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Fender Aerodyne Club!

#1,421
Malak the Mad said:
What year, or at the very least, what are the designations? "Made" or "Crafted" In Japan? A "JD" serial number?

I ask because there's a difference between the neck finishes. Mine, which I'm pretty sure was built somewhere around 2007, has what can be best described as a "semi-gloss" finish. The recently built ones I've noodled with at my local Guitar Center, ones with the "JD16" serial numbers, have such a rough, bone-dry feeling finish that I found them a little unpleasant to the touch. Even a number of Squiers I've sampled, ones with satin finished necks, didn't have such an overabundance of texture to them.
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Mine was brand new out of the box today, Made in Japan, JD17 serial number.

The aerodyne neck certainly has a more dry feel when compares to my older Jazz neck, but I don't feel any texture, it's very smooth and fast. I'm more than happy with its feel, and the way it plays.
 
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#1,423
smithenhiven said:
The aerodyne neck certainly has a more dry feel when compares to my older Jazz neck, but I don't feel any texture, it's very smooth and fast. I'm more than happy with its feel, and the way it plays.
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Glad to hear it! Now I'm looking forward to trying out a 2017 'Dyne. Perhaps the two 2016's I tried were either a fluke or someone noticed and corrected it.
 
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#1,426
Just thought I'd post this because it's different. I've seen the Aerodyne in black, CAR, gun metal, sunburst and blue, but never gold. Didn't know this was a production color.
image.jpeg
 
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#1,428
Been playing my active Schecter Stage 5 a lot that's pretty heavy. Thought I'd break open the Aerodyne since it's been a while. That thing is pretty light. I forgot how much I like the neck. I love the way it sounds, distinctively different in a good way. It's the only Fender I have out of 9 basses and still has the stock pups. Sure, if you let go of the thing on stage, cranked through a SVT, it's noisy. Just don't let go of it.:thumbsup: I played it all night in my bedroom through an Ampeg B-50R and it played and sounded great. Playing other basses and not playing the Aerodyne for some time, and then playing it made me realize how much I like this bass.
 
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#1,432
Malak the Mad said:
What year, or at the very least, what are the designations? "Made" or "Crafted" In Japan? A "JD" serial number?

I ask because there's a difference between the neck finishes. Mine, which I'm pretty sure was built somewhere around 2007, has what can be best described as a "semi-gloss" finish. The recently built ones I've noodled with at my local Guitar Center, ones with the "JD16" serial numbers, have such a rough, bone-dry feeling finish that I found them a little unpleasant to the touch. Even a number of Squiers I've sampled, ones with satin finished necks, didn't have such an overabundance of texture to them.

Aerodyne necks are easily one of my favorites amongst all of Fender's offerings, so this change kinda irks me a bit. :sour: Oh, how I pine for the glorious Fender/Kanda-Shokai days. They really knew how to innovate and dazzle with their creations. :thumbsup: At least FMIC was smart enough to keep the Aerodyne in production. I'll curse the day they announce it's discontinuation, whenever that may be.
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What would be the difference on an Aerodyne "Made" in Japan and "Crafted" In Japan?
 
#1,433
Lars Overmars said:
What would be the difference on an Aerodyne "Made" in Japan and "Crafted" In Japan?
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To the best of my knowledge, not much difference at all. Kanda-Shokai, the Japanese side of the Fender-Japan joint venture, switched production factories in 1997 and started branding their instruments "Crafted In Japan" to mark this change. In 2007, they switched again and reverted back to "Made In Japan". Despite the transitions, I can't remember ever hearing any complaints about a drop in quality, so I think it's fair to assume Kanda-Shokai had very strict quality control standards.
 
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#1,436
Just picked up one of the PJ Jazz’s in Dolphin Grey. Digging it and plan on making a few mods to black out the shiny bits. I’ve done a ton of searching but can’t find a definitive answer: has anyone located a true drop in replacement for the stock bridge that does not require ANY modifications to fit the recess in the body?
 
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#1,437
jeff62 said:
Just picked up one of the PJ Jazz’s in Dolphin Grey. Digging it and plan on making a few mods to black out the shiny bits. I’ve done a ton of searching but can’t find a definitive answer: has anyone located a true drop in replacement for the stock bridge that does not require ANY modifications to fit the recess in the body?
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A basic F-style bridge should fit. Everything else will require routing. When in doubt, use a ruler.
 
#1,438
jeff62 said:
Just picked up one of the PJ Jazz’s in Dolphin Grey. Digging it and plan on making a few mods to black out the shiny bits. I’ve done a ton of searching but can’t find a definitive answer: has anyone located a true drop in replacement for the stock bridge that does not require ANY modifications to fit the recess in the body?
Click to expand...
I've not seen an aerodyne with a body recess for the bridge, then again maybe I've not seen all the variants, can you post a pic?
 
#1,439
jeff62 said:
Just picked up one of the PJ Jazz’s in Dolphin Grey. Digging it and plan on making a few mods to black out the shiny bits. I’ve done a ton of searching but can’t find a definitive answer: has anyone located a true drop in replacement for the stock bridge that does not require ANY modifications to fit the recess in the body?
Click to expand...
Hipshot has made them although they are not a "catalog" item. Give them a shout.
 

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