Fender Aerodyne Club!

[JumboJett35]

So after playing mine a little longer I have only one gripe and it's a personal thing not a knock on the bass itself.The offset jazz body has a tendency to dig into my forearm and it's even more so pronounced and noticeable on the Aerodyne being the edges are more flat as opposed to fat and rounded. A regular body jazz doesn't bother me much at all. However it's really a non issue when I wear long sleeves or just a simple wrist band. The only other thing I noticed is that the fingerboard is rather dry but nothing some oil when changing the strings won't help.

@musicman556 I actually was just on the reverb listing for the jazz and it said "hurry now" 1 left and 17 people have it in their cart. Godspeed.

 

[musicman556]

@musicman556 I actually was just on the reverb listing for the jazz and it said "hurry now" 1 left and 17 people have it in their cart. Godspeed.

Hahahaha! It's for the best, really.

I already have another Fender roasted maple Jazz neck sitting in the corner of my bassment waiting for me to decide and pull the trigger on the next body, paint, and electronics for another build. I'm thinking about doing something really wacky, like a P body in a honeyburst over quilt maple top with just a Stingray pickup in the Warmoth sweet spot. 2 knobs with an active 2 band pre - volume and stacked bass/treble. Rear routed control cavity for a clean top, and a rim-mounted output jack. Clean, simple, and weird.

 

[Kevlanco]

So after playing mine a little longer I have only one gripe and it's a personal thing not a knock on the bass itself.The offset jazz body has a tendency to dig into my forearm and it's even more so pronounced and noticeable on the Aerodyne being the edges are more flat as opposed to fat and rounded. A regular body jazz doesn't bother me much at all. However it's really a non issue when I wear long sleeves or just a simple wrist band. The only other thing I noticed is that the fingerboard is rather dry but nothing some oil when changing the strings won't help.

@musicman556 I actually was just on the reverb listing for the jazz and it said "hurry now" 1 left and 17 people have it in their cart. Godspeed.

It did say that for me too before I ordered and still says it now. I have to admit that gave me a bit of pressure that helped me pull the trigger. Not sure how many more there actually are now lol

 

[trseal]

Played my Dolphin Gray J Aerodyne for the entire rehearsal tonight. It is very comfortable and light. It's even been getting compliments from the other guys in the band for how beautiful it is. I originally had decided to leave the stock Fender nickel-plated stainless strings on it as I was wanting to keep the modern sound to contrast my other P's and J's which have flats and vintage era pups on them. But I was starting to wince at the rather harsh character of those (on the Aero) strings. So I put a set of the Fender pure nickel strings on there. What a difference! I shopped several makes of strings and Fender was one of the only few that had pure nickel (over a stainless core). Most of the others (reading the fine print) were nickel coated stainless on the winding. The pure nickel sounded way better even new than the several months-old plated. I'm anticipating that over the next month or so the nickel strings will improve even more.

Tim

 

[outoftune]

Count me in. Wow what a great bass. I pulled the trigger on a jazz and could not be happier. I also pulled the trigger on the $599 white P but that’ll be a few days before it gets here.
I was in the market for a stingray as I’d just joined a 90’s 00’s cover band and thought a Ray would compliment the music well. I have abandoned that thought after getting the Aero jazz and rehearsing with it. It is so capable. Big deep sound with as much zing as you want. Light enough to gig for hours and looks cool AF. I’m excited to play the P and compare to my American Pro.
Pics or it didn’t happen?

 

[Shirobon]

I don't see both your names on the list so

Well today was the moment of truth. Commence Operation: "Don't worry, be happy!" Did I get a great deal or a lemon?..........

Absolutely astounding the quality of Japanese Fenders and this Jazz is no exception along with the Precision.

Here's my $599 Dolphin Grey Jazz from Reverb...

#191

Count me in. Wow what a great bass. I pulled the trigger on a jazz and could not be happier. I also pulled the trigger on the $599 white P but ...

#192

Anymore dolphins in here and we'll be able to take over a small town
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Fender Aerodyne member list:

Spoiler

1-Youngspanion
2-Coltranius
3-Lowfrq
4-Hdracer
5-Ilamor2112
6-Billy K
7-Rocinante-x1
8-Mr M
9-Hankazoid
10-Big chicken
11-Wake & Bass
12-Billy K
13-Ray34
14-Upandb
15-Philthygeezer
**16-GatorDogDoc**
17-Averagehack
18-WheresthPocket
19-StrangerDanger
20-Klonk
21-Bannybassman
22-Onosson
23-hollotim
24-bebop1
25-Jarod21
26-Stoutfellow
27-JacksonAerodyne
28-Dom_Bass_2
29-BassGen (Retired)
30-H.Kristal
31-Jweber76
32-Burgardj
33-Lordbeans
34-JohnnyChatter
35-swu678
36-TheOnlyJuan
37-Bass1965
38-Cellkirk74
39-Spin Doc
40-logans59
41-Lavave
42-THORRR
43-Brando28
44-Fit4pain
45-Bassmanmike1 (Honorary for his self built GORGEOUS Aero-clone)
46-Catbuster
47-Malak The Mad
48-Crash Alpha
49-Chrispunx
50-Melikecookies
51-LPswim2009
52-Dr. Goggles
53-Yesplz
54-Cadfael
55-hazmatt
56-Levis76
57-78Stingray
58-MeLikeBass
59-bluespenny
60-grey area
61-jefff100
62-ekidnu25
63-5Bass5
64-drewfunk
65-im_telling_Tim
66-KrügMeister
67-DaffyStarDuck
68-Sonic
69-ricoshea
70-Bassfacist
71-Snakeman1066
72-mack_avz
73-Lakland55
74-MarkoYYZ
75-[blank]
76-Xandros
77-Ilmārs_Priede
78-Breakman
79-BogezOnBass
80-EricMordus
81-naaily
82-Gorn Captain
83-Spent
84-Spanish Dave
85-9mmMike
86-DJ_SlackHack
87-chienmort- Kinda odd French there
88-Dogghouse
89-Chickentown
90-Kiyote
91-[blank]
92-A-Step-Towards
93-scottz369
94-Ancient of Days
95-marcosedh
96-God's Favorite Bass
97-christle
98-Hopi76
99-flashgod
100-PatrikB
101-rdcowan
102-Lakland55
103-hookgrip
104-Bass5150
105-mojomik001
106-DJJazzV
107-Menorahman
108-Shardik
109-frogonbass
110-Bassplayer315
111-HAVOK
112-Birdbrain
113-lutherie sg
114-Amplified
115-AsCanBe
116-Justice Graves
117-Tbone76
118-Beverlyvista
119-GePe
120-Jloch86
121-JxBass
122-Jonahlane
123-Sodbuster
124-Bassman54
125-BadB
126-Cider
127-Tari
128-XontheP
129-Xandrell
130-aah_scary
131-Templar
132-psyber
133-BuffaloBass
134-nothing_special
135-BassFishinginAmerica
136-RemyFallbrook
137-codiak
138-Flippy
139-Interspace Station
140-jackAbrasion
141-smithenhiven
142-alembic76407
143-chuggster
144-JimmyThunder
145-jeff62
146-soitainly
147-Nick Cardaras
148-razorx14
149-Gravedigger Dav
150-grungenote
151-Honk’n_down-low
152-McFly
153-Crusher47
154-whero
155-azfatboy
156-Jeff Elkins
157-[blank]
158-[blank]
159-Ramonesfan59
160-Fredrik E. Nilsen
161-MommyPlaysBass
162-Stinsok
163-DougieB
164-DennisO
165-jmon
166-chris70x7
167-Raymundo49
168-Moving Pictures
169-NoSlapForYou
170-Nate13
171-Shirobon
172-DustyBottom
173-John Eaton
174-Rastaman85
175-DrThumpenstein and Jules
176-JakobT
177-VillageIdiott
178-Evan Brown
179-Chuck Allen
180-Chipmonstr
181-SomeHoser
182-Doug P
183-musicman556
184-54 RPM
185-trseal
186-Mpcorb
187-Genomatic8
188-THEbryon
189-Charlinho14
190-Kevlanco
191-JumboJett35
192-outoftune

 

[Guitarchitect]

I don't see both your names on the list so

#191

#192

Anymore dolphins in here and we'll be able to take over a small town
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Fender Aerodyne member list:

Spoiler

1-Youngspanion
2-Coltranius
3-Lowfrq
4-Hdracer
5-Ilamor2112
6-Billy K
7-Rocinante-x1
8-Mr M
9-Hankazoid
10-Big chicken
11-Wake & Bass
12-Billy K
13-Ray34
14-Upandb
15-Philthygeezer
**16-GatorDogDoc**
17-Averagehack
18-WheresthPocket
19-StrangerDanger
20-Klonk
21-Bannybassman
22-Onosson
23-hollotim
24-bebop1
25-Jarod21
26-Stoutfellow
27-JacksonAerodyne
28-Dom_Bass_2
29-BassGen (Retired)
30-H.Kristal
31-Jweber76
32-Burgardj
33-Lordbeans
34-JohnnyChatter
35-swu678
36-TheOnlyJuan
37-Bass1965
38-Cellkirk74
39-Spin Doc
40-logans59
41-Lavave
42-THORRR
43-Brando28
44-Fit4pain
45-Bassmanmike1 (Honorary for his self built GORGEOUS Aero-clone)
46-Catbuster
47-Malak The Mad
48-Crash Alpha
49-Chrispunx
50-Melikecookies
51-LPswim2009
52-Dr. Goggles
53-Yesplz
54-Cadfael
55-hazmatt
56-Levis76
57-78Stingray
58-MeLikeBass
59-bluespenny
60-grey area
61-jefff100
62-ekidnu25
63-5Bass5
64-drewfunk
65-im_telling_Tim
66-KrügMeister
67-DaffyStarDuck
68-Sonic
69-ricoshea
70-Bassfacist
71-Snakeman1066
72-mack_avz
73-Lakland55
74-MarkoYYZ
75-[blank]
76-Xandros
77-Ilmārs_Priede
78-Breakman
79-BogezOnBass
80-EricMordus
81-naaily
82-Gorn Captain
83-Spent
84-Spanish Dave
85-9mmMike
86-DJ_SlackHack
87-chienmort- Kinda odd French there
88-Dogghouse
89-Chickentown
90-Kiyote
91-[blank]
92-A-Step-Towards
93-scottz369
94-Ancient of Days
95-marcosedh
96-God's Favorite Bass
97-christle
98-Hopi76
99-flashgod
100-PatrikB
101-rdcowan
102-Lakland55
103-hookgrip
104-Bass5150
105-mojomik001
106-DJJazzV
107-Menorahman
108-Shardik
109-frogonbass
110-Bassplayer315
111-HAVOK
112-Birdbrain
113-lutherie sg
114-Amplified
115-AsCanBe
116-Justice Graves
117-Tbone76
118-Beverlyvista
119-GePe
120-Jloch86
121-JxBass
122-Jonahlane
123-Sodbuster
124-Bassman54
125-BadB
126-Cider
127-Tari
128-XontheP
129-Xandrell
130-aah_scary
131-Templar
132-psyber
133-BuffaloBass
134-nothing_special
135-BassFishinginAmerica
136-RemyFallbrook
137-codiak
138-Flippy
139-Interspace Station
140-jackAbrasion
141-smithenhiven
142-alembic76407
143-chuggster
144-JimmyThunder
145-jeff62
146-soitainly
147-Nick Cardaras
148-razorx14
149-Gravedigger Dav
150-grungenote
151-Honk’n_down-low
152-McFly
153-Crusher47
154-whero
155-azfatboy
156-Jeff Elkins
157-[blank]
158-[blank]
159-Ramonesfan59
160-Fredrik E. Nilsen
161-MommyPlaysBass
162-Stinsok
163-DougieB
164-DennisO
165-jmon
166-chris70x7
167-Raymundo49
168-Moving Pictures
169-NoSlapForYou
170-Nate13
171-Shirobon
172-DustyBottom
173-John Eaton
174-Rastaman85
175-DrThumpenstein and Jules
176-JakobT
177-VillageIdiott
178-Evan Brown
179-Chuck Allen
180-Chipmonstr
181-SomeHoser
182-Doug P
183-musicman556
184-54 RPM
185-trseal
186-Mpcorb
187-Genomatic8
188-THEbryon
189-Charlinho14
190-Kevlanco
191-JumboJett35
192-outoftune

Shirobon…I don’t see my name on the list either…can you pls add “Guitarchitect”. Thx!

 

[JumboJett35]

Played my Dolphin Gray J Aerodyne for the entire rehearsal tonight. It is very comfortable and light. It's even been getting compliments from the other guys in the band for how beautiful it is. I originally had decided to leave the stock Fender nickel-plated stainless strings on it as I was wanting to keep the modern sound to contrast my other P's and J's which have flats and vintage era pups on them. But I was starting to wince at the rather harsh character of those (on the Aero) strings. So I put a set of the Fender pure nickel strings on there. What a difference! I shopped several makes of strings and Fender was one of the only few that had pure nickel (over a stainless core). Most of the others (reading the fine print) were nickel coated stainless on the winding. The pure nickel sounded way better even new than the several months-old plated. I'm anticipating that over the next month or so the nickel strings will improve even more.

Tim

I had a suspicion about the stock Fender strings when I took them off my player jazz immediately after getting it. Roto 66 Nickles ( blue pack) live on it now and sounds wonderful.

I got my Aerodyne P and immediately noticed the bright, harsh sound. Figured I would play it and let them mellow out being it was brand new. Pretty much exclusively have to play tone off to not notice it and even then it's just not right for me. Then I got the Aerodyne J and it confirmed my thoughts on the stock strings. With the right eq settings I could make it work but it's so much easier to go to the source and swap the strings then play "tone chaser" every song. I only have a spare set of roto 66s at the moment to put on but I'm going to look into some more nickel round options in the meantime.

Truthfully I personally believe that's the only thing these basses need is new strings other than personal setup preferences.

 

[JumboJett35]

Here's a few more pictures for your enjoyment. Maybe even that nudge you need to grab one before you regret it five years down the road and wish you'd have gotten it now.
Again this is a difficult color to photograph and I'm by no means a professional. Enjoy!

 

[Guitarchitect]

Beautiful dolphin…Love it!

 

[trseal]

Here's a few more pictures for your enjoyment. Maybe even that nudge you need to grab one before you regret it five years down the road and wish you'd have gotten it now.
Again this is a difficult color to photograph and I'm by no means a professional. Enjoy!
View attachment 5246369 View attachment 5246370 View attachment 5246371 View attachment 5246372 View attachment 5246373 View attachment 5246374 View attachment 5246375

You're right! I haven't seen a photo yet that does that Gray J bass justice but your closeups get pretty close. It is a beauty that has to be seen to fully appreciate how gorgeous they are.

Tim

 

[trseal]

I had a suspicion about the stock Fender strings when I took them off my player jazz immediately after getting it. Roto 66 Nickles ( blue pack) live on it now and sounds wonderful.

I got my Aerodyne P and immediately noticed the bright, harsh sound. Figured I would play it and let them mellow out being it was brand new. Pretty much exclusively have to play tone off to not notice it and even then it's just not right for me. Then I got the Aerodyne J and it confirmed my thoughts on the stock strings. With the right eq settings I could make it work but it's so much easier to go to the source and swap the strings then play "tone chaser" every song. I only have a spare set of roto 66s at the moment to put on but I'm going to look into some more nickel round options in the meantime.

Truthfully I personally believe that's the only thing these basses need is new strings other than personal setup preferences.

Thanks for that suggestion. So far I'm liking the Fender nickels but I'd like to pick up a set of those Rotos to test drive as well.

Tim

 

[JumboJett35]

You're right! I haven't seen a photo yet that does that Gray J bass justice but your closeups get pretty close. It is a beauty that has to be seen to fully appreciate how gorgeous they are.

Tim

Personally I think that may be a big reason that color didn't seem to sell very well.

Thanks for that suggestion. So far I'm liking the Fender nickels but I'd like to pick up a set of those Rotos to test drive as well.

Tim

They're a bit zingy at first but really a good sound if you're after it. However they mellow out very nicely and 9 months later I love them even more and they sound great with everything full on. The best part for me is how smooth nickel rounds are compared to stainless and these are no exception. At $25 a set, I'd say they're worth a shot. They have a nice powder blue silk wrap color.

 

[Guitarchitect]

Anybody have suggestions for flatwounds that would still give you some sparkle?

 

[trseal]

Anybody have suggestions for flatwounds that would still give you some sparkle?

I put Roto 77's on my '66 RI Jazz. They seem to be pretty zingy for flats.

Tim

 

[Malak the Mad]

Anybody have suggestions for flatwounds that would still give you some sparkle?

D’Addario Chromes gave my OG Aerodyne a bit o’ growl, especially when you really dig into the strings, but I’m told they mellow out as they break in over time. However, if I wanted to achieve “maximum brightness” with flats, I’d go with Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats.

On the flip-side, if I wanted a thick, muddy Mowtown vibe, I’d get another set of DR Legends. They’re totally not to my taste, but I can see what niche they’d fill nicely.

 

[aarono2690]

Hey everyone, I used to be a poster here long ago (like 2010 era). I can't remember my user name or what email I used, so I made a new account to post this. Played bass a bit in high school and college. Never really practiced much and when I did practice it wasn't effectively. Now I'm learning drums followed by guitar. I kind of got the itch to get back into bass so I checked ol Reverb and saw Franklin had more b-stock listed. I was looking for first hand accounts of the Aerodyne P-Bass and this thread sealed the deal.

I ended up buying the b-stock White P-Bass. If anyone is on the fence, just go ahead and do it. I say this because I bought the Dolphin Grey Telecaster from them a couple weeks back and it came to me in mint condition (original Fender box, etc.). I called them before I bought the Telecaster as it smelled too good to be true and they made it sound like these are all vendor returns - once it leaves Fender's factory and it comes back it's considered B-stock. I brought into my luthier to look it over and he found no issues/didn't even need a setup.

I'll let you know how the P-Bass is when it arrives. Did anyone here have to have theirs setup or was it good to go?

 

[JumboJett35]

Hey everyone, I used to be a poster here long ago (like 2010 era). I can't remember my user name or what email I used, so I made a new account to post this. Played bass a bit in high school and college. Never really practiced much and when I did practice it wasn't effectively. Now I'm learning drums followed by guitar. I kind of got the itch to get back into bass so I checked ol Reverb and saw Franklin had more b-stock listed. I was looking for first hand accounts of the Aerodyne P-Bass and this thread sealed the deal.

I ended up buying the b-stock White P-Bass. If anyone is on the fence, just go ahead and do it. I say this because I bought the Dolphin Grey Telecaster from them a couple weeks back and it came to me in mint condition (original Fender box, etc.). I called them before I bought the Telecaster as it smelled too good to be true and they made it sound like these are all vendor returns - once it leaves Fender's factory and it comes back it's considered B-stock. I brought into my luthier to look it over and he found no issues/didn't even need a setup.

I'll let you know how the P-Bass is when it arrives. Did anyone here have to have theirs setup or was it good to go?

Both my Precision and Jazz were setup well enough out of the box. Actually rather quite well and I've made no adjustments. I bought my Precision from Empire Music in Pittsburgh who does set up on every instrument purchased. The Jazz I received from the FGW reverb listing was the same way out of the box. Theirs some slight imperfections on my Jazz fretboard around the 15-18th fret where I can literally just barely run my fingernail across and it doesn't catch. Tiny imperfection in the wood but realistically it's barely noticeable and other than the board being rather dry, I doubt I'll even notice it once I oil it and it darkens up a bit. Besides me being overtly nitpicky these are flawless. Personally the only thing I feel these need is a new set of strings.

 

[aarono2690]

How are the stock strings on these basses? Immediately replace or suffice for a few months?

 

[JumboJett35]

Fender stock strings. They're decent just rather bright and zingy when new. Not my favorite but certainly not the worst.