1960 Fender Jazz 5-String

Yes, there is no such thing...yet! I bought a fairly cheap 2001 Fender American Pro Jazz with the intent to refinish and age, along with some tonal enhancements. I was never into the relic thing until I imagined a pre-CBS five-string Jazz, that's what I'm going for, and I could use some help from you about how to do it.

This will be, in the parlance of automotive restoration, a restomod, meaning not original (obviously, since no such thing existed [Yet!]) with the look and feel of a vintage pre-CBS bass but without the deterioration of a 57-year old bass and with the modern technological improvements.

Here's what I'm starting with:


I'd like to end up with a fully matured, original-style 1960 Jazz Bass five-string with the reliability and playability of a new instrument. Like this one (but a five-string, of course):



I'm thinking of a Mark Jenny medium-wear relic, in yellowed Olympic white (like the one above) with white finish showing through in worn areas. The nitro refinish would be worn but no burns or obvious abuse, not a lot of bare wood, and show some checking. The neck would have the varnish removed on back of neck (should I add a fake skunk stripe? EDIT: no, that would not be period-correct for a rosewood fretboard), no dents or gouges, with strap button on back of headstock of course. Yellowed amber varnish on the headstock, with Original style headstock decal "Fender Jazz Bass Electric Bass Offset Contour Body" and maybe some simulated wear on the fretboard.

Here's an example from mjt:


Some of the features I'd like to have:

• Original-style threaded bridge (I will probably just add threaded saddles to the existing bridge)
• What to do about body-through strings? I was thinking leave the string-through holes but it might be too much of a anachronism.
• Tortoise pickguard (Spitfire? Reliced?)
• Reverse wind tuners (where can I find original-looking reverse tuners to fit a 5-string? Hopefully lightweight)
• Clay dot inlays
• Original looking and sounding pickups (suggested replacements?)
• Stacked knob volume and tone controls (can I get these from Fender?)
• Pickup and bridge covers (does Fender make these for five-strings?)
• Grounding strap (is this period-correct?)
• Bridge mutes (where can I get these?) or at least the screw-holes
• Original-style string trees
• Neck plate or replace with vintage-style
• Original style strap buttons

I would want to age the metal parts, no big rust but take the shine off the chrome. Who would do this kind of work?

I would appreciate any suggestions in where to find this stuff, or what you'd do, or features I've left out. Please let's not start another thread about whether basses should be reliced, I understand your point of view, but this is what I would like to do.

 

Thank you very much @Midak, very helpful!

 

Thanks @reddog, I'll check these out!

 

Yes, thanks @Lownote38 I had read somewhere that some rosewood fingerboards had skunk stripes, but I agree with you, not needed.

 

After some more thought, I will probably never use the mutes, so no really need to source those, I think I'll see if MJT can mask the area they would have covered on the aged refinish so it looks like they were there but removed, and just put some screws in the body.

 

I will probably do this: 920D Custom Shop JB-CON-CH/BK Loaded '62 Jazz Bass Concentric Control Plate, it's closer to the original.

 

Here's a reliced version: SOLD - Fender pre-wired Jazz Bass 1960-61 repro concentric pot stack knob control plate w/ resistors aged

 

Yes, thanks @Ghastly, I agree, I am just looking to take the shine off the chrome. My real 1975 Precision has flaking chrome on the knobs and some pitting and bubbling of the chrome on the bridge, I don't want that on this bass.

 

How would the sound of the stock 2001 pickups compare to a 1960 bass?

 

Lots of discussion here: The real sound of a 62 jazz bass pickup. I think I will start with the stock pickups, since there doesn't seem to be any real good alternatives for five-string.