Guys, calm down. All I am saying is that the history of Japan's industry post-WW2 is absolutely fascinating. Deming describes all the cultural problems he had in making their industry realize the goodness of part interchangeability and repeatability without variation. There were workers who would not report problems on the line to their supervisor because they didn't want to embarrass themselves, nor their boss - didn't want to "lose face." It's fascinating.
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Fair enough; I was envisioning a more pronounced/larger gouge that would likely continue to grow. Seeing it, if you can do a decent tinted (or not, as it's small and out of the way) crazy glue patch, it would likely be good enough.
If you are concerned about resale value, I would not try to patch or repair it. I personally shy away from DIY repaired instruments when looking for instruments I might want to collect and own. A ding or dent shows the bass had a life. Anything other than a full professional refinish just detracts. My opinion only.
My 2012 Aerodyne arrived at the local FedEx office yesterday, and I picked it up today. (I have everything of value shipped to there, requiring a signature. Leave the driver out of the equation and provide no temptation for the porch pirates.) Amazingly the bass was shipped from Japan on Wednesday and was ready for pickup by the end of Thursday. I paid no extra import duties.
The shop did an excellent job of packing the bass and managed to avoid oversize charges by removing the neck from the body.
It’s beautiful, and the shop included a nice note and an origami crane.
This is all of the information that is included on the neck. I wonder what the “A” indicates:
Assembled and without strings:
The bass weighs a touch over 9 lbs and has no neck dive.
It is a gorgeous bass, and I am very satisfied with the shop (on eBay) that sold it to me: excellent communication, and the fellow that I worked with adjusted the price after noticing a problem in the finish (mentioned in a recent post above, but turns out to be a relatively small flaw). It was an excellent experience, and I absolutely would do it again.
The only mod I plan to make at this point is to install some Dunlop StrapLok buttons, as on my other basses (One Strap to Rule Them All). Now, does this bass get the TI Jazz Flats or the TI Jazz Rounds? I think I’ll take the rounds off of my JP-90 and put the flats back on (the rounds sound quite good on it, but I think I’d rather have them on the Aerodyne):
The shop did an excellent job of packing the bass and managed to avoid oversize charges by removing the neck from the body.
It’s beautiful, and the shop included a nice note and an origami crane.
This is all of the information that is included on the neck. I wonder what the “A” indicates:
Assembled and without strings:
The bass weighs a touch over 9 lbs and has no neck dive.
It is a gorgeous bass, and I am very satisfied with the shop (on eBay) that sold it to me: excellent communication, and the fellow that I worked with adjusted the price after noticing a problem in the finish (mentioned in a recent post above, but turns out to be a relatively small flaw). It was an excellent experience, and I absolutely would do it again.
The only mod I plan to make at this point is to install some Dunlop StrapLok buttons, as on my other basses (One Strap to Rule Them All). Now, does this bass get the TI Jazz Flats or the TI Jazz Rounds? I think I’ll take the rounds off of my JP-90 and put the flats back on (the rounds sound quite good on it, but I think I’d rather have them on the Aerodyne):
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Sweet! The first non-export Aerodyne I ever got was that exact model and color! Also, great packing job!
(former shipper-receiver, here 
)I don't know what the "A" on the right means, but I'm very curious, too. The others stand for;
- OCR: Old Candy-Apple Red
- AJB: Aerodyne Jazz Bass (aka: a standard, Non-Export Aerodyne model)
That sure is a beauty. I have shipped about 50 instruments from Japan to Canada and it never ceases to amaze my how attentive they are to the possibility of damage. I have only ever had ONE instrument arrive with any damage and that was sort of on me. I shipped (the only time I have ever done this) by surface to try to save some money. Bad decision.
Hope you enjoy the lightning fast necks on these basses!
Hope you enjoy the lightning fast necks on these basses!
So what’s the deal with the older Aerodyne Precisions and the prices on the used market? Sellers are asking Fender American Performer series new prices for them in those I’ve seen for sale lately.
I’d love to pick one up, but so can’t imagine they are “twice as good” as my Geddy PJ mutt I acquired. I know that sellers can ask whatever they want, but they have to have some sense of reality for a likely sale.
Are they really that good to command that kind of pricing? Are they just rare enough that folks think they’re worth more than they should be? Either way,, that’s a price-point where I’d have “a lot of splainin’ to do”…
I’d love to pick one up, but so can’t imagine they are “twice as good” as my Geddy PJ mutt I acquired. I know that sellers can ask whatever they want, but they have to have some sense of reality for a likely sale.
Are they really that good to command that kind of pricing? Are they just rare enough that folks think they’re worth more than they should be? Either way,, that’s a price-point where I’d have “a lot of splainin’ to do”…
I don't know about the prices (which to me are crazy high anyway), but I'll say that I find the black Aerodyne PJ to be a different animal than other PJs. The neck pickup is 3/4" closer to the neck, giving the bass a deep, authoritative sound while retaining a Precision tone. It’s a good thing.
Personally, I don't understand fender's recent move with the Aerodynes, and I wouldn't buy one, because the original is so good. The new ones look, to me, to just be rehashed Jazz basses with binding.
Agreed; they look like Charvels to me and not my thing. I was excited to hear they were bringing back the Aerodyne Precision, but was disappointed when I saw what they are this round. Oh well…
It's probably the "this item is kinda old, discontinued and/or slightly scarce, so let's jack up the price by 50%+ of the brand-new sale price" mindset. I see it frequently when I spot Fender Blacktops for sale; $700 to $800 for used basses that cost $500 brand-new ten years ago and weren't very popular.
Ever sought out an out-of-print book? Sellers know of it's scarcity and frequently add a zero to the original price, as if those well-worn pages were made of gold or something...jerks!
I think it boils down to supply and demand. It also is partially to do with those damn Millennials! Unless you live under a rock somewhere you can see the price of any offset body bass/guitar or less-than-usual body has gone to ridiculous levels. Look at the prices of Mustangs, Jaguars, Broncos... I think the kids these days want to be different and are driving the prices of anything that is NOT Jazz or Pbass. They think they are boring. You will never get a Millennial to be anything that is not a solid bright colour! They wouldn't be caught dead with any kind of burst that didn't include pink!
All joking aside, I think this is precisely why Aerodynes (which are certainly different) are pricey. Also.... they are great great basses and being discovered as such. I sold my pristine blue non-export Aerodyne and have regretted it ever since. It was a great bass.
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Yep, Blacktops too. I had one I traded for my Koa Carvin and I think I came out way ahead on that deal. I wouldn’t mind having another Blacktop, but it’s not an $800 bass IMO, which is also my feeling about the Aerodynes at these costs.
In my experience, Aerodyne Precisions have always been thinner on the ground (and therefore more expensive) than Aerodyne Jazz basses have.
It's probably the "this item is kinda old, discontinued and/or slightly scarce, so let's jack up the price by 50%+ of the brand-new sale price" mindset. I see it frequently when I spot Fender Blacktops for sale; $700 to $800 for used basses that cost $500 brand-new ten years ago and weren't very popular.
Ever sought out an out-of-print book? Sellers know of it's scarcity and frequently add a zero to the original price, as if those well-worn pages were made of gold or something...jerks!
I'm a big fan of Blacktop Precisions. Maybe they finally caught on? IDK. Also, prices in general are (with the occasional exception) up, up and away!
Just a follow up for anyone needing a replacement saddle screw on a non-export. The saddle screw sizes are M3 and none of the local hardware stores carried said size. I ended up ordering from here.
Bolts & Fasteners | Metric Nuts | Crimp and Seal Connectors (monsterbolts.com)
To adjust my saddle-height screws, I had every size except the one I needed: 1.5mm. Today I found that size in my bicycle allen-wrench set. As I previously had no other way to turn them, I found the following video on the YouTubes:
.
A “duh” solution that worked a charm, except for having to repeatedly loosen and tighten the strings until I found the correct height.
Anybody interested in a Koa Aerodyne on the Bay? Would be me, but I just bought an Aerodyne CAR.
