Fender Aerodyne Club!

[Malak the Mad]

I like Cobalts. The stock Aerodyne pickups respond well to strings that have a lot of mids and top end, like the Cobalts, or my personal favorite, Rotosound RS66.

That makes sense. Maybe it has to something to do witu the engineering behind the Japanese-made pickups? I had an MIJ Jazz strung up with Rotosound 66LD's (nickel on steel) that had that much-lauded "piano-like tone". Too bad that set kept leaving a black-ish residue on my fingertips. (Apparently, that was a singular happenstance...probably a minor factory booboo.)

 

[jefff100]

Nice "Cherry Bomb" you got there, Remy! I, too, was in a perpetual state of drool-iness over one of those Red Devils. Then I lucked into one that was being sold just a short distance away. Sadly, my financial circumstances at that time dictated I let her go back into the wild. I hope you get to keep yours much, much longer than I did.

As far as the pickups go, I'd recommend sticking with them for a while before you go changing things up. Give them a thorough work-out first. One thing I've noticed about my first Aerodyne (an all-black Export Edition) is how the right kind of string can evoke a whole, different range of sounds. I started off on D'Addario Chromes, then started experimenting with other strings, all while keeping the stock pickups.

The Chromes were capable of being both mellow and a bit aggressive, depending on how softly/fiercely I was playing. When I tried out Ernie Ball Cobalt rounds and D'Addario FlexSteels, it became ballsy as hell!

Good advice. I replaced my pups early on as I wasnt happy with tone, but I also wanted to run humbuckers for noise canceling. I'm happy with what I got, but probably could have obtained good tone just by swapping out the strings to the DR flats I'm currently running.

 

[Catbuster]

That makes sense. Maybe it has to something to do witu the engineering behind the Japanese-made pickups? I had an MIJ Jazz strung up with Rotosound 66LD's (nickel on steel) that had that much-lauded "piano-like tone". Too bad that set kept leaving a black-ish residue on my fingertips. (Apparently, that was a singular happenstance...probably a minor factory booboo.)

I'm not an electrical enganerd, I'm a civil one. We share the same classrooms on the first floor of William S. Speed building at UofL, and when I would come in after one of their classes that imvolved making sine and cosine waves do weird things and stuff that involved linear algebra & differential equations on the chalkboards my head hurt. I was more into calculating weir loading rates and geomechamics.

But I digress. What I do know is that these guys probably have hard ceramic ferrite magnets(haven't checked to verify), which changes the resistance of the pickup and lends itself to a harsher sound due to ferrite magnets having a stronger magnetic field, and they are not heavily wound which don't help their case (less windings-lower resonant frequency). And being wired into 250k ohm minipots don't help either. They need a ballsy string to get them to sound anywhere near aggressive due to low output, but paired with a highly magnetic string they should come alive. Phew. Electrocity & magnetism, it's weird.

As far as the RS66, I'd really like to learn what alloy stainless they use. Because to me it looks like a 400 series, and if they didn't clean millscale off, after forming I wouldn't be surprised if that coating crumbled onto your fingers. Or they might use a 4000 series chromoly, stainless' close cousin that would do exactly that if they didn't really take the time to clean millscale.

Malak, I apologize. I truly am an engineer. Or really just an enganerd.

Good advice. I replaced my pups early on as I wasnt happy with tone, but I also wanted to run humbuckers for noise canceling. I'm happy with what I got, but probably could have obtained good tone just by swapping out the strings to the DR flats I'm currently running.

I replaced the bridge pickups on both of the ones I've owned with the Seymour Duncan STK-J2, which I think mates really well with the Aerodyne's P pickup.

 

[twinjet]

Hey fellas, got a Fender Jazz build I'm working on and I'm possibly in the market for an Aerodyne neck. Anyone selling?

 

[jefff100]

Hey fellas, got a Fender Jazz build I'm working on and I'm possibly in the market for an Aerodyne neck. Anyone selling?

Go back one page. There's some one posting a feeler about selling a trans blue non-export.

# Edit - I mis-read your post thinking you wanted to buy a bass.

 

[Malak the Mad]

As far as the RS66, I'd really like to learn what alloy stainless they use. Because to me it looks like a 400 series, and if they didn't clean millscale off, after forming I wouldn't be surprised if that coating crumbled onto your fingers. Or they might use a 4000 series chromoly, stainless' close cousin that would do exactly that if they didn't really take the time to clean millscale.

Malak, I apologize. I truly am an engineer. Or really just an enganerd.

No worries at all, Cat. I'm sure many of us here can geek-out over something non-bass-related. I know I have gone off on a couple of wild tangents that have even less to do with the original topic than yours. And as far as my first-ever set of Roto's go, I'm pretty sure it was just a weird fluke and not indicative of a systemic problem.

Hey fellas, got a Fender Jazz build I'm working on and I'm possibly in the market for an Aerodyne neck. Anyone selling?

First off, great choice! I did the same for my "Projekt Blue" build and I love it to pieces! I sourced mine by keeping an eye on Guitar Center's used database. When a decently-priced used Aerodyne popped up, I pounced on it, harvested the neck and sold the body through the TB Classifieds.

(To be more accurate, I got two. The first one's neck was so dinged up along the back that I deemed it unusable for harvesting. Sanding it down would've probably gone all the way to the wood, so I just returned it for a refund. The second one I sourced was the keeper.)

One thing that might come up, like it did for me. While the neck fit into the pocket of the Mighty Mite body I was pairing it with, the screw holes of the neck weren't lining up 100%. Technically speaking, it like a 97% match. I could see the holes almost line up, but it would've been off by enough to not be a proper fit. But before I went and did a "Fill & Drill" on the neck's preexisting holes, I tried something my local GC guitar tech suggested…

1. Place the neck into the pocket. (I know…duh!)
2. String up all four strings, adding in only enough tension to keep them from flopping around.
3. Turn the instrument face-down.
4. Start adding in more and more tension until you have to press down on the body/neck area to keep them together.
5. Check to see if the holes line up. If they do, move the neck plate into place and bolt away.

This trick was primarily meant to make sure a neck was nice and straight if the heel/pocket junction isn't snug enough or has a little too much play inside. The idea to use it as such was more of a "Why the hell not?!" brainstorm. I figured if it didn't work, then oh well…time to find some dowels and wood glue. But in this case, it worked like gangbusters!

twinjet: If you do find a useable Aerodyne neck, please let me know if you had a similar experience or if it just drops right in. If it's the latter, then it's possible that it was a tiny variance on the part of Mighty Mite.

 

[twinjet]

No worries at all, Cat. I'm sure many of us here can geek-out over something non-bass-related. I know I have gone off on a couple of wild tangents that have even less to do with the original topic than yours. And as far as my first-ever set of Roto's go, I'm pretty sure it was just a weird fluke and not indicative of a systemic problem.



First off, great choice! I did the same for my "Projekt Blue" build and I love it to pieces! I sourced mine by keeping an eye on Guitar Center's used database. When a decently-priced used Aerodyne popped up, I pounced on it, harvested the neck and sold the body through the TB Classifieds.

(To be more accurate, I got two. The first one's neck was so dinged up along the back that I deemed it unusable for harvesting. Sanding it down would've probably gone all the way to the wood, so I just returned it for a refund. The second one I sourced was the keeper.)

One thing that might come up, like it did for me. While the neck fit into the pocket of the Mighty Mite body I was pairing it with, the screw holes of the neck weren't lining up 100%. Technically speaking, it like a 97% match. I could see the holes almost line up, but it would've been off by enough to not be a proper fit. But before I went and did a "Fill & Drill" on the neck's preexisting holes, I tried something my local GC guitar tech suggested…

1. Place the neck into the pocket. (I know…duh!)
2. String up all four strings, adding in only enough tension to keep them from flopping around.
3. Turn the instrument face-down.
4. Start adding in more and more tension until you have to press down on the body/neck area to keep them together.
5. Check to see if the holes line up. If they do, move the neck plate into place and bolt away.

This trick was primarily meant to make sure a neck was nice and straight if the heel/pocket junction isn't snug enough or has a little too much play inside. The idea to use it as such was more of a "Why the hell not?!" brainstorm. I figured if it didn't work, then oh well…time to find some dowels and wood glue. But in this case, it worked like gangbusters!

twinjet: If you do find a useable Aerodyne neck, please let me know if you had a similar experience or if it just drops right in. If it's the latter, then it's possible that it was a tiny variance on the part of Mighty Mite.

Being an MIJ Fender body with hopefully an MIJ Neck, I expect a perfect fit. Hole plugging is a given. Will keep you posted.

 

[secondbestcody]

I need a number for this club. For some reason I haven't joined yet...

Have an '04 Aerodyne. EMG GZR PJ set (had to change my knobs also as the stock ones didn't fit) with a Hipshot A style bridge and I have been using the DR Black Beauties for style points.

 

[DJ_SlackHack]

Anyone have a clue what strings come stock on the export aerodyne jazz? The silk on the tuner end is a goldish-silver.

 

[Catbuster]

Anyone have a clue what strings come stock on the export aerodyne jazz? The silk on the tuner end is a goldish-silver.

Mine came with Fender 7250ML, no silks.

 

[DJ_SlackHack]

Mine came with Fender 7250ML, no silks.

Here is an example of mine.

 

[secondbestcody]

Mine came from a pawn shop but it had the original Fender roundwounds on it.

 

[Gvernon]

Here's mine...I bought my Aerodyne off ebay last Fall, it was very worn out when I purchased it but I breathed some new life into it and have replaced most of the hardware with new black Hipshot stuff. Its a great bass used live a few weeks back, great light weight bass for longer sets.

Is the hole pattern the same in the bridge?

 

[XontheP]

Is the hole pattern the same in the bridge?

They match up 3 holes, which is supposed to be enough. I had that same bridge on mine, but liked the sound of the stock bridge much better. Ditto the pickups. Upgrades are not always upgrades.

 

[Sterrrling]

Is the hole pattern the same in the bridge?

What XontheP said, I had the work done at a shop so I can't say specifically but yeah 3 holes will line up. I have finally ordered an Aguilar P/J pick up set and will have those installed. The stock pick ups are now sounding too hollow and contoured. Anyway the Hipshot A style bridge worked for me everyone's results are different. Personally, I don't care for Fender bridges or the saddle screws sticking up.

 

[Lars Overmars]

Hi. Anyone knows what this one would be worth? Think it`s a 91 (or so) Japan mod. Is this one of the "Non Ex?
I have all the covers but not that thumb support. It is in mint condition..Looks like it`s never played

 

[secondbestcody]

Hi. Anyone knows what this one would be worth? Think it`s a 91 (or so) Japan mod. Is this one of the "Non Ex?
I have all the covers but not that thumb support. It is in mint condition..Looks like it`s never played

It's worth nothing, better just send it to me to dispose of.

 

[Lars Overmars]

Well..Allright, Whats your shipping address?

But seriously..Any idea? How rare is it?

 

[secondbestcody]

The aerodyne pbasses are pretty sought after. If you use google, there are a ton of posts on here about them. I wish I had an aerodyne p. On Reverb the non export jazzes go for around $1200 it looks like so I would assume it would be more than that.

 

[Lars Overmars]

I`ve seen some of the posts, but haven't seen this model yet (haven't looked that hard, thats why I took the shortcut with this post).. Tnx anyway..Btw, this is a p/J mod. But I guess that`s quite common.