SOLD Fender Aerodyne AJB-M: Medium Scale JJ, MIJ non-export 2010

A very rare bird, this is a medium scale (32") JJ Aerodyne built for the Japanese market not for export in around 2010. Color is dolphin grey? The guy I got it from called it dolphine grey, whatever, it's really cool, it looks black in low-light, blue in room light, and contains sparkles that pop in a subtle way under stage lights. Plays, sounds and looks awesome,and has a S/P switch that gives it a little extra under the hood. Medium scale is a blast, IMO it has the increased playablility of a shorty with the harmonic complexity of a long-scale.

Several solid upgrades: DiMarzio Area J pickups, Richter control plate (incl. pots and knobs) with series/parallel toggle, Hipshot USA ultralight tuners. Balance is perfect now w/ no neck dive on lap or strap. Sale includes original tuners and original control plate w/ original pots and knobs mounted.

This bass plays super easy, it takes a low setup with no buzzing, sounds like a classic passive jazz bass: thump to burp, scoop to slap, it's all there. In series mode it'll get wild n' wooly, great for dub and I like this setting for pick play as well. Beautifully built with great attention to detail (neck joint is super tight). Binding is gorgeous. Sculpted neck heel is sexy AF. No issues with electronics, truss rod, or structural integrity. Pickups are dead quiet even when soloed (they're HBs).

It's always a good sign when a 10 year old bass has been played, and this one has. There is one nick by the control plate and a smaller one on the headstock, both are visible in the photos. There is some minor player wear (swirling) that I did not notice until I took these pictures on 4/25/20, it looks worse in the pics than in real life. Finally, the skunk stripe is a little bit depressed into the neck over the last 2-3 inches at the nut end of the neck. Evidently this is common for MIJ basses of this era. I tried to photograph it but I could not get it to show up. It's maybe the depth of a piece of paper. I was going to sand it down, but I kinda like it, it's like a little landmark to tell me where I am without looking. I can feel it but I don't find it distracting, in other words.

To get a bass like this today you'd have to physically go to Japan and find one. Fender Japan didn't export 'em and they don't make this model any longer. It took me months of scouring the classifieds to finally land one. I have put the original strap buttons back rather than the pictured Schallers.

Comes with a Fender gig bag that the guy I got it from described as having"partially functioning" zippers. Also includes the extra original hardware described above. Strung w/ DR Black Beauties.

$950 plus shipping. Not interested in specific trades given that I have no specific work right now, but you never know, you know. Run anything by me, I'm so freaking bored anything could capture my imagination at this point!

 

I was really trying to avoid the bathroom scale after 6 weeks of sheltering-in-place, but TB gonna TB.

7.5 lbs on my scale, which measures in 0.5 lb increments.

 

No hassle at all, just trying to deflect from my poor dietary habits the last couple of months. . .