Fender Aerodyne Club!

[Malak the Mad]

Guys how does one date a non export MIJ Aerodyne? Can it be done by serial number?

It's a combination of the serial number and whether it says "Made In Japan" or "Crafted In Japan". Sometimes the product model and series comes into play, but the first two will usually suffice.

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A common mistake I see is when someone claims they have an Aerodyne from the 1990's. The Almighty 'Dyne wasn't unveiled until the Winter NAAM of 2003 and started reaching stores late that year and early 2004.

Can you tell us what you're trying to date? A prospective purchase or the one in your avatar?

 

[jcburn]

It's a combination of the serial number and whether it says "Made In Japan" or "Crafted In Japan". Sometimes the product model and series comes into play, but the first two will usually suffice.

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A common mistake I see is when someone claims they have an Aerodyne from the 1990's. The Almighty 'Dyne wasn't unveiled until the Winter NAAM of 2003 and started reaching stores late that year and early 2004.

Can you tell us what you're trying to date? A prospective purchase or the one in your avatar?

You have good eyesight to pick that from my avatar! That bass though is a Fender Frank Bello sign model....it is black with white binding.

The bass I'm wanting to date is a Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass Dimarzio Collection AJB-110DMC Flame Blue. Lovely bass, I've just decided I'm a P Bass guy when it comes to necks. I'm selling mine on a few different platforms and a potential buyer has asked when it was made.

 

[Malak the Mad]

You good eyesight to pick that from my avatar! That bass though is a Fender Frank Bello sign model....it is black with white binding.

Ah, the "kissing cousin" to the Aerodyne. Gotcha!

The bass I'm wanting to date is a Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass Dimarzio Collection AJB-110DMC Flame Blue. Lovely bass, I've just decided I'm a P Bass guy when it comes to necks. I'm selling mine on a few different platforms and a potential buyer has asked when it was made.
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Sweet! One of the DiMarzio editions! You don't see them very often.
Wait a sec…are you selling the neck or the whole thing? That's a bass I, for one, would loathe to see such a rare bird parted out. I mean, it's your bass, so I don't have any say, of course, but still…

But back to your original question; One thing for sure, it was definitely made before 2015. That was when the joint venture between FMIC and Kanda-Shokai was dissolved. A lot of the wilder and more stylish Aerodynes were no longer being produced after that breakup.

You called it an MIJ before, so I'm guessing it says "Made In Japan" on the back of the neck. If so, it was made between 2007 and 2015. The first letter(s) will tighten that assessment up. If it says "Crafted In Japan", then it was made between 2003 and 2007.

 

[jcburn]

Sorry man, I get my terminology wrong sometimes.
Mine is definitely Crafted In Japan (little sticker at the bass of the heel on the neck).

Serial is S064404 so I'm guessing made in '06?

No, I'm definitely selling the whole bass. Has a matching headstock and all so would be silly to split them apart. It's a stunning bass, J necks just seem to not fit in my big mits correctly . The bass sounds great too.

 

[Malak the Mad]

Sorry man, I get my terminology wrong sometimes.
Mine is definitely Crafted In Japan (little sticker at the bass of the heel on the neck).

Serial is S064404 so I'm guessing made in '06?

Somewhere between 2006 and 2008. Fender-Japan didn't change up their serials with each passing year until 2012, when they started using "JD" followed by the last two digits of the year. They'd just keep using all the numbers until it was they ran out and had to switch to the next letter.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Ever hear how people's addresses are assigned in Japan? When you move from one place in a city or town to another home, you take your number with you! That's right! A big function of the police is to give directions if someone is trying to find a house they've never visited before.

No, I'm definitely selling the whole bass. Has a matching headstock and all so would be silly to split them apart. It's a stunning bass, J necks just seem to not fit in my big mits correctly . The bass sounds great too.

Whew! That's a relief! Despite how flippin' cool they are, I understand. You gotta play what feels right in your hands, hai?

 

[jcburn]

Yeah, I'm just disappointed I don't like it. I gassed for one of these for years, got in trouble from my wife for buying it and didn't really gel with it. I know lots of people love these basses so it will find a good home at some stage.
Thanks for the help man, much appreciated.

 

[9mmMike]

Guys how does one date a non export MIJ Aerodyne? Can it be done by serial number?

This worked for mine. It was the second date listed. These non-exports seem to come up as 90's as well as 20xx's
- Fender Guitars Serial Number Decoder - GuitarInsite
The way to be really sure is to cut them in half and count the rings though!

 

[DustyBottom]

[QUOTE="The way to be really sure is to cut them in half and count the rings though![/QUOTE]

 

[bunky1998]

It is beyond my intellectual capacity to overestimate the sheer AWESOMENESS of that miniature Aerodyne. totally sick, dude!

 

[hypercarrots]

It is beyond my intellectual capacity to overestimate the sheer AWESOMENESS of that miniature Aerodyne. totally sick, dude!

where is the miniature aerodyne? i don't see it.

 

[bunky1998]

The mini-Aerodyne is shown a couple of pages back on the thread.

 

[Sub-hoo-fer]

Ok I need some help. I have been looking for a few days for an aerodyne neck to put on my Squier CV 70s P. I love the aerodyne neck and I think the blackout look would be cool.

I cannot find said aerodyne neck anyplace. Does anyone know where to procure one? Is there a knockoff? I even tried to find a 62RI (20 frets and 7.25 radius). Probably good I could not find one as I bet it would have cost more than the bass I am trying to put it on.

While I am at it - has anyone tried this? Advice?

 

[Malak the Mad]

Ok I need some help. I have been looking for a few days for an aerodyne neck to put on my Squier CV 70s P. I love the aerodyne neck and I think the blackout look would be cool.

I cannot find said aerodyne neck anyplace. Does anyone know where to procure one? Is there a knockoff? I even tried to find a 62RI (20 frets and 7.25 radius). Probably good I could not find one as I bet it would have cost more than the bass I am trying to put it on.

While I am at it - has anyone tried this? Advice?

Harvesting an Aerodyne neck for a parts-bass? I have what one could call "a little experience in these matters".

The only issue I ever ran into with mounting an Aerodyne neck onto a different body was with the Transparent Blueburst Mighty Mite body. The holes for the neck bolts were off by a hair's breadth. Rather than fillin' & drillin' new holes on either, I took the advice of my local Guitar Center tech…

1. Set the neck down in the pocket, then install the strings.
2. Gradually increase the tension while keeping the neck pressed down into the pocket.
3. Once there's enough tension to keep the strings from flopping around all over the place, turn the bass upside down, all while keeping the neck seated.
4. Little by little, add more tension to the strings while pressing firmly down on the back of the neck pocket to keep the two halves from separating.
5. Once the tension is high enough to line up the respective bolt-holes, install the plate and bolts.

It sounds pretty involved, but the basic idea is to pull the neck deep enough into the pocket so the holes line up. Better that then to gouge out more wood from either the neck or body.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

Ok I need some help. I have been looking for a few days for an aerodyne neck to put on my Squier CV 70s P. I love the aerodyne neck and I think the blackout look would be cool.

I cannot find said aerodyne neck anyplace. Does anyone know where to procure one? Is there a knockoff? I even tried to find a 62RI (20 frets and 7.25 radius). Probably good I could not find one as I bet it would have cost more than the bass I am trying to put it on.

While I am at it - has anyone tried this? Advice?

It's hard to find an Aerodyne neck sold separately. I don't think you can get one from a manufacturer. I've seen a few come up on eBay, sold by TheStratosphere.
I've been waiting for someone to do the blackout treatment on an Aerodyne (still have never seen one), similar to the bass in the photo.

 

[Malak the Mad]

View attachment 3823885
It's hard to find an Aerodyne neck sold separately. I don't think you can get one from a manufacturer. I've seen a few come up on eBay, sold by TheStratosphere.
I've been waiting for someone to do the blackout treatment on an Aerodyne (still have never seen one), similar to the bass in the photo.

With only one exception where someone was selling a loaded neck, every time I've transplanted an Aerodyne neck, it was by buying a whole, used 'Dyne, parting it out and selling off the loaded body. After all the buying and selling, I usually end up paying somewhere between $250 to $300 for an Aerodyne neck.

Another option would have been USA Custom Guitars. I say "would have been" because it seems they've been acquired by MJT and are still in some state of transition. Whatever is actually going on, USACG's custom body and neck web builder doesn't seem to be up and running. Before all that, they offered so many options for their customized necks, I would be surprised if they couldn't fabricate a decent, if not spot-on, Aerodyne-spec'd neck.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

it was by buying a whole, used 'Dyne, parting it out and selling off the loaded body.

That’d work!

 

[Sub-hoo-fer]

That’d work!

thanks for the advice! USACG was one of my stops on the quest.

I had not really considered buying a whole bass just for the neck but now I am thinking of an aerodyne body with the neck off the CV... hmmm.

 

[Sub-hoo-fer]

Turns out someone did a ‘dyne with blocked maple neck already. I like a non-matching headstock with maple boards personally but That looks pretty cool.

Geddy Lee? Aerodyne? Why not a GeddyDyne?

 

[Malak the Mad]

I had not really considered buying a whole bass just for the neck but now I am thinking of an aerodyne body with the neck off the CV... hmmm.

Once Guitar Center opens up again, the stock in their used database will start appearing again. In the past, I've zeroed-in on a decently priced used 'Dyne through them, called the store to ask someone what's the condition of the neck and what's the serial number. If it sounds promising, I'll have it shipped to my local store.

There was one time I had a used Aerodyne put aside for me on layaway at a store that was a couple of states away. My wife and I were going to be traveling through New England, so we made it part of our road trip. Unfortunately, the backside of the neck was covered in a whole bunch of nicks, giving it a very bumpy texture. Since I was planning on harvesting the neck, I deemed it unacceptable, so I returned it to my local store. I lost out on the sales tax (it was bought near Albany and I live in Delaware…no sales tax here), but it was a learning experience for me, plus the drive had some incredible scenery, so it wasn't a total loss.

As for a 'Dyne's serial number, I've found I prefer necks from the "Crafted In Japan" and early "Made In Japan" eras…call it 2015 and earlier. Those necks have a super-thin, mildly glossy finish, what I call a "semi-gloss". The more recent ones I've sampled have a bone-dry, satin texture which I don't really care for.

One last tip…if you're gonna poach the neck from a newer Aerodyne, especially a non-export model, do your research first. FMIC has started producing Aerodynes with a more standardized (and bland-erized! ) 9.5" radius, which is something I was afraid they'd start doing once they took the reins from Fender-Japan. They're even making 'Dynes with plain-jane, unpainted headstocks now! Talk about weak sauce!

 

[Catbuster]

FMIC is making an Aerodyne with a 9.5” radius? I might have to check into that. The skinny radius on the narrow nut width got me out of playing these in the first place.