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Fender Japan is gone :(
- Thread starter GazzBass
- Start date
Yeah, well, it happened. I ordered a Vintage Special (VSP) Jazz bass in 3 color sunburst from Ishibashi. You bastards couldn’t stop me from doing it, could you? What the heck are you good for, anyways?! 
After it arrives, I will make a new thread with lots of photos, impressions, and all that. This photo is from the Fender Japan page.
Part of the deal here was that if I was going to buy myself a new toy, I had to also make a donation to the poor people dealing with the earthquake in Nepal. So the wallet is a fair bit lighter now. But well worth it in all regards.
After it arrives, I will make a new thread with lots of photos, impressions, and all that. This photo is from the Fender Japan page.
Part of the deal here was that if I was going to buy myself a new toy, I had to also make a donation to the poor people dealing with the earthquake in Nepal. So the wallet is a fair bit lighter now. But well worth it in all regards.
Hey, I care!
I noticed that the page(s) under Japan Fender - Precision bass is down to just one now. I said now or never and sent an email about a PB-57 model.
Congrats!Yeah, well, it happened. I ordered a Vintage Special (VSP) Jazz bass in 3 color sunburst from Ishibashi. You bastards couldn’t stop me from doing it, could you? What the heck are you good for, anyways?!
After it arrives, I will make a new thread with lots of photos, impressions, and all that. This photo is from the Fender Japan page.
Part of the deal here was that if I was going to buy myself a new toy, I had to also make a donation to the poor people dealing with the earthquake in Nepal. So the wallet is a fair bit lighter now. But well worth it in all regards.
I just pulled the trigger on a JB62-US-3TS myself! - Should be shipping out from Ishi in the next day or two. Had planned to buy one of these sometime this year, but now that they are all going to be history, I figured I better get off the dime ASAP! - I'm up to (5) Fender Japan basses in the last two weeks, so I am doing my part to bring some to the states before Corona kills the best thing they had going for them!
Did you deal with Johan or someone else at Ishibashi? Johan rules! If you ask, he will inspect the guitar for you, and if in the rare instance it needs a setup, he can do that for you.
I've bought several guitars from him. He told me they have never been this busy since he has worked there! - Looks like everyone who has ever wanted a Japan Fender guitar is buying them this week!
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First thing I did when I got the news about Fender Japan a few weeks ago was to order all four colors of the short scale (JB62SS) Jazz Basses. A friend had one he brought back from a business trip a year ago and I LOVE that bass and kept putting off buying myself one.
Hope you are able to score one before they are all gone. Its the hands down best short scale bass I have ever owned, and I have owned quite a few in the last 45 years of playing/collecting. Also, all four of mine came out of the factory sealed box beautifully set up and complete with D'Addario EXL170S Nickel Round Wounds from the factory!
I've never had an American Fender come out of the box not needing something done to it. This whole situation is a real tragedy for the average gigging musician!
Many are just now finding out how good Fender Japan guitars were. Now its almost too late to get one at a decent price. Congrats! Pleased to see another MIJ P-Bass going to a deserving player instead of an eBay marketeer!
I'm glad to see other players who realize what is happening right now, and what these great guitars are going to be worth in a couple of years.
I wish I had more $$ right now! I'm sure I could find a few more Japan exclusive models I could justify owning!
This sad story has all the makings of another Fender legend, with the guitars produced during Fender Japan's last year of production likely being the most sought after.
I've seen this all before.
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This was too easy - I received a reply back from Johann and then completed the order. The total cost with shipping is a $2.35 difference vs. buying a Mexi standard at MF.
Excellent! Johan needs a raise! The poor guy must be handling hundreds of online orders a day right now!
Regarding the total cost...
I know right? Just wait till you open that box and behold how a Fender bass SHOULD be built and setup from the factory!
It will definitely spoil you towards any future new stateside purchases, where the guitars always need some serious TLC from their new owner cause they sure as hell don't get any at the factory before they get boxed up and shipped out!Maybe Fender USA was simply fed up with Japan making them look so lame all the time? lol! Talk to anyone who has purchased a new Japan Fender and you are very likely to hear the same story over and over again.
Goes something like this...
"The thing was beautifully setup and ready to play right out of the box, and the attention to detail with paint and hardware was second to none!"
Be sure to let us know how you like it when it arrives!
And here is an FYI for everyone waiting for their new bass to arrive via Japan Post EMS service...
In my experience, Japan Post EMS takes about 3-4 days to arrive on the west coast, and a few days longer for the east coast. I live in Central California, and all my EMS shipments got to me the day after the plane landed in San Francisco. The USPS ground trip from the airport to your town takes the most time.
Also... The Japan Post website doesn't always update fast enough to show the actual status. I've had a few guitars actually show up at my local Post Office while the website still listed it at SFO's outward exchange. (As they call it in Japan)
When Fender Japan dies, look to Fgn and others for the quality instruments. My FGN Jazz is as good or better than my 3 MIJ Fenders
I wasn't going to say it, but there you go. Sometime around the late 70s or early 80s the Japanese music industry got their stuff together and set the standard for quality. (Along with the watch industry, and the car industry, all of which had to catch up with the camera industry, which had been the best in the world since at least the 50s or so).
Meanwhile, in the US, we were making AMC Gremlins.
Excellent!
You may get a 3% foreign transaction fee on your credit card, so factor that in if it’s applicable. All told, I think that my JB62 VSP will come in around $920. The equivalent American Vintage would probably be over $2300 from a shop here with taxes and all. We’ll see if the US and Japan basses are of similar quality or not. If it’s even close, I’ll be happy. Heck, I think that the Mexi standards are really good these days. OK, I’ll keep track of the stock numbers and post them, a few days apart, here and there.
Enjoy your new bass! And tell us what you think of it.
Thanks! And congrats on your order, too.
Five basses in two weeks?! You must have a lot of hands to play a lot of basses. I was also planning on buying one in the future… when I am likely to be in Japan in January. But the buzz here convinced me that the basses are going away and it’s now or never.
Yup, it’s Johan that I’ve been emailing with. He didn’t mention anything about being particularly busy. Interesting and it makes sense. My payment went through the other day. I’m guessing it will ship out early this coming week. But I don’t care much if it takes a while longer.
Good to know- thanks. I’ve never actually seen a Fender Japan bass in person. So I’m curious to see what this thing is going to be like. I just went for the top of the line, a VSP jazz. I wonder if this VSP will be on a similar level to an American Vintage. If it is, super. If not, that’s OK, too. I’m only paying less than half the cost of an American Vintage. And it’s going to be something unique to have, a bass that will not be made anymore, is rare in the US, and really vintage spec'd.
This will be my first “real” bass. The only other one that I have is a Danelectro reissue that is giving me fits, being cheaply made and unstable. It should be a nice upgrade.
I’m looking forward to it.
You are incorrect. The "US" in that context means it is a Fender Japan manufactured product with US pickups in it.
Correct! Not only are they US pickups, they are from the Fender USA Vintage series and very similar to what would have been factory installed on an original 1962 Jazz Bass back in the day.
Another rather significant difference is that the JB62-US model has an Alder body where as most of the other JB62 models use Basswood bodies. That all adds up to a pretty significant difference in sound between the "US" and some of the other JB62 models. (Jon W... Did your VSP come with an Alder body or a Basswood body? - I have seen both woods used in the VSP model, but Basswood seems more common)
My JB62SS Mini Jazz Basses come with the same Japanese designed pickups that the VSP and other JB62s come with. Its a great sounding pickup, but different sounding than a typical American J-Bass.
I really like the sound of them myself, but with four JB62SS in my stable, I think I have that base covered. All three bases PLUS home plate! lol!
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Thanks! And congrats on your order, too.
I was also planning on buying one in the future… when I am likely to be in Japan in January. But the buzz here convinced me that the basses are going away and it’s now or never.
Yeah... It worked out that I had just accepted a 6 months No Payments / No Interest credit card offer that I was getting mailed to me every couple of weeks, and finally decided to accept the damned thing! ;o) Certainly came in handy when this whole Japan Fender news came along!
I started off just buying just one JB62SS in 3TS, but when that bass arrived and it came out of the factory sealed box setup better from the factory than some of my American Fenders AFTER I have paid someone to set it up, I was truly blown away! In the 40+ years I have been buying new Fender guitars and basses, I had NEVER seen one come out of the factory sealed carton perfectly dialed in. The action was at the perfect height, not a buzz anywhere on the neck, and all other fit and finish was beautifully done as well!
After playing this fantastic little Jazz Bass for a couple of hours, the wheels started turning and by the end of the night, I had ordered the other three colors. At the time, I naturally assumed that the incredible setup job the first JB62SS came out of the box with was dumb luck, but when the other three arrived and each and every one of them was just as perfect, I became an overnight megafan of Fender Japan! -- My sights then turned to the full size Jazz Bass my JB62SS' were always pictured with in all the Smart Size advertising photos.
Since the full size bass is made at a different factory than the SS model, I can't be absolutely sure if the setup is going to be as blow away perfect, but I am hoping that it is! These all being based on the original 1962 Jazz Bass, the truss rod screw is located at the body end of the neck instead of up at the headstock, so there is no way to adjust the neck tension without taking the neck off the body, so you can get to the screw. Some owners have actually routed some of the body away at where the neck meets the body so they can adjust the rod with the neck still on the guitar, but I find once you get it to the right tension, it tends to stay put and you don't need to deal with it again.
However... Personally, I suck at adjusting this type of Fender and failed miserably in my attempts to lower the action on my 64' which has the same truss rod screw location. I ended up taking it to my go to guitar tech and he dialed it in beautifully, but it set me back $85.00! I add up all the money I have saved so far on the four JB62SS that didn't need a setup done on them, and that could buy another guitar! Keeping my fingers crossed that the JB62-US doesn't need its action adjusted, cause I ain't attempting it if it does!
That will mean another $85.00 and a road trip to my tech, who lives 120 miles away, one way! Yup, it’s Johan that I’ve been emailing with. He didn’t mention anything about being particularly busy. Interesting and it makes sense. My payment went through the other day. I’m guessing it will ship out early this coming week. But I don’t care much if it takes a while longer.
Good to know- thanks. I’ve never actually seen a Fender Japan bass in person. So I’m curious to see what this thing is going to be like. I just went for the top of the line, a VSP jazz. I wonder if this VSP will be on a similar level to an American Vintage. If it is, super. If not, that’s OK, too. I’m only paying less than half the cost of an American Vintage. And it’s going to be something unique to have, a bass that will not be made anymore, is rare in the US, and really vintage spec'd.
This will be my first “real” bass. The only other one that I have is a Danelectro reissue that is giving me fits, being cheaply made and unstable. It should be a nice upgrade.
Oh wow! So you have never had the pleasure of playing/owning a Fender Jazz Bass? Man! I wish I could see the expression on your face when you play your JB62 for the first time!
You are going to be knocked out! I have no doubt about that! If you check out my signature, you can see the various brands and models I own. Well, in my opinion, the Fender Jazz Bass sets the bar for which all others are measured. I don't think you could find a more versatile instrument than the ol Jazz! While I LOVE my Rickenbacker 4003, and all my other bass guitar brands and models, if I had to play a show or do a recording session in which I didn't know the musical style I would be facing, and could only bring one instrument with me, it would be a Jazz Bass hands down! I wouldn't even think twice about it! There isn't a style or genre of music that the Jazz Bass can't excel at! I am sure all the road worn vets here on TB would agree with me on that point! As I mentioned in that other post above, the VSP has some significant differences compared to the JB62-US. They look identical, so aesthetically, you can't tell them apart, but many of the VSPs I have seen for sale have Basswood bodies instead of the Alder that the US model has. However, I have seen VSPs for sale that listed the wood as Alder, so I am not sure if that seller was wrong, or if they can come in either wood from the factory.
The other significant difference and the reason why the "US" model is called "US" is because it comes with the Fender USA Vintage Jazz Bass pickups from the factory instead of the Japanese designed Alnico pickups found on the VSP model. These are the same pickups that came installed on all my JB62SS short scale Jazz Basses. Speaking as someone who has owned close to two dozen Fender Jazz Bases in my life, the Japanese Alnico pickups definitely sound different than your typical American Jazz Bass sounds.
Its hard to describe the difference... But I personally like the unique tone these produce. The blend between the neck and bridge pickup seems more pronounced to my ear, so changing the balance in volume between the two makes a lot bigger effect than I get with say my 64 or American Deluxe, although the Deluxe is an active system.
I will be curious to see what you think of the sound of your new VSP when it arrives! I am really digging the sound of my JB62SS guitars and I am sure they sound very similar to how your VSP is going to sound.
WOW! That was a LOOOoong reply! Hope you guys don't mind me getting so wordy!
P.S. Did you VSP ship yet? Mine shipped on the 1st, but is still in Japan as of the last update. Once it gets on a plane, the rest of the trip happens really fast, so once you see it leave Japan, you have only 1-2 days left to go!
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Excellent!
OK, I’ll keep track of the stock numbers and post them, a few days apart, here and there.
Enjoy your new bass! And tell us what you think of it.
You know...PayPal for example always warns you about that 3% thing, but in all the years I have been buying international, I have never had to pay that surcharge. Might be the credit card companies I use, but it could also be marketing BS to save PayPal money on their backend!
