Fender Aerodyne Club!

[Guitarchitect]

As I referenced earlier about my fingerboard having an iffy spot. I know rosewood is porous and not every piece will be perfect but this is just flat out cracked to me. It absolutely effects nothing but I just wanted to point it out as I mentioned earlier. Other than that these are flat out just awesome instruments. I have two and am always itching for another.
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Thx for the string info, JJ35!
I own 4 basses - each a different animal: ‘60 Jazz (first year), ‘65 Silvertone U-1, ‘82 Steinberger L2, ‘89 Kubicki X-Factor and the Aerodyne “Dolphin” Jazz (first “new” bass I’ve bought in 50 years!).
All have roundwounds, but none as bright/metallic as the new A-Jazz. I’ll likely change out to warmer nickels soon. Rotos were my go-to strings back in the ‘70’s; need to revisit.

 

[Guitarchitect]

Strange about that rosewood crack…did it arrive that way or has it opened up since you’ve had it?

 

[JumboJett35]

Strange about that rosewood crack…did it arrive that way or has it opened up since you’ve had it?

That's how it arrived when I received it two weeks ago. It's not a big issue but theirs also another spot down by the 3rd-5th fret that isn't nearly as noticeable as the one pictured earlier but I'll keep my eye on it. I doubt it will be an issue.

 

[aarono2690]

Back down to my MiM Standard Jazz. Not sure why I never bonded with it - the finish is quite boring IMO. Assuming Franklin doesn’t restock the White P bass again would it be wise to buy the Aerodyne Jazz (Choco Burst or Blue) and sell my MiM Jazz or should I just stand pat with what I got? I’m semi-interested in the other P basses, but I do not like the Green or Hot Rod Burst nearly as much as the White one I am returning. I think the Chocolate Burst J Bass is beautiful.

I don’t think I ever disagreed with the J Bass as an instrument it just feels like the one I have is uninspiring. I assume the Aerodyne Jazz is quite a step up from my 2015 MIM Jazz and now is the time to upgrade with this sale.

Sorry for my rambling. I’m very ignorant and I trust yall’s guidance.

 

[JumboJett35]

Back down to my MiM Standard Jazz. Not sure why I never bonded with it - the finish is quite boring IMO. Assuming Franklin doesn’t restock the White P bass again would it be wise to buy the Aerodyne Jazz (Choco Burst or Blue) and sell my MiM Jazz or should I just stand pat with what I got? I’m semi-interested in the other P basses, but I do not like the Green or Hot Rod Burst nearly as much as the White one I am returning. I think the Chocolate Burst J Bass is beautiful.

I don’t think I ever disagreed with the J Bass as an instrument it just feels like the one I have is uninspiring. I assume the Aerodyne Jazz is quite a step up from my 2015 MIM Jazz and now is the time to upgrade with this sale.

Sorry for my rambling. I’m very ignorant and I trust yall’s guidance.

If an instrument doesn't inspire you to play and you can trade it for one that does than its a good deal for sure. It sounds to me like you really want a Rosewood board. I'm partial myself so I can understand and no matter what we suggest, you know what you like and will inspire you to pick up and play. All of my basses have been bought and all of them are equally played because of that reason.

The Speed Green Metallic is like a Candy Apple Green to me. It's also one of those " has to be seen in person " colors. It's quite beautiful just rather vibrant and can be flashy so not for everyone. The Hot Rod Burst seems to not be very popular across the net but I personally love it. I guess it just depends if you want to be a Jedi or Sith. I've chosen my path.

Its hard to go wrong with any of these with the quality being amazing and the price being alot cheaper than the Player series. I know these didn't sell well initially but I think in 5 years time the Aerodynes will be worth more than the Player series.

 

[aarono2690]

If an instrument doesn't inspire you to play and you can trade it for one that does than its a good deal for sure. It sounds to me like you really want a Rosewood board. I'm partial myself so I can understand and no matter what we suggest, you know what you like and will inspire you to pick up and play. All of my basses have been bought and all of them are equally played because of that reason.

The Speed Green Metallic is like a Candy Apple Green to me. It's also one of those " has to be seen in person " colors. It's quite beautiful just rather vibrant and can be flashy so not for everyone. The Hot Rod Burst seems to not be very popular across the net but I personally love it. I guess it just depends if you want to be a Jedi or Sith. I've chosen my path.

Its hard to go wrong with any of these with the quality being amazing and the price being alot cheaper than the Player series. I know these didn't sell well initially but I think in 5 years time the Aerodynes will be worth more than the Player series.

I will agree that the Green looks way better in personal photos. Someone on here had a photo of the Green P Bass in their music room and I think it looked better in that photo than it did on Fender/Reverb’s website. I think I am partial to the Rosewood fretboard like you said, but my Grey Tele has the maple fretboard and I like it. I assume Rosewood v Maple is strictly a preference item? People consider rosewood higher quality in general though it seems whenever I read debate between the two.

I always thought the P Bass captured the essence of meat and potatoes bass guitar tone/style (aka Motown/soul) hence my fascination with getting the White P. The J will definitely keep more tonal options open even though I’m not into the soloing/Jaco bass playing.

hopefully I didn’t open the P vs J can of worms lol

 

[JumboJett35]

I will agree that the Green looks way better in personal photos. Someone on here had a photo of the Green P Bass in their music room and I think it looked better in that photo than it did on Fender/Reverb’s website. I think I am partial to the Rosewood fretboard like you said, but my Grey Tele has the maple fretboard and I like it. I assume Rosewood v Maple is strictly a preference item? People consider rosewood higher quality in general though it seems whenever I read debate between the two.

I always thought the P Bass captured the essence of meat and potatoes bass guitar tone/style (aka Motown/soul) hence my fascination with getting the White P. The J will definitely keep more tonal options open even though I’m not into the soloing/Jaco bass playing.

hopefully I didn’t open the P vs J can of worms lol

Yeah any difference is mainly cosmetic and very minute the difference in tone. I do think Rosewood has a smoother, warmer, darker sound compared to Maple which has a growly, snappy, bright sound to me.
I also like Rosewood over maple being its smoother on my fingers and softer compared to the hard maple.
Every now and again I go on the Fender mod shop and mess around to see what I can come up with and last night I saw they have solid Rosewood necks. It also just so happens to be the 63 C Precision neck which is the same one on my AM Pro II and that's by far my favorite neck of all my basses. I never thought it could get better but a full Rosewood neck does it. I'm saving my pennies and in a few months time I'll decide if this is worth it.

 

[jnewmark]

Never played one of these but am looking at one from Sweetwater: Fender Aerodyne Special Jazz Bass - Dolphin Gray Metallic | Sweetwater
How do they compare with a standard Jazz bass as far as tone, balance, feel ? Never played a 12" radius neck, what is the feel, wide and thin ? I'm assuming this is a passive bass, the tone/vol controls being the same as a regular Jazz? Has anyone experienced any neck dive with these models ? Any comments welcome !

 

[JumboJett35]

Yeah all of that is covered on this thread. Many people just got Dolphins at $599 from Franklin Guitar Works on Reverb. Personally I'd save the extra few hundred and buy from them over Sweetwater. Go back and reread and check out all the pictures of everyone's experiences with those over the last 10 pages or so. Once your caught up come back and we'll talk you into buying one or more! Here's a picture I posted when I got mine a few weeks back.

 

[jnewmark]

Yeah all of that is covered on this thread. Many people just got Dolphins at $599 from Franklin Guitar Works on Reverb. Personally I'd save the extra few hundred and buy from them over Sweetwater. Go back and reread and check out all the pictures of everyone's experiences with those over the last 10 pages or so. Once your caught up come back and we'll talk you into buying one or more! Here's a picture I posted when I got mine a few weeks back.
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Okay, I went back about 10 pages. Most of the discussion seemed to be about the different colors and how harsh the stock strings sound. So, I'll ask again, what's it like going from a 7.25 radius to a 12 radius ? How do they sound compared to a stock Jazz ? Balance, feel ?

 

[JumboJett35]

Okay, I went back about 10 pages. Most of the discussion seemed to be about the different colors and how harsh the stock strings sound. So, I'll ask again, what's it like going from a 7.25 radius to a 12 radius ? How do they sound compared to a stock Jazz ? Balance, feel ?

Might want to keep reading. Good luck. I'm pretty spent talking about how awesome these are.

 

[Kevlanco]

Okay, I went back about 10 pages. Most of the discussion seemed to be about the different colors and how harsh the stock strings sound. So, I'll ask again, what's it like going from a 7.25 radius to a 12 radius ? How do they sound compared to a stock Jazz ? Balance, feel ?

I have never owned a 7.25, though I always loved that aspect of the OG fender aerodyne PJ’s. That being said, my aerodyne J is quite a bit easier to play than my previous Jazz bass, a MIM parts bass that had a roasted maple fender Jazz standard neck with a 9.5 radius profile. It was a beautiful bass that was well put together, but that bass never agreed with me.

I actually had such a positive experience with the OG aerodyne and its rounded board, that I expected to dislike the flatter board of the newer aerodynes, but it doesn’t bother me one bit. I suspect my perceived preference for 7.25” radius was just because I was so impressed overall with the MIJ quality of the aerodynes.

Beyond the radius, it sounds like a modern jazz bass. The slimmer body just has a different feel, some may think it’s modern, some may think it’s almost toy like. The balance is obviously affected by having less mass on the body side, but it doesn’t feel like the headstock it diving to the ground whenever it gets the chance. Any decent strap balances well enough. The only complaint I have with the body is one I’ve noticed before with this style: the binding on the body digs into my arm when I’m sitting or wearing the bass too high up, especially when I have to use a pick. I would bring out another instrument with softer edges if I had to play with a pick all night (which I rarely do)

 

[jnewmark]

I have never owned a 7.25, though I always loved that aspect of the OG fender aerodyne PJ’s. That being said, my aerodyne J is quite a bit easier to play than my previous Jazz bass, a MIM parts bass that had a roasted maple fender Jazz standard neck with a 9.5 radius profile. It was a beautiful bass that was well put together, but that bass never agreed with me.

I actually had such a positive experience with the OG aerodyne and its rounded board, that I expected to dislike the flatter board of the newer aerodynes, but it doesn’t bother me one bit. I suspect my perceived preference for 7.25” radius was just because I was so impressed overall with the MIJ quality of the aerodynes.

Beyond the radius, it sounds like a modern jazz bass. The slimmer body just has a different feel, some may think it’s modern, some may think it’s almost toy like. The balance is obviously affected by having less mass on the body side, but it doesn’t feel like the headstock it diving to the ground whenever it gets the chance. Any decent strap balances well enough. The only complaint I have with the body is one I’ve noticed before with this style: the binding on the body digs into my arm when I’m sitting or wearing the bass too high up, especially when I have to use a pick. I would bring out another instrument with softer edges if I had to play with a pick all night (which I rarely do)

Thanks. By "modern sounding", do mean more like an active bass?

 

[Kevlanco]

Thanks. By "modern sounding", do mean more like an active bass?

More so the “voicing” of the pickups is a little more modern sounding to me. I haven’t looked at the pickups under the covers, but I would imagine they are overwound compared to the standard 60’s vintage jazz pickups for a hotter output overall.

 

[Michael Eisenman]

Okay, I went back about 10 pages. Most of the discussion seemed to be about the different colors and how harsh the stock strings sound. So, I'll ask again, what's it like going from a 7.25 radius to a 12 radius ? How do they sound compared to a stock Jazz ? Balance, feel ?

This drawing shows the difference between 12” and 7.5” radius curves, respectively. I used a ruler instead of a protractor, so it’s not exact.

 

[Guitarchitect]

I too recently got a new Dolphin Jazz. Having a vintage ‘60’s Jazz and ‘89 Kubicki, with 7.25” & 7.5” boards, I was worried about the 12” radius. Don’t know if it’s because the Aerodyne neck is not as beefy as those (shallower “C”), but I have no problem at all w/ the 12”…it plays nice and fast. A keeper!
As far as sound/tone, I’ll be changing out the stock strings since it does sound noticeably thinner/metallic, w/ less bottom bump, than my other basses.

 

[Charlinho14]

Update on my new P for those curious about the stock strings:

I put some Labella DTBs on and man am I happy. Those fender 7250s are great strings but way too zingy and bright for the tone I wanted on this P bass. I'm actually playing with the tone quite turned up now. If your looking for Jamerson tone you would have to switch out these pickups as they're very modern sounding still, but I'm very happy with the tone now. For me it's the perfect blend of modern and vintage tone and I like the high output they have. This bass is so fun to play with the 12 inch radius and I can't 'believe the sustain it has. For the price I payed for this bass, it's amazing!

 

[shirojiro]

I need to try some different strings.
I just got a few packs of Fender pure nickel round wounds to try out. im hoping they’re not as harsh sounding.

 

[JumboJett35]

Despite my disdain for the fender stock strings being a bit harsh when new, I think I may have found their calling. I've been on a Megadeth/Pantera/Metallica playing bender this past weekend and while I love my Precisions for Metal, theirs just something to me about that bright trebly zing of picking a Jazz and these strings lend very well to that. Now how long they will last and keep that " spank" or if they're anything other than a one trick show is the question. I'll likely change them long before I find out. Nickels are just smoother to play and sound better to me.

 

[aarono2690]

La Bella LTF strings still in the good graces of the bass playing community? If I get a new Jazz I may give them a whirl.