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Fender American Original 60s Jazz Bass..best mod platform?

Matt Power

Matt Power

Supporting Member
Jul 2, 2000
2,522
2,493
Magnolia, TX
#1
So...like many of you, I've been playing the Fender lottery over the years, looking for "The One". Well, still haven't found it! 😆 But, after close to a hundred or more 60s and 70s style J basses, the closest I've found in their production line that ticks a lot of my boxes to get closest to ultimate J territory in a production Fender is the 6Os A.O. Hear me out! First...

I found a light one in Candy Apple Red! Was in the high 8s, but I dropped some Gotoh light reverse tuners on, and lost a half pound! Zero neck dive!

The neck radius...I have never been a fan of 7.5 radius, especially if you're playing upstairs. This has a 9.5, so it is a bit easier above the 12th (if you gotta go up there...😉)

Fret size is the correct small wire...thank you, Fender!

Lacquer...'nuff said.

I yanked the 64 pickups in there (over-rated, 100%), and dropped in some Fralins with a hot bridge...yowza!

Added some Dunlop strap locks buttons and had Brady Muckelroy do a fret mow and surgical fretwork, and now it is really a slayer! Next is to have him strip the lacquer on the back of the neck and oil it.

I yanked the cheapo-looking tort off and added a parchment guard. 100% class.

Fender keeps tweaking tiny parts of a 62 J to keep the models separate, but where they drop the ball is when they mess with the fretwire when doing early models. They put on jumbo, or large, clunky school bus frets. Eww. Instant re-fret. They play and feel slow, IMO. Even this neck taper is slightly chunkier than a 62 J reissue, but with the slightly flatter radius, it just...works!

Plus..the pickups. How many ways can Fender screw up a J pickup? If they just copied a Fralin (who out-Fenders Fender), they would be solid.

Or better yet, better, lighter wood, better hardware, less models and more color options. Like...re-release all of the old Fender colors. I would love a surf green 60s jazz, but...I really dont need a MonoNeon or American Classic version 12.0 LauraLeeModifiedAffinityVibeVintageAerodyneGeddyFleaClayton model. Here are all the American Js they really need in the range of Fender colors specific to the year, with lightweight tuners, IMO:

A 62
A 66
A 72
A 75
A modern with different pickups, etc
A Jaco
A Marcus
A Geddy

That's it...and keep it that way! Re-releasing the same bass with more and more models made overseas with small tweaks doesn't make me want to run out and grab a "sparkle 3 tone burst with 1981 pickups and new tuners"

BUT, if you're going to mod an American J and make it a player, check out the AO 60s J...a heckuva starting point! I might look for a Sonic Blue one and do the same...maybe de-fret and epoxy the board.

The world doesn't need a cheaper J..Just a better original.

Thoughts?
 
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#3
Matt Power said:
So...like many of you, I've been playing the Fender lottery over the years, looking for "The One". Well, still haven't found it! 😆
The world doesn't need a cheaper J..Just a better original.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Plenty of good, passive non-Fender Jazz basses around that need no mods whatsoever, other than better strings.
If you're happy with modding your Jazz bass to make it better, sure, it's easy enough with a Fender, but if you still haven't found the one, why not try something else?
G&L keeps it simple and plenty of bass players prefer them over Fender. Must be a reason.
Bacchus makes some of the best Jazz basses in the world and they don't offer 50 different models, although they do have 50 plus available finishes.
I've owned 15 Jazz basses, maybe more, and nothing can compare to my MIJ Bacchus Woodline.
Quite a few other great Jazz basses available, too.
 
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#4
Matt Power said:
So...like many of you, I've been playing the Fender lottery over the years, looking for "The One". Well, still haven't found it! 😆 But, after close to a hundred or more 60s and 70s style J basses, the closest I've found in their production line that ticks a lot of my boxes to get closest to ultimate J territory in a production Fender is the 6Os A.O. Hear me out! First...

I found a light one in Candy Apple Red! Was in the high 8s, but I dropped some Gotoh light reverse tuners on, and lost a half pound! Zero neck dive!

The neck radius...I have never been a fan of 7.5 radius, especially if you're playing upstairs. This has a 9.5, so it is a bit easier above the 12th (if you gotta go up there...😉)

Fret size is the correct small wire...thank you, Fender!

Lacquer...'nuff said.

I yanked the 64 pickups in there (over-rated, 100%), and dropped in some Fralins with a hot bridge...yowza!

Added some Dunlop strap locks buttons and had Brady Muckelroy do a fret mow and surgical fretwork, and now it is really a slayer! Next is to have him strip the lacquer on the back of the neck and oil it.

I yanked the cheapo-looking tort off and added a parchment guard. 100% class.

Fender keeps tweaking tiny parts of a 62 J to keep the models separate, but where they drop the ball is when they mess with the fretwire when doing early models. They put on jumbo, or large, clunky school bus frets. Eww. Instant re-fret. They play and feel slow, IMO. Even this neck taper is slightly chunkier than a 62 J reissue, but with the slightly flatter radius, it just...works!

Plus..the pickups. How many ways can Fender screw up a J pickup? If they just copied a Fralin (who out-Fenders Fender), they would be solid.

Or better yet, better, lighter wood, better hardware, less models and more color options. Like...re-release all of the old Fender colors. I would love a surf green 60s jazz, but...I really dont need a MonoNeon or American Classic version 12.0 LauraLeeModifiedAffinityVibeVintageAerodyneGeddyFleaClayton model. Here are all the American Js they really need in the range of Fender colors specific to the year, with lightweight tuners, IMO:

A 62
A 66
A 72
A 75
A modern with different pickups, etc
A Jaco
A Marcus
A Geddy

That's it...and keep it that way! Re-releasing the same bass with more and more models made overseas with small tweaks doesn't make me want to run out and grab a "sparkle 3 tone burst with 1981 pickups and new tuners"

BUT, if you're going to mod an American J and make it a player, check out the AO 60s J...a heckuva starting point! I might look for a Sonic Blue one and do the same...maybe de-fret and epoxy the board.

The world doesn't need a cheaper J..Just a better original.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

How do you like the Fralins?

I often wonder about swapping out my originals in my Jaco sig, and stop fighting with the single coils. But then they're kind of part of the charm.
 
#5
Maybe you just don't like traditional Jazz basses very much (apart from the vintage fretwire). You might be better off with something like a Sadowsky - super light, hotter pickups, oiled neck, flatter radius.

To each their own, but I really like the Pure Vintage '64/66 Fender pickups. They do what they're supposed to do, sound like a vintage Jazz pickup. Hotter/overwound pickups have their place but they don't really sound like real vintage ones.
 
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#6
Belka said:
Maybe you just don't like traditional Jazz basses very much (apart from the vintage fretwire). You might be better off with something like a Sadowsky - super light, hotter pickups, oiled neck, flatter radius.

To each their own, but I really like the Pure Vintage '64/66 Fender pickups. They do what they're supposed to do, sound like a vintage Jazz pickup. Hotter/overwound pickups have their place but they don't really sound like real vintage ones.
Click to expand...
Fellas...I own Bacchus, a Sadowsky, a Lull and a Celinder. I have plenty if JBSO (Jazz Bass Shaped Objects), have owned at least 100, and just sold a 66 American Vintage ii Jazz. I just wanted a real Fender Jazz with all of the bugs fixed. I finally got one.
 
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#8
cymbop said:
Pics or it didn't happen ;)
Click to expand...
Things I can and did change:
●Hipshot tuners...lost a half pound
●64 Jazz pickups replaced with Fralins....an improvement in EVERY way. The 66 AND 64 pickups sound good, but a but light on lows and growl compared to the Fralins...all IMO and carrots
●Shielded properly to ground
●Frets leveled and crowned properly...the action is RIDICULOUS now
●Nut cut properly...it was un-even
●Lighter colored face dots....the ones on the AO 60s are waaaay too dark. Whoever made that decision at Fender needs a swift kick in the tail. I put on some very thin stick on dots. It looks much more original now
●Small access route to make neck adjustments easier without marring the guard or having to take off the neck. Leo added that later on with the Music Man, albeit with a Phillips vs a wheel
●Changed the guard. As much as I like tort, the color and pattern of the modern tort leaves a lot to be desired. It can't be that hard to make a Spitfire-style guard...could it?

Things I COULDN'T change that this bass had that were really important to me:
●Weight...now in the low 8s and zero neck dive
●Color...I wanted CAR, and am now jonesing for a Sonic Blue one to convert to fretless!
●Frets...proper sized vintage frets are the quickest under the left hand, and early 60s correct
●Radius...I dont enjoy playing on a rounder radius after you leave the 10th-12th. A flatter radius makes it easier to play across the neck for me

Things I can't change that I want to, but probably won't :
●Side dots...too dark. I might have them replaced when I gently de-gloss the neck

All Fender really needs to do, IMO to be a better value/more competitive:
●Fewer low-midrange models...standardized and streamline, IMO. The Jazz Bass brand has been diluted with the sheer number of low-mid dollar models.
●Tuners...gotta make them lighter
●Pickups...just make a 60s pickup with some more output and growl...please? The sheer number of different pickups models they offer is crazy. Most of the low-mid models sound like it. Do your best copy of a Lindy or even a Lollar...creamer by a mile. They both do a better job of making proper Fender pickups than contemporary Fender does with their production jazzes...all IMO. It's just a single coil pickup...
●Offer a wider range of colors across fewer models
●If you're going to offer an old school tolex case, build a quality one. The newer ones are much more flimsy. If you have one, you know.

Okay...rant over! Thanks for bearing with me this far...now, hopefully I can find a minty and light Sonic Blue one!
 

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#10
I'm not trying in any way to be confrontational, but… have you played an original 1960 unmodified Fender Jazz? Is this what you are trying to emulate? Those basses had flaws that we all know about and either live with or not. Do you have this sound and feel
included in your "ultimate J territory?"
Is a 1960 Jazz the "ultimate J territory?"
I'm honestly trying to understand what you are talking about. Are you talking about a dream bass, with the possibility
(probability) that others may not share?
It's possible (probable) that Fender Corporation also doesn't share your dream.
 
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#12
bass player 53 said:
I'm not trying in any way to be confrontational, but… have you played an original 1960 unmodified Fender Jazz? Is this what you are trying to emulate? Those basses had flaws that we all know about and either live with or not. Do you have this sound and feel
included in your "ultimate J territory?"
Is a 1960 Jazz the "ultimate J territory?"
I'm honestly trying to understand what you are talking about. Are you talking about a dream bass, with the possibility
(probability) that others may not share?
It's possible (probable) that Fender Corporation also doesn't share your dream.
Click to expand...
Not taken confrontationally...at all.

Yup...owned a 62 and a 63. I know Fender is not really interested..at all...in my carroted opinion.

I am talking about a early 60s jazz with proper light tuners and small frets and a small access channel for accessibility. That and a kick a** setup by Brady Muckelroy make it for a completely functional bass that plays like lightning. The Fralin pickups are my preference. The standard 64s are fine...Hotter pickups are just a preference. I am thankful for a more modern and usable radius for anything other than 1st-3rd position.

However, the lighter tuners are an easy thing for Fender to fix...if they wanted to. But they don't. The way they do it is the way they do it, period. But if they did address the neck dive issue with the same vintage tuners but lighter a la Gotoh, they would still have the vintage look but with better functionality for a wider range of players. Most guys play in the first few positions and wouldn't notice the difference between 7.5 and 9 radius...but people who play the entire neck do. I know the original J was not designed with that in mind, but it's a 66 year old design! Keep the look, improve the playability....
Maybe I'll just pick up one of my CB basses..or Shawn May basses..or Muckelroy if I want an optimized instrument. Funny that clarinet and trumpet players don't give a rip about "original design". If a pinky key helps a fingering...they add one. Bach and Monel don't expect the player to only use their mouthpiece....does it become "modified" if they use a 1C instead of the 3C it shipped with?

I want an optimized jazz bass....basically a Lakland Joe Osborne with a Fender headstock.

That is all.
 
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#13
Matt Power said:
Not taken confrontationally...at all.

Yup...owned a 62 and a 63. I know Fender is not really interested..at all...in my carroted opinion.

I am talking about a early 60s jazz with proper light tuners and small frets and a small access channel for accessibility. That and a kick a** setup by Brady Muckelroy make it for a completely functional bass that plays like lightning. The Fralin pickups are my preference. The standard 64s are fine...Hotter pickups are just a preference. I am thankful for a more modern and usable radius for anything other than 1st-3rd position.

However, the lighter tuners are an easy thing for Fender to fix...if they wanted to. But they don't. The way they do it is the way they do it, period. But if they did address the neck dive issue with the same vintage tuners but lighter a la Gotoh, they would still have the vintage look but with better functionality for a wider range of players. Most guys play in the first few positions and wouldn't notice the difference between 7.5 and 9 radius...but people who play the entire neck do. I know the original J was not designed with that in mind, but it's a 66 year old design! Keep the look, improve the playability....
Maybe I'll just pick up one of my CB basses..or Shawn May basses..or Muckelroy if I want an optimized instrument. Funny that clarinet and trumpet players don't give a rip about "original design". If a pinky key helps a fingering...they add one. Bach and Monel don't expect the player to only use their mouthpiece....does it become "modified" if they use a 1C instead of the 3C it shipped with?

I want an optimized jazz bass....basically a Lakland Joe Osborne with a Fender headstock.

That is all.
Click to expand...
Ok, thanks. You want 'improved features' to provide comfort for you.
You also want hotter pickups- I don't understand why adding a preamp pedal with a neutral sound won't do that for you.
You don't talk much about the actual sound of the Jazz. For you, is the sound a reflection of the pickups, or a combination of features?
 

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