the bass look a little pinkish/purplish. But it's a very bright, deep red. Fender Mexico did a nice job on the paint/finish.
By the way, this is a HEAVY bass. And my addition of the heavy bridge, solid brass thumbrest, and all the chrome hardware on the John East, well, it doesn't add a ton of weight, but it sure doesn't make this beast any lighter.
But the tone is great and it feels wonderful against your body while playing it. It just feels like a really substantial piece of gear... a strong "force" to be reckoned with.
------
So, there you have it. My FrankenJazz. I've probably got just under $1000 in it, after the parts and labor. If you don't count labor because you could do all that stuff yourself (I wasn't confident enough on the electronics and refinishing the neck/frets, but I might try it in the future), you're under $900.
$1800 is the street price for a new American made Fender Jazz 5 Deluxe, and I'm at half that for a bass with way better electronics and bridge, and it's been set up very well, and is now exactly how I want it.
Who needs an expensive, boutique Fender copy?!
Start searching eBay for your used Fender and build your own customized beast bass!
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