1965 Fender Jazz

[SonnyMorrow]

Hey what's up everyone, I've got a couple of questions about a '65 jazz bass. First off, here is a little background of the bass in question. My dad who has been a musician his whole life bought this bass from the original owner in the early 70s for a couple hundred bucks. (He was about 20 at that time) Anyways he has been playing this bass for probably 40+ years, we are talking gigs left and right for decades. Recently his health is declining and can't play anymore so I've sort of taken custody of the bass for now. I'm an avid bass player too so it is an absolute privilege to play this beautiful bass. So far I've played it on a few gigs but there are a couple things I'm not sure what to do with. The string height adjustment screws tend to loosen up after hours of playing, causing the strings to go out of tune and fret buzz etc. I've tried thread locker but nothing seems to work, the vibration after years and years has made these screws permanently loose. The frets are original and I believe there is one dead spot 2nd fret on d string. If you play right on top of the fret its fine but anyways I'm kind of unsure what to do with the bass as it stands. Play the hell out if it some more? It is playable but gig wise I think it needs some work..

Anyways I'm new to old fender basses so if someone wants to point out any nuances about this bass, please feel free. From what my dad told me it is largely original, I believe he had a clear coat put on the body over top of the original finish years ago. He told me the paint was coming off onto his clothes when he would play. Other than that I believe everything else to be original, here are some pictures:

Oh and look what I stumbled upon the other day, my dad playing a gig with this very bass all the way back in the 70s:

 

[bikeplate]

Very cool

 

[buldog5151bass]

That's a beauty.

The thumb rest was added (you can see in the picture of him playing where it was originally). I've never heard of those screws becoming loose, but it sounds like it needs a fret job. Even if he put a clear coat on the original paint, if it is otherwise original, it has some serious value. Find a good luthier near you and get the bridge and frets checked.

 

[SonnyMorrow]

That's a beauty.

The thumb rest was added (you can see in the picture of him playing where it was originally). I've never heard of those screws becoming loose, but it sounds like it needs a fret job. Even if he put a clear coat on the original paint, if it is otherwise original, it has some serious value. Find a good luthier near you and get the bridge and frets checked.

Oh that would definitely explain the two holes on the pickguard, I guess he moved it to suit his playing style. Yeah that's what I was not hoping to hear but I think a fret job is unfortunately needed. My dad pretty much always played roundwounds so the frets are nearly dead. Maybe I should put some flat wounds on to preserve whats left?

 

[buldog5151bass]

I would take it to a pro and get both issues checked out. You want it so you can play it another 50 years.

 

[OldFenderPlayer]

Great looking bass! I love a bass that's been played for years-on-end. I'm lucky that I bought a 1965 Jazz Bass in the mid 1970s and that I still have it, and am fortunate to have resisted the urge to mod it.

Regarding the frets - I feel for you; my bass needs a re-fret too, but I won't do it. I put flats on it and that took care of most of the buzz. And when I do play it, I just try to remember to play right on top of the fret (that's what Jaco told us to do anyway).

Regarding the bridge screws, it might be time to replace the barrels, springs and adjustment screws. While my bridge hasn't had this issue (at least not yet), both the volume pots and the tone pot died, as did the bridge pickup. I had to replace the pots and had Lindy Fralin rewind the pickup. I doubt that anything on the bass was designed to last for 54 years.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Throw a Badass on there and be done.....i kid!

Flats and replace the screws first imo....that bass has some serious value as mentioned.

Very cool bass...

 

[LuckyScott]

That bass, with the history of your dad, is priceless.

 

[spufman]

I'd put a new exact fit vintage style bridge on it (keeping the original safely stashed, of course), lightly dress the frets and string up some flats. Play it and decide from there. Awesome to have such a bass in the family, your Dad looks pretty cool!

 

[Bassmike62]

That bass, with the history of your dad, is priceless.

Never let that bass leave your family .
As for the bridge, maybe check out Hipshot products ?

 

[jj.833]

The string height adjustment screws tend to loosen up after hours of playing

When I got my 77 JB, the screws kept going loose. Somebody told me to use nail polish on them. Just brush it on the top so the polish would hold the screws, no need to leak it inside the thread. Lightly, so you won't break the screws when you need to readjust them. I did it after I found my setup, and never had to readjust. It holds for like 15 years now.
Don't buy new screws if you can help it. I had new Fender vintage bridge on other bass, and the screws broke. Like they make them from coal nowadays.

Frets? Luthier needs to see it.

 

[LkS]

I would either try new saddle screws and if the problem is not in them but in the saddles themselves I would replace just the saddles while keeping the original base plate of the bridge. After all those years of playing one would think it needs a re-fret, but it just might be the case that it doesn't. That's for you to decide.

 

[micguy]

The problem with Fender bridges is the thread pitch is too coarse. Gotoh makes a similar looking bridge (203) that has metric screws - a much finer pitch thread. The Gotoh bridge doesn't have that issue - you don't need threadlocker or mail polish to make that bridge work. That bridge is a bolt on replacement - you can take the original one off, put the Gotoh on, and not change anything about the instrument. If you ever want to sell that bass, you just put the original one back one, and if you want to be nice, include the Gotoh with the deal, so the next owner can have a playable bass. The Gotoh costs about $25.

 

[elgranluis]

1.- Swap the old bridge for a new one
2.- put the original in a safe place
3.- Ask your dad if he kept any of his 70s clothing!

Congrats on the bass ! I bet it is a fantastic piece.

 

[AMJBASS]

You don't even need to take the bridge off. Go on ebay and grab a set of replacement saddles and screws, and use those to gig setting aside the originals to keep safe.

Regarding refretting... Honestly, replacing frets is almost like replacing strings IMO. They wear, they should not add value to the bass just because they are "original". I've had a ton of vintage gear including a few pre-CBS Fenders, 2 of which had a refret done at some point. I would way rather have a bass that plays GREAT, and that I can use for gigging/recording than something that plays poorly just for the sake of the frets being original This doesn't necessarily apply to the above bass, but just in general.

That bass is SWEET by the way! Custom color black with a matching headstock?!

 

[Guzzi Toad]

@SonnyMorrow That's a fantastically awesome bass.
Do with it what you will but the story that goes with the instrument is far-and-away the best story ever I've read on Talkbass.

I'm a machinist by trade so I know a little about threads.
The tapped holes in the saddles may have always been a little large. Or conversely, the jack-screws may be on the small end of the tolerance for their size. (All machined parts have a tolerance.) It is also entirely possible that 55 years of adjustments (and vibration) have simply had a cumulative amount of wear on both sets of parts. Multiple people have offered very good suggestions on how to deal with the issue. The only other suggestion I might offer is this: Find some tiny nitrile O-rings and put them at the intersection of the jack-screws and the saddle. They may offer enough resistance to keep the jack-screws from "self-winding".

I don't know enough about vintage guitars and the effects of a fret-job to offer any suggestions there. Somebody here does - and will. Good luck.

 

[JeroB666]

Very cool bass! Did you take the neck off to check stamping?

 

[Gunga Din]

Man alive - check the Cerwin Vega rig!

 

[SonnyMorrow]

Very cool bass! Did you take the neck off to check stamping?

Just for the hell of it I checked this morning:

I can't believe it but the date is my exact birthday (besides the year) What are the odds of that?? March 7th?? What a trip!

A little more about the bass, my dad told me the guy he bought it from was sort of a druggy and basically sold this bass to him in order to get money for some coke. Years and years later he asked my dad if he still had the bass, probably only about five years ago, and to his surprise, my dad said yes. The dude was kickin himself for trading it for some coke basically, funny stuff. Another cool thing, my dad also met my mom in a bar when he was playing this bass - I guess this bass could be the very reason I'm living. My dad always traded his gear and guitars over the years and hasn't really kept much other than this jazz bass. He said its the best neck you'll ever find.

Yes I will for sure keep this bass in the family, I am scared if I have kids they won't play bass. How does that work as you can't really force them? I guess I've got plenty of time to figure that out.

 

[Bass Viking]

A little more about the bass, my dad told me the guy he bought it from was sort of a druggy and basically sold this bass to him in order to get money for some coke. Years and years later he asked my dad if he still had the bass, probably only about five years ago, and to his surprise, my dad said yes. The dude was kickin himself for trading it for some coke basically, funny stuff.

You might want to check under the pick guard to see if he left his stash there.